Carta a la NATFHE

Carta abierta enviada a la asociación inglesa de docentes universitarios (National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, NATFHE, http://www.natfhe.org.uk/?id=head_office) por el boycott decretado contra académicos e instituciones israelíes.

I am a biochemist, a professor at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina) and also a member of the Directive Council of the biochemist association of my province, but I am writing to you in my name only and for the infamous NATFHE boycott against Israel.In first place I am astonished about a professional organization, theoretically dedicated to improve work conditions, making things like establish boycotts and condemn countries. What’s the relation between wages, social insurance and issues like that and foreign politics? Our professional association, by the way, has strictly forbidden by law to act and even emit an opinion in any political and or religious issue. If you want to do, do as a person (like me) but not use a hundred thousand people organization as a vehicle for the ideas of very few. In second place, how can an academic blame or boycott another beccause he or she dislikes his or hers country politics? And last but not least, the boycott is only a pathetic copy of Nuremberg Laws; I guess the next idea of their “creators” will be that every “Zionist” in their classes wear a yellow Star of David.I know NATFHE will merge with another organization and the resolutions of the last council (boycott included) will be dismissed, but I think the whole motion must be unequivocally rejected and the rules rewritten in a way that such motions can never be presented. Please, make your voice heard in that way. Talk with your colleagues. Write a letter to a diary. Write many. Send mail. Do your best. And if it’s enough, don’t be part. My jobs are my life, I am very proud of them… but if one or both institutions approve an idea like the boycott in that second I will resign and go home. Think, what would you do in Germany in 1935?