The crisis, Hirschhorn argues, is not rooted in a lack of student interest or enrollment, but rather in whether it's still possible to engage with the subject in a nuanced and intellectually honest way – beyond the limits of TikTok videos, hashtags, and political propaganda.
Citing Zionism as a key example, Hirschhorn argued the term has been reduced on social media to derogatory slogans like “colonialism” and “genocide,” while its historical and ideological foundations are often ignored.
“Zionism is about Jewish self-determination; it’s a national liberation movement for the Jewish people,” she said. “People need a broader perspective. They should be able to discuss what they see on TikTok, but also study the history, politics, anthropology, sociology, and literature of this complex region that has lived in conflict throughout its existence.”
The field of Israel Studies first emerged in the 1980s and ‘90s as a grassroots initiative by scholars seeking intellectual community and methodological coherence. But as it expanded and professionalised in the 2000s, it also began to adopt a more self-critical stance.
The report "raises the existential question of whether the field, as currently constituted, can survive on campuses where calls for academic boycotts, curriculum exclusions, and politicised hiring decisions have become increasingly normalised,” said Professor Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute.
One of the report’s starkest warnings, Stern added, is that Israel Studies may soon become “administratively homeless” – rejected by both Jewish Studies and Middle East Studies, and unwelcome within mainstream academic frameworks.
“And yet, precisely because Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain central to public debate – in politics, media, activism, and diplomacy – the insights of Israel Studies are more necessary than ever,” he said.
Even before Hamas' October 7, 2023, massacre, Hirschhorn noted, Jews and Zionists were increasingly finding progressive spaces difficult to navigate.
“With each war, I saw things become more and more difficult. I was in the UK during the Jeremy Corbyn years, and the rhetoric of portraying Jews as oppressors and victimisers began gaining traction – and has now spread to the US,” she said.
She believes that the Trump administration’s framing of Israel Studies as a bellwether for dysfunction in higher education – where open debate on contentious topics is often curtailed by cancel culture – might pave the way for a more constructive reassessment.
“There are a few campuses – those that are more conservative-leaning, less elite, or more committed to broad-based education – that are treating this seriously,” Hirschhorn said. “We might see Israel Studies positions created at these institutions. Maybe existing chairs will relocate, or new donors will choose to invest there.”
But without a systemic shift, she warned, the field may not survive within the academy.
“Unless there is a serious, across-the-board effort to restore a healthier campus climate – not just for Israel Studies but for all subjects considered third rails in American politics – Israel Studies may ultimately have to migrate outside the university space,” she said.
The report outlines several key recommendations for how the field might regroup and reassert its academic standing. These include responding to external threats such as foreign funding imbalances, DEI-related pressures, cancel culture, and rising campus antisemitism.
Among the report’s proposals is a call for The Association for Israel Studies, the European Association for Israel Studies, and the Israel Institute to merge into a single academic body with a unified funding arm capable of shaping the future of the discipline.
The report also urges the field to define and disclose clear criteria for scholarly affiliation – including standards for doctoral training, research methodologies, in-country experience, cultural literacy, and language proficiency.
Still, Hirschhorn acknowledged the difficulty of reaching internal consensus on reform.
“In the early days of the field, the red line was that the State of Israel has the right to exist,” she said. “But today, many young scholars feel they can’t get a position unless they’re pro-BDS or anti-Zionist, because that’s the prevailing culture in the academy and they need to fit in and publish.
"If that’s where the field is headed," she concluded, "then we have to ask: what does it even stand for?”
Dr Sara Yael Hirschhorn[Missing Credit]