The rabbi of the synagogue at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology apologized on Monday for statements in which he called on students who oppose the activities of the LGBTQ organization at the university to “take responsibility on campus.”
Rabbi Dr. Elad Dukov, a faculty member of the Technion, sent a letter to the student body, writing that the message he sent in a synagogue WhatsApp group about two weeks ago “May be construed in a way that does not reflect my stances and values.”
He added that he “Completely opposes and denounces every form of physical and verbal violence, shaming, etc., and condemns those to turn to such violence.”
Earlier this month, a student in that WhatsApp group spoke out against what he called the “LGBTQ-ization of the Technion,” because of a party organized by the LGBTQ community there. Dukov encouraged the students in the group to join another group named the “Guardians of the Family,” whose goal is to oppose LGBTQ events on campus, and accused the organizers of the party of violence.
“Insistence on the Jewish spirit on these issues is not easy, and [thank God], over the years we have succeeded in protecting the campus as much as possible,” wrote Dukov. He also said that the party was held on the evening of Holocaust Remembrance Day, even though it was held the day before.
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The Technion administration condemned his statements. “Dr. Dukov’s statements are in complete contradiction to the spirit of the Technion, which espouses equality and the acceptance of every person unrelated to their social, national, religious and gender identity.
“His statements are his own personal opinion only, and we completely reject them.”
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