The Hebrew University in Jerusalem sent an e-mail today (Monday) to students in which they talked about the political and social situation in Israel, and attached a (partial) list of the upcoming holidays and dates.
The students were amazed to discover that the list of the university, which is funded by state funds, also includes Nakba Day, which will be celebrated on May 15.
The message was sent to the students from Prof. Mona Khoury, Vice President for Strategy and Diversity, and Sharon Ben Aryeh, Director of the Diversity Unit.
Among other things, the announcement reads: "In addition to the political and social turmoil, we are at the beginning of a period full of holidays and festivals, some of which create a fear of tension and escalation. Holidays and days of mourning of the three religions will merge and collide during the next three months."
Demonstration for Nakba Day last year (archive), photo: Yonatan Zindel
As mentioned, below the words of the conclusion appeared a list of the dates of the holidays and dates, among others: Pesach, Easter, Day of Remembrance for the martyrs of Israel's systems, Independence Day and together with Nakba Day - that is, the day of the disaster for the Palestinians, when the State of Israel was established.
The Palestinian Day of Mourning is always a tense day for the security forces, photo: AFP
For the security establishment and the IDF, this is a particularly sensitive day, and over the years it has included attacks, riots and calls to wipe out the State of Israel.
This is not the first time that a lecturer at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem has caused a stir: last month a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University called for a boycott of the settlements and the government.
Prof. David Enoch, a lecturer in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Philosophy, published an article in the American Jewish magazine "Forward", in which he called for a boycott of the settlements and a boycott of the government.
In his article, he urged American Jewry to exert pressure on American politicians: "Pressure must be exerted on Israel, including making military aid conditional on the cessation of settlement expansion and settler violence."
The university's response: "The letter refers to the university's preparations for holidays and anniversaries that can create tension and escalation. Its purpose is to offer the university community the services of the diversity unit in allaying concerns and creating inclusive and respectful discourse."
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us