Defending Truth and Dignity

Defending Truth and Dignity: The Case of the Israeli Professor Suspended at the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Memory of the Anti-Jewish Persecutions of 1938.

In September 2025, an episode at the Polytechnic University of Turin starkly highlights a disturbing reality that unfortunately still persists: Jews and Israel continue to face discrimination and ostracism fueled by political and ideological prejudices that seem not to belong solely to the past. Pini Zorea, an Israeli professor guest lecturing as part of a doctoral program, was promptly suspended by the rector after proudly stating that the Israeli Defense Forces represent “the cleanest army in the world.” These words, born from the direct experience of a soldier and instructor who has lived through those realities firsthand, were interpreted as provocative and unacceptable in an academic setting, sparking an emotional reaction from student groups who accused him of justifying an alleged apartheid policy and Israeli military actions against Palestinians. The result was an immediate suspension and a serious blow to academic freedom at one of Italy’s most prestigious universities.

This is not just any professor: Pini Zorea served in the Israeli military, carrying with him the awareness and burden of defending his people under extremely complex international conditions. His characterization of the IDF as “the cleanest army” is not propaganda but an acknowledgment of the professionalism, strict discipline, and meticulous respect for human rights that distinguish Israel’s armed forces, despite frequent harsh criticism and often unbalanced accusations against the State of Israel. During the lesson, amidst a tense atmosphere, Zorea also expressed support for the Palestinian people’s right to freedom, meanwhile condemning terrorist organizations like Hamas. This position reveals a nuanced and aware perspective of the Middle Eastern reality, full of multiple, complex facets. That his voice was silenced through suspension is proof of the continuing difficulty many academic environments in the Western world face in welcoming pro-Israel views, within a politically and socially polarized context. Such censorship deprives students of the chance to listen, engage, and learn from direct and plural testimonies—key elements in the formation of critical and open minds. One cannot discuss the exclusion and discrimination of Jews within Italian institutions without returning to one of the darkest wounds in our history: on September 5, 1938, the fascist racial laws systematically expelled Jewish students, teachers, and staff from all public schools in Italy.

These measures, met with widespread indifference and general acceptance, marked the beginning of a path that would lead to the Holocaust and the systematic erasure of Jewish presence from Italian civil, cultural, and social life. It was a brutal segregation, born from a racist ideology that destroyed families, communities, and individual and collective destinies. The fact that today we still see suggestions of excluding or silencing a voice like Pini Zorea’s is, unfortunately, a warning bell that cannot be ignored. Schools and universities must instead be the last bastions of liberty, debate, and pluralism—places for which it is crucial to vigorously defend freedom of expression, especially when it is uncomfortable and controversial.

The case of Zorea shows how complex it remains for Jews and Israelis to freely express their identity and defend their state, even in Western academic contexts, today as in the past. Israel’s image is often subject to flattened ideological narratives that jeopardize intellectual freedom and the ability to provide direct and authentic perspectives. The voice of a professor and former soldier like Zorea is not an attack nor a justification of violence; it is the will to make a difficult reality understood—that of a nation constantly under threat and defending its right to exist and ensure security with determination. Blocking this voice denies one of higher education’s foundations: the chance to engage with new and different ideas, understand complex contexts, and break free from closed frameworks and ideological polarizations that hinder constructive dialogue.

The Polytechnic University of Turin, an academic excellence within Italy’s educational landscape, today faces a crucial crossroads: it must uphold the freedom to teach and speak within its halls. The suspension of Pini Zorea delivers a deep wound to academic freedom and to the entire Jewish community, which sees in this decision the shadow of historical discrimination and marginalization. This censorship not only limits necessary debate but risks reinforcing prejudices and stereotypes against Israel and the Jewish community, thereby denying a space for fact-based and direct testimony-driven discussion. Drawing a parallel between this episode and the events of 1938 is not an exaggeration but a meaningful warning: exclusion and isolation are tools of discrimination that have historically led to epochal tragedies. Today’s challenge is to prevent new forms of ostracism—different but equally harmful—from becoming accepted practices toward Israeli testimony and Jewish identity.

The right to defense, respect for identity, and plurality of opinions must prevail over ideological tensions. Events like those involving Pini Zorea must remain alarms that encourage dialogue, reflection, and change. The suspension of Israeli professor Pini Zorea at the Polytechnic University of Turin is a serious matter demanding careful and responsible consideration. Now more than ever, in an era when freedom of expression is frequently challenged by political extremes, it is essential to protect open debate and the complexity of truths. Israel and the Jewish people deserve respect, protection, and the opportunity to tell their history and reality without censorship or erasure. Remembering the painful past of racial laws means committing every day to combat all forms of discrimination and ensuring that schools, universities, and society remain places of inclusion, truth, and justice. Defending Pini Zorea means defending freedom, memory, and the right to honest and courageous dialogue on the most delicate and important issues of our time.