Dear colleagues and students at the University of Oldenburg,

We're sure you feel the same way as we in the university’s management do: The events in the Middle East are weighing heavily on our minds, we can hardly imagine the suffering and thefear of people in Israel and in Gaza, and some of the news reaching us from there isunbearable.

The war that was triggered by Hamas’ terrorist attacks on 7 October 2023 and its effects canbe felt everywhere. The prevalence of antisemitic attacks and hate speech has risen strongly – unfortunately also at German universities. Developments on our campus, too, give us causefor concern, be they antisemitic statements made in class or on the Internet or the distributionof flyers with perturbing content.

We, the Presidential Board, will continue to undertake everything in our power to ensure that Jewish students and staff feel safe on our campus. That is why we are taking this opportunity to state once again and with the greatest of clarity that antisemitism on our campus will not be tolerated. We will not tolerate any form of discrimination or verbal or physical violence. In specific terms, this means that:

• We will report antisemitic statements, posters and acts on our campus to the police and press charges where necessary.
• Inciting violence or making antisemitic, racist or other discriminatory statements at university events or on the campus will result in information being passed on to thepolice and in campus bans.

People from numerous different nations, backgrounds, cultures and religions come together at our university. We all have different perspectives on the conflict in the Middle East. Challenging situations can emerge out of these differences. It is all the more important in this light that we are conscious of our responsibility to uphold a discussion culture that is characterized by respect and oriented towards dialogue.

Every member of the university – and not just we on the Presidential Board – can contribute to achieving a culture of solidarity at our university. Let us be watchful together. Let us remain aware of what is happening in our surroundings and be prepared to take a stand. It is not always easy, and we are conscious that the war in the Middle East is burdening students and staff at our university and that some people are personally affected. What you can do:

• If you are personally affected and you would like to talk to us about your situation, please get in touch (praesidium@uol.de).
• If you observe troubling incidents on campus, please also get in touch: Write to praesidium@uol.de or contact the university’s violence prevention and threat management team. You will receive further information and helpful assistance there.
• The Psychological counselling service (PBS) at the University and the student services delivered by Studentenwerk Oldenburg can also provide you with confidential, independent, and unbiased advice and professional support.
• University staff members can also contact the university’s health management (psychological counselling) service.

The university is a site of freedom of speech, open discussion and dialogue. We endorse the most recent statement made by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) on 14 May 2024. At the same time, we also wish to stress that all who invoke this freedom of speech must accept the constitutionally guaranteed rights of others at the same time. We expect democratic principles to be upheld at our university. This includes respect for other people and other opinions and a capacity to engage in discourse even when views appear irreconcilable. We would like to expressly appeal to you to treat each other with respect and sensitivity in conversations. Antisemitism, racism, hate, violence, exclusion and discrimination in any form have no place in discussions. Inappropriate comparisons and sweeping generalisations should be avoided. Let us work to foster solidarity even in these difficult times – avoiding attacks and accusations and working in a spirit of respect for all the victims that this conflict has already created.

Nuanced and differentiated discourse should be possible at our university. Our interdisciplinary research centre “Intercultural Jewish Studies” has been highlighting Jewish contributions to European culture for almost three decades now. Cooperation with the Jewish community and the Jewish congregation in Oldenburg is a central part of this work. In addition, the interdisciplinary working group “Transcultural Interreligious Studies” offers a professionalisation and certificate programme; expanding this provision further is planned.

To continue pro-actively nurturing constructive exchanges on our campus, developments are planned that will include new programmes for students that will deal with antisemitism and anti-discrimination and be delivered together with the Student Council (AStA) and other stakeholders. Division 3: Student and Academic Affairs has also secured funding for designing training courses for staff members that will be delivered in cooperation with the Professional Development (PEOE) unit. You will naturally receive more detailed information as soon as preparations have advanced further.

Best wishes,

Your

Prof Dr Ralph Bruder
President

Jörg Stahlmann
Vice President for Administration and Finance

Prof Dr Ralf Grüttemeier
Vice President for Research and Transfer

Prof Dr Andrea Strübind
Vice President for Study Affairs

Prof Dr Katharina Al-Shamery
Vice President for Academic Career Paths, Equal Opportunities and International Affairs