SCOPUS 2017

Daniel Topaz: “Revivim Was One
of the Best Decisions of My Life”
Daniel Topaz never considered
pursuing a career in education
when he matriculated at the
Hebrew University as a first-year
student. He chose to study economics
and foreign relations instead, but
found himself questioning how these
studies would help him to play a role in
improving Israeli society. By chance,
he came upon a flyer for Revivim,
subsequently switched his major, and
never looked back.
Today he is a Revivim graduate
and the Deputy Executive Director
for the TALI network of schools
with responsibility for 50 schools in
Israel’s southern region. TALI is the
Hebrew acronym for “enriched Jewish
learning.” The schools are a unique
part of the Israeli state school system
but encourage respect for every level
of observance while emphasizing
Jewish traditions and values within a
pluralistic context.
“I had never thought that I would be
a teacher,” Topaz said. “But Revivim
was one of the best decisions of my
life. The program doesn’t just educate
you to be a teacher; it turns you into a
teacher with a vision.”
Revivim is engaging in the most
important missions of our generation,
he explained, noting that he believes
the program is defining and preserving
Jewish identity for the next generation.
After graduating from Revivim,
Topaz taught Jewish Philosophy and
Bible Studies to students at Jerusalem’s
prestigious Leyada High School, and
was soon after promoted to be principal
of a high school in southern Israel.
“There is nothing more gratifying
than when a former pupil seeks me
Daniel Topaz in action
out to tell me that they have decided
to invest in their Jewish identity after
high school by pursing further studies
in college or university,” he said.
ALL GROWN UP: A HEBREW UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL HAS
BECOME AN INSTITUTION OF EXCELLENCE IN ITS OWN RIGHT
Since its establishment in 1935
by the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem, The Hebrew
University Secondary School (also
called Leyada) has focused on two
fundamental ideals: excellence and
community engagement. Initially
founded as an educational experiment
by the head of the University’s
School of Education, the school today
offers programs in the sciences and
humanities, and leads projects in the
fields of robotics, sustainability and the
complexities of Israel society.
Leyada continues to foster an
intimate relationship with the
University, says HU Political Science
Prof. Avner de-Shalit and Chairman
of the Leyada Board of Directors.
Under a new initiative, HU professors
create and teach courses specifically
designed for Leyada students. Dr.
Inbal Goshen, an Assistant Professor
leading an Optogenetics Laboratory
at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center
for Brain Sciences (ELSC) is teaching
biology to Leyada students. Other
HU professors are making an impact
teaching, chemistry, physics, and math.
Among its famous graduates are a
President of the State of Israel, two
Nobel Prize Laureates (in Physics
and Economics), a dozen Israel Prize
Laureates, the Governor of The Bank
of Israel, the former President of the
Supreme Court, the Commander in
Chief of the Israeli Air Force and many
other notable alumni, who excelled
in various fields of the sciences and
humanities.
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