{"id":35378,"date":"2026-02-19T12:27:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/?post_type=news&#038;p=35378"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:32:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:32:52","slug":"onos-school-of-humanities-journal-free-thought-strengthening-israeli-society","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/news\/onos-school-of-humanities-journal-free-thought-strengthening-israeli-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Ono&#8217;s School of Humanities Journal \u201cFree Thought\u201d &#8211; Strengthening Israeli Society"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-35379 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Newsletter-2.26-1.jpg\" alt=\"Cover of School of Humanities Newsletter, no. 14\" width=\"447\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Newsletter-2.26-1.jpg 447w, https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/Newsletter-2.26-1-219x300.jpg 219w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 447px) 100vw, 447px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\r\n<h3><strong>Ono&#8217;s School of Humanities Journal \u201cFree Thought\u201d &#8211; Strengthening Israeli Society<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Ono Academic College&#8217;s School of Humanities and Social Science published its 14th department newsletter. The issue is built around a single theme: <strong>using education, culture, and professional training to strengthen Israeli society<\/strong>\u2014through community responsibility, resilience, language access, therapy, and leadership.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Opening \/ \u201cStopping the epidemic\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 <strong>Dr. Sharbel Shukair<\/strong> argues that the <strong>surge of violence in Arab society<\/strong> is not something to observe from the side; it is already touching the campus and demands action. He frames the academy\u2019s role as moving beyond \u201cdata and diagnosis\u201d toward <strong>support, partnership, and practical steps<\/strong> that protect students and strengthen society.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Lecture \/ \u201cReal courage isn\u2019t only under fire\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 <strong>Lieutenant Colonel Or Ben-Yehuda<\/strong> reflects on courage as <strong>responsibility expressed in daily discipline<\/strong>: small actions, consistency, and inner strength\u2014especially in difficult national moments. The piece connects leadership, mindset, and the ability to keep functioning and guiding others.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Performance \/ \u201cSounds of repair\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 A deeply emotional campus event featuring former-hostage and violinist <strong>Alon Ohel<\/strong> performing (including alongside his brother), designed as a <strong>communal experience of healing through music<\/strong>. The production was created by <strong>Assaf Nagel<\/strong> as part of the music-therapy world, highlighting music as a tool for connection, expression, and restoration.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Sports \/ \u201cFrom the court to the classroom\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 A feature on professional women basketball players <strong>Mai Ruach, Eden Rotberg, Noor Kiyu, and Tzlil Vaturi<\/strong>, who are also students at <strong>Ono Academic College<\/strong>. It focuses on the real-life grind of balancing training, games, and studies, plus a clear message: <strong>education matters because sports careers end<\/strong>. It also speaks directly about the <strong>unequal visibility and respect<\/strong> women\u2019s sports still face, and the players\u2019 determination to push forward anyway.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Student profile \/ \u201cCompleting the puzzle\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 <strong>Yoel Namliel<\/strong>, after many years leading the local council in <strong>Gedera<\/strong>, decides to finish his first degree at Ono. The story is about <strong>lifelong learning<\/strong>, humility, and leadership that\u2019s willing to keep growing\u2014while already holding a senior public role.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Conference \/ \u201cWhen music heals\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 A music-therapy conference hosted by the program led by <strong>Dr. Gabi Frank<\/strong>. It emphasizes the bridge between <strong>academic learning and clinical practice<\/strong>, with lectures, panels, and workshops (many connected to trauma, resilience, and therapeutic tools), ending with a shared musical moment that turns professional knowledge into lived community experience.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Social initiative \/ \u201cHebrew for life\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 A student-driven project responding to a serious barrier: <strong>Hebrew proficiency gaps that block many Arabic-speaking students from reaching higher education<\/strong>. The initiative proposes practical solutions\u2014teacher training, modern methods, technology tools, and supportive learning environments\u2014aimed at turning Hebrew from \u201ca gatekeeper\u201d into <strong>a usable, confidence-building skill for academic and professional life<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li><strong>Program spotlight \/ \u201cWhen art meets social change\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Promotes an M.A. track combining arts, society, and community leadership, including training in group facilitation with a focus on trauma and resilience\u2014positioning graduates as <strong>people who can lead meaningful change<\/strong> through practical community work, cultural tools, and structured group processes.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The full journal can be read at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d2\u05e9-\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5\u05d6\u05dc\u05d8\u05e8-14-\u05e1\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9.pdf\">https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d2\u05e9-\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5\u05d6\u05dc\u05d8\u05e8-14-\u05e1\u05d5\u05e4\u05d9.pdf<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ono Academic College&#8217;s School of Humanities and Social Science published its 14th department newsletter. The issue is built around a single theme: using education, culture, and professional training to strengthen Israeli society\u2014through community responsibility, resilience, language access, therapy, and leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":35379,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-35378","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories_news-updates_news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}