About Indivisible
Indivisible: The Israeli Academy after October 7th, directed by acclaimed author and filmmaker Roya Hakakian, is a short documentary that examines the impact of international academic boycotts on Israel’s universities and hospitals in the wake of the October 7 attacks.
Filmed during a 2024 visit to Israel with a delegation of Yale faculty, the film features candid testimony from professors, doctors, students, deans, and university presidents.
These voices — Jewish, Arab, Christian, Muslim, and Druze — describe both the devastation of October 7th and the resilience of their academic communities as they continue teaching, researching, and treating patients under extraordinary strain.
Exposing Silent Boycotts
Indivisible exposes the so-called “silent boycott,” international experts who quietly refuse to review research, write recommendations, or collaborate with Israeli scholars.
One academic leader in Israel recalls being told by an invited reviewer: “I appreciate his [the candidate’s] groundbreaking work, but because of your government’s actions, I cannot write in support of his career.”
Such refusals, the film warns, undermine scientific objectivity and thus the foundations of global science.
Debunking Claims of Apartheid and Colonialism
The film investigates accusations of apartheid and colonialism, often cited by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Data and lived experience refute these claims: Arab Israelis earned nearly 20% of all bachelor’s degrees and 17% of all master’s degrees in 2021, commensurate with their prevalence in the population. Multi-ethnic faculties and staff work side-by-side on campuses and in hospitals.
“I have been leading the Neaman Institute Scholar Shield task force on Confronting the Academic Boycott. I hope readers will investigate our activities.”
— Boaz Golany, Former Executive Vice President, Technion
“Our trip further inspired me to create and implement Healing Base Camps for October 7 and Iron Swords War widows and orphans. I will be running the first camp in the Negev in March 2026.
“When our group visited Tel Hai college I met Professor Meirav Hen, Dean of Social and Humanities faculty at Tel- Hai College. She and Tel Hai (now a university) are actively supporting Mountain Seed Foundations’ Healing Base Camps. Dr. Hen and students in her department will be conducting research at our camps as well as creating learning/ internship opportunities for their masters level students.
“The first Healing Base Camp for Israeli families took place in Cyprus last July. Our plans are to offer 4 camps inside Israel in 2026 , the first one taking place this coming March.”
— Amit Oren, Mission Participant
“The Mission of Yale Academics to Israeli institutions of higher education conveyed a critical message of academic and scientific solidarity at a time of grave crises and immense loss. It echoed the view that scientific research must transcend political and ideological divisions, and just as Arabs and Jews in Israeli academia work together for the greater good despite diverse identities and political opinions, so should scientists around the world behave as colleagues in the face of bigotry, disinformation and acute global challenges.
“The delegation recognized the mission of Israel’s academic institutions in building a better world through scientific progress, dialogue, and mutual respect. In a very real sense, it offered a ray of hope for those who dedicate their lives to discovery, truth and understanding.”
— Jonathan Kaplan, Former Vice Provost, Rothberg International School, Hebrew University
