Its an outrage making people don a kippah when they do not share such religious beliefs. Would it then be fair to demand that religious people remove their kippah in non religious environments. Time to seperate state from religion.

The lawyer, who wrote this opinion piece, ignores the fact that the student his question accepted the rule in question. By doing so he waived his right to subsequently object to the said rule. He was aware of this rule before he entered Bar-Ilan. Other universities were/are available to him. His rights were not infringed. He breached his contract with the university.

just like he wouldn't have the right to sit in in any religious school funded by the state.

Weren't and aren't Jews oppressed enough among non-Jews? Jews finally have their own state only to be oppressed by secular Jews. Sickening!

wouldn't it be nice if we ever get to the point of separation between "Church and State" as it's called in other countries...wouldn't it be nice for the symbols also to be optional? for a person to don or not don a kippa, a magen david, a sheitle or any other so called religious addition to one's body. Isn't it more important that someone actually wants to learn in an academic institution than what his apparell is made up of. BTW "Although it is not explicitly required by law, the practice is noted in the Talmud, and through the ages, this became an accepted Jewish custom to the point that according to the majority of halachic authorities, it is mandatory." (from chabad.org/library) Is Bar Ilan is a halachic authority?

..institute that "blend (s) tradition with modern technologies and scholarship, and teach the compelling ethics of Jewish heritage to all." Part of that heritage is wearing the "Kippah" in religious studies classes, it would be akin to me going into a church and not removing my hat. The students know this going in and this is just rabble rousing.

just waive this course .

Put simply in your article, it clearly says this: 'Since an agreement signed by all students upon admission includes a clause mandating a “head covering during mandatory Jewish studies courses,”' The student was completely aware of the contractual requirement of studying at Bar-Ilan. This is a contractual clause which from what I assume is required of all students, Religious and Non-Religious, Jewish and Non-Jewish. It is not discriminatory and he was fully aware, or should have read the contract and been aware of this clause. You maybe shocked but there are many Universities outside of Israel that also have strict dress code rules. An excellent set of examples are Oxford and Cambridge. They require a specific gown, suit, and mortar board to be present during matriculation and during examination. You literally cannot sit exams without wearing these outfits and any minor issues such as not even having your mortar board can bar you from taking your final exam. These have no actual bearing on the quality of the student, but are still a contractual requirement of anyone studying there. Hence, I must state that if this feels so strongly about not wearing a Kippah he should have gone to a different Uni. Unlike most other countries in the region, we have numerous high quality institution and he could have easily gone to TAU, taken the same course and not had said requirement.

This was no surprise. This student was trying to make a statement. A stupid, meaningless nasty statement. How would it harm him to follow this rule? It's so minor as to be a joke. A student who is so anti-religion that a small piece of cloth bothers him does not deserve to study anything.

I am not an atheist nor am I a religious being, but in the context of a citizen that is in search of expanding my horizons -which includes the civic duty to respect the wish of the people and institutions that are liable to provide me with such deeper understanding-and in the process not to be beligerant to the process itself. The writer is far off in his Aristotlenian reasoning, and border in some ideology that accept only his way and no compromise with the most fundamental expression of humain intercourse. It is with people of this sort that peace of mind will never be achieved, as their motivation is near to a close mind, rather than an expanding HORIZONS, it'll expand disenfranchment of his knowledge.

and not forcing your point of

According to your principles its the same thing. You cannot and will not force religious beliefs on non belivers.

I went to parochial school and we had to wear kippot in Jewish studies classes. Students attending Bar Ilan know they are supposed to wear a kippah in Jewish studies courses when they register. And, kippah is a long way off from a burka.

As a former Bar Ilan student, i know that the University respects different views besides the jewish orthodox one. According to Judaism, a person cannot study the jewish law without wearing a kippah, so as a sign of respect to its law, the student should wear it during the lesson. We are not talking about enforcing him to act religiously, but to respect the judaism instead. For instance, when one enters a mosk, he should clean up his feet and hands because of purity and even if he does not believe in this concept, he should act accordingly because of respect. Non jews also wear kippah when they attend jewish cerimonies, including the presidents of America, so why should it be different in a Torah lesson. We are not talking about freedom of religions here, but about respect toward them.

This guy probably wanted to make a scene in order to make his secular statement. #12--- when diplomats like Hillary Clinton or western female reporters go to Moslem countries, especially religious areas, they put on a headscarf. It's a sign of respect even if you don't believe in Islam.

I went to a Catholic university in the US and had to do/sit quietly thru things that didn't mesh with my beliefs. He, like me, signed an agreement when we enrolled at our schools. If it is such a problem, then he should have chosen a different school. What a joke—he is so offended that he is being made to live up to something he agreed to by wearing a tiny piece of fabric on his head for a few hours each week. The horror...

It's a Jewish State, all our welcome but not everyone get's to decide how to run the place. 1948 - "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel"

I can't believe this happened in an Israeli university! We would have been outraged if an American university professor were to expel a student FOR wearing a Kippah, yet Israelis don't care that NOT wearing one would warrant an expulsion from a class!! Btw, the Talmud is NOT a holy book! it was compiled by HUMANS, so there is NO reason to wear a kippah!

a dress code, not a religious belief. The student was expelled not for failing to wear a kippa but for violating the rule that requires him to wear one, a rule to which he agreed when he enrolled.

In France universities are public sphere, therefore it is mandatory to not wear any religious objects. Does that mean that religious Jews are bared from entering universities? Should they comply with the law and the rules?

How would that be if a university would require not to wear any religious signs? Would that be ok?

'humiliated and forced to participate in the religious ceremony of wearing a kippa' !!! The guidelines say he must wear a headcovering during Jewish studies. He can wear a baserball cap or a beret or any other headcovering. Why is that 'humiliating'? Why is that a 'religious ceremony'? You sound as unreal as the extreme Reform group in my native America who used to ask us to uncover our heads when entering Baltimore's Temple Har Sinai.

Here in England most schools have very clear uniform policies and pupils can be sent home over any obvious infringement of the uniform policy. Our Jewish schools even have uniform cappels for the boys, whether or not they are observant.

...that this student grows up one day and learns how to accommodate others' sincerely held feelings and beliefs...especially when it's at NO cost to himself. THREE CHEERS FOR ISRAEL!!!

The student AGREED to wear a kippa when entered Bar Ilan. He was not compelled. Why should be be allowed to break his contract with the university?

there is no halacha to put on a kippa. The rabbis is not within halacha. Shame on him.

The question that those who support the religious coercion at Bar Ilan should ask themselves whether the waiver itself is legal to begin with! Waivers that go against human conscience and freedom FROM and of religion should not be officially endorsed by the University and certainly NOT by the State, which funds this institution with TAXPAYER money. Unfortunately, not until religion is formally separated from the State will there be true equality in our society. Also, kippah wearing is a medieval Jewish belief that was NEVER mentioned in the Tanakh! Wearing a kippah is a supertitious, medieval practice copied from muslims and Christians!