Dan David Prize donating award money refused by UK prof

The board of the Dan David Prize says it will donate the money accompanying an award declined by a British professor who cited the conflict with the Palestinians as the reason for her refusal.

“Some of you may have heard that one of this year’s laureates selected for the Past Prize in Social History, Prof. Catherine Hall, decided not to accept the prize, apparently for political reasons,” says Ariel David, son of the late prize founder Dan David.

“I am happy to announce that the Dan David Foundation will donate the entirety of the sum that Prof. Hall did not collect – $300,000 – to support Israeli and international scholars and researchers in the field of history here at Tel Aviv University,” he says.

“This will give Israelis of all backgrounds, whether Jewish or Arab, as well as international scholars, the opportunity to meet at this beautiful campus and engage in academic discussion, research and discovery. We believe that this action can contribute more to mutual understanding and dialogue than any misguided effort to boycott the bastion of democracy and intellectual freedom that is Tel Aviv University.”