Slezak session rejected
CONTROVERSY has again marred the lead-up to Limmud-Oz, with furore erupting after outspoken boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigner Dr Peter Slezak was excluded from the program.
The last time the event was held in Sydney in 2013, Slezak, a philosopher at the University of NSW, was allowed to speak — but JCA president at the time Peter Philippsohn said it would not happen again.
A statement released by the Limmud board, chaired by Ben Berger, drew attention to a set of guidelines which stipulate that not all presenter submissions are accepted.
“Given that several of our presenters come from Israel, and given the broad consensus within the Limmud community and the broader Jewish community against the BDS movement against Israel, the board of Limmud in Sydney determined that Limmud-Oz will not provide a space for people to present who promote or actively support boycotts and sanctions against the State of Israel,” the statement said.
Speaking to The AJN this week, Slezak said the decision is “reflecting very poorly on the Jewish leadership of Limmud”.
Slezak’s proposed session was to be on Hannah Arendt, an influential German Jewish philosopher. He emphasised that he had no plans to address BDS, a promise he carried through with last time.
“It’s extraordinary that the directors of Limmud would prevent someone like me, someone they happen not to agree strongly with on some issues, from being heard … The point is they shouldn’t be telling the Jewish community who they can listen to,” Slezak said.
“In that sense, I put my name forward to in a way challenge this way that they’re behaving. And I think many people who don’t agree with me would recognise that this is appropriate, to confront a policy like this, where you exclude people on what are inappropriate grounds.”
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Jeremy Spinak supported Limmud’s decision to reject Slezak’s application. “It is difficult to take a lecture on free speech from someone who supports BDS — a movement that has tried to censor Israelis from speaking all over the world,” Spinak said.
PHOEBE ROTH
Peter Slezak’s session at this year’s Limmud-Oz has been rejected.
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