A University of Michigan professor is being accused of anti-Semitism for refusing to write a recommendation letter for a student applying to study abroad in Israel.

John Cheney-Lippold, who teaches in the American Culture Department at the Ann Arbor-based college, said he could not write the letter for Abigail Ingber because he is participating in an academic boycott of Israel.

Ingber is a junior enrolled at UM’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, according to the campus newspaper The Michigan Daily.

Ingber is aware that her identity has now been revealed by numerous national news organizations in the United States.

The issue gained widespread public attention on Sunday when a Zionist student-run campus organization, Club Z, posted a screenshot of the email exchange between the professor and Ingber on Facebook.

The email from Cheney-Lippold read: ‘Abigail, I am very sorry, but I only scanned your first email a couple weeks ago and missed out on a key detail.

‘As you may know, many university departments have pledged an academic boycott against Israel in support of Palestinians living in Palestine.

John Cheney-Lippold, who teaches in the American Culture Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said he could not write a letter of recommendation for a student because he is participating in an academic boycott of Israel

The issue gained widespread public attention on Sunday when a Zionist student-run campus organization, Club Z, posted a screenshot of the email exchange between the professor and the student, Abigail Ingber, on Facebook

‘This boycott includes writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study there.

‘I should have let you know earlier, and for that I apologize.

‘But for reasons of these politics, I must rescind my offer to write your letter.

‘Let me know if you need me to write other letters for you, as I’d be happy.’

Cheney-Lippold later acknowledged an error in his email, clarifying that the boycott was his own personal stance and not reflective of his department.

He told The Michigan Daily: “I support the boycott because I support solidarity.

‘I follow the idea that people who are being discriminated against or people who need help … I feel compelled to help them.

‘I was following a call by representatives of Palestinian civil society to boycott Israel in a very similar tactical frame as South Africa.

‘The idea is that I support communities who organize themselves and ask for international support to achieve equal rights, freedom and to prevent violations of international law.’

When asked if he was an anti-Semite, the professor was adamant.

‘The perennial claim of anti-Semitism I fully deny,’ Cheney-Lippold said.

‘I have no bad will against the student, and I would have very gladly written a letter for any other graduate program or study abroad.

‘The idea is that I am just one person, and by refusing to write that letter or at least rescinding it, I tried to keep to my conscious and to the fact that I believe that the boycott is a good tactic to enhance human rights and to get everyone in Israel-Palestine to have what international criminal court and the U.N. in general has requested, which is equal rights for everybody.’

The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most politically charged issues on campuses. The image above shows Palestinians running for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip on May 14

The university released a statement saying it has ‘consistently opposed any boycott of Israeli institutions of higher education,’ according to Fox News.

The university said that ‘injecting personal politics into a decision regarding support for our students is counter to our values and expectations as an institution.’

Ingber refused to comment because she said she wanted to first take up the matter with administrators.

Lawmakers in a number of states as well as on the federal level have introduced legislation aimed at banning boycotts of Israel over its policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Anyone who boycotts Israel would be subject to fines or other penalties.

But the proposed legislation has been criticized by First Amendment advocates, chief among them the American Civil Liberties Union, as attempts to curb free speech.

Advocates of boycotts say it is a legitimate means of pressuring Israel because of human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Supporters of Israel claim the country is being singled out because it is a Jewish state.