Humanities in the Community Program
Meshivei Ruach: Program for Humanities Leadership in the Community
Meshivei Ruach: The Mandel Program for Humanities Leadership in the Community is a Tel Aviv University initiative that works to build bridges between the humanities and Israeli society.
The program combines a year-long academic curriculum with public engagement and collaboration across civic, cultural, and governmental sectors. Drawing on the conviction that the humanities are integral to everyday life, participants develop humanistic practices that link critical reflection with social action.
The program’s distinctiveness lies in the integration of rigorous theoretical study with field-based projects, positioning the humanities as an active force within Israeli public life.
Program Goals
Training a humanist leadership to conceptualize, develop, and implement humanistic thinking.
Extending humanistic inquiry beyond academia and fostering a vibrant presence for the humanities in public life.
Creating a connection between the humanities and decision-makers in the public and private sectors and among various organizations.
Program Components
Using project-based learning (PBL), a year-long academic program trains humanities ambassadors who hail from various organizations, institutions, and sectors across Israeli society. For more details about the academic program, click here.
Activities to expand public impact, such as lectures, seminars, exhibitions, and other initiatives, expose ideas from the worlds of the humanities to various audiences and bring them to the forefront of the public stage.
Senior forum meetings, attended by heads of organizations and communities, are platforms for in-depth discussions that seek to shape policies reflecting values and ideas from the humanities.
Academic Program
The program takes place over the course of one academic year (two semesters), on Thursdays from 10:00-18:00 at Tel Aviv University.
It combines theoretical core studies in the humanities with hands-on field work and project-based learning that emphasizes connecting to Israeli society and culture.
Those who fulfil the program requirements receive a certificate of completion from Tel Aviv University.
Course Descriptions
Applied Workshop – Theory in Practice; led by program director Dr. Adiel Portugali and program coordinator Dr. Hedy Cohen
Living Together in Israel in the Twenty-First Century - Dr. Kinneret Sadeh
The Human Spirit: Crisis, Challenges, and Opportunities - Dr. Yuval Kremnitzer
Who is the Program For?
The program is intended for graduates from the humanities and those interested in combining humanistic inquiry with social and professional action.
