The Johanna Steinmeier Affair: The Serious Allegations Against the Hebrew University

At a special senate meeting at the Hebrew University, severe accusations were leveled against the administration following the death of doctoral student Johanna Steinmeier, who took her own life after the complaint she filed against her supervisor dragged on for three years. Her friends alleged 'a terrible abuse of process' and a contradiction in the university's attempts to disclaim responsibility.

The affair of the late Johanna Steinmeier continues to shake the Hebrew University. At a special senate meeting held on Sunday, her friends accused the university administration of 'a terrible abuse of process' that lasted three years, and revealed a contradiction in its attempts to disclaim responsibility. Johanna Kristina Steinmeier, described as a mathematical prodigy, came from Germany and began her doctoral studies at the Hebrew University in 2018. In November 2023, she filed a serious complaint against her supervisor, Professor Karim Alexander Adiprasito, for sexual harassment and exploitation. Recently, the university's appeals court rejected the professor's appeal and upheld his conviction for sexual harassment and indecent acts, but the process dragged on for nearly three years, and Johanna took her own life last January before the verdict was published. Her close friend said that Johanna was hurt and angry at the university's ombudsman officials who abandoned her. The student union chairman, Eric Bider, pointed to three major failures: extreme lack of transparency, a structural conflict of interest where the university investigates itself, and an inadequate support system. The university responded that it has established a committee to review the handling of complaints.