Im Tirtzu


Im Tirtzu is a Zionist non-governmental organization based in Israel. Its name is derived from an epigraph appended to the frontispiece of Theodor Herzl's novel Altneuland, "If you wish it, it is no fairy-tale", rendered into modern Hebrew in Nahum Sokolow's translation in 1903, as Im tirtzu ein zo agadah.
On its establishment in 2006, the organization stated that its mission was to renew "Zionist discourse, Zionist thinking and Zionist ideology to ensure the future of the Jewish nation and the State of Israel". Claiming to "strengthen and advance the values of Zionism in Israel", it sees itself as dedicated to combating a "campaign of de-legitimization against the State of Israel and to responses to Post-Zionist and Anti-Zionist phenomena". Im Tirtzu is mostly known for its campaigns against the New Israel Fund, foreign government-funded NGOs, and alleged bias in the curricula of Israeli universities.
According to critics, Im Tirtzu's strategies focus on delegitimizing Israeli left-wing and human-rights groups, and driving a wedge between them and their funding sources. Im Tirtzu operates fifteen branches at universities and colleges throughout the country, and runs the largest Zionist academic extra-curricular program in Israel. Some have maintained that the ideology of Im Tirtzu bears [|similarities to fascism], and others have labelled it an important Zionist movement. Im Tirtzu has received extensive support from the Israeli government.

Overview

Im Tirtzu was set up in 2006 by Ronen Shoval and, and soon was closely meshed with a network of other bodies, new and old, such as The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, Israel Sheli, Institute for Zionist Strategies, and NGO Monitor, organized to further Zionist aims. It was little known until February 2010 when it made headlines with a claim that Israeli NGOs, especially the New Israel Fund, were in good part responsible for the damage to Israel's international standing that resulted from the publication of the Goldstone Report regarding the conduct of the Gaza War. Some three months later, Kadima led by Ronit Tirosh, together with right wing parties, proposed a bill to outlaw any non-governmental organization that furnished foreign or international organizations with information that might buttress accusations of war crimes by either Israel or the IDF.

Activity

Alleging politicization in academia

Ben-Gurion University

In 2008, Im Tirtzu published a report about the syllabuses used in various academic departments in Israel. According to the report, authors who reject the notion of nationality, or support anti-Zionist views, get much more exposure in reading lists. In 2010, Im Tirtzu sent Rivka Karmi, the head of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev a letter, demanding that the university stop the anti-Zionist bias in its Department of Politics and Government. The letter alleged that 9 out of 11 professors in the department were involved in extreme left-wing activities. Im Tirtzu threatened to notify the donors of the university if the problem was not rectified.
In a joint statement about the above campaign, the heads of Israel's seven leading universities urged condemnation of what they called Im Tirtzu's "dangerous attempt to create a thought police". Im Tirtzu responded, "All Im Tirtzu asked from BGU is that a solution be found to the extreme bias found in the Political Science department, where only post-Zionist opinions are presented."
Following Im Tirtzu's report, the Israeli Council for Higher Education appointed an international committee to investigate the allegations. The committee came to the conclusion that the curriculum in the Political Science department was imbalanced. The committee said it was "concerned that the study of politics as a scientific discipline may be impeded by such strong emphasis on political activism", and recommended closing the department unless changes were made. The report was widely criticized by academics, who said that it was politically motivated, noting that well-known scholars had been rejected from the committee because of their political views and that the original committee chair had resigned. Minister of Education, Gideon Sa'ar, said "I believe the report is important since it encourages public discussion" but rejected any attempts to block or apply conditions for donations to Israeli universities.
In 2016 Im Tirtzu alleged that Ben-Gurion University was sponsoring a conference featuring the CEO and public relations coordinator of Breaking the Silence in violation of a ruling by Israel's Council for Higher Education against politicizing academia. The University denied claims of politicization and responded that it is a "pluralistic academic institution, which promotes and enables an open and diverse dialogue and does not seek to espouse a particular political viewpoint".
In response to the conference, a prominent donor and longstanding member of the university's board of governors announced that he was withholding a donation of $1 million due to the conference. The university responded that they were unaware of such a pledge.

