On Monday afternoon, around 1:00, the majority of the group participating in the Melton Israel Seminar met in the lobby of our hotel for our first semi-official excursion, a visit to the campus of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. This excursion was optional, and technically prior to the official beginning of the seminar, Monday evening’s kick-off dinner. Our group consists of eighteen people, about two thirds from various parts of the US, and the rest from Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. The group is a good mix of people from various ages and backgrounds, and we’re all getting along very well together.
Hebrew University was founded in 1925 on a parcel of land, located on Mount Scopus, part of the Mount of Olives, purchased in 1916 from Lady Gray Hill (England) by the University Committee headed by Dr. Chaim Weizmann. At the time of the purchase, World War I was raging, and the land was in fact still under control of the Ottoman Turks who were fighting against the British. The purchase was made nevertheless, as an act of faith in the favorable outcome of the war.
At the University’s dedication in 1925 some of the speakers were Rav Avraham Kook, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, Chaim Bialik, and the Earl of Balfour. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Weizmann’s speech: “What we are inaugurating today is a Hebrew University. Hebrew will be the language of its Schools and Colleges. But a university is nothing if it is not universal. It must stand not only for the pursuit of every form of knowledge which the mind of man embraces, but also for a commonwealth of learning freely open to all men and women of every creed and race. Within the precincts of these Schools political strife and division cease and all creeds and races will, I hope, be united in the great common task of searching for truth, in restoring to Palestine the thriving civilization which it once enjoyed, and in giving it a place of its own… in the world of thought or learning. Our University would not be true to itself or to Jewish traditions, if it were not a house of study for all peoples and more especially for all the peoples of Palestine…” The first Board of Governors of the University included Dr. Chaim Weizmann, Prof. Albert Einstein, Prof. Sigmund Freud, Dr. Cyrus Adler, Chaim Bialik, and Prof. Martin Buber.
After Israel’s war of independence in 1948, the area of the University and Mount Scopus remained in Jewish hands, but the surrounding territory and all access to Mount Scopus fell to Jordanian control. As part of the armistice between Jordan and Israel, the Israelis were allowed to take a supply convoy to Mount Scopus twice per week, but due to the lack of access and security issues, the campus on Mount Scopus could not function. Hebrew University opened another campus in the Jerusalem area which allowed the University to continue operation though the main campus was closed. After the Six Day War in 1967, Israel won control of the area from Jordan, and the University was able to reopen on Mount Scopus. Today, Hebrew University is one of the premier universities in the world.
During the construction of the Hebrew University’s botanical garden, an ancient burial cave was discovered. An inscription found inside the cave read, “Here lies Nicanor, he of the gates.” Further research from other records of biblical times revealed that Nicanor was a prominent member of the community in Jerusalem during the time of the building of the Second Temple. Nicanor is believed to have donated the actual gates leading into the Second Temple.
From the top of Mount Scopus, one can look down on the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In fact the University has a Synagogue that incorporates this spectacular view. In other parts of the world, when Jews pray, we face toward Jerusalem. In Jerusalem we face toward the Temple Mount. In the front wall of the Synagogue at Hebrew University on Mount Scopus is a large glass window, through which worshipers can actually look out and see the Temple Mount as they pray. What an awesome sight!
Unfortunately there was a thick haze covering Jerusalem at the time of our visit, so the photos of the view down to the Old City are not as spectacular as they would otherwise be. The photos below are, from top to bottom:
View of The Old City from Mount Scopus
Four photos of various parts of the campus
Entrance to the burial cave of Nikanor
