Uriel Reichman Establishes Worldwide Academic Center for Jewish People

It’s not easy to encapsulate a life as rich and impactful as that of Professor Uriel Reichman, but his recent Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jerusalem Post New York Conference offers a glimpse into his extraordinary journey. As the founding president of Reichman University, Israel’s first private university, Reichman continues to forge a path that blends Zionism, academic excellence, and an unwavering commitment to the Jewish people.

“I see this period as an enormous challenge, and we want to live up to it,” Reichman declared. His words reflect a lifetime of choosing the harder path if it served a greater cause whether on the battlefield during the Six Day and Yom Kippur Wars, campaigning for a written constitution for Israel, or building a university many doubted could ever succeed.

Reichman University has emerged as a powerful response to growing hostility against Jewish students worldwide. As antisemitism spreads across campuses in the West, Reichman is not retreating he’s building. The university’s mission is clear: to create a world-class academic home in Israel for Jewish students and faculty from across the globe.

At the heart of this vision is the Raphael Recanati International School, Israel's largest English-language academic hub, attracting thousands of students from nearly 90 countries. Reichman’s decision to offer a bilingual model teaching in both Hebrew and English was groundbreaking. “For someone who grew up in English, to excel intellectually in a foreign language is very difficult,” Reichman recalled. “So I said: whatever we teach in Hebrew, let’s also teach it in English.”

When Reichman first proposed building a private university in Herzliya to draw Jewish students worldwide, he faced ridicule. But his determination never wavered. Today, the university’s alumni speak of how studying in Israel transformed their lives and strengthened their Zionist identity.

The tragic events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its brutal assault on Israel, further fueled Reichman’s resolve. “It was a pogrom,” he said. “Perhaps the worst the Jewish people have suffered in modern times.” He lamented not only the massacre but also the silence that followed from much of the international community. “Our brothers and sisters were crying for help, and no one came.”

Reichman also expressed deep disappointment with Western academia’s failure to protect Jewish students. “One-third of the Nobel Prize winners in the U.S. are Jews. The financial backing from the Jewish community to universities is vast. Yet this is the treatment of Jewish students.” For him, the solution lies in "academic Zionism" building a thriving intellectual center in Israel that offers both refuge and excellence.

Looking ahead, Reichman envisions his university becoming a global leader in fields like artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and climate economics. “We’re not claiming to compete with Harvard and Stanford in everything, but in certain areas, if you pinpoint correctly, you can do it.” He sees opportunity in adversity, as Jewish scholars disillusioned by growing antisemitism abroad may now choose to build their careers in Israel.

The university’s global vision isn’t about isolation but partnership. Reichman advocates for dual degrees, joint research, and collaborations with institutions that continue to stand with Israel. “This flow should build the bridge that has been neglected too long,” he said.

Reichman’s Zionist mission is rooted in his own history. Born before Israel’s founding, his birth certificate still reads “Palestine.” That sense of continuity carries deep meaning for him. “We were educated to look at ourselves as those who continue the contribution of the Shoah survivors and the fighters of the Independence War. And that meant one thing: responsibility. That the Jewish nation will survive.”

At Reichman University, this responsibility takes academic form. “This is a Zionist university,” he emphasized. “We educate future leaders, teach them to trust themselves, to write their own life story, and to stand up for our basic Zionist ideals.”

His pride in the university’s spirit is perhaps best captured in a recent image from orientation week: a wounded IDF combat veteran in a wheelchair, lifted in celebration by his fellow students, raising his hand in victory. “That is the victory of the spirit. That is the spirit of this place.”

In honoring Professor Uriel Reichman, the Jewish world celebrates not only his remarkable achievements but his enduring belief in what is possible for Israel, for its people, and for the future of Jewish education.

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