The new academic year was launched at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership on September 5, 2017, with a celebratory ceremony attended by
Professor Jehuda Reinharz, president of the Mandel Foundation;
Mr. Moshe Vigdor, director general of the Mandel Foundation–Israel;
Danny Bar Giora, director of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership; faculty members of the School, and the fellows of Cohorts 25 and 26. The new fellows have a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including formal and informal education, social entrepreneurship, and the IDF, and hail from a variety of sectors in Israeli society.
“The goal of the School’s faculty and fellows is to influence and improve Israeli society by improving and enhancing education in Israel, based on a strong belief that the educational act has the power to change people and society,” said
Danny Bar Giora. “Alongside the need for continuous renewal, we remain extremely committed to enabling deep processes of self-examination and identity clarification, which are an integral part of the wonderful and rare tradition of this place. The ability to navigate tensions, to grasp complexity from both ends without compromising on any components – is perhaps the essence of our philosophy.”
Professor
Jehuda Reinharz congratulated the new and the continuing fellows, and lauded Mr. Morton Mandel, chairman and CEO of the Mandel Foundation, who will be celebrating his 96th birthday this year. “We must never lose the hope that we can have worthy leadership, in Israel and around the world,” he said.
The opening lecture of the new academic year was delivered by
Professor Shlomo Avineri, the 1996 Israel Prize laureate for political science and a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Professor Avineri spoke about the future of Western democracies, and explored the question of whether global democracy can withstand the challenges of this age.
Each year, the Mandel School for Educational Leadership accepts approximately 20 fellows with proven management skills, strong intellectual capabilities, and the commitment to lead change for the better in Israeli society and education. Studies at the School, which is a joint venture between the Mandel Foundation and the Israeli Ministry of Education, last for two years, during which time the fellows develop their personal and professional vision, deepen their knowledge, and strengthen their ability to contribute to education in Israel.
