The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) is an Israeli-funded American non-profit organization that produces academic research, seminars, and conferences to study antisemitism. In recent years, it's research has focused specifically on allegations of antisemitism on university campuses.

Harvard professors Alan Dershowitz and Ruth Wisse were co-chairs of ISGAP's international board. The executive committee of its International Academic Board of Advisors included former Canadian Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler and historian Irving Abella.[1] ISGAP's chairman is Natan Sharansky.[2] Its managing director is Sima Vaknin-Gil, lieutenant colonel and former chief censor of the Israeli Defense Forces.[3]

History

ISGAP was founded in 2004 by Charles Asher Small from Tel Aviv University[4] as a non-profit organization to produce and support academic research, seminars, and conferences to study antisemitism.[1]

In 2006, Small and ISGAP founded the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism (YIISA), the first university-based institute dedicated to the study of antisemitism in North America, at Yale University.[5]

In August 2020, ISGAP suspended its operations for 48 hours in solidarity with African Americans during the George Floyd protests.[2]

Activities

ISGAP's flagship program is a two-week conference of more than 80 scholars of antisemitism, approximately 80% of whom are not Jewish. In 2019, the conference was held at Oxford University.[1]

In November 2023, ISGAP and the Network Contagion Research Institute published a study entitled "The Corruption of the American Mind". The study alleged $13 billion in undisclosed foreign funding from Qatar and other countries to over 100 American universities to a 300% increase in antisemitism on campuses.[6][7][8] In December 2023, ISGAP produced a report called "Networks of Hate: Qatari Paymasters, Soft Power and the Manipulation of Democracy", describing how billions of US dollars were transferred from Qatari state-owned NGO’s, such as the Qatar Foundation, to US institutions without reporting to the Department of Education or the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).[9]

In 2024, ISGAP met regularly with leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties to urge investigations of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in American universities.[3] In February 2024, ISGAP produced "Hijacking Higher Education, Qatar, The Muslim Brotherhood, and Texas A&M Buying Nuclear Research and Student Information (Volume II)", which alleged that Texas A&M and its Qatar campus had received over $1 billion USD from the Qatar Foundation, and alleged an undisclosed connection between Texas A&M faculty members and nuclear research.[10] In March 2024, ISGAP produced produced a similar report relating to Cornell University which claimed to trace the flow of $1.95 billion USD from Qatar to Cornell University between 2001 and 2023, along with $7.9 billion USD to the Sidra Hospital of the Cornell Weill School of Medicine – Qatar.[11] In May 2024, ISGAP produced a report[12] about Students for Justice in Palestine, alleging that SJP was directly connected to the ideology of terrorist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood.[13]

In June 2024, ISGAP produced reports about funding of campus activities at Columbia and Yale universities,[14] alleging that anti-Zionist faculty had promulgated antisemitic rhetoric and activities on campus. The first report noted that over 100 Columbia faculty members endorsed Students for Justice in Palestine. The report quoted one Columbia professor who described the October 7 attacks as "awesome" and "astounding".[15] The second report[16] alleged that Yale received $15 million from Qatar between 2012 and 2023 while reporting only $284,668.[17]

In November 2024, ISGAP published a report alleging that the ANC was approximately $30 million in debt before bringing its case against Israel; the ANC subsequently received a sudden influx of unidentified cash after a series of meetings with Hamas, Iranian, and Qatari leaders; and ANC leaders refused to disclose the source of the funds, which provided approximately $30 million.[18][19]

Funding

In 2019, the ISGAP received a grant of US$1.3 million, to be distributed over three years, from the Israeli government.[1] In 2020, The Forward reported that almost 80% of the ISGAP's funding in 2018, totaling $445,000, had come from the government of Israel, income which the think tank did not divulge.[20]

Reports and Publications

ISGAP is dedicated to producing rigorous research and investigative reports that examine the roots, manifestations, and policy implications of global antisemitism. These publications serve as essential resources for scholars, policymakers, and the public in confronting contemporary challenges in academia and beyond.

