Dr. Benjamin Mazar, president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said here today that he is most gratified at the successful conclusion of negotiations between the governments of Israel and Jordan, which will enable the Israel university to bring down its priceless collection of books and manuscripts from its original campus on Mt. Scopus.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Mazar said: “I am very pleased and welcome the successful conclusion of the talks which have been conducted by Dr. Francisco Urutias personal representative of Mr. Dag Hammarskjold, the Secretary General of the United Nations. For ten years our faculty and student body have been cut off from over 500,000 priceless books, manuscripts and other irreplaceable material which is the heart and lifeblood of our University and desperately needed for our current training and research program. This new development is most heartening”
Dr. Mazar, a noted archaeologist and historian, is visiting the United States to stimulate wider interest in the work of the Hebrew University, and to exchange information with United States scientists and leaders in the field of education. He disclosed that in the past year alone, the University has given refuge to 150 students from Hungary, Poland and Egypt, a number of whom have been enrolled as upperclassmen in the University’s Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. He also noted that six refugee scholars had been added to Hebrew University’s faculty.
“We need funds for additional buildings. At the same time, we cannot let down the students who have fled their native lands to come to us for haven. We must do all in our power to aid and encourage these young people whose education has been interrupted and who are brutally cut off from family and funds due to the intolerance of international politics,” Dr. Mazar stated.
He announced that Hebrew University was expanding its research activities in many fields. He mentioned particularly atomic and solar energy.
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