The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities strongly opposes the law approved today by the Knesset expanding gender segregation in higher education. The new legislation extends gender-segregated study programs beyond undergraduate education to Master's and doctoral degrees. It also permits institutions choosing to operate segregated programs to enforce gender segregation not only in classrooms but also in public areas and campus facilities.

In accordance with our statutory responsibility to advise the Government on matters of importance in the field of science, the Academy has consistently opposed the expansion of gender segregation in higher education. Since first expressing its position in 2018, the Academy has repeatedly warned against measures that undermine the principle of equality and weaken the foundations of Israeli academia. Throughout the legislative process leading to the enactment of this law, the Academy reiterated its strong opposition.

The law is contrary to the principle of equality and will harm, first and foremost, Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox Jewish) students and their future academic and research opportunities. It will also adversely affect the academic community as a whole, particularly women faculty members and researchers, who may be prevented from teaching in institutions or programs operating under gender segregation.

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities attaches utmost importance to the full integration of both male and female Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox Jewish) and Arab students and researchers into Israeli academia. We also attach great importance to supporting first-generation students in higher education and to advancing women into senior positions in teaching, research, and academic leadership.

By permitting institutional and structural gender segregation, this law reverses many years of progress toward integration, equality, and institutional diversity. Its effects will extend far beyond the structure and fabric of the university system. It will undermine the integration of Haredi students into academia and Israeli society, weaken academic excellence, and damage both the international standing of Israeli academia and the standing of the State of Israel in the international arena.

The enactment of this law is not merely a matter of concern for women's organizations or for women faculty members. It concerns the very character of Israeli academia and of a country that has long, and justifiably, taken pride in the achievements of its higher education system.

The Academy believes that the enactment of this law constitutes a grave historic mistake whose consequences will be felt for generations.