Flagship Investigations

  • Follow the Money: Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood Funding of Higher Education in the United States – A groundbreaking investigation into undisclosed foreign funding influencing academic institutions.
  • NSJP Report – Analyzing the impact and activities of National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) within higher education.
  • The Corruption of the American Mind – Examining ideological shifts and their consequences for academic integrity.
  • Networks of Hate – Mapping the structures behind organized antisemitic movements.
  • Hijacking Higher Education (Volumes I & II) – Investigating external influences shaping antisemitic discourse on university campuses.

Additional Research and Reports

A comprehensive collection of ISGAP’s research and publications is available on ISGAP's official website.

Scholars

ISGAP collaborates with a global network of scholars and researchers who contribute to its mission of studying and combating antisemitism. Some of the notable scholars affiliated with ISGAP include:

Senior Research Fellows

  • Lawrence Amsel – Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University
  • Yehudit Barsky – Senior Research Fellow, ISGAP, New York City
  • Edith Bruder – Professor, French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS); UNISA-University of South Africa; SOAS University of London
  • Phyllis Chesler – Professor Emerita, City University, New York
  • Richard Landes – Associate Professor Emeritus of History, Boston University

Research Fellows

  • Navras Aafreedi – Assistant Professor of History, Presidency University, India
  • Aaron David Fruh – President, Israel Team Advocates International, U.S.
  • Mary J. Ainslie – Associate Professor in Media and Culture, University of Nottingham Ningbo China Campus
  • Sunni Ali – Associate Professor, Northeastern Illinois University
  • David Bernstein – Founder, Jewish Institute for Liberal Values

(For full list of scholars, please refer to ISGAP’s official website.)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lungen, Paul (20 June 2019). "NGO looks to combat anti-Semitism through academia". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Levine, Cody (29 August 2020). "Antisemitism institute halts activities in support of African-Americans". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b Fang, Lee; Poulson, Jack (17 August 2024). "Israel feared legal trouble over US advocacy efforts, leaked files suggest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Charles Asher Small: Contemporary Global Antisemitism as Rejection of the Other". College of the Holy Cross. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Yale Creates Institute to Study Anti-Semitism". Chronicle of Higher Education. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  6. ^ The Corruption of the American Mind (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  7. ^ Klein, Zvika (23 November 2023). "$13b. in hidden foreign funds linked to 300% antisemitism rise in US universities". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  8. ^ Bernard, Andrew (8 November 2023). "Report: Concealed foreign funding of US colleges linked to antisemitism". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Networks Of Hate: Qatari Paymasters, Soft Power And The Manipulation Of Democracy" (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Hijacking Higher Education: Qatar, The Muslim Brotherhood, and Texas A & M, Buying Nuclear Research and Student Information, Volume II" (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Cornell University's Ten Billion Dollar Sale: Soft Power, Qatar, The Muslim Brotherhood, and an Antisemitism Crisis on Campus" (PDF). Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  12. ^ "National Students for Justice in Palestine: Antisemitism, Anti-Americanism, Violent Extremism and the Threat to North American Universities" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  13. ^ Grimes, Jim (15 May 2024). "Student Protests and the Controversial Role of Students for Justice in Palestine". WPEC. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Columbia University: From the Classroom to the Campus - The Normalization of Antisemitism, Anti-Democratic Politics, Marginalization, and Intimidation" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  15. ^ "New Report on Columbia University by ISGAP". The Jerusalem Post. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  16. ^ "The Ongoing Failure To Report: Yale University, Qatar and Undisclosed Foreign Funding, Volume Two" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Exposed: Yale University hid millions in funding from Qatar". ynetnews. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  18. ^ "How South Africa uses anti-Israel rhetoric in the ICJ – report". The Jerusalem Post. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  19. ^ "South Africa, Hamas, Iran, and Qatar: The Hijacking of the ANC and the International Court of Justice" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  20. ^ Pink, Aiden (31 August 2020). "Think tank failed to disclose six-figure grant from Israeli government". The Forward. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_the_Study_of_Global_Antisemitism_and_Policy
No tags for this post.