Five members of Israel’s Council for Higher Education resigned on Monday in protest of new legislation that permits gender-segregated master’s and doctoral degree programs at universities and colleges. The departing members, who include a former council director-general, warned that the law constitutes an “unprecedented intervention” into the independence of the council and could facilitate the exclusion of women from public spaces.
Resignations and Academic Opposition
The resignations were submitted in letters to Education Minister Yoav Kisch and President Isaac Herzog. The group includes Marcelle Machluf of the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, Jihad El-Sana of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Lia Laor of Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, and Edit Tshuva of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Moshe Vigdor, a public representative and the council’s former director-general, also announced his resignation in a separate letter.
In their joint correspondence, the four members stated the law harms “academic freedom, equality, excellence and pluralism.” They argued that remaining on the council would “legitimize moves that contradict the values for which we were asked to serve.” Vigdor, writing separately, asserted that the law would “fatally harm the ability of academia to strive for scientific excellence in the modern world.” According to Haaretz, Vigdor also urged remaining council members to consider resigning if the law is implemented. These departures leave the council at its minimum required membership of 19 individuals.
Legislative Context and Conflicting Perspectives
The new law expands upon a 2021 High Court ruling that allowed limited gender-segregated undergraduate programs specifically designed to integrate Haredi students into the workforce. That earlier arrangement included safeguards, such as prohibiting discrimination against female lecturers and restricting segregation to classrooms within mixed institutions. The new legislation removes the restriction to the Haredi community, making the framework applicable to all students.
Proponents of the measure, including sponsor MK Limor Son Har-Melech of Otzma Yehudit, argue the law will “advance women from sectors that have not received the opportunities they deserve.” Committee chair Zvi Sukkot of Religious Zionism stated the bill would “expand freedom of choice.” Conversely, university leaders—including those from Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University, and the Technion—have publicly opposed the law. Bar-Ilan University officials noted that for advanced degrees, which rely on research collaboration and critical debate, segregation represents a “direct violation of the quality of research, academic training, and teaching freedom.”
Potential Future Implications
Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat suggested that financial constraints could force institutions to impose segregation on all students if they cannot afford to run separate, parallel classes.
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