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The Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center for Public Humanities, generously funded by the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation, emerged from the aspiration to bridge the gap between the realm of values and ideas cultivated in the "Ivory Tower" of the Faculty of Humanities and the intricacies of everyday life. The center's initiatives are crafted to inspire researchers, graduate and undergraduate students in the Humanities to actively engage and influence the society in which they live. Encouraged to apply the tools and concepts acquired through their studies or developed in their research, the Center’s participants aim at transforming into ambassadors for humanistic thought, fostering impact across diverse public domains.

The encounter between spirit, which knows no bounds, and life constrained by the 'flesh,' along with economic, political, and other interests, constitutes a powerful force. The Humanities encourage us to reflect on values such as freedom, equality, diversity-identity, family, truth, way, justice, gender, responsibility, security, existence, power, authority, heritage, center-periphery, and more. The Center explores how these ideas can be actualized in social contexts and, importantly, how their encounter with the world outside the "Ivory Tower" continually enriches and evolves the Humanities. Simply put, it offers an opportunity to engage in a process of learning and development through the interaction and friction of the spirit with the flesh.

Researchers, educators, community leaders, and other influential voices, we invite you to join a dialogue about the Humanities — its significance, contributions, and its broader impact on society. Come engage with us as we explore the essential role of the Humanities and our commitment to embedding its vast knowledge in the core of Israeli existence.

The Mandel Center for Public Humanities leads two main initiatives for the renewal of the Humanities in society:

1. The Mandel Program for Research and Teaching of the Humanities gathers researchers whose focus lies in advancing and deepening Humanities pedagogy, aiming to bring Humanities education to all learners. The program operates in collaboration with educators and education professionals, drawing on their accumulated teaching experience.
2. The Mandel Program for Humanistic Leadership in the Community is designed to cultivate ambassadors of the Humanities. This select group of community leaders and entrepreneurs undergo an annual training to develop and implement humanistic values within their respective communities.

Together, let's spread spirit in Israeli society through the transformative power of the Humanities.