I am writing to you because the Israel of my childhood and of your dreams has become a nightmare, which we can no longer ignore. The passing of the “Jewish Nation-State bill” by the Israeli cabinet makes clear what Palestinian citizens of Israel have known for years: that Israel is a democracy for Jews only. By legalizing its Apartheid policies, the Israeli government has forced us to re-evaluate our relationship to Israel.

The massive Israeli military attack on Gaza this summer was met with widespread international condemnation, creating confusion and distress among Diaspora Jews, especially those who view themselves as progressive. An unprecedented number of Jews joined such organizations as Jewish Voice for Peace, J-Street, and Open Hillel, which have condemned the Gaza attack and Israel’s ongoing occupation unequivocally. At the same time, mainstream Jewish groups, including Hillel International, and the fringe group AMCHA have intensified their efforts against faculty members like myself who write and teach about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and are deeply committed to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Organizations like AMCHA created and publicized McCarthy-like black lists, urging you to avoid taking classes with us or reading our work.

I am more concerned with the implications of these attacks for you rather than for myself and my colleagues. Your college years represent an incredible opportunity, indeed a privilege, to broaden your intellectual horizons and to expand your knowledge beyond the confines of what you were exposed to growing up. I worry that the recent attacks on academic freedom and especially the labeling of organizing around Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) as anti-Semitic will deprive you of the opportunity to learn to approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from multiple perspectives, including those who make you feel uncomfortable.