In contrast with its tranquil backdrop of rolling hills and craggy rock outcrops, the College of Judea & Samaria is a hive of activity, living up to its reputation as Israel's most rapidly growing academic institution. From its lowly beginnings in 1982, when a few adults began holding informal evening classes at the home of a professor in Kedumim, the college in Ariel, which officially opened in 1991, now has over 6,000 students and 800 employees, with the student body poised to break the 10,000 mark by the year 2006. Sixty-three year-old Prof. Dan Meyerstein - President of the College since 1995 and a chemist of international note - visited New York last week to meet with friends of the college and to discuss the college's success with the Jewish Press.
"We attract students from all over Israel; the student body represents the State of Israel," says Meyerstein. "We have a correct choice of departments, a friendly atmosphere and we attract people specifically interested in this place," he says, adding, "our good name also brings people." About 15% of the students live in Samaria with the majority, approximately 70%, from the greater Tel Aviv area.
The institution's emphasis on Zionism is manifested in two unusual ways. The college is the only academic institution in Israel with a flag in each classroom, and every student is required to enroll in a course each semester related to Judaism, Jewish history or the Land of Israel. The college, as the largest employer in Judea and Samaria, is acutely aware of its relationship with neighboring communities. The combined academic and Torah studies program encourages students to pursue their yeshiva studies while following an academic avenue. Meyerstein credits Rabbi Eli Sadan, the director of the yeshiva in Eli, with the idea for the program, and says that it caters to the most outstanding students.
"We attract students from all over Israel; the student body represents the State of Israel," says Meyerstein. "We have a correct choice of departments, a friendly atmosphere and we attract people specifically interested in this place," he says, adding, "our good name also brings people." About 15% of the students live in Samaria with the majority, approximately 70%, from the greater Tel Aviv area.
The institution's emphasis on Zionism is manifested in two unusual ways. The college is the only academic institution in Israel with a flag in each classroom, and every student is required to enroll in a course each semester related to Judaism, Jewish history or the Land of Israel. The college, as the largest employer in Judea and Samaria, is acutely aware of its relationship with neighboring communities. The combined academic and Torah studies program encourages students to pursue their yeshiva studies while following an academic avenue. Meyerstein credits Rabbi Eli Sadan, the director of the yeshiva in Eli, with the idea for the program, and says that it caters to the most outstanding students.