Courtesy: American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH).

Representing University of Haifa and Israeli academia as a whole, President Robin met with university administrators, faculty and student groups to express concern over the alarming discourse currently emanating from academia and the inadequate response, in many cases, by academic leadership. He visited the campuses of City University of New York (CUNY), Harvard University, University of California – Berkeley, Stanford University, and University of California – San Diego.

President Robin’s meetings were designed to address anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments that are being observed on university and college campuses around the country, to ensure the protection and respect of Israeli and Jewish students and faculty, and to allow a discussion about the cross-section between freedom of speech and it being used to legitimize hate speech or to justify violence.

While President Robin brought his frontline perspective from Israel to American campuses, he was also uniquely positioned for these high-level meetings thanks to his extensive prior experience in American academia. He spent 12 years at NYU, serving as senior vice provost, where he was responsible for the establishment of two NYU international campuses, in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. He also holds a PhD in American History from UC Berkeley.

In addition to addressing the situation on U.S. campuses, President Robin emphasized that University of Haifa — given its status as Israel’s most diverse university, with Arabs comprising 40% of the student body — is poised to play a significant role in ensuring that diverse sectors of Israeli society can unite and heal in the aftermath of the trauma of October 7. “We have to succeed, for the future of Israeli society hinges on the ability of Arabs and Jews to work together for a better life and a more equitable society,” he said. READ MORE in the Times of Israel