BIU Senate committee MAGEN
Monitoring and Advancing Global Academic Engagement and Non-discrimination. Preventing academic discrimination and exclusion, promoting equitable participation, and strengthening international academic collaboration
About the Committee
Bar-Ilan University’s Senate Committee on Academic Boycott was established by the University Senate and operates under the Rector, Prof. Amnon Albeck, in collaboration with the Vice President for International Affairs and the Third Mission, Prof. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach.
The Committee was established in response to the growing incidence of academic boycotts, exclusion, and discrimination targeting Israeli scholars and institutions in the international academic arena. Its activities combine support and intervention in individual cases with the development of long-term strategies aimed at strengthening the international standing of Israeli academia.
The Challenge
Academic boycotts are not limited to formal decisions by academic institutions. In many cases, they take more indirect and less visible forms, including avoidance of collaboration, exclusion from conferences, reduced academic mobility, barriers to securing research funding, difficulties in scholarly publishing, and, at times, self-censorship among researchers.
These trends affect international collaboration, participation in research consortia, access to research networks, and Israel’s scientific standing worldwide. They therefore require a broad and sustained institutional response.
Our Vision
To strengthen the international resilience of Israeli academia by upholding academic freedom and academic integrity, promoting the equitable participation of Israeli scholars in the global academic community, and developing long-term infrastructures for addressing academic discrimination.
Our Areas of Activity
1. Institutional Response and Support for Researchers
The Committee provides guidance, consultation, and support to researchers facing boycotts, exclusion, or other forms of discrimination with their academic activities. When necessary, it engages with academic institutions, professional associations, and other relevant bodies in Israel and abroad, in coordination with the University leadership and its partners.
In parallel, the Committee systematically documents cases of academic discrimination in order to identify emerging trends, develop institutional responses, and inform long-term policy.
2. Training and Building Academic Resilience
The Committee develops workshops, training programs, and simulations for researchers, doctoral students, and faculty members undertaking international academic activities. These initiatives are designed to provide practical tools for navigating the challenges of the international academic environment, including complex or hostile settings, and to strengthen researchers’ ability to remain professionally and confidently engaged in the global academic arena.
3. Academic Networks and International Partnerships
The Committee establishes and develops networks of scholars and supporters of Israeli academia worldwide, with the aim of expanding research collaborations, creating mechanisms for mutual support, and strengthening Israel’s presence within the international academic community.
4. Developing Knowledge Infrastructure and Practical Tools
The Committee develops databases, guides, training materials, and practical tools that facilitate the identification of emerging trends, the sharing of accumulated knowledge, and the development of responses grounded in experience and evidence.
5. Research, Policy, and Strategic Planning
The Committee collects and analyzes information on academic boycotts and discrimination, advances research and policy initiatives, and develops long-term strategies to strengthen the resilience of Israeli academia.
Partnerships
The Committee works in collaboration with Bar-Ilan University’s leadership, the Association of University Heads, government ministries, international organizations, research bodies, and academic partners in Israel and abroad.
Through these partnerships, the Committee advances initiatives aimed at strengthening academic freedom, developing international networks, preparing researchers, building knowledge infrastructure, and developing institutional responses to the challenges posed by academic boycotts and nation-based discrimination.
Committee Leadership
Institutional Leadership
Prof. Amnon Albeck – Rector, Bar-Ilan University
Prof. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach – Vice President for International Affairs and the Third Mission
Committee Members
Prof. Pascale Benoliel – Chair
Prof. Shawn Zelig Aster
Prof. Emanuele Dalla Torre
Dr. Hanan Hertzig Sheinfux
Dr. Gilad Mills
Contact Us
For further information, to report an incident of academic boycott or discrimination, or to become involved in the Committee’s activities, please contact us via the Committee’s email address or through the website