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Hunter College is receiving significant backlash after canceling the screening of a documentary film critical of Israel, a decision that faculty members and students say undermines academic freedom, the New York Times reported.
The screening was organized by Hunter’s film and media department and was scheduled for viewing on Tuesday, but interim president, Ann Kirschner, announced the cancellation that morning citing safety concerns, according to the Times.
“We seek constructive dialogue that avoids targeting any students, faculty or staff based on their identity: the essence of bigotry,” Kirschner said in a statement posted online. “In the current climate, we seek to balance our commitment to free speech and academic freedom with the danger of antisemitic and divisive rhetoric.”
The documentary, “Israelism,” captures the stories of two young Jews who travel from the U.S. to Israel and the West Bank and encounter a reality which differs from what they learned at their religious day schools and summer camps.
The film was released in February and has been shown at dozens of universities and community spaces, including some sponsored by campus Jewish groups and Jewish studies departments. It won an audience award at the prominent San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the Times reported. The screening was to be followed by a conversation with director, Erin Axelman, and one of the film’s protagonists.
Hunter’s Senate, which is composed of students and faculty and staff members, passed a resolution Wednesday criticizing the decision.
“This is an egregious and illegitimate violation of the academic freedom necessary for departments to pursue their academic missions and institutions of higher education to operate with integrity,” the resolution said. The Senate demanded that the administration provide a venue for the film this month.
