University President Attacks Kisch: 'He Cannot Distinguish Between Independence and Loyalty'

Ben-Gurion University President Danny Haimovitch attacked Education Minister Yoav Kisch over the gender segregation law in academia, writing that Kisch cannot distinguish between independence and loyalty. Five members of the Council for Higher Education resigned in protest of the law, which was approved by the Knesset with 52 supporters versus 43 opponents.

Ben-Gurion University President Danny Haimovitch launched a sharp attack against Education Minister Yoav Kisch over the gender segregation law in academia recently approved by the Knesset. In a post on X, Haimovitch accused Kisch of failing to distinguish between independence and loyalty: those who agree with him are considered 'independent,' while those who disagree are 'political.' According to him, true independence is the ability to disagree with the minister when professional judgment requires it. Just last week, five members of the Council for Higher Education announced their immediate resignation in protest of the law's approval. One of the resigning members, Moshe Vigdor, wrote to the President of the State and the Education Minister that the law threatens to bring irreversible change to the academic system. The law, approved by a vote of 52 supporters versus 43 opponents, allows academic institutions to offer separate study tracks for women and men in advanced degrees for religious reasons, without being considered discrimination.