International Academic Friends of Israel
Encyclopedia
The International Academic Friends of Israel (IAFI) is a non-profit organization of leading academics and scientists set up to support the free and open exchange of ideas within the international academic community
,, and to ensure that Israel
i academics are not excluded from that exchange. It is registered as a non-profit organization in the United States
and it maintains offices in New York City
and Jerusalem, Israel
.
The worldwide network of academics and scientists was founded in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Marks, Chairman and Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University
College of Physicians & Surgeons, and editor in chief of the Journal of Clinical Investigation
, as a result of proposals raised within most prominent academic communities, notably in England
, South Africa
, United States
, Canada
, Australia
, and even Israel
to boycott Israeli academics
; proposals that supporters and opponents maintain are either a legitimate response to the Israeli-Arab conflict or an example of what some have described as "new anti-Semitism
.",
The purpose of the organization is to raise funds to support academic and scientific conferences in Israel, promote networking opportunities for young Israeli researchers now denied such contacts, and publicize Israel's scientific and academic achievements around the world. The group regularly participates in the The Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism, for which it has been thanked by Israeli Minister for Jerusalem & Diaspora Affairs, Natan Sharansky
, for helping address “the threat of anti-Semitism [which] has returned with such dreadful force around the globe requiring our urgent, concentrated and coordinated response.” The group has also worked with American Jewish Congress
to “thwart efforts to isolate Israel's academic experts in the fields of medicine, medical technology, high-tech, and biotech.”
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
,, and to ensure that Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i academics are not excluded from that exchange. It is registered as a non-profit organization in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and it maintains offices in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The worldwide network of academics and scientists was founded in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Marks, Chairman and Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
College of Physicians & Surgeons, and editor in chief of the Journal of Clinical Investigation
Journal of Clinical Investigation
The Journal of Clinical Investigation is a biomedical journal, with a 2010 impact factor of 14.152. The journal makes its research articles — including access to articles back to 1924 — freely available online....
, as a result of proposals raised within most prominent academic communities, notably in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and even Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to boycott Israeli academics
Academic boycotts of Israel
Proposals for an academic boycott of Israel have been inspired by the historic academic boycotts of South Africa which were an attempt to pressure South Africa to end its policies of Apartheid....
; proposals that supporters and opponents maintain are either a legitimate response to the Israeli-Arab conflict or an example of what some have described as "new anti-Semitism
New anti-Semitism
New antisemitism is the concept that a new form of antisemitism has developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, emanating simultaneously from the far-left, radical Islam, and the far-right, and tending to manifest itself as opposition to Zionism and the State of Israel.The concept...
.",
The purpose of the organization is to raise funds to support academic and scientific conferences in Israel, promote networking opportunities for young Israeli researchers now denied such contacts, and publicize Israel's scientific and academic achievements around the world. The group regularly participates in the The Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism, for which it has been thanked by Israeli Minister for Jerusalem & Diaspora Affairs, Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
, for helping address “the threat of anti-Semitism [which] has returned with such dreadful force around the globe requiring our urgent, concentrated and coordinated response.” The group has also worked with American Jewish Congress
American Jewish Congress
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts....
to “thwart efforts to isolate Israel's academic experts in the fields of medicine, medical technology, high-tech, and biotech.”