In 1978 Professor David Amiran invited me to join him in establishing the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. Teddy Kollek, then Mayor of Jerusalem and President of the Jerusalem Foundation, had a vision that scholarship and academic expertise should impact policy making for Jerusalem, and a group of very dedicated people, including Abraham (Abe) Harman – the President of the Hebrew University, Ruth Cheshin current President of the Jerusalem Foundation and Professor Joshua Prawer, helped realize his dream.

 

One of the greatest satisfactions I have experienced in this fascinating days, was witnessing the impact of Teddy's vision both on policy decisions and on actual changes in the city throughout the years. Policy makers became accustomed to consulting with us and were grateful for the supply of ideas and materials we provided. Another source of pleasure was the flow of ideas, books and publications of lasting value that we produced, which eventually accumulated to form a solid body of knowledge about the city.

 

Until recently, our wealth of materials – the extraordinary research of our experts, the maps, the exchange of views in our numerous seminars and conferences – were limited to Israeli audiences: the thousands of people who participated in our events, acquired our publications and visited our Hebrew web site. Now we are launching a new website which we hope will turn out to be a powerful tool for bringing our massages to the world, a hub for sharing knowledge about Jerusalem - the city and the dream. As the Middle East, Jerusalem and the central issues surrounding the dispute emerge time and again at the focus of international interest, we feel obligated to enrich global public discourse and understanding with our studies and analyses.

 

We invite you to participate in our search for knowledge and ideas. We hope visitors to our site will better understand the complex issues we are presenting. With the belief that Jerusalem is a cosmopolitan city, an inspiring city, a city of interest to all humankind, we welcome you.