Following numerous complaints filed to the Student Council at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem regarding discrimination against Arab students, the School of Business Administration's dean, Professor Tsvi Piran, came to an agreement with accounting firms operating on campus they would not refuse to interview Arab applicants for internship in their offices.
According to Israel's leading daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Arab students at the university have apparently been subjected to ongoing discrimination by firms regarding job opportunities.
In one case, an Arab student reported he submitted his CV to an accounting firm that sent a representative to campus, but was informed a week later there were no vacant jobs at the company. His Jewish friends, meanwhile, were asked to send in their grade sheet. Other Arab students were also declined an interview at the firm.
"I don't know if someone who has never been through such a humiliating incident can comprehend the stinging feeling of insult I experienced when I realized I was rejected simply because I'm Arab, and after I have put so much effort into my studies" the student wrote in a letter to the Student Council.
In wake of the complaint, the School of Business Administration came to an understanding with two accounting firms, according to which the companies will summon for interview all students whose grades exceed a certain criteria. Another firm agreed to interview all students who apply for internship.
RSS
