Shevah Mofet
Encyclopedia
Shevah Mofet is a high school on HaMasger Street in Tel Aviv
, Israel
. It was established in 1946 as a vocational school. Since the 1990s, new programs were inaugurated to meet the needs of the Russian immigrant population in Israel.
. It was founded on the ruins of a Templer colony called Mountain of Hope.
Shevah was initially a vocational school teaching trades such as carpentry. As the demand for such schools declined, it became an academic high school.
In the 1990s, with the onset of mass immigration from the former Soviet Union, Shevah introduced a new educational approach to help Russian youngsters from falling behind due to the language barrier
. Intensive Hebrew language classes were organized based on proficiency in Hebrew rather than age, and a program for parents was developed that included Hebrew language studies, Jewish history and culture.
In the 1990s, Yakov Mazganov, a Russian professor employed as a security guard at the school, founded Mofet, a night school for Russian immigrants that operated in the Shevah building after school hours. In turn, this attracted more Russian Ph.D.
s and former professors to teach, as they couldn't find a job anywhere else, due to their lack of Hebrew knowledge. Eventually a decision was made to merge Shevah and Mofet and the Russian teachers started teaching in the regular school, which became known as Shevah-Mofet. While classes at the night school often went on in Russian, all classes in the day school were taught exclusively in Hebrew. Mofet is an acronym containing the words Mathematics and Physics, but also means excellence.
This gave the school a reputation of being one of the best, but also discouraged attendance from many non-Russian students, who did not want to be part of a Russian-speaking high school in Hebrew-speaking Israel. The school was nicknamed 'Little Russia' by many.
In 1995, the southern Tel Aviv school's team made a sensation by winning the first place on the team competition in Mathematics, hosted by Technion. Later, A Shevah student won a silver medal at an international junior software engineering olympics in Zagreb
, Croatia
on August 21, 2007, several students won medals on the International Mathematical Olympiad
including the gold medal by Lev Buhovsky in 1996 and several silver and bronze medals on the Asian
and the International
Physics Olympiads.
Shevah Mofet has attracted many Russian visitors, notably figures such as Sergei Brin, one of the creators of Google
, and Mikhail Gorbachev
, the former Soviet president.
On June 1, 2001, an Arab suicide bomber killed 21 Israeli teenagers in the Tel Aviv "Dolphi" discothèque. Seven of the victims were from the Shevah Mofet high school, with more injured.
The bombing created an international outrage, but also caused many worldwide to donate money to Shevah Mofet. This helped improve the financial situation of the school and create a new library and cafeteria.
In November 2002, it was discovered that the school cafeteria served expired, or otherwise bad food products. It created a citywide scandal, where the media (newspapers such as Yedioth Ahronoth
and Maariv
) was involved, as well as the health ministry. Despite this, the cafeteria was still operating and employing the same workers in a repeat check-up in August 2003.
The secondary school has five departments, each focusing on a specific subject. In order of introduction, they are: Science and computers, business administration, robotics, electronics, and humanities. Each department except business administration has two classes, for a total of 9 classes per year.
} Russian memorial website
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It was established in 1946 as a vocational school. Since the 1990s, new programs were inaugurated to meet the needs of the Russian immigrant population in Israel.
History
The school was originally called Shevah, named after a British World War II pilot, who was the uncle of one of the founders of the school. Founded in 1945, it was the second Hebrew high school in Tel Aviv, after Gymnasia HerzliyaHerzliya Hebrew High School
The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium , originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit is a historic high school in Tel Aviv, Israel.-History:...
. It was founded on the ruins of a Templer colony called Mountain of Hope.
Shevah was initially a vocational school teaching trades such as carpentry. As the demand for such schools declined, it became an academic high school.
In the 1990s, with the onset of mass immigration from the former Soviet Union, Shevah introduced a new educational approach to help Russian youngsters from falling behind due to the language barrier
Language barrier
Language barrier is a figurative phrase used primarily to indicate the difficulties faced when people who have no language in common attempt to communicate with each other...
. Intensive Hebrew language classes were organized based on proficiency in Hebrew rather than age, and a program for parents was developed that included Hebrew language studies, Jewish history and culture.
In the 1990s, Yakov Mazganov, a Russian professor employed as a security guard at the school, founded Mofet, a night school for Russian immigrants that operated in the Shevah building after school hours. In turn, this attracted more Russian Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
s and former professors to teach, as they couldn't find a job anywhere else, due to their lack of Hebrew knowledge. Eventually a decision was made to merge Shevah and Mofet and the Russian teachers started teaching in the regular school, which became known as Shevah-Mofet. While classes at the night school often went on in Russian, all classes in the day school were taught exclusively in Hebrew. Mofet is an acronym containing the words Mathematics and Physics, but also means excellence.
In 1995, the southern Tel Aviv school's team made a sensation by winning the first place on the team competition in Mathematics, hosted by Technion. Later, A Shevah student won a silver medal at an international junior software engineering olympics in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
on August 21, 2007, several students won medals on the International Mathematical Olympiad
International Mathematical Olympiad
The International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
including the gold medal by Lev Buhovsky in 1996 and several silver and bronze medals on the Asian
Asian Physics Olympiad
The Asian Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students from Asia and Oceania regions. It is one of the International Science Olympiads and is also the only regional competition in physics to date. The first APhO was hosted by Indonesia in 2000...
and the International
International Physics Olympiad
The International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
Physics Olympiads.
Shevah Mofet has attracted many Russian visitors, notably figures such as Sergei Brin, one of the creators of Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, the former Soviet president.
On June 1, 2001, an Arab suicide bomber killed 21 Israeli teenagers in the Tel Aviv "Dolphi" discothèque. Seven of the victims were from the Shevah Mofet high school, with more injured.
The bombing created an international outrage, but also caused many worldwide to donate money to Shevah Mofet. This helped improve the financial situation of the school and create a new library and cafeteria.
In November 2002, it was discovered that the school cafeteria served expired, or otherwise bad food products. It created a citywide scandal, where the media (newspapers such as Yedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth is a daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the 1970s, it has been the most widely circulated paper in Israel. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Yedioth Ahronoth retained the title of most widely read newspaper in Israel...
and Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
) was involved, as well as the health ministry. Despite this, the cafeteria was still operating and employing the same workers in a repeat check-up in August 2003.
Organization
For many years, Shevah Mofet was a 6-year school organized into a junior-high school (grades 7-9), and a secondary school (grades 10-12). In 2007-08 however, a new organization was introduced, and the school was split into 3 two-grade sub-sections.The secondary school has five departments, each focusing on a specific subject. In order of introduction, they are: Science and computers, business administration, robotics, electronics, and humanities. Each department except business administration has two classes, for a total of 9 classes per year.
External links
- The official website Dolphinarium massacre memorial website
} Russian memorial website