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9 Ways for University Presidents to Atone During the High Holidays

The “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University, located in the Manhattan borough of New York City, on April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters Connect

During the month of Elul, Jews begin the process of atoning for our sins by reflecting on our action and asking for forgiveness.

It’s a meaningful tradition — and I think we should ask the same of others, including university presidents and administrators.

I’m not suggesting that universities need to repent more than others. I’m just saying that universities are supposed to set an example of ethical conduct — of noble aspirations — so why not start with an ancient tradition that will make universities reflect on their actions?

I’m not putting all universities in the same camp. Some need repentance more than others. With that caveat, here are nine suggestions for where many universities could begin their spiritual journey of repentance:

Forgive us for the sin of choosing professors based on their political ideology, not merit.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing professors to hide 3,800 years of Jewish history from their students, and then indoctrinate them with illogical, ahistorical lies that promote violence.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing syllabi full of books that are brimming with politicized fallacies and historical distortions.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing the toxic ideology of “critical theory” to destroy the main function of a university: critical thinking and the search for truth.
Forgive us for the sin of promoting the dominance of race; the privileging of some religions over others; and the bigotry of low expectations for all students.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing virulent antisemitic groups like Students for Justice in Palestine to dictate policy.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing viciously antisemitic speakers to lecture about Israel, and promote violence with their malicious lies.
Forgive us for the sin of canceling speakers who don’t adhere to our prevailing political ideology.
Forgive us for the sin of allowing keffiyeh-garbed rioters — both students and professors — to fly terrorist flags; burn American and Israeli flags; block Jewish students from entering buildings; assault, harass, and spit on Jewish students; and normalize hatred and violence against Jews, both in the classroom and out.

Sure, it’s a lot of work. But that is what actual spiritual growth looks like. Isn’t that what universities are looking for?

Imagine the privilege they will feel of rebuilding their universities based upon the original precepts of academic freedom and civil discourse, and the unhindered pursuit of knowledge — through truth, reason, history, and ethics. 

Perhaps most of all, imagine what all of this will do for the future of not just our children and this country, but of humanity.

To borrow the words of one of our greatest thinkers, Albert Einstein (who would now be called an “oppressor” or “settler-colonist”): “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” 

Or perhaps more apropos: “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

The only chance our university system has for redemption is a full return to the ethical principles that make education possible, and that includes, above all, an honest search for truth.

Karen Lehrman Bloch is editor in chief of White Rose Magazine. A different version of this article was published by The Jewish Journal.

The post 9 Ways for University Presidents to Atone During the High Holidays first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with government officials in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Donald Trump on Saturday of lying when the US president said during his Gulf tour this week that he wanted peace in the region.

On the contrary, said Khamenei, the United States uses its power to give “10-ton bombs to the Zionist (Israeli) regime to drop on the heads of Gaza’s children.”

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates on Friday that Iran had to move quickly on a US proposal for its nuclear program or “something bad’s going to happen.”

His remarks, said Khamenei, “aren’t even worth responding to.” They are an “embarrassment to the speaker and the American people,” Khamenei added.

“Undoubtedly, the source of corruption, war, and conflict in this region is the Zionist regime — a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor that must be uprooted; it will be uprooted,” he said at an event at a religious center in Tehran, according to state media.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Trump speaks about peace while simultaneously making threats.

“Which should we believe?” Pezeshkian said at a naval event in Tehran. “On the one hand, he speaks of peace and on the other, he threatens with the most advanced tools of mass killing.”

Tehran would continue Iran-US nuclear talks but is not afraid of threats. “We are not seeking war,” Pezeshkian said.

While Trump said on Friday that Iran had a US proposal about its nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a post on X said Tehran had not received any such proposal. “There is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to (uranium) enrichment for peaceful purposes…” he said.

Araqchi warned on Saturday that Washington’s constant change of stance prolongs nuclear talks, state TV reported.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that America repeatedly defines a new framework for negotiations that prolongs the process,” the broadcast quoted Araqchi as saying.

Pezeshkian said Iran would not “back down from our legitimate rights”.

“Because we refuse to bow to bullying, they say we are source of instability in the region,” he said.

A fourth round of Iran-U.S. talks ended in Oman last Sunday. A new round has not been scheduled yet.

The post Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday

Doha, Qatar. Photo: StellarD via Wikimedia Commons.

A new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is underway in Qatar’s Doha, Hamas official Taher al-Nono told Reuters on Saturday.

He said the two sides were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions.”

Nono said Hamas was “keen to exert all the effort needed” to help mediators make the negotiations a success, adding there was “no certain offer on the table.”

The negotiations come despite Israel preparing to expand operations in the Gaza Strip as they seek “operational control” in some areas of the war-torn enclave.

The return to negotiations also comes after US President Donald Trump ended a Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire, although he acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries.

The post Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

i24 NewsChief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan has stepped down temporarily as an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct by United Nations investigators is nearing its final phase, Reuters reported on Friday citing sources from the international court.

Khan allegedly forced sexual intercourse upon a member of staff on multiple occasions, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, linking the allegations to Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.

A statement is expected later today announcing that Khan is going on administrative leave, according to a source in the prosecutor’s office.

The post Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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