Over the past 35 years, hundreds of civil servants, senior military and civil service officials, have participated in the Wexner Foundation Fellowship programs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Public Administration, one of the best in the world in its field. At the basis of the Foundation's success was its connection to Harvard, with its characteristic excellence, which makes studying an enriching experience at the academic level, and also in light of the fact that it attracts outstanding students from all over the world.
On 7 October, everything changed. The inability of university leaders to unequivocally condemn Hamas atrocities and protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus from expressions of hatred and calls for the destruction of Israel brought with it many question marks regarding the partnership between the Wexner Foundation and the university, and the foundation's management decided to sever its ties with Harvard.
The moral paralysis that gripped Harvard in the wake of the massacre was not unique to her. Most American academic leaders failed to rise to the moment of truth and maintained a sad silence, captivated by fears of lawsuits in the context of free speech and criticism for a simplistic discourse of "strong versus weak." In the end, they were afraid to take a morally correct stance, even if it was not easy in terms of the public mood on campuses.
Nonetheless, as a proud graduate of the Wexner Foundation Leadership Program, I believe that abandoning America's elite universities would be a mistake we will regret in the future. The State of Israel is in the midst of a battle for hearts and minds. If we abandon this battle, we will prepare the ground for sowing more hatred and distorted notions of support for murderous terrorism.
Years from now, we will ask ourselves how we have abandoned the most significant arena, in which it is possible to influence the future leadership of the most important countries and the elite that comes to study there from all over the world. How we pressured Jewish philanthropists to stop supporting universities and leave the arena to our enemies, some of whom have abundant resources and are determined to influence the United States? Moreover, we have given up on the enriching experience of studying at a leading university, with American and foreign students, which makes an invaluable contribution to Israel and public service.
As Israelis, we must make our voices heard everywhere. Be present. There is nothing like familiarity and dialogue to persuade and change ways of thinking. The easy way is to get angry and abandon, but that's not the right way in the long run
The American academic arena is not made of one piece. Those who call for the destruction of the State of Israel are a vocal minority. Alongside them are very many who, even if they are criticized, are as interested as we are in the good of the country, and when we abandon they are left alone in the battle.
As someone who lives in the American arena in my current position, and as someone who gained extensive experience on American campuses when I served as Israel's consul general in Boston, I know that we have many partners. It is our duty to be there to strengthen them as well. As Israelis, we must make our voices heard everywhere. Be present. There is nothing like familiarity and dialogue to persuade and change ways of thinking. The easy way is to get angry and abandon, but that's not the right way in the long run. It is easy for Israel-haters to express positions when no one challenges them. I propose to return to elite American universities while we are determined to influence from within. We have the intellectual strength to face the challenge.
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