John Cheney-Lippold
Overview
John Cheney-Lippold sparked major controversy in September 2018 when refused to write a recommendation letter for a student to study abroad in Israel.Cheney-Lippold is an associate professor in the Department of American Culture at the University of Michigan (UMich).
Supporting BDS
In September 2018, Cheney-Lippold rescinded his offer to write a student a recommendation letter to study in Israel — and cited the “academic boycott of Israel” as his justification.After at first agreeing to write the student a recommendation letter for her study abroad, Cheney sent an email rescinding that offer, writing that: "As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of the Palestinians living in Palestine… This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there.”
In a New York Post article published on September 20, 2018, Cheney-Lippold was quoted as saying: “I support the Palestinian boycott call because I am appalled at Israel’s continuing violation of Palestinian rights, and our government’s support for those violations… If a student had wanted to do a study abroad at an institution in Apartheid South Africa, I would have declined to write a letter for her as well.”
The University of Michigan’s Public Affairs Department reportedly responded to the controversy, saying that "Injecting personal politics into a decision regarding support for our students is counter to our values and expectations as an institution.”
UMich went on to clarify that “the university has consistently opposed any boycott of Israeli institutions of higher education. No academic department or any other unit at the University of Michigan has taken a stance that departs from this long-held university position.”
In a letter dated October 3, 2018, UMich disciplined Cheney-Lippold, issuing a number of sanctions. The sanctions included not getting a merit raise during the 2018-19 academic year and not being able to go on on an upcoming sabbatical in January or another sabbatical for two years. The letter was signed by Elizabeth Cole, the interim dean of UM’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts UMich discipline.
Cole wrote in the letter addressed to Lippold:
"Your conduct has fallen far short of the University’s and College’s expectations for how LSA faculty interact with and treat students," according to Cole's letter, which The News obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. "This letter is a strong warning that your behavior in this circumstance was inappropriate and will not be tolerated."
In the future, a student's merit should be your primary guide for determining how and whether to provide a letter of recommendation. You are not to use student requests for recommendations as a platform to discuss your personal political beliefs."
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
- Status:
- Professor
- University:
- Michigan
- Organizations:
- BDS
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
Photos & Screenshots
