Has Poland joined the list of countries where antisemitism is permeating academia? Two universities that were due to host events with Israeli author Yaakov Shechter in the near future, announced that they had decided to cancel the event "due to the situation in Israel.”
Schechter was supposed to meet next week with students and staff at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and at the University of Warsaw in the Polish capital, but the two universities decided to cancel the events, claiming it was a decision "due to the situation in Israel."
The author, who writes on Jewish history and philosophy, is considered a popular guest among academic institutions and other organizations in Poland, and has been invited many times to talk about his books in various cities in Poland.
Israel's ambassador to Warsaw, Dr. Yacov Livne, published a post criticizing the decision to cancel events with the Israeli author, and warned against antisemitism spilling over into Polish academia as well. "Something bad is happening in Polish academia. The Copernicus University in Toruń and the University of Warsaw cancelled events with Israeli author Yaakov Schechter this week 'because of the situation in Israel.'"
"Schechter writes original stories that combine Jewish history and philosophy. His books have been translated into Polish, and he often lectures to Poles who want to learn about Judaism. Antisemitic elements in academia cannot veto contacts with the State of Israel. Open dialogue is the basis of a functioning democratic society, even in Poland," Dr. Livne wrote in a post on Network X.