JERUSALEM (JTA) — A British-American Jewish academic told a 13-year-old Israeli girl seeking information for a school project that she would not help her “until there is peace and justice for Palestinians in Palestine.”
Shachar Rabinovitch of Zichron Yaakov, sent an email to Marsha Levine, a former academic at the University of Cambridge, to learn about the early history of the horse and the use of horses by humans in ancient times, according to the London-based Jewish Chronicle.
“I know you are a very important person and I’ve read your article about horses and I love horses very much and it will be an honor if you will answer my questions,” the girl wrote to the archaeozoologist.
Levine told the girl that she is a member of the Jews for Justice for Palestinians organization and that she supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.
“You might be a child, but if you are old enough to write to me, you are old enough to learn about Israeli history and how it has impacted on the lives of Palestinian people,” the academic wrote, and referred her to the Jews for Justice for Palestinians website.
The girl’s mother, Shamir Rabinovitch, posted the email exchange on Facebook. She told the British newspaper The Telegraph that her daughter had found Levine’s contact details online and contacted her on her own initiative.
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