Faculty at the University of Michigan and New York University recently sponsored programs supporting a boycott of Israel. First, a professor and a teaching assistant at Michigan, supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, each refused to write student recommendations for study in Israel. Now, 34 NYU faculty members support divestment from companies doing business with Israel.

Over 1,500 faculty at more than 250 U.S. universities have publicly supported the boycott of Israeli academics and institutions. This figure does not include the many others who publicly condone BDS or those who support it without going public. Why is this happening?