Five members of Israel’s Council for Higher Education (CHE) resigned on Monday, saying a new law to expand gender-segregated study in advanced-degree programmes amounts to unacceptable interference with the council’s independence and risks sidelining women from higher education.
Who stepped down and why
Four council members submitted a joint resignation letter to President Isaac Herzog and Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who chairs the CHE; a fifth member, Moshe Vigdor, sent a separate notice of resignation.
| Resigning member | Affiliation / role |
|---|---|
| Edit Tshuva | Hebrew University chemistry professor; former deputy chairwoman of the council |
| Marcelle Machluf | Technion professor, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering |
| Jihad El‑Sana | Ben‑Gurion University computer science professor |
| Lia Laor | Professor at Levinsky‑Wingate Academic College |
| Moshe Vigdor | CEO of the Mandel Foundation‑Israel; former CHE director‑general; public representative on the council |
The signatories warned that the legislation to permit separate study programmes at the advanced-degree level would represent a “substantive change” to the character of Israeli higher education and could exclude women from roles as students, researchers and faculty.
“Approval of the law concerning gender segregation in advanced-degree studies in academia constitutes unprecedented interference in the independence of the Council for Higher Education,”
In their letters, the four members said the move threatened the core values on which Israel’s higher-education system stands: academic freedom, equality, excellence and pluralism. They also said the amendment could harm academic standards, erode public trust and damage the international reputation of Israeli universities.
Implications and context
The departures remove experienced academics and a public representative from the CHE at a moment of heated debate over the role of religion and state in education policy. The resignations signal acute internal opposition within the council to legislative intervention perceived as curtailing its autonomy.
For students, faculty and institutions, the resignations underscore immediate uncertainty about governance and the future shape of graduate programmes. Observers say university systems rely on bodies such as the CHE to set standards and safeguard pluralism; abrupt change to those bodies’ remit or composition can affect accreditation, funding decisions and international collaborations.
- Five CHE members resigned — four jointly, one separately.
- They cited a law expanding gender segregation in advanced-degree studies as the trigger.
- Resignations highlight concerns about academic independence, equality and international standing.
It is not clear from the letters how the government or the remainder of the council will respond. The resignations, however, are likely to intensify scrutiny of the legislation from domestic and international academic communities concerned about preserving equal access and institutional autonomy.
