Seven More Israeli Universities Sign Gaza War Petition

OLAM RESEARCH · WHO SIGNED SERIES

Seven Israeli universities, beyond Technion, signed the Black Flag letter calling the Gaza war a war crime at rates from 67% (Hebrew University) down to 30% (Bar-Ilan). Tel Aviv University contributed the largest raw count of signers: 303.

This piece completes the university-by-university breakdown from our Who Signed? audit of 2,844 Israeli faculty. Technion (77%) leads the full ranking and has its own piece; the remaining seven institutions are covered here.

Side-by-Side: All Seven Universities

Hebrew University (67%): the Largest Single Contributor

Hebrew University supplied 285 signers, 19.9% of the entire 1,434-person database, the largest share of any institution.

Named professors (15): Sociology and Anthropology (6): Prof. Eva Illouz · Prof. Yael Berda · Prof. Amalya Oliver · Prof. Edna Lomsky-Feder · Prof. Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi · Prof. Yehuda Goodman. Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (3): Prof. Daphna Ephrat · Prof. Oded Zinger · Prof. Reuven Amitai. Law (2): Prof. David Enoch · Prof. Tali Gal. Other (4): Prof. Hannan Hever (English) · Prof. Anat Maril (Psychology) · Prof. Amiram Goldblum · Prof. Yuval Shany.

Named doctors (6): English (3): Dr. Ayelet Ben-Yishai · Dr. Neta Stahl · Dr. Rina Dudai. Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (2): Dr. Liat Kozma · Dr. Yoni Furas. Psychology (1): Dr. Yoni Pertzov.

Prof. Eva Illouz is among the most internationally cited Israeli sociologists, with work on emotional capitalism translated into 15+ languages, and a former president of Bezalel Academy. Prof. Yuval Shany is a leading international law scholar and member of the UN Human Rights Committee; he signed the International Law Scholars petition, one of only 8 Israeli faculty in that category.

Multiple signers at HUJI (5, the highest count of any institution): Prof. Hannan Hever (English): Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. Prof. Yael Berda (Sociology and Anthropology): Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. Amos Goldberg: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. David Kretzmer: Black Flag + Intl Law Scholars. Raz Chen-Morris: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024.

Department breakdown (rates reflect only the 21 of 285 signers with department data; the true department-level rates are likely higher): Sociology and Anthropology 26% (6/23) · Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies 24% (5/21) · English 19% (4/21) · Law 40% (2/5) · Psychology 11% (2/18).

Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University together account for 41% of all documented participation (588 of 1,434).

Tel Aviv University (58%): the Largest Faculty Roster

TAU has the largest faculty roster in the study (537) and the highest raw count of signers (303), 21.1% of the entire database, including 29 full professors.

Named professors (29): Law (9, the largest single department): Prof. Aeyal Gross · Prof. Avihay Dorfman · Prof. Daphna Hacker · Prof. Eliav Lieblich · Prof. Guy Mundlak · Prof. Hila Shamir · Prof. Issachar Rosen-Zvi · Prof. Tamar Kricheli-Katz · Prof. Yofi Tirosh. Sociology and Anthropology (6): Prof. Adriana Kemp · Prof. Alexandra Kalev · Prof. Anastasia Gorodzeisky · Prof. Isaac Sasson · Prof. Michal Kravel-Tovi · Prof. Ofra Goldstein-Gidoni. Literature (2): Prof. Eran Dorfman · Prof. Michael Gluzman. Middle Eastern and African History (2): Prof. On Barak · Prof. Yoav Alon. Other (10): Prof. Camilla Adang (Arabic Studies) · Prof. Daniel Dor (Communications) · Prof. Uri Cohen (Education) · Prof. Scott Ury (Jewish History) · Prof. David De Vries (Labor Studies) · Prof. Daphna Joel (Psychology) · Prof. Ravit Hananel (Public Policy) · Prof. Adi Ophir · Prof. Michal Na'aman · Prof. Tamar Meggido.

Named doctors (22): Law (5): Dr. Doreen Lustig · Dr. Meirav Furth · Dr. Natalie Davidson · Dr. Ofra Bloch · Dr. Yifat Naftali Ben Zion. Literature (4): Dr. Almog Behar · Dr. Dana Olmert · Dr. Dina Berdichevsky · Dr. Ran Hacohen. Political Science (4): Dr. Alon Yakter · Dr. Lior Sheffer · Dr. Ronen Mandelkern · Dr. Yael Shomer. Sociology (2): Dr. Noga Keidar · Dr. Rami Kaplan. Other (7): Dr. Shir Etgar (Communications) · Dr. Roee Levy (Economics) · Dr. Dan Mamlok (Education) · Dr. Nana Ariel (General Studies) · Dr. Dotan Halevy (Middle Eastern History) · Dr. Yael Gazit (Philosophy) · Dr. Sagi Jaffe-Dax (Psychology).

Multiple signers at TAU (5): Anat Biletzki: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. Eyal Benvenisti: Black Flag + Intl Law Scholars. Miriam Eliav-Feldon: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. Snait Gissis: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024. Uri Hadar: Black Flag + Artists/Intellectuals Aug 2025 + Sanctions Oct 2024, the only faculty member in the entire study to sign 3 separate petitions.

