Amid backlash from Jewish and pro-Israel groups over a faculty member at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., with an anti-Israel history being named interim dean of the university’s Elliott School of International Affairs earlier this month, the university has stated that she will not be considered for the position on a permanent basis.
In a letter addressed to the GW community on Friday, GW provost Brian Blake reaffirmed the university’s stance against the movement to boycott Israel, and that in her role as interim dean of the international affairs school, Ilana Feldman is “required to comply with all university policies.”
Blake also stated that “the university does not tolerate discrimination in any form, including anti-Semitism and racism.”
The letter included names of those who will be on the search committee to find the permanent successor to veteran U.S. diplomat Reuben Brigety II, who was named earlier this year as vice chancellor and president of Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee.
The committee is scheduled to begin its search “at the beginning of June, with interviews to be conducted early in the fall semester,” said Blake.
He added that Feldman “will not be a candidate for the permanent position. We appreciate her service during this interim period.”
