20% of the undergraduate degree recipients are graduates of the Raphael Recanati International School, who hail from 90 different countries and chose to stay in Israel despite the current situation.
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, approximately 2,600 graduates of the various bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs gathered at Reichman University for a particularly moving event — the diploma-awarding ceremony for the graduating class of 2023. This ceremony marks the completion of the graduates’ academic journey and celebrates the personal achievements of each and every one of them. 20 percent of the undergraduate degree recipients are graduates of the Raphael Recanati International School, who come from 90 countries, and who, despite the war, chose to stay in Israel.
This year, a central portion of the ceremony was dedicated to the more than 120 hostages currently being held captive by Hamas, including Idan Shtivi, a student of government and sustainability at the university. The ceremony also paid tribute to the victims of the October 7 attacks, and to the soldiers who have fallen in the Iron Swords War, which include ten students and alumni of Reichman University.
During the ceremony, a bachelor’s degree diploma in economics and business administration was presented to the family of Omri Ram, z”l, who was murdered at the Nova Festival in Kibbutz Re’im on the morning of October 7. Later in the ceremony, singer Shlomi Shabat performed “Tnu Ligdol Besheket” (“Let Us Grow Up in Peace and Quiet”) and “Biglal Haruach” (“Because of the Wind”), the latter of which has become the anthem of Reichman University’s annual graduation ceremony.
Among the degree recipients, about 1,800 are graduates of bachelor’s degrees, around 700 have earned master’s degrees, and four have been awarded Ph.D.’s in law and computer science. Many of them recently completed a lengthy period of reserve duty, some took a short break from their service in order to participate in the ceremony, while others could not attend because they are still actively defending the country.
Founding President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Reichman University, Prof. Uriel Reichman, addressed the graduating class, saying: “In the thirty years of the university’s existence, there has never been a graduation ceremony as difficult and unique as this one. I stand before you today with both pain and pride. We are currently facing a multi-arena conflict and internal strife. The task of your generation, graduates, is to shape a new social framework for our country. A realistic framework, as Ben-Gurion envisioned, because we must always be vigilant against threats of an attack whose goal is our physical destruction. But despite this, we must strive to create a model society. I hope that your generation will lead the way back to Zionist values in Israeli society. You are deserving of this responsibility due to your dedication, and qualified for it due to your training and abilities.”
President of Reichman University, Prof. Boaz Ganor, said: “Today we recognize your years of hard work and your academic achievements, but we do so against the backdrop of particularly challenging times — in the midst of a difficult period marked by human suffering, uncertainty, and ongoing conflict. As I stand here on this stage and look out at you, dear graduates, I am deeply moved by the significance of this moment — for you, for the university, and also for myself. I am also moved today because of the significance of this event for our beloved country, for I see before me the next generation of leaders of the State of Israel. Never before has the country needed a new generation of intelligent, energetic, moral, patriotic, and compassionate leaders so much. Leaders who prioritize the well-being of the people and the country above any other interest. This is true of every graduating class of this university, however, this year — a year of war, a year of unprecedented lows in the history of the State of Israel — the need for young and new leadership is an existential necessity, nothing less.”
Mayor of Herzliya, Mr. Yariv Fisher, congratulated the graduates: “You have no idea how much it moves me to stand here before you today. Like you, I am also a Reichman graduate. I earned my first degree in law here, with a specialization in government. As a child who grew up in the Weizmann neighborhood of Herzliya, standing here today as mayor is a significant closing of the circle for me. I am proud of this distinguished academic institution, which is an inseparable part of my life and of the city of Herzliya. We are experiencing the most difficult days the State of Israel has ever known. Therefore, right now, our expectation of you, dear graduates, is acute and clear: Take the values you received from home and from Reichman, and set out on your life’s journey with the ambition to change, influence, and repair the State of Israel.”
Congratulations to all of our new graduates!