The academic year began today, even as the State of Israel is still at war, a war that was started by the massacre carried out on October 7 by the murderous forces of Hamas.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is fully committed to doing everything possible to enable every one of our reservists to successfully complete this academic year and their degree.
We are proud that the Hebrew University community contains a diverse range of groups , including secular Jews, religious and Haredi Jews, Arabs from all over the country, Druze, international students, and more. A diverse society is a great blessing, but on occasion it also presents a great challenge to living alongside one another. Over the years, and despite difficulties that have arisen from time to time, we have succeeded in creating a lively, equal, and tolerant society at the University. Recent events, beginning with the terrible massacre of October 7 and continuing with the war that is still ongoing, now pose another challenge to Arab-Jewish relations, even within our community. We have no doubt that the vast majority of us wish to continue our proud heritage of diversity and coexistence. Respectful discourse among us all is essential for maintaining the fabric of our shared community. The University is developing a number of programs designed to promote coexistence that includes mutual respect and an atmosphere of respectful discussion.
Here the President of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem University, Prof. Asher Cohen, in an important message ahead of the first day of the opening of the 2023/2024 academic year
