'Orders' not to display the forbidden expression issued by Dr. Nevo
'Orders' not to display the forbidden expression issued by Dr. NevoPhoto: Sapir Student

Students at a course in Sapir College in Sderot said that they were shocked to learn that the term “Basad” - the Hebrew-language contraction for an expression that means “with the help of G-d” - had been banned from the blackboard by a professor at the school.

“Basad,” which stands for “Bisayata D'Shmaya” - literally, “with the assistance of Heaven” - is often used by Jews, observant and otherwise, when writing or typing on a computer, paper, or other media. The expression is Talmudic in origin, and has been used for thousands of years as a standard “opener” in documents written by Jews.

Dr. Ido Nevo, a professor of political science at Sapir, is not enamored of the expression – to the extent that he issued a written order to adjuncts who were supervising a test for him that they were forbidden from writing the expression on the blackboard.

Sure enough, one of the adjuncts did write the expression on the board in one of Nevo's classes – and on a visit to the room, the professor became visibly upset, demanding that the adjunct erase the expression. The adjunct refused, whereupon Nevo did it himself.

When told that erasing the expression as insulting to the many observant students in the course, Nevo responded that the blackboard was “his,” and that he could decide what would or would not appear on it.

It is not the first time Sapir College has been accused of making religious student and faculty feel uncomfortable

Earlier this year, Arutz Sheva drew attention to a grossly-offensive exhibit which portrayed a naked man using Jewish holy items as underwear. That expose triggered widespread outrage, and a decision by the college's board to remove the exhibit.

That controversy followed similar protests over an exhibit which featured anti-Semitic slogans including "slaughter the Jews."

Arutz Sheva is waiting for comment from Sapir College.