Haifa University legal clinics

In 2013 Im Tirtzu released a report alleging "severe politicization" of the legal clinics at the University of Haifa. According to the report, 80% of the cases treated by the clinics dealt with security prisoners, among those convicted of terrorism and espionage. The report charged that certain clinics of the University are part of the "Arab nationalist struggle against Zionism" and "cooperate with organizations that oppose the existence of the State of Israel as a democratic state". Following the report, then Minister of Education Shai Piron together with the Council for Higher Education in Israel commissioned an international committee of experts to investigate the clinics. In 2016, the committee published its recommendations that matched "virtually all of the conclusions from the Im Tirtzu report".

Hebrew University's Minerva Center for Human Rights

Following numerous media reports citing Im Tirtzu's criticism of a Minerva Center program that offers students four academic credits and a scholarship in exchange for interning eight hours per week at a human rights organization, a group of bereaved families penned a letter to Education Minister Naftali Bennett calling on him to investigate the program. According to the bereaved families, they were "horrified" to learn that the program allows for internship at organizations including B'Tselem, HaMoked and Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, which they called "anti-Israel" organizations.
At a Knesset Education Committee that was convened to discuss the program, Hebrew University's legal advisor Pepi Yakirevich stated: "The program asks of students to volunteer 8 weekly hours in human rights organizations that the Law Faculty sees of holding high importance.... Do you expect for the Hebrew University to act as a content filter? At the moment there is no red line."

American Anthropological Association boycott vote

In 2016 Im Tirtzu released a report alleging the involvement of Israeli academics in the proposed resolution of the American Anthropological Association to impose an academic boycott on Israel. The report cited a letter allegedly sent by 20 Israeli academics that the group said encouraged the members to vote in favor of the resolution. In light of the report, Yisrael Beiteinu Member of Knesset Oded Forer called an emergency session of the Knesset Education Committee that was attended by MKs from both sides of the political aisle.

Israeli involvement in Israeli Apartheid Week

In 2016 Im Tirtzu released a report stating that a number of Israeli citizens and organizations were among the participants in the annual Israeli Apartheid Week. The report named Zochrot and individuals including Ilan Pappe, Uri Davis and Jeff Halper. Guy Davidi, producer of 5 Broken Cameras who was also named in the report, responded by saying: "I strongly reject the attempt to present boycott actions taken by Israelis as an act of treason. In my view, boycotting and divesting are legitimate political actions that represent a positive way to protest -- a positive alternative to violent action, which I strongly condemn. It is the right of every person to choose to boycott certain products if they don't accept the origin or the way the product is manufactured."

"Nakba Nonsense" campaign

In May 2011, with the approach of Nakba Day, Im Tirtzu launched a campaign accompanied by a 70-page booklet titled "Nakba Harta" in Hebrew, translated by The Jerusalem Post as "Nakba BS", and titled "Nakba Nonsense" in English. The booklet describes the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, called Nakba by Palestinians, as "a lie that threatens to drown us like a tsunami" and attempts to discredit what Im Tirtzu regards as "a narrative of myths and lies dealing with the teaching of the founding of the State of Israel". On 15 May 2011, dozens of Im Tirtzu activists gathered outside the offices of UNRWA in Jerusalem holding signs and chanting, "They expelled, they attacked, they lost."
In 2016, Im Tirtzu set up a 15-foot-tall inflatable Pinocchio doll across from the Nakba ceremony at Tel Aviv University in order to "emphasize the lie of the Nakba." In 2019 it disrupted a Tel Aviv nakba commemoration by playing over loudspeakers the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest winner Netta Barzilai's Toy song during the minute of silence.

Support for IDF soldiers

Im Tirtzu has acted in a number of ways to support IDF soldiers:
  • In March 2010, the "Azad" restaurant in Haifa refused to serve IDF soldiers claiming that "the uniform does not serve the atmosphere or the place". In response, Im Tirtzu protested outside the restaurant and even assisted the soldiers in filing a lawsuit. The Haifa supreme court ruled that this was an act of severe discrimination against IDF soldiers and required the restaurant owners to pay the soldiers a sum of 5,000 NIS.
  • During Operation Protective Edge, clothing and food products donated by the public were sent through Im Tirtzu to IDF soldiers. Im Tirtzu also initiated a petition for filing UNHRC complaints against Hamas.
  • Im Tirtzu supports IDF reservists. The organization also provides individual assistance to reservists and advocates for reserve soldiers to receive preferential grants.
  • Im Tirtzu held a rally in support of Haredi soldiers and against the incitement they were experiencing from the Haredi community.