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Israeli Artists Report Increased Boycotts in International Cultural and Academic Spheres
Israeli dancers, academics and writers have faced severed partnerships and rejections from international collaborators since October 7, 2023. Dance troupe Mayumana lost Spanish affiliations after refusing to issue political statements. Ben-Gurion University reported only one-third of its academic agreements from two years ago remain active.
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Boaz Berman, who founded the dance troupe Mayumana in 1996, said the group mixes rhythm, music and dance and previously maintained many international partnerships. After October 7, several collaborators ended their relationships. Berman said Spanish partners who had worked with the troupe for years asked Mayumana to publicly support Palestine.
When the group responded that it does not mix politics with art, the affiliation was dissolved. "This was a big blow," Berman said. He added that the troupe had worked with partners in Spain, South America and Australia. " An academic who asked not to be named said researchers have refused to publish with Israelis and that submissions from Israelis are being rejected in the arts, humanities and sciences.
The academic described Israel as a "damaged product" and "persona non grata" in many European academic circles, with fewer invitations extended to Israeli scholars. Michal Bar-Asher Siegal, a professor of Talmud and vice president of Global Engagement at Ben-Gurion University, oversees contracts for faculty and student exchanges.
She said only one-third of the agreements the university had two years ago remain in effect. Bar-Asher Siegal said she explains to partner universities that boycotting Israeli academia harms Arab and Jewish students who study together and damages programs that promote coexistence.
"The State of Israel has to realize that this is a real danger," Bar-Asher Siegal said. "If Israeli academia gets shut down, scholars will leave Israel, doctors will leave. A former colleague at a motion picture studio advised her to shelve the project, stating it could not be sold in the current environment.
