Five days following the incident in which a Hebrew University professor, Dr. Carola Hilfrich, scolded a student for wearing her Israel Defense Forces’ uniform to class, the university published a rare ad calling on students in uniform to come study at the university.
“Students in Uniform? Welcome!” read the ad signed by the university’s president, Professor Asher Cohen.
“We wanted to clarify that we respect soldiers in uniform. That is the truth,” said Cohen this morning on Army Radio.
Cohen also apologized for the incident. “I personally have not talked with Dr. Hilfrich yet, but her behavior was behavior that should have not occurred,” he said.
When asked if the university has any intention on dismissing the professor, he replied that “this subject is not even on the table.”
The university has faced sharp blowback over the incident, with many calling on the university to dismiss Hilfrich. In the days following the incident, more than 45,000 emails were sent at the initiative the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu to the university administration, calling on them to formally apologize and dismiss the professor.
Tomorrow, a “uniform protest” is planned at the university in which students will be attending the university wearing IDF uniforms.
“We are pleased to see that after the university nixed the playing of ‘Hatikvah’ at its graduation ceremony, approved inciting protests against IDF soldiers and petitioned the state on behalf of a BDS activist, they remembered the importance of IDF soldiers,” said Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg.
“This is a step in the right direction,” continued Peleg, “and perhaps there is still hope that the university will change its ways and begin combating the widespread anti-Israel activity on its campus.”