Prof. Ze'ev Tzachor, outgoing President of Sapir College next to Sderot, said Tuesday that he is unfazed by the threats of an academic boycott on Israel. “There are Israeli academicians who call upon the world to boycott us, but this does not catch, it is a self-loving marginal group that will fizzle out soon,” he said.
Speaking at the Sderot Conference Tuesday, Tzachor said that “the Sderot Conference is not just another conference. There is freedom here. Anyone can enter here, there is no guard selecting who can enter. Everyone has the right to shout.” Tzachor quoted writer Yosef Chaim Brenner, who said: “I do not have permission to speak, but I have the right to cry out.”
"This is where the politicians meet the real public,” he said. “It is not another conference of businessmen, government officials and media.”
"The seven previous conferences were held alongside the sounds of the Kassam [rocket]. This is the first time that we have quiet, but the conference has already become associated with strength and courage. While I prefer the calm, the college blossomed during the Kassam days and it is blossoming now."
Tzachor is leaving the college after 18 years at its helm.