Israel's Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s decision to appoint an ultra-Orthodox representative to the Council for Higher Education is timely. It is also the right thing to do. On Dec. 26, Bennett provided the heads of Israeli academic institutions with the list of new council members, who will begin serving in March. For the first time since the council's establishment in 1958, the list includes an ultra-Orthodox representative — Yisrael Tik, a father of five from Jerusalem who until recently had served as the director of the Department of Education in the ultra-Orthodox town of Beitar Illit. Tik is not an academic. He has a religious education, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in education. He will serve on the council as a public representative.

“It’s about time that the voice of the Haredi community is heard around the council’s table,” Bennett was quoted as saying. “As in the school system, in higher education as well skills and capabilities were not bestowed on one group more than on others. One can’t, on one hand, declare that recruiting the ultra-Orthodox to higher education is a national goal while on the other hand exclude them from decision-making bodies. I’m convinced that Yisrael Tik will enrich discussions at the council due to his professional background and to his deep familiarity with the needs of the Haredi community.” 

As news spread of the appointment, Bennett confirmed it via Twitter, tweeting, “It’s true. I am proud of it. If we really want to bring the ultra-Orthodox into the economy and higher education, they must be represented.” Throughout his political career, Bennett has shown himself to be a populist, especially when dealing with the constituency that he represents — the national-religious and the settlers. In that respect, it is almost certain that he will be criticized for the appointment and “accused” of fawning to the ultra-Orthodox. On the other hand, even if there is some truth to these charges, Bennett’s decision is still enormously important to the many efforts to integrate the ultra-Orthodox into academia.

Beyond the symbolic importance of this appointment, Bennett is right in claiming that effective measures to integrate the ultra-Orthodox in academia should be taken in conjunction with knowledgeable representatives from the ultra-Orthodox sector and that they should be part of the decision-making process about their community. The right place for this is the Council for Higher Education, the prestigious body that oversees the country’s institutions of higher education. Bennett heads the council in his capacity as minister of education.