Thoughts on Klocek from Dan Gruber

Dan Gruber, the author of The Separation of Church & Faith: Copernicus and The Jews, The Church and Jews: The Biblical Relationship, and Rabbi Akiba’s Messiah: The Origins of Rabbinic Authority is an ardent supporter of Professor Klocek, particularly in his defense of Israel. Gruber reflects from a biblical perspective on Klocek's struggle. His reflections can be found here, but I've included some excerpts in this post.

In the case of Klocek v. DePaul University, a Catholic professor at a Catholic university was fired from his job because he spoke up publically in defense of Israel. The Illinois Appellate Court declared the university’s action to be legally permissible; ruling, in effect, that Professor Klocek had no contractual rights of academic freedom to speak up in defense of Israel. The
Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of that decision.

The court actions are disturbing but, unfortunately, not surprising. They fit into the pattern of deligitimization and demonization of Israel that has become standard fare in some university, legal, and governmental environments. That pattern includes multiple attempts to impose a universal academic boycott on Israel, a boycott which would deny to Israelis the right to be heard on any subject, whether medicine, mathematics, or the meaning of life.

The same university which fired Professor Klocek is now deliberating whether or not to ban, on political grounds, "Sabra" hummus from its cafeteria. Its Fair Business Practices Committee will determine which action is consistent with the university's mission and values.

Sabra is owned by Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Yehuda Pearl. Hey DePaul! Sometimes hummus is just hummus.

But the Klocek injustice is something larger, as Gruber explains:

José María Aznar, prime minister of Spain from 1996-2004, helped found
the "Friends of Israel Initiative". He said, "For Western countries to side with
those who question Israel's legitimacy, for them to play games in
international bodies with Israel's vital security issues, for them to appease
those who oppose Western values rather than robustly to stand up in
defence of those values, is not only a grave moral mistake, but a strategic
error of the first magnitude.... The West is what it is thanks to its Judeo-
Christian roots. If the Jewish element of those roots is upturned and Israel is
lost, then we are lost too. Whether we like it or not, our fate is inextricably
intertwined." (The Times [of London], June 17, 2010)

Related posts:

Justice denied for former DePaul Professor Thomas Klocek

Sept 15: Second anniversary of the beginning of the Thomas Klocek affair

DePaul President Fr. Holtschneider: "Academic freedom is alive and well at DePaul"

CAIR-Chicago recommended that DePaul fire Klocek

Technorati tags: illinois college education DePaul Catholic free speech academic freedom Thomas Klocek law muslim Israel Palestine chicago religion