A century ago, on a hilltop overlooking Jerusalem, a university was born out of letters and dreams. Its founders – among them Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Chaim Weizmann – imagined a place where Jewish intellectual life could flourish, long before the State of Israel itself existed.
Today, Hebrew University has six campuses, more than 24,000 students, and a research impact that stretches from seed banks in East Africa to diagnostic breakthroughs in Jerusalem’s neurobiology labs. And as it celebrates its 100th anniversary this month, it is not marking time with nostalgia – but with purpose.
“We’re not just preserving legacy,” says Prof. Asher Cohen, the university’s president.
We’re building solutions for the next hundred years.
Prof. Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The university’s fingerprints are everywhere. It was Hebrew University scientists who developed Exelon, one of the most widely used drugs for Alzheimer’s. Its tech helped track the Boston Marathon bombers. And one of its spinouts – Mobileye – now powers autonomous vehicle systems used by major automakers worldwide.
That leap from research to real-world impact is no accident. Hebrew University’s tech transfer arm, Yissum, has launched more than 260 companies and filed over 11,500 patents.
“We are committed to proactively bridging scientific innovation with societal impact – both globally and nationally,” says Alon Natanson, CEO of Yissum. “Our vision positions applied science at the forefront, ensuring our contributions extend far beyond the laboratory, shaping a better future for Israel and the world.”
From startups using AI to detect mental illness to new platforms for sustainable agriculture, the mission is clear: accelerate innovation with global relevance.
A researcher in the Faculty of Medicine at Hebrew University, advancing innovations in computational medicine. (Photo: Yosef Adest)
One of its best-known success stories is BriefCam, a video analysis company now used around the world in law enforcement and smart city planning. “BriefCam was used to identify the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing,” says Tamar Vogel, Yissum’s marketing and communications manager. “That was originally research from Hebrew University – our researchers developed that algorithm here.”
Some of that innovation is edible. On the university’s Rehovot campus, companies like SavourEat and Believer Meats – both founded by HU scientists – are pioneering lab-grown, cruelty-free meat to address climate challenges and global food insecurity. “Our research is building the future of food – whether it’s precision fermentation, cultivated meat, or the AI behind food optimisation,” says Vogel. “It’s not sci-fi, it’s commercial.”
Prof. Hermona Soreq in her lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where her team developed the world’s first blood test for early-stage Parkinson’s
Others are medical. In her Jerusalem lab, the molecular neuroscience Prof. Hermona Soreq recently developed a breakthrough blood test that can detect Parkinson’s disease years before symptoms emerge. By analysing microRNA activity in the brain, her team has found a fast, non-invasive way to intervene early – a global game-changer for ageing populations. “If you wait for tremors, it’s too late,” Soreq says. “We want to catch it in the silent stage.”
That spirit – ambitious, applied, and deeply human – runs through the university’s academic culture. “Our mission is not just to generate knowledge,” says Prof. Sara Cohen, Dean of the Faculty of Science. “It’s to pass it on, to use it, and to develop the next generation of problem-solvers.” She points to flagship graduate programmes in computational biology, bioinformatics and climate science. “You’ll find a physicist working with a botanist or an AI engineer with a medical ethicist. That’s the power of interdisciplinary thinking.”
Students studying in the Mathematics and Computer Science Library at Hebrew University. (Photo: Yosef Adest)
One of the university’s most quietly transformative initiatives is the International Master of Public Health (IMPH) programme – now in its 55th year. Backed by the Pears Foundation, it has trained over 1,000 professionals from more than 100 countries, many from conflict zones or underserved regions.
International Master of Public Health (IMPH) graduates celebrate in national dress with their country flags at Hebrew University’s 2025 centenary ceremony in Jerusalem
“The programme’s been going for over 50 years, supported by the Pears Foundation,” says Prof. Yehuda Neumark, director of the Braun School of Public Health. “More than 1,000 graduates from over 100 countries – and they’re not just getting degrees. Many go on to become ministers of health, WHO advisors and leaders in the field.
They take what they’ve learnt here and change lives with it.
That commitment didn’t waver even after the 7 October attacks. Over 7,000 students – nearly a third of the student body – were called up to serve in the IDF. Yet dropout rates fell. GPAs rose. Fourteen startups were launched during wartime. And demand for health, medicine and psychology programmes surged.
“This has been an extraordinarily difficult year,” says Rector Prof. Tamir Sheafer. “But the resilience we’ve seen – students, faculty, everyone – has been extraordinary. It’s not just about surviving the storm, it’s about innovating through it.”
Part of that strength comes from diversity. Nearly 20 percent of Hebrew University students are Arab, including many from East Jerusalem. Amid national trauma, the university has remained one of the few truly shared spaces in Israeli society. “Palestinian students and Jewish reservists sit side by side in class,” says Sheafer. “It’s a kind of heaven for coexistence.”
Even in diplomacy, the university is playing a role. Chancellor Prof. Menahem Ben Sasson, a former Knesset member and Hebrew University president, says academic partnerships foster regional trust. “Peace starts with collaboration,” he said.
We educate together, publish together, and from that comes trust.
From cherry tomatoes and Alzheimer’s drugs to quantum processors and global health systems, Hebrew University’s story is one of impact – not abstraction. Its second century isn’t a legacy project. It’s a launchpad.
Greenhouse Campus Rehovot
“We’re not just looking to the future,” says President Cohen. “We’re reprogramming it – for Israel, for science, and for the world.”
