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People of the Textbook

The University on the Hill

In 1902, Chaim Weizman, Martin Buber and Berthold Deiwel, drawing from a wellspring of deliberations on the subject, published a pamphlet called Eine Judische Hochschule (A Jewish College). By 1918, the first stones of the new Hebrew University were laid on Mt. Scopus, north of the Old City of Jerusalem. American-born Rabbi Dr. Judah Magnes was a key figure in ensuring that the dream of a Hebrew university in Jerusalem became a reality. Following decades of contributing to Zionist affairs and Jewish community matters in the US, Magnes immigrated to Palestine and devoted his energies to the fledgling institution. While the university was officially opened in l925, Professor Albert Einstein actually gave the first lecture two years earlier, on ... the theory of relativity! As first chancellor and later president of Hebrew University, Magnes is given much of the credit for making the University a world leader in the humanities, the natural and social sciences and medicine. With a current student population of approximately 24,000 and a faculty of 1,400, Hebrew University continues to shape Israel's future producing first rate researchers, academics and professionals.

In 1913, in the city of Haifa, plans were put forth to establish an institute of sciences and technology. After a decade of mobilizing forces and much discussion regarding the nature of the university and its language of instruction, the Technion opened its doors in 1924 to 16 Hebrew-speaking students. The institute expanded rapidly as it absorbed large numbers of Jewish students and distinguished scholars from Central and Eastern Europe who were fleeing the Nazi regime. In the years preceding the establishment of the State, the Technion was an active center for the Jewish underground and a source of technological defense solutions crucial to the struggle for independence. The Technion launched a variety of ambitious projects, including the establishment of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in 1949, which laid the foundation for Israel's successful aerospace industries and Air Force. From electricity to telephone networks, from founding industries to producing mass housing, the Technion was a powerhouse behind the emerging State. Israel is now recognized as one of the world's most prominent hi-tech innovators, and Haifa has been called the second Silicon Valley. 

For many years, the country had  two full-fledged centers of higher education – the Hebrew University and the Haifa Technion, both of them world-class institutions. But we did not say dayanu (enough). Soon after the establishment of the State, Professor Pinkhas Churgin articulated his dream " to create an institution of higher learning in the newly-established Jewish republic in which Jewish learning and the Torah of Israel would be studied together with all the latest findings in the fields of human research ."

Churgin, an American rabbi and educator, was a graduate of the famed Volozhin Yeshiva, a professor of Jewish history and literature at Yeshiva University.  Pursuing his dream relentlessly, Churgin gathered around him an elite group of American Orthodox academics and leaders who shared his vision of "a college of excellence."

Their brainchild, Bar-Ilan University , was established in 1955 in Ramat Gan. Researchers actively engage in the study of traditional Jewish texts and practices while making great strides in scientific and academic research. 

Education has been the Key

World class medical schools and scientific institutes fuel the drive of this young nation to be at the vanguard of scientific and medical research, and to provide its citizens with the best of medical care. Before Israel had an army - it had a university. And before it had a university, the People of the Book, immersed in millennia of the study of religious texts, had created a culture that placed the highest premium on education. 

The pursuit of excellence was recently illustrated with Israel's participation in NASA's latest, albeit tragic, shuttle mission. Col. Ilan Ramon was Israel's first astronaut. Despite intractable problems on the ground , Israel persists in seeking answers to scientific mysteries on earth in space. The Physics and Atmospherics Department at Tel Aviv University (TAU) was asked to propose experiments that could be conducted within the time constraint of a 16-day mission.

Explains TAU Assistant Professor Collin Price, originally from South Africa, "One of their projects studied dust particles during stormy conditions, and their effect on rainfall and sunlight which consequently influence climatic conditions on earth. The other project was to observe, photograph and document intriguing visual phenomena occuring during and above thunderstorms. Eighty percent of the material retrieved by the scientists was downloaded and transmitted from space before the tragic re-entry of the shuttle-a small comfort as we continue to mourn the terrible loss of life."

The legacy of Israel's entry into space signals the commitment of a young country, managed by an ancient people with a drive and determination to pursue knowledge in the service of all mankind. 