Department breakdown (252 of 303 TAU signers lack department data; rates below reflect only those with it): Arabic Studies 100% (1/1) · Middle Eastern & African History 75% (3/4) · Literature 60% (6/10) · Sociology and Anthropology 42% (8/19) · Law 29% (14/49) · Political Science 17% (4/23) · Communications 10% (2/21) · Psychology 7% (2/30) · Education 6% (2/34) · Economics 5% (1/21).

Bar-Ilan University (30%): the Clearest Outlier

Bar-Ilan sits at 30%, less than half the rate of any other audited institution, a 47-point gap from Technion and an 11-point gap from the next-lowest (Haifa, 41%).

Named signers (11 of 63): Professors (7): Prof. Anat Matar (Philosophy, the only Bar-Ilan faculty member to sign multiple petitions: Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024) · Prof. Alon Harel (Law) · Prof. Barak Medina (Law) · Prof. Avi Rubin (Political Science) · Prof. Kinneret Lahad (Sociology) · Prof. Nitza Berkovitch (Sociology) · Prof. Orly Benjamin (Sociology). Doctors (4): Dr. Lior Sternfeld (General History) · Dr. Orit Rozin (General History) · Dr. Meital Pinto (Law) · Dr. Michael Freedman (Political Science).

Bar-Ilan University was founded in 1955 as a modern-Orthodox institution, the only university in the study with an explicitly religious identity. Its 7 identified professors come from Sociology, Law, Philosophy, and Political Science, the same disciplines that show high participation everywhere. Zero participation is documented in Jewish Studies, Talmudic Studies, Religious Studies, Jewish Philosophy, Jewish History, or Archaeology, the departments uniquely associated with Bar-Ilan.

Even matching departments show lower rates than peer institutions: Sociology 16% at Bar-Ilan versus 26-75% elsewhere; Law 8% versus 29-40%; Political Science 9% versus 17-60%; General History 11% versus 52%+ elsewhere. A sociologist at Bar-Ilan is less likely to sign than a sociologist at TAU, even studying the same field, suggesting institutional culture, not just disciplinary culture, plays a role.

What this does not show: whether Bar-Ilan faculty disagree with the petitions (not signing does not mean opposing), whether religious identity causes lower participation (correlation is not causation), or what Bar-Ilan's institutional position is (non-participation does not mean university stance).

Bar-Ilan is the proof case that participation is not universal. When critics say "all Israeli academics oppose Israel," Bar-Ilan's 30%, and specifically the zero participation in religious departments, directly contradicts that claim.

Weizmann Institute (62%): Elite Pure Research, No Humanities

Weizmann is an elite pure-research institute with no undergraduate students and no humanities departments; faculty are scientists in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science.

62% participation at a purely scientific institution is notable, exceeding Ben-Gurion (54%) and Haifa (41%), both of which have large humanities faculties. Among the named signers: Prof. Moty Heiblum and Prof. Oded Goldreich, both signed the Artists/Intellectuals petition (August 2025).

Open University (59%): the Strongest Named-Faculty Data in This Group

The Open University has 11 professors and 8 doctors identified among its 67 signers, the highest titled-faculty ratio (28%) of the four smaller institutions.

Professors, Sociology/Political Science/Communications (7): Prof. Anat Ben-David · Prof. Denis Charbit · Prof. Eran Fisher · Prof. Erez Tzfadia · Prof. Sara Kahn-Nisser · Prof. Yagil Levy · Prof. Zeev Rosenhek. Professors, Education/Psychology (4): Prof. Avner Caspi · Prof. Eran Chajut · Prof. Nurit Gronau · Prof. Ravit Nussinson. Doctors (8): Dr. Nurit Melnik (Digital Humanities) · Dr. Yael Dekel (Digital Humanities) · Dr. Halely Balaban (Education) · Dr. Noga Efrati (History/Philosophy/Jewish Studies) · Dr. Dafna Hirsch · Dr. Dana Kaplan · Dr. Inna Leykin · Dr. Noam Gal (all Sociology/PoliSci/Communications).

Prof. Eran Fisher is one of only 18 faculty in the entire study who signed multiple petitions (Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024).

Ben-Gurion University (54%): Two Named Professors

242 faculty audited, 127 signers. Named signers: Prof. Haggai Ram (General History), Prof. Israel Gershoni (General History), and Dr. Alon Marcus (New Faculty 2025-26). Two BGU faculty signed multiple petitions: Michal Givoni and Uri Mor (both Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024).

University of Haifa (41%): the Second-Lowest Institution

335 faculty audited, 134 signers. Haifa ranks second-lowest after Bar-Ilan's 30%. Three Haifa faculty signed multiple petitions: Amalia Saar (Black Flag + Sanctions Oct 2024), Itamar Mann (Black Flag + Intl Law Scholars), and Tali Bitan (Black Flag + Artists/Intellectuals Aug 2025).

Haifa's Middle Eastern Studies department (80%) is consistent with the discipline pattern across all universities, but its overall rate is pulled down by moderate participation in education, social work, and communications.

Full Institutional Ranking (Complete)

In This Series

📖 Who Signed? (Flagship study)

📖 Top 25 Departments

📖 Israel vs. America Comparison

📖 Technion: 77%

Ronn Torossian is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He is the author of two best-selling editions of For Immediate Release.