| |
Universities explore Israel, India ties
Universities in Israel, India and US unite to create a bond through research focused on health care issues. 'We need to create a space to get past the boundaries, and create solutions for our world,' says Yeshiva University professor
Stacey Maltin
This year, as India and Israel celebrate
61 years of democratic leadership in their respective regions, a joint project of the Center for Israel Studies and the Institute for Public Health Sciences at Yeshiva University are exploring the many facets of the relationship between the two countries.
As a part of the project, Yeshiva University in America, Haifa University in Israel, and the Public Health Services in India will team up in a three-way relationship that involves sharing research, sharing projects, and cultivating information between participants that can be used by all three countries.
This collaboration began when Dr. Sonia Suchday, director of YU’s Institute for public health sciences, suggested that YU’s health program could benefit from ties with India. Soon after, a student and faculty delegation from YU traveled to Mumbai to learn more about pressing health issues facing that city. Haifa University became interested in the initiative with the same belief that strong ties with India can benefit Israel. The agreement was developed in order for the countries to better grasp international health issues facing our world today.
Part of the mandate of Yeshiva University in America is that the programs must have ongoing relationships with other universities in Israel. Because Yeshiva University and University of Haifa both have graduate programs in public health, this was an ideal field to incorporate the Israeli-India bond. With thousands of Indian Jews living in Israel today, it is no surprise that the two countries have such a strong bond both politically and economically.
President of Yeshiva University Richard Joel said that, “This partnership between universities is in the interest of the Israeli-India-American relationship. India has a vast population and a fairly sophisticated public health service that deals with large numbers of poor people. We are exploring issues of who is entitled to health care, what is the responsibility of the state in terms of health care, and what kind of health care should people get depending on their capacity to pay.”
Sonia Suchday, co-director with Paul Marantz of YU’s Institute for Public Health Sciences and associate professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology explained: “We need to create a space to get past the boundaries, and create solutions for our world."
President Joel agreed. “It’s not necessarily that this agreement is a major policy initiative but an opportunity to teach our students that it is only through education that we can change the world. It’s really important to keep Israel in the mainstream of the international society. Universities are communities of scholars who advance their fields and this is just one area where we can focus on public health.”
Joel added, “Part of the agreement is an attempt to get past any political craziness such as boycotting Israeli Universities. Faculty members at certain foreign universities are encouraged told to not have contact with Israeli faculty members. There are Israeli scholars who aren’t invited to international conferences and students who student abroad in Israel who have a hard time getting credit for those classes.”
|
RSS
