In 2017
, an annoying news item was published: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem canceled the Song of Hope at the graduation ceremony at the Faculty of Humanities, so as not to hurt the feelings of Arab students.
The university announced Pike News, and was quick to put the annoyed on their mistake.
The anthem was not canceled, as the Faculty of Humanities stopped singing it a long time ago.
The university's president, Prof. Menachem Ben Sasson, explained that "the decision on how to conduct the hundreds of academic ceremonies that take place at the university is up to the heads of the units in charge ... and for years there has been a variety in their patterns of conduct."
The pattern of the Faculty of Humanities, it turns out, is a homely Arab soul.
The Faculty of Humanities at Tel Aviv University saw envy. A year later, the song of hope was canceled at its graduation ceremony, and instead of the anthem they sang "You and I will change the world." In academic ceremonies there is no obligation to play the anthem ... ". This is how it is in the faculties of humanities. Zionism is a matter of faculty consideration.
In Givat Ram and Mount Scopus,
they felt threatened by the Tel Aviv photo-finish, but soon an opportunity arose to fight back: an Arab-American BDS activist named Lara al-Qassem was accepted to study for a master's degree in law, at our expense.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri banned her from entering the country, due to his legal authority, and due to the fact that this is a BDS activity, but the Hebrew University stood on its hind legs, joined al-Qassem's appeal - and admitted to the High Court.
The rector of the university, Prof. Barak Medina, was like a pharmacist: "The Hebrew University advocates a tolerant attitude towards those calling for a boycott against us - we do not prevent anyone from participating in the university's activities ... even if he calls for a boycott against us," he declared.
Prof. Medina, unlike ordinary citizens, is the recipient of many awards, including the "Knight of the Quality of Government", of the Movement for Quality of Government.
It is a clearly apolitical organization, which often petitions the High Court during the days of the right-wing government, but retired to a refreshing winter hibernation with the rise of the change government. Who pays his salary (45,000 shekels a month) a little loose.
In their wisdom, High Court judges found reasonable and proportionate grounds for disqualifying the minister's decision, and al-Qassem spent a year with us studying the legal and non-political field called "transitional justice," which deals with the "set of legal and social mechanisms by which states (or companies) deal" With injustices committed in the context of a violent conflict or a regime of oppression, in a way that corrects injustice and at the same time promotes peace and democracy. "
All in all, a balanced staff, and part of it - receives a salary at our expense.
The achievement of the Jerusalem Faculty of Law aroused the envy of the local Faculty of Humanities.
A few months later we heard about a lecturer in the Department of Literature, a German citizen named Carola Hilfrich.
She found it appropriate to intervene in a quarrel between a Jewish student in an IDF uniform and a sensitive Arab student who was disturbed by the uniform. Hilfrich lectured a female soldier in the hallway:
You are a soldier in the Israeli army ... ". During the period of Tzuk Eitan, Hilfrich signed a statement published in the lancet magazine, which accused Israel of committing" terrible massacres "," crimes against humanity "," use of gas ", and in general" insult to humanity ". Fun that she was found a job at the Hebrew University that contains.
Tel Aviv is not quiet about Shmarya either.
Prof. Neta Ziv, a member of the board of B'Tselem and the New Israel Fund, was appointed Commissioner for Equality in the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University in 2021. Perhaps thanks to this, a "Discussion on Apartheid in Israel / Palestine and International Law" was held on Thursday. Representatives from Yesh Din, Amnesty, the Van Leer Institute and the Israel Democracy Institute. But there are such panels in Jerusalem as well. Budget, and since we poured NIS 700 million into it to cover part of the deficit, it is clear that it is obligated to give an appropriate return.
This week, a day after the attack in Hadera, two Arab students sat on the Hebrew campus and sang the wedding hit: "Mom, I'm going to jihad."
They were passed by policemen studying at the university, some of whom spoke Arabic.
These detained the singers and handed them over to police.
University institutions shuddered.
"We demand a university space where we can not be stopped at any given moment ...," the student union said.
"This is not the university we came to study at."
You're right!
This is the university where BDS supporters are supposed to feel comfortable, and uniformed soldiers - less so.
"We call for the intervention of the university in helping to preserve the rights of detained students (...) and not to give a hand to arbitrary arrests ...".
Oh, yes.
An Arab wave of terrorism all over the country can certainly be considered a challenging period.
Especially if you are Jewish.
Rector Barak Medina sent an email in which he wrote that "there is a belief that the song is essentially incitement to terrorism."
Oh, definitely, Professor.
There is indeed such an opinion.
The Rector was particularly troubled by the fact that the police students exercised their authority within the campus, which poses a not-so-simple legal challenge.
"The case requires a series of on-campus activities of students who are police officers," State wrote.
Yes, obviously, that's exactly what the case requires.
The rector added an implicit threat that the police should reach an understanding with the university, "so that we can continue to run the program (for police studies, etc.) at the university."
Since no one thinks of setting a limit to the political extremism of the universities, one should not rush and declare the Hebrew University the winner.
It is likely that in light of the current wave of terrorist attacks, higher education institutions will find the best way to deal with it.
Maybe they will do another panel on apartheid.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
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