Scholars for Peace in the Middle East

Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is a zionist organization of academics created in 2003, whose main aim is to undermine calls for an academic boycott of Israel.

Orientation

SPME supports 'a world in which Israel exists as a sovereign Jewish state within secure borders' - a position which privileges some Israeli citizens over others.

SPME argues that 'academic discourse is increasingly influenced by ideological distortions, politically biased scholarship, and agenda-driven speakers who demonize Israel and Zionism as bearing full responsibility for the Middle-East conflict. Such indoctrination violates academic traditions of scholarly integrity and degrades the academic enterprise. It poisons debate about the Middle East, inflames hatred of Israel, spreads anti-Semitism, incites anti-Israeli militancy, and serves to excuse or tolerate terrorist attacks and genocidal threats against Israel. Anti-Israel slanders exacerbate conflict and undermine prospects for peace.'

SPME 'opposes all manifestations of anti-Semitism in academia, including calls for an academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions.'

Directors

Circa May 2009

Source:

• Edward S. Beck - Walden University; Co-Founder and President- Emeritus, USA (2002- Present)
• Samuel M. Edelman - California State University-Chico; Executive Director (2009-Present) (Non-voting, ex-officio board member)
• Judith S. Jacobson - Columbia University; Co-Founder and Vice-President for Internal Relations (2002- Present)
• Rabbi Peter Haas - Case Western Reserve University, USA; Vice President for External Relations (2003- Present)
• Ruth Lichtenberg-Contreras - Secretary, Austria (2002- Present)
• Leila Beckwith - University of Southern California-Los Angeles (UCLA); Treasurer (2006-Present)
• Philip Carl Salzman - McGill University, Canada; SPME Conference Coordinator (2003- Present)
• Jonathan Adelman - University of Denver, USA (2005- Present)
• Steven Albert - University of Pittsburgh, USA (2005- Present)
• Brigitte Bailer - Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DOEW) (2007- Present)
• John R. Cohn - Thomas Jefferson University, USA (2005- Present)
• Stanley Dubinsky - University of South Carolina, USA (2002- Present)
• Awi Federgruen - Columbia University (2007 - Present)
• Rev. India E. Garnett - United Church of Christ, PA (2002- Present)
• Efraim Karsh - Kings College, University of London, UK (2002- Present)
• Matthias Kuentzel - Political Scientist and Author, Hamburg, Germany (2006- Present)
• Richard Landes - Boston University, USA (2003- Present)
• G.S. Don Morris - Wingate Institute - IL, California Polytechnic Institute-Pomona, USA (2004- Present)
• Donna Robinson Divine - Smith College, USA (2005- Present)
• Barry Rubin - Interdisciplinary Center and GLORIA Center (2007- Present)
• Ernest Sternberg - University at Buffalo, State University of New York, USA (2006- Present)

Former Directors, Circa May 2009

• Phyllis Chesler - City University of New York Staten Island; Professor Emerita, USA (2005- 2007)
• David Goldman - Amper, Mattia and Politziner, CPA's Inc., Edison NJ (2002-2003)
• Peter Gomori - St. Francis College, NYC, USA (2002-2004)
• Patricia Jennings - University of California- Davis; Candidate, USA (2002-2004)
• Frederick Krantz - Concordia University Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, Canada (2003)
• Charles Isbell - Louisiana State University, USA (2002-2003)
• Moshe Maoz - Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2002-2003)
• Daniel Pipes - Middle East Forum, USA (2002-2003)
• Nidra Poller - Writer/Translator, France (2002 - 2006)
• Yigal Levin - Bar-Ilan University, Israel (2003-2004)
• Allan Lipton - Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, USA (2003 - 2006)
• Ilana Rosansky - Salem State University, Temple Shalom, Salem MA, USA (2003-2004)
• Gerald Steinberg - Bar-Ilan University, Israel (2002- 2007)
• Laurie Zoloth - Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA (2003-2006)

Board of Directors

• Edward S. Beck – Susquehanna Institute-USA, President (2002- Present),
• Judith S. Jacobson – Columbia University USA, Vice President (2002- Present)
• Ruth Lichtenberg-Contreras – Austria, Secretary, (2002- Present)
• India E. Garnett – United Church of Christ USA, Treasurer (2002- Present)
• David Goldman – Amper, Mattia and Politziner, CPA's Inc., Edison NJ, USA, (2002-2003)
• Nidra Poller – France (2002-)
• Yigal Levin – Bar-Ilan University, Israel, (2003-2004)
• Gerald Steinberg – Bar-Ilan University, Israel, (2002- Present )
• Richard Landes – Boston University USA, (2003- Present)
• Rabbi Peter Haas – Case Western Reserve University, USA, (2003- Present)
• Phyllis Chesler – City University of New York Staten Island USA, (2005- Present)
• Frederick Krantz – Concordia University Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, Canada, (2003)
• Laurie Zoloth – Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA, (2003-2006)
• Moshe Maoz – Hebrew University of Jerusalem, (2002-2003)
• Efraim Karsh – Kings College, University of London, UK, (2002- Present)
• Charles Isbell – Louisiana State University, USA, (2002-2003)
• Philip Carl Salzman – McGill University, USA (2003- Present)
• Daniel Pipes – Middle East Forum, USA, (2002-2003)
• Allan Lipton – Penn State College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, USA, (2003- Present)
• Rabbi Ilana Rosansky – Salem State University, Temple Shalom, Salem MA, USA, (2003-2004)
• Donna Robinson Divine – Smith College, USA (2005- Present)
• Robert Mirin – General Counsel, USA (2002- Present)
• Peter Gomori – St. Francis College, NYC, USA (2002-2004)
• John R. Cohn – Thomas Jefferson University, USA (2005- Present)
• Patricia Jennings – University of California- Davis Candidate, USA (2002-2004)
• Jonathan Adelman – University of Denver, USA, (2005- Present)
• Steven Albert – University of Pittsburgh, USA, (2005- Present)
• Stanley Dubinsky – University of South Carolina, USA, (2002- Present)
• Don Morris – Wingate Institute - IL, California Polytechnic Institute-Pomona, USA, (2004- Present)

Staff

• David Ben Avraham – Webmaster
• Jessica R. Smith – Senior Administrative Assistant
• Gabriella Diamond – Development Specialist

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

Website: www.spme.net