Anthony Robert "Tony" Kushner the 54 year old Pulitzer Prize winning US playwright has had his name removed from a list of recipients to receive honorary degrees at the City University of New York (CUNY) based on a university trustee pro-Israel activist Jeffrey Wiesenfeld’s statement regarding Kushner’s beliefs about Zionism and Israel. Kushner who is Jewish denied the allegations in the statement and accused Wiesenfeld of slander. Three previous prominent honorees Barbara Ehrenreich, Michael Cunningham and Ellen Schrecker in support of Kushner had declared they will return their degrees in protest at his treatment. Cunningham stated "To deny him an honorary degree because certain members of the board disagree with some of his political views is a chilling indictment of the freedom of expression CUNY has always championed." Inspired by Paul Harris ow.ly/4QaVE image source bwaydaily.com ow.ly/4Qbpo An offence against intellectual discussion (May 16 2011)

Anthony Robert “Tony” Kushner the 54 year old Pulitzer Prize winning US playwright has had his name removed from a list of recipients to receive honorary degrees at the City University of New York (CUNY) based on a university trustee pro-Israel activist Jeffrey Wiesenfeld’s statement regarding Kushner’s beliefs about Zionism and Israel. Kushner who is Jewish denied the allegations in the statement and accused Wiesenfeld of slander. Three previous prominent honorees Barbara Ehrenreich, Michael Cunningham and Ellen Schrecker in support of Kushner had declared they will return their degrees in protest at his treatment. Cunningham stated “To deny him an honorary degree because certain members of the board disagree with some of his political views is a chilling indictment of the freedom of expression CUNY has always championed.”

 

Inspired by Paul Harris ow.ly/4QaVE image source bwaydaily.com ow.ly/4Qbpo