The Hebrew University in Jerusalem has been at the center of many recent political debates. Last year, its administration fought the deportation of Lara Alqasem, a student supporter of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement who came to study in Jerusalem, and in January, a literature instructor clashed with a student in the reserves who came to class in uniform. The instructor, Carola Hilfrich, received threats following the incident, and Al-Monitor has learned that she decided to cancel all her classes in the Humanities Faculty and go on unpaid leave.
The incident renewed controversy over the issue of soldiers at universities. In the Western world, especially since the student protests of the 1960s in the United States and Europe, campuses have symbolized strongholds of freedom and democracy and to a large extent opposition to militarism. But in Israel, the situation is far more complicated. Mandatory military service for Jewish young people makes uniforms an integral part of Israeli society. Tourists are sometimes frightened at the sight of uniformed and armed soldiers on the trains and buses and at restaurants. Soldiers on active duty, students on reserve duty and officers studying in various university programs are common to see walking around college campuses.
