Start with silence
During the summer break we have all witnessed how the genocidal frenzy of the Israeli state is spiraling further out of control. With the unabashedly racist language of core leadership, settler terrorism in the West Bank, dozens of towns in South-Lebanon flattened, and thousands of Palestinian civilians in torture prisons, the international community is long overdue in setting boundaries and imposing sanctions.
Just before the summer break our board announced a new policy regarding institutional collaboration with complicit Israeli institutions. They will not start any new collaborations as long as the complicity in war crimes continues.
It is an important step.
However, LU refuses to end existing collaborations – against the explicit recommendations by their own special committee.
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the situation, by reading the following material:
- A lucid analysis by four of our colleagues at Leiden University: Practice what you Preach.
- You can find the advisory report of the Committee on Human Rights and Conflict Areas here: Advisory report research collaboration with Israeli institutions .
- The CvB’s rationale for not adhering to that advice: Leiden University outlines approach to responsible collaboration following advice of Committee on Human Rights - Leiden University .
Like last year, we refuse to just go and start teaching our classes in the new semester, back to work as if nothing is going on.
No business as usual.
We call on you to participate in the action “Start with Silence”. Join a collective silent protest by starting your first class(es) of the semester with a moment of silence. A silence that calls for action: Leiden University, boycott Israel.
(1) Download the PowerPoint presentation with the button above, and add it to the opening of your first lecture’s slides. Feel free to adjust the text in the slides as you see fit.
(2) At the opening of your first class, explain to your students why you open the year like this and what this action means.
(3) Invite your students to join in a moment of silence in solidarity and protest. You can give unwilling students the opportunity to take a break and return to class later.
(4) Have a moment of silence. The length of the silence is up to you - 2 minutes, 2 hours, or anything in between. You can use the moment of silence as a steppingstone to discussion, or move on with your class right after. In any case, we encourage you to start this academic year with a moment of silent resistance.
