Jehuda Reinharz responds
Reader comment on item: [Brandeis University President Jehuda] Reinharz, Israel and Me

Submitted by Steve Mullany (United States), Feb 14, 2007 at 19:39

I brought Mr. Pipes' concerns to the attention of Mr. Reinharz and obtained a quick reply:

Dear Mr.Mullany:

I am writing in response to your email concerning the article posted
by Professor Daniel Pipes on the Internet, based on an article that
appeared in a Brandeis student newspaper, concerning a statement that
I allegedly made at a Faculty Meeting.

First, I never mentioned or even alluded to either Professor Pipes or
Professor Finkelstein. I never have nor would I ever liken Professor
Pipes to Professor Finkelstein. What I did say was that I did not
want to see Brandeis University become a battleground of the Middle
East. I expressed concern that, in the wake of the visit to campus
by President Jimmy Carter, I hoped that people would not focus on
bringing speakers to campus solely for the purpose of scoring points
or declaring "victory" over other members of the community, who hold
differing views. I pointed out that there are ample resources among
the Brandeis faculty, including experts on Israel, Palestine, Iraq,
Iran, Islam, and the Middle East generally, who can discuss issues of
the Middle East in a scholarly and civil manner.
The linkage between Professor Pipes and Professor Finkelstein was
made by the student newspaper, which acted on its own. Neither the
student newspaper, the Justice, nor any of the mainstream media,
which took the story directly from the student newspaper, nor for
that matter Professor Pipes, bothered to check their facts with me.

Some have also raised a concern about a delay in a talk at Brandeis
by Professor Pipes. Neither anyone in the President's Office nor I
has had anything to do with this matter. Following the visit by
President Carter, numerous student groups have been submitting
proposals for speakers to visit campus. The Dean of Student Life has
established a student-faculty-staff committee, under the chairmanship
of the Student Union President, to coordinate and sort through the
various requests for speakers dealing with the Middle East.

Few colleges or universities in the United States have done as much
as Brandeis has done to raise the level of scholarship about Israel
or to encourage informed and civil discourse about the problems and
issues of the Middle East, broadly defined.

Sincerely,

Jehuda Reinharz

Jehuda Reinharz, President
Brandeis University
415 South Street, MS 100
Waltham, MA 02453
781.736.3001
781.736.8699 FAX

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