The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (VLJI) is a center for the interdisciplinary study and discussion of issues related to philosophy, society, culture, and education. The Institute was established in to create a body of knowledge and discourseto give expression to the wide range of disciplines and opinions in Israel. The contribution of a core of renowned scholars facilitates the implementation of reforms and new approaches in various social spheres.
The Institute is located in Jerusalem's Talbiya neighborhood, next door to the official residence of the President of Israel. Its campus also houses the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Council for Higher Education.
History
The Van Leer Institute was established in 1959 by the European branch of the Van Leer family from the Netherlands. The stated goals of the institute are to "advance knowledge in the realms of philosophy, society, and culture", to enhance ethnic and cultural understanding, ease social tensions and promote democratic values through academic research, public policy analysis, advocacy and civil society projects. The institute organizes domestic and international conferences, symposia and workshops, and publishes books and periodicals.
Van Leer organizes domestic and international conferences, symposia and workshops, publishes periodicals, books and monographs, and promotes pluralistic public dialogue. It houses a 27,000-volume library devoted to philosophy, philosophy of science, historical sociology and political theory. According to Ofira Seliktar, a scholar specializing in anti-Israeli activities of Israeli scholars, it was used to give a measure of respectability to Post-Zionist scholars.
Activities
The Institute is active in four main areas: Advanced Studies, Jewish Culture and Thinking, Israeli Civil Society, and Mediterranean Neighbours. A variety of methods and approaches are employed in each of these areas with projects, discussion groups, and collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organizations, and government bodies. Activities include conducting studies of public policy and applied social research, developing and running educational programs as well as training programs for educators and community leaders, hosting cultural activities for the general public, and publishing books, anthologies, and journals. The Institute cooperates with a large number of Israeli and international research institutions and conducts joint projects with visiting scholars from around the world. The campus houses two libraries and a variety of different sized halls which host conferences and events.
According to Daniel Gutwein the institute used to popularize post-Zionist ideas.
Advanced Studies
The Advanced Studies Unit is headed by Dr. Yochi Fischer and is committed to multidisciplinary and comparative research in the fields of humanities and social sciences.
Activities include research groups, workshops, international conferences, and a summer seminar with participants comprising senior scholars in Israel, their international colleagues, and young scholars and intellectuals.
The unit focuses on issues of religion, secularism, and democracy; equality, pluralism, and racism; the state of higher education, especially in the humanities; and issues of history, memory, and reconciliation from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective.
The Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Polonsky Academy, spearheaded by Dr. Leonard Polonsky and inaugurated in 2014, is an international center for humanities and social sciences that supports young international and Israeli scholars. The Polonsky Program provides these scholars with facilities and full financial support for up to five years to enable them to further their research and better prepare them for their future academic careers.
Mediterranean Neighbours
VLJI has established the academic discipline of Mediterranean studies which focuses on the study of cultures and societies of countries in the region. This decision was based, inter alia, on the 1995 Barcelona Declaration and on the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership which redefined the idea of the Mediterranean and cooperation in the Mediterranean basin as an economic, political, and cultural plan of action.
