A Community of Learning: Shalem College’s Role in Political and Social Action

Shalem College exists to provide exceptional young Israelis with the intellectual and cultural formation they need, as human beings and as citizens, to live worthy and purposeful lives and to advance the flourishing of the State of Israel and Israeli society.

Although Shalem exists to serve the polity, it is not—and cannot be—a partisan or ideological community, institutionally identified as leaning left or right, secular or religious. To fulfill our mission in Israeli society, Shalem must sustain an environment of intellectual freedom and openness to differing viewpoints, and it must therefore remain independent of political fashions, passions, and pressures. We are a community that exists for the limited, yet great, purposes of teaching and learning.

Our community is constituted by a tacit covenant: we gather for the purpose of teaching and learning, seeking knowledge and wisdom about things that matter. At the heart of our education and culture is searching inquiry and open, fearless conversation. We encourage, welcome, and embrace diverse points of view, and we treat all opinions seriously offered with respect. At the same time, we subject all beliefs and opinions to scrutiny and all assumptions to critical examination, seeking always for what is true, good, and worthy. Above all, we do not teach or tell our students what to think. We encourage and prepare them to think for themselves.

Because Shalem is a community devoted to these distinctive purposes, it cannot take an institutional stand on the issues of the day without destroying the conditions for its success. If, for instance, we issue an institutional statement on public policy, we risk censuring or intimidating any minority that does not agree with the view adopted. More important, we contradict our goal of having people think for themselves. As an institution, we will not speak for our students or our alumni, our faculty or our staff.

Although we do not take public positions as an institution, we are proud that our students, faculty, staff, and alumni care deeply about the challenges facing Israeli society. Out of respect for political freedom and civic engagement, we encourage our faculty and students to participate as individuals in political and social activities, provided, of course, that the actions they undertake not interfere with the educational activities of the College or be represented as speaking for Shalem.

Israel, like many democracies today, faces a crucial challenge: how to cultivate leaders who possess the independence of thought and wise judgment and the excellences of character and conduct that the well-being of any society requires. Thanks to their unique education, Shalem’s graduates are emerging equipped and eager to address that challenge. They are in themselves our best hope that this challenge can be met.