Post by Guy Harpaz

At The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, we take pride in our strategic partnerships with nine leading universities worldwide, including Freie Universität Berlin. Our long-standing collaboration with Freie Universität Berlin has fostered meaningful research and teaching initiatives, as well as strong personal ties - both among individual researchers and at the leadership level. Such partnerships are truly tested in challenging times. We are currently facing significant pressures, including counterproductive and anti-academic actions promoted by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In this context, Freie Universität Berlin’s recent statement, issued by its Executive Board on Academic Partnerships with Israeli Institutions, demonstrates moral clarity, leadership, and a firm commitment to academic freedom. As University President Professor Günter M. Ziegler noted: “Freie Universität Berlin builds its partnerships based on shared values: academic freedom, critical openness, and institutional independence. Israeli universities fulfill these requirements - they are pluralistic, democratic institutions that are also familiar with controversial debates within their own walls. To boycott them would mean isolating precisely those voices that most need to be included in the dialogue.” We deeply value and appreciate this principled stance and the solidarity it represents. Importantly, Freie Universität Berlin is not alone. For every institution that chooses to disengage, many more reaffirm their commitment to collaboration and actively strengthen ties with us. This growing network of outstanding partners is the most effective response to efforts aimed at isolation. We will continue to meet these challenges with resilience, advancing cutting-edge research in an environment grounded in freedom, equality, the rule of law, sustainability, and diversity. Read Freie Universität Berlin’s full statement here: https://lnkd.in/dNMpZFxX