It has been brought to my attention that Professor Maya Kahanoff was recently let go from The Rothberg International School at Hebrew University on the grounds of her personal politics; it was made clear that her lifetime of knowledge on peace and understanding were no longer welcome at your university.
As a student who was also made to feel unwelcome at The Hebrew University, I find this news incredibly painful, as Maya Kahanoff was a source of inspiration to everyone who met her; she personally touched me and completely transformed my educational experience at your institution. As someone stereotyped as the enemy, a Muslim of Arab descent, I came to Hebrew University to defy this image and to seek genuine understanding and friendship across the divide. The Hebrew University has a reputation as one of the foremost institutions in the world on international law and intellectual thought, and was founded on the ideals of progressivism by such brilliant minds such as Albert Einstein and other great leaders. However, instead of encountering this vision of intelligence and greatness, I was met with professors who likened Arabs to animals and stripped them of their humanity. I was met with professors who claimed that genetics and DNA were responsible for making Arabs violent and other traces of racism that I did not even realize were still prevalent in “academic” discourse today. While these professors destroyed the last traces of my faith in humanity, it was upon meeting Professor Maya Kahanoff in her peacebuilding seminar that I realized my decision to attend The Hebrew University was the right one, that mutual respect and understanding truly were attainable, that my faith in humanity could be restored, and that education is the answer for achieving peace. The Hebrew University could in fact live up to its foundational vision.
Maya Kahanoff is the living embodiment of tolerance. She was my teacher at the exact moment when she was celebrating her daughter’s induction into the Israeli Defense Forces. As a proud mother, with a daughter in the army, Maya was making the utmost sacrifice to the politics of her nation. But as a teacher, she eloquently preached understanding and tolerance: a daily struggle for the soul of her nation. It was Maya Kahanoff who pointed out to me, that nowhere in the world were there more peace activists than in Israel, and nowhere in the world were there more citizens advocating on behalf of the rights of their alleged enemy. It was Maya Kahanoff who helped me understand that even in the most intractable of conflicts hope in our shared humanity should never be retracted. And while those other racist and hurtful professors continue to spew their hateful speech at your institution, it was Maya Kahanoff that was fired.
I simply cannot articulate in words how devastating this news is and the loss that will be incurred by all future students seeking knowledge at The Hebrew University. The solution to this conflict, if ever there was one, will begin and end with education. The role of Hebrew University in stifling this avenue to peace will be a mark of shame for the rest of its history, severely undermining the principles upon which it was founded. I cannot begin to express my grief and my sorrow for the loss in which your university has self-inflicted.
Sincerely,
Zehra Hirji
The Rothberg International School 2009
Harvard University 2010
Zehra Hirji blogs at Where in the World is Zehra.
