The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the University of Cyprus will be teaming up to collaborate on a joint online course offering in both Greek and Hebrew for the 2021 spring semester.

The course will focus on the history of diplomatic relations between Israel, Cyprus and Greece, which began in the late 1940s, and it will be led by Dr. Gabriel Haritos, fluent in both Hebrew and Greek, and who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Azrieli Center for Israel Studies at the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at BGU.

​”Despite the close geographic proximity and the coexistence between Jews and Greeks for hundreds of years, this is perhaps the first time that the Israeli and Cypriot academies are collaborating to illuminate the recent history of diplomatic relations between Israel, Cyprus and Greece,” Haritos said. “There is no doubt that we will go far thanks to this pioneering spirit.

“Students will dive deep into countries’ separate foreign policies and discover ways to advance Israeli-Cypriot relations further. The course will incorporate study materials such as official documents, diplomatic reports and Israeli, Greek and Cypriot newspaper articles giving a more realistic tone to the mock diplomatic efforts.

“It is time for Cyprus to fully embody what it really means to us — the good neighbor to the west,” said Director of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute Professor Paula Kabalo. “The one we could always count on. The one who shares a climate, culture and historical experiences. The good neighbor that you do not just knock on the door to ask for a glass of milk but one with which you share your life. We hope that this unique course will lead to additional varied collaborations.”

US-headquartered B’nai B’rith International will be sponsoring the course as part of its initiative to “connect public officials, academics and others from Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the Greek expatriate community in the United States.” The upcoming course will be a pilot to discover if future courses will be offered of the like.

“Over the last decade, the State of Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus have created collaborations in a variety of areas. An academic course that reflects the significance and potential of these collaborations fits neatly into B’nai B’rith’s policy to connect communities,” said Director of the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem Alan Schneider.

“B’nai B’rith’s participation in this initiative came about through the Israel-Hellenic Forum we founded. The founding conference was held in Jerusalem a year ago with the participation of leading public officials from the three countries.”