Editor’s E-Mail Box: October 18, 2018

Israeli Supreme Court permits Lara Alqasem to study at Hebrew University

Capping a two-week legal battle, during which U.S. student Lara Alqasem was confined to Ben Gurion Airport while she appealed an expulsion order from Israel’s Ministry of Interior, Israel’s Supreme Court decreed she should be permitted to study for her master’s degree at Hebrew University.

Alqasem had served as a president of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Florida, but she said she is no longer active in the chapter and does not support a boycott of Israel.  The Supreme Court said that the very fact that she wants to study at an Israeli university proves she does not support the boycott, and therefore does not run afoul of Israeli law barring foreigners who seek to hurt Israel economically.

The Zionist organization, Im Tirzu, which had opposed her entry into Israel issued a terse statement:  “This is but one of too many examples of how the High Court incessantly overrides the decisions of the democratically elected executive branch. The Interior Minister made the decision to not allow Alqasem to enter Israel, and so it should have been. BDS activists have no business in Israel.” — From SDJW news services and Im Tirzu

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Tina Malka selected for intensive Israel education program

The iCenter for Israel Education launches the inaugural cohort of the Graduate Certificate in Israel Education, a program in partnership with The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Over the next year, Tina Malka, Hillel International’s regional director in San Diego for Israel Education, and 23 other North Americans will engage together in a rigorous study framework combining Israel studies and experiential education. Cohort members are mid-range or senior professionals working in a range of settings, from Hillels and local Federations, to schools, synagogues, summer camps, Israel travel experiences, and more.

“As we recognize the need to rethink how we educate about Israel, this academically rigorous program addresses the needs of the field and the community,” says cohort member Lisa Armony, Director of the Rose Project at Jewish Federation & Family Services in Irvine, CA. “The program allows professionals committed to Israel education the opportunity to learn from top scholars and from each other, as together, we seek to develop innovative approaches, and to experiment and get feedback from a trusted group of colleagues. I look forward to deepening my knowledge and educational skills, and to sharing what I learn with my community as we seek to meet the challenges of 21st century Israel education.”

The Graduate Certificate Program allows participants to remain in their current places of work while participating in online learning,  in-person seminars, individualized mentoring, and an intensive in Israel . The program was created in response to professionals’ desire to engage with Israel education at increasingly academic levels. In recent surveys of over 700 alumni, 92% indicated interest in additional professional development in Israel education. This commitment for ongoing development, learning, and growth – beyond undergraduate and even graduate studies – conforms to trends in the broader marketplace for advanced academic certificate programs. — From The iCenter for Israel Education

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Milstein Heart Center dedicated at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem

Hadassah unveiled the Irma and Paul Milstein Heart Center at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem on Friday, October 12^th in Jerusalem, announced Ellen Hershkin, National President, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA). New York entrepreneur and real estate developer Howard Milstein and his wife Abby Sniderman Milsein made the dedication in honor of his parents, whose $10 million donation was earmarked for the center.