Shulamith Katznelson
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Shulamit Katznelson (1919–1999) was a pioneering
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i educator and ulpan founder who sought to bring Jews and Arabs together through language studies.


Biography

Shulamit Katznelson was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 17, 1919, to a prominent political family. Her mother, Batsheva Katznelson, was a member of the
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
, and her uncle,
Zalman Shazar Zalman Shazar ( he, זלמן שז"ר; born Shneur Zalman Rubashov; be, Шнэер За́льман Рубашо́ў; russian: Шне́ер За́лмен Рубашо́в; November 24, 1889 – October 5, 1974) was an Israeli politician, author ...
, was Israel's third president. Her father, Dr. Reuven Katznelson, was also well known for his research in public health and social work. In 1921 she emigrated with her family to
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
. She attended high school and teachers' college in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and earned her master's degree in social work at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. In 1951 she founded the Ulpan Akiva, a residential language school in Netanya, Israel. It was one of the first three ''ulpanim'' in Israel. She spent nearly 50 years directing the
school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...
, where Jews and Arabs were encouraged to get to know each other, speak each other's language, and learn about each other's history and culture.''Lifelong Education in Israel'', Adult Education and the Arab Population in Israel,
Yaakov Malkin Yaakov Malkin (3 August 1926 – 21 July 2019) was a Polish-Israeli educator, literary critic, and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Arts at Tel Aviv University. He was active in several institutions that deal with both cultural and Humanistic ...
, ed. Kalman Yaron, p.119
Many students from different backgrounds developed lifelong friendships at the school. She died of a heart attack at her home in
Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
, Israel, on August 6, 1999.


Awards and recognition

For her efforts to improve Jewish-Arab relations, she received the nation's highest honor, the
Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
, in 1986. She also received the Knesset's Speaker's Prize in 1983, and was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
in 1992 and 1993.


See also

* Education in Israel


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katznelson, Shulamit People from Netanya Israeli educators 1919 births 1999 deaths University of Michigan School of Social Work alumni Israel Prize in education recipients Swiss emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Israeli expatriates in the United States