‘Looking ahead to the Israel of 2035 or 2040, how do I educate Israelis to start talking to one another?” asks Ranan Hartman, CEO of Ono Academic College. Hartman, who founded Ono Academic College three decades ago at age 26, has changed the face of higher education in Israel, making college studies a reality for sectors of the Israeli population, including members of the haredi and Arab communities.
Hartman is proud of the diverse student population at Ono and says that students can remain faithful to their religious beliefs there. “Coming to Ono,” he says, “is coming to a place where you’re coming with your beliefs, not putting them aside.”
Despite the fact that Ono’s student body is representative of a large swath of Israel’s population, there is one segment of the Jewish people, says Hartman, that has been missing from Ono – the Diaspora Jewish community. “You cannot build the future Israel without having a serious conversation with the people who are influenced daily by Israel’s actions. Since Oct. 7, the separation that you’re living there and we’re living here was proven to us very clearly that it doesn’t exist,” he states.
Ono’s new International School, which will open in October, will complete the school’s demographic mosaic. Reflecting on the importance of including Diaspora Jews in the Ono student body, Hartman says, “I have to make sure that first of all, I am responsible for Jews living all around the world.
I can’t build Israel of 2035 or 2040 without taking them into account – without hearing them, listening to their sensitivities, and without them learning about us. Our fate is intertwined.” Strengthening the ties between Israel and the Diaspora is crucial, says Hartman, which is why Ono is opening its International School.
Located at Ono’s central campus in Kiryat Ono, the International School will be offering four programs for English speakers: a B.A. degree in occupational therapy; a B.A. in business administration with a Specialization in Finance and Capital Markets; an M.B.A. in business administration with a Specialization in Finance and Capital Markets; and an M.A. in art therapy. Hartman explains that there are two essential elements of the International School – one conceptual and one practical.
In its conceptual sense, he wants International School students, by virtue of their studies at Ono, to become part of the discussion of how Israel will build itself in the next 15 years. In a practical sense, he is creating a program that will teach marketable and valuable skills to English speakers that will enable them to lead successful, productive lives in Israel.
A number of higher institutions of learning in Israel offer programs for international students, Hartman acknowledges. But in his eyes, what distinguishes Ono from the others is that only Ono can provide an intensive Israeli experience and, in turn, enable international students to influence Israel.
“This is the only place where, when you come to an academic institution, you will meet the elite of Israel, you will meet the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel, you will meet the Religious Zionists, and you will meet Israeli Arabs. This is the microcosm of Israel.
Getting a serious Israeli experience – influencing the future experience of Israelis – can only happen here. That’s the real uniqueness,” he explains. “What’s important is the networks and the discussions you will have with Israelis. I mean all Israelis. I want you to understand the dreams of an Israeli officer from the Druze community.
I want you to meet him, and I want you to be friends with him, and I want you not to be afraid. It’s tasting Israel in all its richness.” Ono’s international school, says Hartman, is dedicated to the premise that its international students will be engaged with Israelis from their very first day in the program.
“One of the objectives of the program,” he says half in jest, “is that every student who finishes the program will have at least 100 Israeli phone numbers on his or her speed dial. You’re not coming as an American and leaving as an American.
You’re coming as someone who is ignorant of the Israeli experience, and you’ll become an Israeli.” Hartman points out that one of the most important goals of the International School is to create what he calls “ambassadors for Israel.” “You don’t have to end up living in Israel. You might return to your home country, but you will understand Israel as your home – or as your second home.”
He points out that the programs in occupational therapy and art therapy that will be offered at the International School reflect the reality and needs of Israel since Oct. 7, as the country has experienced a shortage of qualified health professionals. “It’s mind-boggling to me that a soldier who was wounded has to wait six months in order to see a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist.
Occupational therapy and art therapy are professions that are in need in Israel, and it’s guaranteed that the students who will go through these programs will have a very meaningful occupation and the financial ability to make it here in Israel.”
Regarding the school’s BA in business administration (finance) and MBA in business administration programs, Hartman notes that some of Israel’s largest corporations, banks, and insurance companies are sponsoring the programs. “We’ve succeeded in securing very lucrative jobs for our students.
The entities that are sponsoring the programs will be competing among themselves, taking our students for internships and then full-time jobs. “There’s not going to be a program here that you’re coming to just build for your soul and at the end of the day, you can’t work. We are committed to the students’ becoming Israeli and working in Israel.”
Ono’s International School will offer a unique learning program tailored for English speakers, with personalized curricula and dedicated mentors. Its state-of-the-art campus, comfortable housing, and enriching exploration of Israeli society will provide a smooth integration into life in Israel.
Hartman says that Ono’s International School will enable students to feel comfortable in their studies. “We want you to feel at home. If I want you to feel at home, I have to teach you in English; but in order to make it in the Israeli workforce, you’re going to have to learn Hebrew.
This is a three-year process that gives you the comfort of feeling at home in Israel with your strengths and building new strengths in the process of the three years – connecting to Israel, connecting with Israelis, and creating a serious network for yourself. “That’s our responsibility, and that’s going to be the Ono experience.”
The International School will open with a registration of 150 students, and Hartman is expecting it to grow to 1,000 students within three years. He has ambitious plans to add new programs in sports therapy, speech therapy, nursing, law, and dentistry in the coming years.
WITH OVER 70,000 graduates to its credit, Ono Academic College is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and while Hartman is pleased with its accomplishments, he has many more plans for the future. “What hasn’t been done yet is more exciting than what we’ve done,” he says. “The student who is studying tomorrow cannot go through the same experience that a student had 25 years ago. In the past, it was important for me to teach students the answer. Today, it’s important for me to teach them how to ask the question.
“AI may give you the answers, but in order for you to use AI intelligently, you have to know how to ask the question. Today, teacher are not the ones who are facilitating knowledge. They are facilitating curiosity. We have to make our students curious enough to embrace not knowing and asking questions.”
Ono’s International School, Hartman concludes, will facilitate curiosity among its students – in their studies and in Israeli life. “It will provide a rich experience for you, whether you return to the Diaspora or remain in Israel.“It doesn’t matter. Either way, you won’t stay the same person.”
This article was written in cooperation with Ono Academic College.
