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A Letter to Social Psychologists on the October 7 Attack |
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| Posted by: | Tal Eyal |
| Title/Position: | Professor |
| School/Organization: | Ben Gurion University of the Negev |
| Sent to listserv of: | SESP, SPSSI |
| Date posted: | October 29th, 2023 |
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Dear friends of the Social Psychology community,
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a vicious attack on Israeli civilians. Hamas terrorists killed entire families, savagely raped women, tortured and then butchered babies, children, and older adults, slaughtering over 1400 people and taking more than 220 hostages, while parading the victims through the streets of Gaza. Much of the information has been made public by Hamas itself, as well as by reports from the IDF and independent research groups such as Amnesty International. The mind cannot fathom and the soul cannot endure these atrocities.
We are a group of Israeli social psychologists. We all hold liberal values, abhor violations of human rights, and support the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Our pain and sympathy extend to all innocent victims, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Since October 7, we have been showered with personal sympathy and support by many of our friends and colleagues abroad, including many social psychologists. Yet, most of our professional community has been deafeningly silent. Condemning the slaughter of innocent Israelis and expressing sympathy with Israeli colleagues at this time is a humane act of validation and empathy. It does not suggest that one accepts or condones the policies of the Israeli government, and does not detract from one’s support for Palestinian rights or empathy with their pain. It simply means that as a matter of principle, one condemns the atrocities committed by Hamas, who rampaged through Israeli towns and villages, slaughtering civilians ranging in age from 9 months to 90 years. Hamas is not the face of Palestinians; Hamas is a terrorist organization whose explicit goal is the annihilation of Israel. We are here to defend Israel’s right to exist, we are here to defend Israelis’ right to be safe from terrorism and violence, and we are here to tell our academic community that standing by our side is not only a moral imperative; it is what decent people do when their friends and colleagues experience a threat to their basic security and suffer from collective trauma.
Many of the core theories in social psychology can be traced back to the ideas developed in the aftermath of the atrocities committed during World War II. Psychologists set out to explain the inhumane human behavior they had witnessed. Since then, social psychology has sought to understand both antisocial and prosocial behavior, aiming to improve society. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a cultural, historical, national, religious, moral, and value-laden conflict. For those not directly involved, it is tempting to oversimplify the conflict by dividing proponents into good and bad, right and wrong. A simplistic and stereotypical view of the situation that does not consider the existing evidence in its complexity, that displays only a selective portion of the context, or that denies a homeland for Israelis or Palestinians can only exacerbate the conflict and fuel intergroup animosity. As social psychologists, we must appreciate the complexity of such conflicts and set an example for our students to think critically, acknowledge and respect different perspectives, fight dehumanization, and emphasize the value of all human life.
Co-authors:
Co-authors and signatories are ordered alphabetically by family name
1. Shoham Choshen-Hillel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2. Tal Eyal, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
3. Gilad Hirschberger, Reichman University
4. Tali Kleiman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
5. Tal Moran, The Open University of Israel
6. Roni Porat, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
7. Niv Reggev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Co-signatories:
8. Yair Amichai-Hamburger, Reichman University
9. Adi Amit, The Open University of Israel
10. Sharon Arieli, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
11. Hillel Aviezer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
12. Shahar Ayal, Reichman University
13. Peter Bamberger, Tel Aviv University
14. Yoav Bar Anan, Tel Aviv University
15. Anat Bardi, Royal Holloway University of London
16. Maya Bar-Hillel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
17. Maya Benish-Weisman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
18. Moti Benita, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
19. Mattan S. Ben-Shachar, (unaffiliated)
20. Yoella Bereby-Meyer, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
21. Yochanan Bigman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
22. Gurit E. Birnbaum, Reichman University
23. Avner Caspi, The Open University of Israel
24. Daniel Chebat, Ariel University
25. Arik Cheshin, University of Haifa
26. Noga Cohen, University of Haifa
27. Doron Cohen, University of Basel
28. Ella Daniel, Tel Aviv University
29. Rellie Derfler-Rozin, University of Maryland
30. Gil Diesendruck, Bar-Ilan University
31. Anna Dorfman, Bar-Ilan University
32. Maayan Dvir, Reichman University
