This afternoon, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism, Dr. Felix Klein, and the President of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal, have jointly invited the representatives of the universities against anti-Semitism to a first networking meeting.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the German universities united in the HRK were very clear in their condemnation of the atrocities committed by this terrorist organization and in their support for Israeli science. In the course of the subsequent Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, however, there have also been anti-Israeli and clearly anti-Semitic incidents at several universities.
The aim of the networking meeting is therefore to exchange information with the university representatives against anti-Semitism about their tasks and the need for action. The university-specific understanding of the role of the representatives will also be a topic. Prof. Dr. Rosenthal and Dr. Klein agree that efforts should be made to consolidate the network of university representatives against antisemitism. The exchange on different ways of organizing their work would lead to forms and models of good practice that could be applied at other universities. At present, the officers installed at universities are often responsible for different forms of discrimination. At some universities, there are officers who are exclusively responsible for combating antisemitism.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Anti-Semitism, Dr. Felix Klein, said in the run-up to the meeting:
"The intimidation of Jewish and Israeli students and teaching staff is completely unacceptable. The same applies to attacks on students and lecturers who show solidarity with Israel and campaign against anti-Semitism. Freedom of opinion is a valuable asset that must be protected. But it must apply to everyone and this must be ensured. That is why I am committed to creating structures that counteract such polarization. This includes in particular the expansion of the network of university representatives against antisemitism and the permanent establishment of networking and exchange between them. At the same time, I am committed to ensuring that the officers have opportunities for training and further education. It is important that they are given a strong mandate. This should include an advisory function for the university management on the one hand and an ombudsman function on the other. The commissioners must also enjoy the trust of Jewish students and teaching staff. I am pleased that today's meeting has laid an important foundation for this."
Quote from the President of the German Rectors' Conference, Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal:
"It is a good signal that the universities are continuing along the path already taken in our resolution "No place for antisemitism". Jewish students, lecturers, researchers and staff must be able to feel safe at German universities. This also means that, in the event of anti-Semitic incidents, contact persons are easy to find and can support and advise those affected. I am pleased that the diversity of German universities is also reflected here and that many different models have been found to actively tackle the task. The valuable work of appropriately sensitized and awareness-raising officers in everyday university life is a further building block in the fight against anti-Semitism."
