Public statement by Vice Presidents, Commissioners and Heads of Diversity and Inclusion Units in Israeli Universities.
Democracy, critical thinking and diverse discourse are the heart and soul of higher education. Academia has a crucial role in shaping the character and perceptions of graduates toward their full participation in civil life by instilling democratic norms of fairness, justice, equality and diversity. In addition, academia plays a leading role in shaping public norms and values - a role it must not relinquish.
The war of October 2023 has polarized the discourse between different groups in Israeli society, resulting in difficulty tolerating controversial viewpoints that contradict the common public narrative. This difficulty is acutely felt in the higher education system: recent studies and surveys point to ongoing fear among members of minority groups on campus to express their views freely, and to a tendency toward self-censorship.
Precisely in these challenging times, however, it is essential for Israeli higher education institutions to stringently protect free speech. The Israeli higher education system has been facing repeated attempts by external entities to curtail the discourse of the academic community, including demands to impose sanctions against those who expressed themselves in a manner inconsistent with the mainstream narrative.
Demands by the Council for Higher Education to report on students’ social media posts, the arrest and interrogation of a faculty member following a social media interview, and hearings in Knesset committees about a post published by another faculty member - are all examples of unprecedented events that have taken place over the past few months. At this time, we in academia must stand fast and unwaveringly defend freedom of speech and academic freedom - within the boundaries of the law, which prohibits, among other things, incitement to violence, racism and terrorism - and provide our full support to members of the academic community threatened by silencing.
As leaders in the field of diversity and inclusion in our universities, we hereby express our resolute commitment to continue charting a clear policy on freedom of speech - one that reflects the values of tolerance, recognition and inclusion, particularly at this time. We remind that the power of democracy lies especially in its ability to defend human rights in times of crisis. Indeed, history has taught us that in emergencies, democracies are particularly vulnerable to long-term damage. Silencing individuals and limiting freedom of speech severely harm democratic values and may affect society for generations to come.
Our duty, therefore, is to serve as society’s moral compass: to defend democracy in war and peace, to uphold the values of diversity and inclusion, and to protect the right to freely express opinions - as profoundly controversial as they may be - without fear of persecution or prosecution.
Prof. Neta Ziv, Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Community, Tel Aviv University
Prof. Mona Khoury, Vice President for Strategy and Diversity, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Sarab Abu-Rabia-Queder, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Prof. Arin Salamah-Qudsi, Head of the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community, University of Haifa
Prof. Orna Sasson-Levy, Diversity and Gender Equity Commissioner, Bar-Ilan University
Prof. Adi Salzberg, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Dr. Meytal Eran-Jona, Head of the Diversity and Inclusion Office, Weizmann Institute of Science