News

Tuesday 26 March 2019

New Chancellor and President Appointed to the Open University June 2013

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch has replaced Lord Woolf as Chancellor of the Open University. Lord Woolf served as Chancellor from 2006. Prof. Jacob (Kobi) Metzer will be the next President of the Open University, taking over from Prof. Hagit Messer-Yaron who concludes a five-year term at the end of September. Prof. Metzer is Emeritus Professor of Economics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a former Dean of Social Sciences.

Friedberg Genizah Project Covered in The New York Times June 2013

Breakthroughs in the Friedberg Genizah Project which digitizes and uses Artificial Intelligence to piece together fragments of ancient manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah were described in a recent issue of The New York Times.

The Israel Institute for Advanced Studies’ School in Economic Theory June 2013

Two Nobel Prize laureates, Daniel Kahneman and Eric Maskin, are participating in The Israel Institute for Advanced Studies’ School in Economic Theory. Read more about the IIAS and the Economic Theory School.

Israel Antiquities Authority to Upload Archival Items June 2013

Recently, in cooperation with the NLI, the Israel Antiquities Authority began uploading some 36,000 maps, photos and drawings from its archive, documenting Jerusalem and Acco during the British Mandate. Read more [Hebrew].

The National Library Renewal Gains Public Recognition June 2013

The selection of National Library Chair David Blumberg to light a torch at the 2013 Independence Day ceremony was, in his own words, a testament to the recognition which the renewed Library has gained among the public as the primary institution preserving, cultivating and endowing treasures of knowledge, heritage and culture of Israel and the Jewish people. Read more [Hebrew].

Talmud Series at the National Library May 2013

Moshe Halbertal, Aaron Ciechanover, A. B. Yehoshua and Binyamin Lau will participate in a new series of discussions dealing with the Babylonian Talmud to be held at the National Library beginning in June. Read more about the series [Hebrew].

Volunteering at Ramat Hanadiv May 2013

As part of its community outreach, Ramat Hanadiv is operating a volunteer network. The volunteers constitute an important link with the community and serve as ambassadors of Ramat Hanadiv, its projects and values. Watch a brief film about volunteering at Ramat Hanadiv [Hebrew].

The Israel Archive Network Project May 2013

The National Library has been selected to set up and manage a Government project together with the Israel State Archives, to build infrastructure and a single set of standards for historical archives in Israel. The Israel Archive Network Project [Hebrew] will incorporate dozens of archives from all over the country and will give the general public online accessibility to unique historical materials.

Herzog & de Meuron, 2001 Pritzker Prize Laureates,Selected to Design the National Library of Israel April 2013

The National Library Construction Company is pleased to announce the selection of the architects to design the new home of the National Library of Israel.

A panel, headed by Prof. Luis Fernández-Galiano and including Prof. Elinoar Komissar-Barzachi, Lord Rothschild, Chair of Yad Hanadiv, and David Blumberg, Chair of the Library, had the privilege of interviewing six architecture firms, three leading offices from Israel and three of the world’s most distinguished ones (alphabetical order) – Ammar Curiel; Frank Gehry; Herzog de Meuron; Kimmel Eshkolot, Kolker Kolker Epstein and Renzo Piano. The 90-minute interviews enabled the members of the panel and the architects better to understand the site and surroundings, and the needs of the Library as a place for research and social activity. The panel explored the approaches and methods of the six offices.

After extensive discussions, the panel decided to recommend the Swiss office of Herzog & de Meuron to be the architects for the National Library of Israel. The panel, which was already aware of the many significant works of these Pritzker Prize laureates, was extraordinarily impressed by the commitment shown by Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron, as well as by the strengths and promise of their architectural approach – their handling of the natural and urban landscape, the connection with the surrounding institutions and the interpretation of the Library programme. It was both innovative and clearly focused.

The Swiss architects, whose main office is in Basel, have a strong and creative team and wide experience in cultural projects including libraries. They shared a clear openness to dialogue with the client, bringing their experience and precise working methods to the design process.

The recommendation of the panel for the architect (who will become the Selected Architect upon entering into an agreement), has been approved by the Board of Directors of the National Library and by the Board of Directors of the National Library Construction Company.

Israel Initiative Symposium on Therapeutic Interventions for Children with Behavioural Difficulties April 2013

The Israel Initiative for Applied Education Research is hosting a symposium: Therapeutic Interventions for Children with Behavioural Difficulties and Disorders. Read more on the Initiative website [Hebrew].