Denver, CO — November 25, 2015 — JEWISHcolorado and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) issued the following statement in response to the American Anthropological Association (AAA)’s endorsement of a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions at its annual meeting last week in Denver.

“This resolution is misguided, both by betraying the ideals of academic freedom and debate and by damaging the hope of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. We urge the members of the association to vote against this resolution in the ratification process.

“It is telling, and deeply disturbing, that the AAA rejected an amendment to the resolution opposing any form of discrimination based on a range of characteristics including national origin. It is not hard to draw the inference that the AAA now stands ready to discriminate on the basis of national origin.

“Finally, this resolution will have reverberating negative effects on the study of anthropology in America, by making pariahs out of venerable Israeli institutions such as Yad Vashem and its International Institute for Holocaust Studies because it is based in Israel. Restricting the academic freedom for scholars to work with these institutions is utterly self-defeating. We commend the Israel Action Network and other organizations that have worked to counter the delegitimization of Israel, which surely this move represents.”

About JEWISHcolorado

Founded in 1946, JEWISHcolorado, formerly known as Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, is the umbrella community organization inspired by the collective responsibility to build and sustain Jewish life in Colorado, Israel, and around the world.  Its mission is to secure, steward, and share philanthropic and human resources in support of vibrant Jewish life as well as to mobilize the community in times of need.  JEWISHcolorado is a proud member of the Jewish Federations of North America, which is among the top ten charities on the continent. JEWISHcolorado raises and distributes funds in support of a wide variety of programs and partner organizations both locally and globally. Last year, JEWISHcolorado’s Annual Campaign raised $10.7 million and the Endowment and Planned Giving arm houses more than $55 million in long term assets for individuals, agencies and synagogues in the community.  For more information, visit www.JEWISHcolorado.org

About the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

The JCRC advocates for domestic and international policy issues that affect the Colorado Jewish community, represents these views to the Jewish community and to the general community of Colorado, and organizes the Jewish community in times of crisis. JCRC consists of 36 member organizations in Colorado and is affiliated with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).