From left to right: Prof. Limor Shifman, Department of Communication; Prof. Talya Miron Shatz, Prof. Asher Cohen, President of The Hebrew Univrsity of Jerusalem; Prof. Ifat Maoz, Head of the Truman Institute; Prof. Shaul Shalvi from University of Amsterdam; and Dr. Roy Weintraub, Post doctoral student, Truman Institute (Photo credit: Bruno Sharvit).
What determines whether a country can emerge from a crisis and become a changed, peaceful society?
In the United States, the political divide has deepened significantly, with legislators increasingly voting strictly within their party lines and rarely crossing the aisle. Surveys further reveal that Americans have grown more fearful and hostile towards supporters of the opposing political party, often overestimating the extremity of their views.
In Israel, the situation is similarly complex, with societal and political tensions presenting their own unique challenges.
These days, a very timely two-day international workshop, “New Frontiers in Research on Conflict and War,” is being held at the Truman Institute. Earlier this week, Prof. Peter T. Coleman from Columbia University delivered a keynote speech in a special panel on "Freedom of Speech in Challenging Times."
Prof. Coleman, a social psychologist who has been helping Nemat (Minouche) Shafik, the President of Columbia University, navigate its recent crisis, explored how conflict resolution and complexity science provide guidance for dealing with seemingly intractable political differences. He explained that three conditions must be present for a crisis to lead to change:
1. A large enough part of the population must be fed up with the status quo; the society must be motivated enough to change course (ref. Ripeness Theory, Zartman, 2000).
2. Presence of destabilizing events—current factors include COVID-19, AI, war, or polarization—make people question their basic assumptions (ref. Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, Diehl & Goertz, 2001).
3. There must be some sense of where we're going and how to get there (ref. Ripeness Theory, Zartman, 2000).
Prof. Peter T. Coleman from Columbia University (Photo credit: Bruno Sharvit)
Prof. Ifat Maoz, Head of the Truman Institute, emphasized the importance of understanding and hope in these challenging times: “In these very difficult times we need every glimmer of hope, every hint that can help us understand what is going on, where it is leading to, and what might be the way out. We hope that this panel and the discussion here can make even the smallest contribution to reorienting or recalculating the route that should be taken to decrease the alarmingly growing distance from democracy and peace.”
Prof. Tamir Sheafer, Rector of the Hebrew University and one of the event's panelists, shared insights on one of the challenges the Hebrew University is currently navigating: “We are committed to scientific excellence, truth, justice, and academic freedom. I believe, that upholding these principles demonstrates our commitment and loyalty to Israeli society. Along with this, it is our duty to establish boundaries rooted in these very values of truth and justice. Failing to set such boundaries often results in criticism from within our nation, even from members of our own community, accusing us of not protecting our country or our students who are risking their lives. Conversely, setting these boundaries subjects us to attacks from international academic circles, which may misinterpret these actions as nationalistic restrictions of freedom of expression and academic freedom. This dichotomy frequently leads to criticism from both outside and within our academic community.”
In these challenging times, Hebrew University of Jerusalem remains dedicated to our mission of building a better future through education and research. We extend our sincere gratitude to friends and partners worldwide who have shown unwavering solidarity during these difficult times. Together, we will overcome the challenges we face, and our joint pursuit of knowledge remains steadfast.