Jonathan Davis Turns Reichman University Into a Global Campus and Refuge for Jewish Students

When Jonathan Davis arrived at Reichman University in Herzliya a quarter-century ago, he had a vision and only ten international students. Today, the university’s Raphael Recanati International School, which Davis heads as Vice President for External Relations, enrolls more than 2,500 students from nearly 90 countries, making it the most international campus in Israel.

But Davis insists the numbers are not the real story. For him, Reichman has become a refuge for Jewish students and a laboratory for the future of Jewish life. That mission earned him recognition on the Jerusalem Post’s list of the 50 Most Influential Jews.

With antisemitism rising on Western campuses, Davis’s office has become a lifeline. “If a student feels unsafe abroad, our university responds immediately,” he says. “If I receive an email, one of my team members will call within five minutes no matter the time zone. As a Zionist university, we are committed to being there for our students, serving as their refuge.”

His students feel that commitment. Survivors of antisemitic intimidation in North America and Europe know that at Reichman, they are not just numbers on a roster. They are part of a Zionist fire department, as Davis calls it a place that responds to crisis and also equips them with tools for the future.

Davis’s personal story explains his passion. Growing up in the United States, he endured antisemitic bullying and even saw his grades penalized by professors for defending Israel. In Israel, his trajectory changed when he volunteered as a lone soldier in the paratroopers’ reconnaissance unit, fighting in the Yom Kippur War. He recalls that professors later told him he probably suffered from PTSD, but helping lone soldiers, reservists, and students in distress became his own form of healing.

“I will lie on the barbed wire for them,” he says bluntly.

At Reichman, that ethos has translated into a culture that combines academic excellence with Zionist commitment. Nearly half of the school’s international students make aliyah, while others return abroad transformed into ambassadors for Israel. They experience Israeli democracy firsthand celebrating Independence Day, standing in silence on Memorial Day, and traveling to Poland to confront Jewish history.

Davis also understands that the battle for Jewish identity has shifted online. Under his leadership, Reichman is launching a social media influencer workshop for academic credit, training students to become articulate defenders of Israel in the digital space.

For Davis, however, the real measure of success is not programs but people: the alumni who marry, raise families in Israel, work in high-tech, and sustain a vibrant community rooted in their time at Reichman.

He credits former university president Prof. Uriel Reichman for empowering him with a clear mission and surrounding him with a leadership team largely drawn from Israel’s elite combat units. Together, they forged a campus identity that is both intellectual and deeply Zionist.

“We’re surrounded by enemies,” Davis says, “and Jewish communities abroad face threats too. Reichman has its special role. We’re not just educating, we’re defending, nurturing, and building. A fire department prefers there be no fires. But when a fire happens, you need to be prepared. This is our responsibility now. And we’re ready.”

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