Hilik Bar - Lecture at the Sokhumi State University after the University of Oxford

The Israeli House is to open an Israeli Cabinet at the Sokhumi State University in order to support the University Education in Georgia. The cabinet will be called ‘Sokhumi-Jerusalem‘ and will focus on lectures on the history and modernity of Israel, and lectures about the Holocaust.

The university also plans to invite famous figures from Israel. The first lecture will be conducted in December by the former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Hilik Bar on the topic: ‘A New Reality in the Enlarged Middle East.’ The lecture will be held as part of Israeli Week, which is organized by the Israeli House. He previously gave this lecture at the University of Oxford.

Hilik Bar met with the Rector of the Sokhumi State University, Zurab Khonelidze, during his visit to Tbilisi. The rector briefed him about the book he is working on and shared his ideas on university diplomacy as the Georgian paradigm of peace, a new kind of international relations and diplomacy.

At the meeting, which was also attended by the President of the Israel-Georgia Chamber of Business Itsik Moshe, the decision to open an Israeli Cabinet was made.

Sokhumi State University, like other higher education institutions, will participate in the annual student competition about the Holocaust announced by the Israeli House and the Sarah Ben Shemesh Foundation. The winning student will travel to Israel with a delegation. The delegation will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, the army, Israeli universities, and will participate in a meeting with Israeli students.

Itsik Moshe, the Chairman of Israeli House, says the student delegation will include people who are well acquainted with the history of the Jewish people and will represent Georgia with dignity during the visit. This will be the public diplomacy (Hasbara) of Georgia. The idea emerged to make the path of Jewish people from the Holocaust to victory an inspiration for Georgian students.

Israeli House is also to open an Israeli Cabinet at the Grigol Robakidze University during the Israeli Week in December 2020, at the event summarizing the year. Israeli cabinets are already operating at the University of Georgia, the Georgian-American University and the European University. With the support of the Israeli House and the Sarah Ben Shemesh Foundation, Holocaust History is being taught at all four universities.

Israeli House will add an additional section in the Israeli Cabinets, about the Jewish Heritage, in cooperation with European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ). Israeli House is the official representative of the European Route of Jewish Heritage in Georgia certified by the Council of Europe.

These universities and the Jewish/Israeli Library, which was also established with the support of Israeli House and the Sarah Ben Shemesh Foundation, are frequently visited by Israeli politicians and public figures. Israeli former Minister of Defense and nowadays the Minister of Economy Amir Peretz delivered a public lecture at the Gr. Robakidze University, and the Georgian-American University awarded Hilik Bar with the title of Honorary Doctor.