There is a small experiment in liberal education flourishing on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It is called Shalem College, and there is nothing else like it in Israel. Shalem is Israelâ??s first pure liberal arts collegeâ??where all students undertake a course of study rooted in the great books of Western civilization.
With Shalem's first class now in its junior year, the place is starting to feel like an institution that will endure. The campus is located among sprawling apartment complexes in a residential neighborhood. Inside, about 150 students gather in the halls or in a high-ceilinged lounge between classes, gossiping and arguing in a mix of Hebrew and English about the day's readings, loafing in vinyl booths, or slumped over their homework, napping. The college has developed its own in-jokes, biases, and culture.
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