Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

Renowned Scholar Pressured to Step Down After Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza

Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law Institute of Criminology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has been asked to step down after she signed the letter titled “Childhood researchers and students call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza”. CCS urges the administration of Hebrew University to show respect for academic freedom and the freedom of speech, and immediately and publicly rescind the request to Shalhoub-Kevorkian to resign.

https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/report/2023-10-29-hebrew-university-of-jerusalem/?emci=413d8065-f78e-ee11-8925-002248223cba&emdi=60efca48-0f8f-ee11-8925-002248223cba&ceid=1661962

December 4, 2023

Professor Asher Cohen
President of the Hebrew University
Administration Building
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem 9190501
ISRAEL
hupres@savion.huji.ac.il

Dear President Cohen,

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is a fifty-year-old independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We are writing to express our concern about the treatment by your administration of Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law Institute of Criminology and the School of Social Work and Public Welfare. According to reports that have been circulated in the press and on social media, she was asked to resign after she signed a letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Dr. Shalhoub-Kevorkian is an international renowned scholar, author of numerous books and research articles, member of several editorial boards, and recipient of international awards. Her opinion on certain issues may disagree with that of the university administration, or with the opinions of other scholars, but punishing her for signing the letter titled “Childhood researchers and students call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza” is unbecoming of a highly respected educational institution committed to protecting academic freedom and the freedom of speech. It has been reported that the university’s call for her to step down has been distributed on social media and has resulted in Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian fearing for her own safety.

We urge you to immediately and publicly rescind the request to Shalhoub-Kevorkian to resign and ensure that she has a safe environment at the university.

Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
https://concernedscientists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/signatures.png
CC: Prof. Tamir Sheafer, Rector of Hebrew University, rector@savion.huji.ac.il

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

Myles Axton, Chief Editor, Genetics and Genomics Next

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

David Gross, University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Giorgio Parisi, Roma I University La Sapienza

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, New England Biolabs*

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Former Honorary Board Members

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deseased) Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser (deceased), Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy (deceased), University of Pittsburgh

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

Louis Nirenberg (deceased), New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Myriam Sarachick (deceased), City College of New York

Harold Scheraga (deceased), Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Steven Weinberg (deceased), University of Texas, Austin*

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 273
Mountainhome, PA 18342
abender@concernedscientists.org