4 There’s an apocryphal story about an exchange between Lillian Disney, thewife of then-lateWalt Disney, at the grand opening of Florida’s Disneyworld in 1971. Walking down the park’s Main Street in the company of more than 10,000 guests, a friend expressed his regret that Walt wasn’t been able to see this. To which Lillian responded, “He did see it. That’s why we’re here.” History is full of visionaries, perhaps none more so than the founder of modern Zionism. When Theodor Herzl died in 1904, a national home for the Jews was still far from a reality. In his day, many doubted that it would ever come to pass. That’s why, on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel—both despite and even because of the recent unrest surrounding the government’s proposed judicial reforms—it seems only right to recall his impossible vision, without which we would not be here. To be sure, the vision is just the beginning. The act of building a nation, meanwhile, is a project that never ends. But in many ways, and unlike many other nations, we in Israel are forever striving to fulfill our founders’ dreams. David Ben-Gurion’s dreamof a strong, secure country. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda’s dream of a resurrected Hebrew. And the dreamof Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan that academic excellence meet Jewish ideals—all these are still works in progress, and arguably nowhere more so than at Israel’s universities. This understanding that dreams require not only bold visions, but also a commitment to the long game, has informed the six major initiatives we recently established, and the several more that we plan to establish in the year to come. From the search for renewable energy to personalized medicine, these research and education “mega projects” address some of the biggest challenges facing Israel and all of humanity. At first glance, their goals may seem as unattainable Herzl’s used to be. But there is no doubt that they will be attained—although, in all likelihood, not by us. By design, these ambitious projects aremeant to last for years, ideally decades. They are not the work of just one researcher, one department, or one faculty. They are, in many instances, not even the work of just our University. Animated by the value of collaboration, these projects bring our brightest minds together with those in government, healthcare, culture, and industry. In the case of Psifas, for example, our data scientists are working with Israel’s health-management organizations Message from the President
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