Dinaw Mengestu, the president of PEN America—a nonprofit group that supports literature and free expression—resigned from his role in protest after the organization posted interviews with Israeli and Jewish writers who face rising discrimination in the publishing industry.
PEN America posted the piece on July 9, highlighting interviews with more than 30 Israeli and Jewish writers and literary professionals who described growing exclusion since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Sunday, Mengestu wrote on Instagram that he resigned because of PEN America’s “ongoing failure to defend free expression fairly and equitably.”
He argued that the report is “about trying to suppress constitutionally protected speech” and would be used to justify legislation against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, and wrote that the Palestinian experience “is diminished almost to the point of erasure.”
Mengestu defended cultural boycotts, writing that “a boycott is a form of dialogue.”
PEN America updated its policy on boycotts last week, stating, “We see no contradiction between opposing boycotts ourselves and defending the right of others to engage in them.”
“Freedom of expression means opposing efforts to boycott, silence or exclude writers because of their identity or nationality,” the Anti-Defamation League stated. “That principle must apply consistently to everyone, especially at a moment when Jewish and Israeli voices are facing escalating efforts to boycott, isolate and silence them—a trend ADL is tracking across cultural, academic and civic spaces.
“Walking away over research documenting that reality sends a chilling message,” the organization said. “We urge PEN America to oppose all efforts to boycott, silence, or exclude any voices, including Jewish and Israeli ones.”
Jewish publishing professionals responded to PEN America’s report with support and were disappointed at Mengestu’s resignation.
“This article explains how Jews are being pushed out of publishing, even if they’re Israeli dissidents, even if they’re American Jews whose writing never even mentions Israel,” wrote Heidi Rabinowitz, host of “The Book of Life Podcast” and a Judaica librarian in Florida. “The only possible reason for this is antisemitism.”
Meg Keene, who has been working with the Anti-Defamation League to create a report about antisemitism in the publishing industry since Oct. 7, 2023, said Mengestu’s resignation “shows you where we are, and how bad it really is.”
Suzanne Nossel, former CEO of PEN America, resigned in 2024 following pressure from Writers Against the War on Gaza. The group claimed that Nossel had made a career of “defending Israel.”
Tracy Higgins, current executive vice president of the PEN America board of trustees, will serve as interim president, according to Publishers Weekly.
