JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

en-gurion university of the negev
he had little formal education, he was a learned man, and
throughout his life he never ceased to study the Bible, Greek
philosophy, Buddhism, the philosophy of Baruch *Spinoza,
and many other subjects. Though he was frequently accused
of having resorted to undemocratic methods to get his way,
he had a deep belief in democracy, and his well-known statement
in the early years of the State that the communists and
the Ḥerut movement could not be members of his government
stemmed from his belief that neither was truly democratic. To
the end of his life he believed that all Jews should immigrate
to Israel, and expressed contempt for those who considered
themselves Zionists but remained in the Diaspora. After his
death Beersheba University, Lydda International Airport, the
government compound in Jerusalem, and many other Israeli
institutions and locations were named after him.
BEN-GURION’S WORKS. Rebirth and Destiny of Israel (1952);
Israel: Years of Challenge (1963); (ed.), The Jews in Their Land
(1966); Anaḥnu u-Shekheneinu (1931); Mi-Ma’amad le-Am
(1933); Ba-Ma’arakhah, 5 vols. (1947–49); Be-Hillaḥem Yisrael
(1950); Ḥazon va-Derekh, 5 vols. (1951–57); Ẓava u-Vittaḥon
(1955); Ma’arekhet Sinai (1959); Pegishot im Manhigim Arviyyim
(1967); Mikhtavim el Paula ve-el ha-Yeladim (1968; Letters
to Paula, 1971); Medinat Yisrael ha-Meḥuddeshet (1969; Israel:
A Personal History 1971); Negotiations with Nasser (1970);
Memoirs (1970); My Talks with Arab Leaders (1972); Ben-Gurion
Looks at the Bible (1972); Iggerot David Ben-Gurion (1972);
David Ben-Gurion – Rosh ha-Memshalah ha-Rishon: Mivkhar
Te’udot 1947–1963 (David Ben-Gurion – The First Prime Minister:
A Selection of Documents 1947–1963) (1996).
Bibliography: S. Lachower, Kitvei David Ben-Gurion (a bibliography,
1960); R. St.-John, Ben-Gurion (Eng., 1959); B. Litvinoff,
Ben-Gurion of Israel (1954); M. Edelman, Ben-Gurion, A Political
Biography (1964); M. Pearlman, Ben-Gurion Looks Back (1965); O.
Zmora, Days of David Ben-Gurion (1967); M. Bar-Zohar, The Armed
Prophet: A Biography of Ben-Gurion (1967); J.Comay, Ben-Gurion and
the Birth of Israel (1967). Add. Bibliography: R. St.-John, Ben-
Gurion: A Biography (1971); S. Peres, With Strength and with Spirit
(1974); M. Bar-Zohar, Ben-Gurion: A Biography (1978); D. Kurzman,
Ben-Gurion: Prophet of Fire (1983); S. Teveth, Ben-Gurion and the
Palestinian Arabs: From Peace to War (1985); Y. Navon, David Ben-
Gurion, Builder and Warrior (1986); S. Teveth, Ben-Gurion: The Burning
Ground (1987); R.W. Zweig (ed.), David Ben-Gurion: Politics and
Leadership in Israel (1991); S. Teveth, Ben-Gurion and the Holocaust
(1996); idem, Ben-Gurion’s Spy: The Story of the Political Scandal That
Shaped Modern Israel (1996); J. Heller, The Birth of Israel 1945–1949:
Ben-Gurion and His Critics (2000); G. Goldberg, Ben-Gurion Against
the Knesset (2003).
[Yehuda Slutsky / Susan Hattis Rolef (2nd ed.)]
BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV, Israeli
university with campuses in Beersheba and Sede Boqer. Established
in 1969 as the Negev University, it became Ben-Gurion
University (BGU) after the death of David Ben-Gurion.
The university is Israel’s youngest and smallest university, but
it has become a major center of education and research. Ben-
Gurion University, headed by Avishai *Braverman as presi-
dent, is known for its rapid growth. More than 10,000 students
enrolled for the 1995/6 academic year in its four faculties, and
by 2003 it already had 16,000 students.
Ben-Gurion University is intimately involved in the development
of Israel’s southern arid region, the Negev, which
comprises nearly 60% of the country, but contains only 10%
of its population. It plays a central role in the educational, social,
and industrial developments of the region. The university
promotes academic research with commercial applications as
the key to economic development in the Negev. Through its
pioneering research in arid zone communities, BGU has established
a basis for cooperation with countries sharing a similar
climate, particularly in the Middle East.
Approximately 50% of the students originate from the
Negev, 40% from the center of the country, and 10% from the
north. New immigrant students are absorbed in all BGU departments.
The university has four faculties:
(1) The Faculty of Health Sciences, founded in 1974, is
located on the campus of the Soroka Medical Center, in close
proximity to the university. Its establishment brought about
major changes in health care in the Negev while developing
an innovative medical education program. From the first year,
students integrate academic theory with clinical care. The
orientation of the school is strongly focused on community
medicine. The faculty and students work in Beersheba at the
Soroka Medical Center and travel to development towns, kibbutzim,
and Bedouin encampments.
There are three Divisions: Health in the Community; the
Division of Basic Medical Sciences, and the Division of Clinical
Medicine. The faculty offers graduate degrees in Medical
Science. The Recanati School of Nursing and Physiotherapy
is also part of the faculty.
(2) The Faculty of Engineering Sciences comprises six
departments: Nuclear Engineering, Materials Engineering,
Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical
and Computer Engineering, and Industrial Engineering and
Management and the Program for Biotechnology.
(3) The Faculty of Natural Sciences consists of five departments:
Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Physics,
Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Geology and Mineralogy. Its scientists
pursue both basic and applied research projects, many
of which have served to advance the growth of science-based
industry and the agricultural development of the Negev.
(4) The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has
eleven departments: Behavioral Sciences; Bible and Ancient
Near Eastern Studies; Economics; Education; Geography
and Environmental Development; Hebrew Language; Hebrew
Literature; Foreign Literature and Linguistics; History;
Philosophy; and Social Work. The unit for teaching English
as a Foreign Language is also part of the faculty. The Department
of Behavioral Sciences integrates psychology, sociology,
and anthropology. The Hebrew Literature Department has
the only Master’s Program in Creative Writing in the country,
and in the Department of Social Work all third-year stu-
348 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3