In 2023, Shahar Kvatinsky, a former visiting professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, left the University of Toronto to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Kvatinsky, the Dean of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, continued teaching at U of T until August 2025.
Kvatinsky began his appointment as visiting professor in July 2023, but appears to have left the university to serve in the IDF sometime after October 7, 2023.
In a Facebook post from November 2023, Kvatinsky is seen wearing military gear in front of building ruins. The post’s caption reads, “We have been fighting for six weeks. […] Six weeks away from family, with my new-old family in Golani.”
The Golani Brigade is one of the IDF’s five infantry brigades.
According to his CV, Kvatsinky served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the IDF from 1999–2004. However, the CV, which was updated in July 2025 — the same month Kvatinsky left U of T — says that he “is currently in the reserve forces.” The caption of the Facebook post continues, “I’ve been traveling around the world for exactly 43 years, almost 25 years as a soldier, both regular and reserve.”
In November 2024, Kvatinsky shared a photo of himself and other military personnel meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The caption indicated that he’d met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant two months prior.
After serving in the IDF, Kvatinsky returned to the university in fall 2024 to teach ECE552: Computer Architecture. He shared a photo of himself outside the People’s Circle for Palestine in May 2024, wearing a t-shirt embossed with the symbol of the Golani Brigade.
It is unclear whether U of T formally allowed Kvatinsky to take a leave of absence to go to Israel. A spokesperson for the university wrote to The Varsity that they were unable to disclose this information “due to privacy constraints imposed by law.”
Although university staff can apply for a research and study leave, a sick leave, or a long-term disability leave, a spokesperson for the university wrote that “visiting professors would not normally be subject to these leave conditions.”
The Provostial Guidelines for the Appointment of Status-only, Adjunct and Visiting Professors states that visiting professor appointments will normally not last more than a year, but can be extended at the discretion of the Vice-President and Provost.
Not counting his leave to Israel, Kvatinsky’s appointment lasted two years.
When asked whether the university was aware that Kvatinsky had returned to Israel to serve in the IDF, a spokesperson for the university responded that “faculty members are free to engage in activities outside of the university within the bounds of the laws of Canada.”
In a statement to The Varsity, the International Centre of Justice for Palestine (ICJP) said, “Israel’s Prime Minister and former Minister of Defense are both wanted by the ICC for atrocity crimes carried out by the Israeli armed forces in Gaza. […] It is shocking that any academic institution would even entertain the idea of collaborating with an individual who served under these alleged war criminals during their genocidal military campaign in Gaza.”
Kvatinsky did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment.
