The project was launched toward the 100th anniversary of the laying of the HU’s cornerstone. Perhaps unlike any other research institute, the history of the Hebrew University embodies the complex interactions between science and politics in the conflictual twentieth century. During the three years of the project, the materials of the archive underwent systematic cataloging and preservation. In parallel, the project’s team, comprised of graduate students and post-docs, used the archive for their individual research projects
The Archive of the Hebrew University: includes documentation related to university’s various decision-making bodies (Board of Governors, the Senate, the Standing Committee); files of individual departments and research institutes, documenting their establishment; the on-going activity of the university in the pre-State era, which was deeply embedded in the political situation of Palestine and the conflict; and personal files of the university’s faculty and administration, covering different aspects of their employment at the institution.
Research topics: the project’s team focused on the various aspects of the transfer of knowledge from Germany to Palestine (more than half of the initial faculty originated from or trained in German-speaking countries); questions of place and space; or specific figures from the university’s first faculty.
The archive’s catalog is now available here and is searchable in English. You can also visit the archive’s website
Check out the project’s bilingual blog [here on the left menu!] and FB page for a pick of the materials.