The leaders of Germany’s most distinguished research-intensive universities, the U15, and of the nine Israeli research universities (VERA), have met for a virtual exchange over the verbal and physical attacks on Jews and Israelis on campuses in many parts of the world – including Germany – since the Hamas war began.
It was the first time since the Hamas massacre of October 7 that a university association from another country met with their Israeli counterparts.
In the discussion, the U15 universities once again assured their Israeli partners of their firm solidarity in these challenging times. “There is a strong commitment to continue, extend, and intensify collaboration across a broad range of sciences and humanities with synergies from the academic excellence on both sides,” the two academic groups declared.
The university leaders talked about the Hamas attacks. the ongoing war, and the consequences for academic life in Israel. At the same time, they discussed ways to further intensify academic exchange and cooperation between Israel and Germany. Both groups agreed to continue the exchange, and to plan a physical meeting in Israel as soon as the situation allows.
Prof. Michael Hoch, rector of the University of Bonn and chairman of German U15, said: “We condemned Hamas’s atrocious terrorist attacks on Israel in the strongest possible terms on the morning of October 7. We stand firmly by the Israeli universities, which are among our closest, most-trusted and most-important cooperation partners. With the same clarity, we condemn all forms of antisemitism and take decisive action against it. We are very much looking forward to continuing the exchange with our Israeli colleagues as soon as possible, also in Israel.”
Prof. Arie Zaban, president of Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan and chairman of the Association of University Heads in Israel, said: “Together with the present challenges, we also look ahead to the future. For many years Israeli and German research has been intertwined and we have reached impressive breakthroughs. We welcome the intention of our German friends to act to expand and strengthen further academic collaborations within the increased support of university presidents and governments. We thank you for announcing that you intend to pay a solidarity visit to Israel in the near future and for supporting us, especially during this time,” Zaban concluded.