Five Members Resign from Israeli Higher Education Council Over Gender Segregation Law

Five members of Israel's Council for Higher Education (CHE) resigned in protest against the recent passage of a law expanding gender segregation in academia. The resignations were submitted to President Isaac Herzog and Education Minister Yoav Kisch a day before the council's first meeting to discuss implementing the law. The departing members include Prof. Idit Tishbi from the Hebrew University, former deputy chair of the CHE, Prof. Marcel Mahlouf from the Technion, Prof. Jihad Al-Sanae from Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Leah Lior from Levinsky Academic Center and Wingate Institute, and Moshe Vigdor, CEO of the Mandel Foundation and former CHE CEO who initiated the collective resignation.

Despite the resignations, the CHE still retains the minimum legal quorum of 19 members out of 24, but only 12 of these hold senior academic status, below the required two-thirds majority for major decisions. This limits the council to routine decisions like recognizing new academic programs, while substantive policy changes risk legal challenges likely to persist until after upcoming elections. The timing also complicates legal proceedings due to holidays and recesses.

The resignations highlight deep opposition within academia to the gender segregation law, which many senior faculty view as a violation of academic freedom and research independence. The law's passage has left the CHE with almost no opposition to Minister Kisch's positions, raising concerns about the council's legitimacy and its ability to represent Israeli academia internationally, especially regarding participation in the EU's prestigious Horizon research program. Negotiations for Horizon's continuation are scheduled for 2027 as part of renewing Israel's association agreement with the EU.

Additionally, the CHE is expected to discuss a proposed statement initiated by Kisch opposing academic institutions' involvement in public controversies and strikes, which critics argue infringes on academic freedom. The resigning members see Kisch's tenure as damaging to Israeli academia, with this collective resignation underscoring the crisis. Prof. Tishbi acknowledged that part of the motivation was the difficulty Kisch would face appointing replacements during a caretaker government period.

The resignations and ongoing disputes reflect a broader clash between public perceptions of gender segregation and the academic community's defense of institutional autonomy and excellence. The CHE's future effectiveness remains uncertain amid these tensions and political transitions.