LA Review of Books Spikes Interview With Pro-Israel Professor Davidai

The Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) spiked an interview it had commissioned with Professor Shai Davidai, with a senior editor characterizing the pro-Israel academic as "a toxic figure who pretends to want respectful exchange." The decision by LARB senior editor Rob Latham came after freelancer Melissa Uchiyama submitted her 2,000-word piece, which had been commissioned in anticipation of Davidai's new book, "American Intellectual Antisemitism: The Anti-Jewish Movement Tearing Through Our Universities."

In an email to Uchiyama, Latham stated that Davidai is a "controversial figure" whose views require more rigorous examination than a standard interview could provide, adding that LARB "should never have green lit the piece at all." He suggested that Uchiyama's best course of action would be to seek a "sympathetic venue" for her work and offered a $100 kill fee, which she declined.

Davidai, an Israel-born professor who previously taught at Columbia University, commented that the spiking of the interview felt like "bitter proof of the kind of censorship he’s been fighting." He noted that the situation ironically mirrored themes in his upcoming book, which he described as a "blistering indictment of how radical politics, ideological indoctrination, and institutional indifference have transformed campuses into incubators of anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American hatred." He characterized the editor's decision as a "double standard."

Uchiyama expressed pride in her "balanced" interview with Davidai, asserting that she understood her intended audience and that the piece was not written for a specifically Jewish readership. Latham, however, conveyed that there was "simply no way to have a quiet chat with him, and if you had challenged him forcefully, I expect it would’ve gotten ugly very fast."

Davidai's departure from Columbia University last year followed a period where he faced charges that were ultimately dropped. He has since joined the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy as a research fellow. LARB's decision to spike the interview follows a recent publication of a piece on Mahmoud Khalil, described by the source as a "controversial anti-Israel agitator."