The IDC

MK, Tzipi Livni, leader of the opposition, during a visit to IDC campus
“OUR STUDENTS, WHOM WE SEE AS THE FUTURE LEADERS OF GOVERNMENT,
BUSINESS, LAW, TECHNOLOGY, THE MEDIA AND PSYCHOLOGY, UNDERSTAND
THAT WE EXPECT THEM TO APPLY THE VALUES THAT WE HAVE FOSTERED
IN THE COURSE OF THEIR STUDIES, AND NOT ONLY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THEIR OWN LIVES, BUT ALSO TO LOOK OUT FOR SOCIETY AS A WHOLE, AND
LEAD CHANGE WHEREVER IT IS NEEDED”
The future Reichman envisions may not be so far off; already a vanguard of
IDC alumni are rising in every field, from business to politics, to take up
the challenge put forth by IDC. And with over 1,000 students graduating
each year, there is an ever growing possibility to effect change.
“Our students, whom we see as the future leaders of government, business,
law, technology, the media and psychology, understand that we expect
them to apply the values that we have fostered in the course of their
studies, and not only to take responsibility for their own lives, but also to
look out for society as a whole, and lead change wherever it is needed,” says
Reichman with passion.
Looking back over Reichman’s life, IDC seems a natural extension of
everything he has worked for, lived for and believed in.
Born in 1942, Reichman was raised in Tel Aviv by German born parents
who escaped the Nazis. He witnessed the birth of the new nation and later,
as a commander in the paratroopers, fought to protect her during the Six
Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Upon entering university, Reichman
initially intended to study literature and Israeli history and to become a
journalist. When circumstances led him to study law, he began a love affair
that would last over 40 years, until the present day.
“I thought law would be boring,” Reichman reminisces, “all technicalities
and penalties. But to my surprise, the law encompassed the world and
everything in it. I discovered a human profession, dealing with people,
values and social engineering.”
8 < IDC Winter 2010
While Reichman enjoyed a brief stint working as a lawyer, he craved work
that would carry a sense of mission.
“After all,” he explains, “my generation was raised on the idea of
collective realization – one cannot realize himself without volunteering
or contributing, without doing something for society as a whole. Once I
understood how important this was for me, I went on to become a lecturer
at Tel Aviv University.”
At that time significant changes were taking place at the university, following
the appointment of Prof. Amnon Rubinstein as department dean.
“There was a particular magic under Rubinstein’s leadership,” says
Reichman, “a direct connection with the students. Social issues were
raised, and there was a certain joie de vivre in the corridors of the faculty.
In my eyes, he symbolized the new, liberal Israeli, and all of this persuaded
me to make the move back to academia.”
Despite the substantial reduction in his salary, Reichman found his years
teaching to be some of the happiest in his life, and later, after receiving his
doctorate in law at the University of Chicago and refusing an offer to stay
on as a professor, Reichman returned to Tel Aviv University, rising first to
become a professor and eventually the Dean of Law. Over the next years
he waged the hardest battle of his life – the battle for an Israeli constitution
– and established a College of Law within Tel Aviv University with the
intention of making law studies accessible to more students and thus
increasing the possibility of social mobility within Israel.