As a young country roughly the size of New Jersey, Israel has learned to make the best use of its resources – leading to a disproportionate number of start-ups, scientific publications and university degrees per capita.
Yet despite the vastly different size, geography and culture, many similarities do exist between Israel and the United States. Or at least, this was the view of two students hailing from University of Haifa who recently embarked on a tour of the US in January of this year.
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"We were surprised to witness the degree to which American communities reminded us of home, and even more surprised how much we can still learn from each other," said Dorin Theodora Asis and Omri Hen, master's and doctoral students at the University's Human Biology and Medical Sciences Department, respectively.
That revelation became even more prevalent for the two students during their time in Cleveland, Ohio. There, they had several discussions in the local community pertaining to the Cleveland Clinic, which is consistently ranked among America's top five hospitals despite being based in the country's 52nd-largest city by population.
"Seeing an institution of this scale and reputation in Cleveland gave us newfound inspiration in supporting the University's goal to pioneer northern Israel as a greater center of gravity in the country, just as the Cleveland Clinic elevates the national influence of its city," Asis said.
Cleveland marked just one facet of their multifaceted US journey, the primary purpose being to raise awareness about and build support for the University. Other pit stops included San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and New York, where they discovered how academic collaboration and other US-Israel partnerships help both societies and their universities flourish.
"During our time in the US, we found that Israelis and Americans can learn from each other about how to best support diverse populations," said Hen, speaking from experience; University of Haifa is home to the most heterogeneous and complex region in the country, with crucial infrastructure and a diverse mosaic of populations.
There, Jewish, Arab and Druze students research and study together in harmony.
"With the hope of revealing something new, every day we enter our scientific laboratories thinking as a team, planning as a team and working as a team. Despite our differences in religious beliefs, we all share one common belief – our work. This puts gaps aside and allows the common drive for science to connect us," Hen marveled.
The students also learned that Israeli universities can emulate US institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which have existed for hundreds of years and possess a wealth of knowledge due to their longevity and size. By collaborating on joint lectures and publications with prestigious institutions of this caliber, they believe the University can reach new heights.
"This collaboration also marks a remarkable chapter in Israel's story as a nation," Asis explained. "The mere fact that relatively young Israeli universities can partner with researchers from MIT and other leading American schools – the sheer difference in size and age between our institutions – both validates Israel's global standing and ensures that Israeli academia is headed in the right direction."
After all, doing more with less is a quintessential Israeli value, and Israel's universities are no different, making significant strides in research with the often-limited resources that they have. These accomplishments are amplified through experiences like the students' recent US tour as well as broader cooperation with American institutions.
Through meetings with partners on the ground in the US, the students had a critical opportunity to learn and share with their American counterparts, exploring one another's defining journeys.
"For us, it was especially important to share with American audiences Israel's uplifting narrative on diversity in an academic setting – a narrative which proves that coexistence is possible and can energize Jewish students on US campuses, who currently face a significant threat from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement," Hen said.
Considering the College Council at Pitzer College voted last year to suspend the school's exchange program with University of Haifa, the students know all too well that Israeli universities are also affected by BDS and must collaborate with their American counterparts in efforts to counter that discriminatory movement.
Having returned back to Israel, Asis and Hen are hopeful that their work to convey the perspective of unity despite differences will propel Israeli and American academic institutions and societies to new heights in their special and enduring partnerships.