By David Kaplan

Weizmann Institute

As the thick-trunked shade tree on its logo suggests, the Weizmann Institute of Science has strong roots with sturdy branches reaching far afield. A research institution of international repute, some of the newest techniques in science, have been pioneered by Weizmann Institute scientists. 

Founded as part of the Institute in 1958, the Feinberg School offers graduate degree programs and a postdoctoral fellowship program. Recent studies cover subjects such as the immune system, water resource expansion, plant genetics, cell studies, magnetism, lasers, and holography.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was established 30 years ago to spearhead development of Israel's southern region. It was David Ben-Gurion's belief that "the talents of Jewish science and research" must be marshaled if Israel was to benefit from the Negev, a desert area that comprises more than 60 percent of the country.

Today, BGU has become an internationally recognized institution of higher learning that attracts outstanding faculty and researchers from around the world.

True to its original mandate, the University actively promotes hi-tech industry, agriculture, health services and education in the region. Through its pioneering research in arid zones, BGU has established a basis for cooperation with countries sharing a similar climate, particularly in the Middle East. The University is committed to the fulfillment of David Ben-Gurion's vision and dream – the dream of the entire nation – for progress, prosperity and peace

Opening Minds

Based on a British model of correspondence learning, the Open University has at any time approximately 30,000 students in fields ranging from art history to the sciences. Retaining high academic standards in spite of its open registration policy, it has given an opportunity to many who would have found neither the time nor the means to pursue higher education. In addition to the traditional state-accredited academic institutions, schools specializing in alternative medicines and therapies are escalating in popularity.

Driven by a vision of creating original Jewish art within a Middle Eastern motif, Boris Shatz, a Latvian native, founded the Bezalel Academy of Art  in Jerusalem in 1906. Shatz, who had been head of the Royal Academy in Sofia and a sculptor for the Royal Bulgarian Court, enlisted enthusiastic support from local craftspeople and artists in Israel. By 1910, the school had a student body of over 500. 

Today, Bezalel, together with the veteran Shenkar College of Textile Technology and Fashion, the Beit Zvi School of Stage and Cinematic Art, and the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and  Dance, have been joined by at least seven other fine arts educational institutions which grant degrees or certificates in the arts.

The need for teacher training colleges was recognized early in the Zionist enterprise. The first institution was Levinsky College which opened its doors in 1913. During the course of the past century, different movements or religious streams founded teachers colleges emphasizing specific ideologies towards the State and education. 

There was a commitment not only to the transfer of knowledge and skills, but also to educating about values. Over the past quarter of a century, the playing ground has leveled to a degree and the many teacher colleges have developed into broader institutions. 

Fast-forwarding to the '90s, and on into the new millennium, Israel is witnessing a literal explosion in higher education opportunities. Alongside the traditional options, a burgeoning in public and private institutions makes higher education accessible to more and more of Israel's diverse population.

Government policies from the '90s mandated the expansion of the regional college network, affiliating each new college with an accredited university. This step encouraged students living in the periphery to study for academic degrees close to home. These colleges tend to focus on a limited curriculum, specializing in, for instance, engineering, design, biotechnology or law, rather than the full spectrum offered at the universities. As Israeli universities become dauntingly selective, the college network allows a larger number of qualified students to pursue higher education.

Branches of North American and European universities offer all types of degrees. The English-language Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) is a new Israel born and based private university with an impressive faculty and despite the higher tuition, a growing student population. 

Whereas 30 years ago, one could count the institutes of higher learning on two hands, today an entire cottage industry has developed for the more than 200,000 adults who study in the over seventy schools, colleges and universities. Internet sites, guidebooks and counseling centers help to direct students to the track most suited to them.

The individuals with dreams are still behind Israel's education revolution. Often hidden behind desks, or quietly lobbying for government help, they create the momentum to prove that we are still the people of the textbook.

Includes excerpts from the work of journalist and editor, Hillel Schenker .
(Click here for university websites and addresses.)

For more information about colleges and universities in Israel: www.che.org.il or www.universities-colleges.org.il

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