33. Dov Eden, Tel Aviv University
34. Dorit Efrat-Treister, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
35. Baruch Eitam, University of Haifa
36. Julia Elad-Strenger, Bar-Ilan University
37. Eran Eldar, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
38. Andrey Elster, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
39. Maya Enisman (Ph.D. candidate), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
40. Shir Etgar, Tel Aviv University
41. Michael Gilead, Tel Aviv University
42. Tom Gordon-Hecker, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
43. Tony Gutentag, Tel Aviv University
44. Mika Guzikevits, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
45. Britt Hadar, Reichman University
46. Eliran Halali, Bar-Ilan University
47. Uriel Haran, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
48. Gal Harpaz, The Open University of Israel
49. Yuval Hart, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
50. Raveh Harush, Bar-Ilan University
51. Yossi Hasson, aChord, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
52. Uri Hertz, University of Haifa
53. Atar Herziger, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
54. Salomon Israel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
55. Guy Itzchakov, University of Haifa
56. Rotem Kahalon, Bar-Ilan University
57. Yaniv Kanat-Maymon, Reichman University
58. Ronit Kark, Bar-Ilan University
59. Maayan Katzir, Bar-Ilan University
60. Avraham N. (Avi) Kluger, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
61. Ariel Knafo-Noam, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
62. Tehila Kogut, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
63. Meni Koslowsky, Ariel University
64. Assaf Kron, University of Haifa
65. Margarita Leib, Tilburg University
66. David Leiser, Netanya Academic College
67. Ori Levit (Ph.D. candidate), Tel Aviv university
68. Liat Levontin, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
69. Nira Liberman, Tel Aviv University
70. Ido Liviatan, The Open University of Israel
71. Ruth Mayo, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
72. Mario Mikulincer, Reichman University
73. Yael Millgram, Tel Aviv University
74. Nir Milstein, Bar-Ilan University
75. Maxim Milyavsky, Ono Academic College
76. Talya Miron-Shatz, Ono Academic College
77. Moran Mizrahi, Ariel University
78. Simone Moran, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
79. Mayan Navon, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev & The Open University of Israel
80. Aya Navon Wurgaft, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
81. Devora Newman (Ph.D. candidate), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
82. Ravit Nussinson, The Open University of Israel
83. Shaul Oreg, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
84. Eyal Peer, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
85. Leehe Peled-Avron, Bar-Ilan University
86. Anat Perry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
87. Rotem Pick, The Open University of Israel
88. Eyal Pozniak (Ph.D. candidate), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
89. Oksana Quinlan (Itkes), The Open University of Israel
90. Eshkol Rafaeli, Bar-Ilan University
91. Anat Rafaeli, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
92. Hadar Ram, Bar-Ilan University
93. Inon Raz (Ph.D. candidate), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
94. Eyal Rechter, Ono Academic College
95. Merav Regev-Nevo, The Open University of Israel
96. Michal Reifen Tagar, Reichman University
97. Abira Reizer, Ariel University
98. Yefim Roth, University of Haifa
99. Guy Roth, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
100. Tammy Rubel Lifschitz, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
101. Hagit Sabato, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
102. Lilach Sagiv, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
103. Tamar Saguy, Reichman University
104. Yaacov Schul, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
105. Roy Schulman (Ph.D. candidate), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
106. Hila Segal, The Academic College of Tel Aviv - Yaffo
107. Idit Shalev, Ariel University
108. Gal Sheppes, Tel Aviv University
109. Nurit Shnabel, Tel Aviv University
110. Almog Simchon, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
111. Asael Sklar, Reichman University
112. Noga Sverdlik, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
113. Ohad Szepsenwol, Yezreel Valley College, Israel
114. Maya Tamir, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
115. Kinneret Teodorescu, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
116. Sharon Toker, Tel Aviv University
117. Orit Tykocinski, Reichman University
118. Dina Van Dijk, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
119. Allon Vishkin, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
120. Nechumi Yaffe, Tel Aviv University
121. Ilan Yaniv, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
122. Yaara Yeshurun, Tel Aviv University
123. Iftah Yovel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
124. Osnat Zamir, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
125. Anonymous, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
126. Anonymous, The Academic College of Tel Aviv - Yaffo
127. Anonymous, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
128. Anonymous (Ph.D. candidate), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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