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Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium

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The Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium (Hebrew: הַגִּימְנַסְיָה הָעִבְרִית הֶרְצְלִיָּה, romanized: HaGimnasya Haivrit Herzliya, also known as Gymnasia Herzliya), originally known as HaGymnasia HaIvrit (lit. Hebrew High School), is a historic high school in Tel Aviv, Israel, whose faculty and alumni include many people influential in the history of Israel.

Herzliya Hebrew High School
הגימנסיה העברית הרצליה‎
HaGymnasia HaIvrit Herzliya
Herzliya Hebrew High School, 1936
Location
Map
Tel Aviv, Israel
32°5′13.11″N 34°47′5.38″E / 32.0869750°N 34.7848278°E / 32.0869750; 34.7848278
Information
Established1905
Principal
Ze'ev Dgannie
Websitegymnasia.co.il

History

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The original building

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Original building depicted on the 20 Israeli new sheqel note (used in 1988-2000)

In the year of Dr. Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl's passing, the newspaper HaHashkafa wrote:

A great Hebrew neighborhood must be built in honor of Herzl, and eventually, a Hebrew city... where all its inhabitants will speak only Hebrew... In this Hebrew city, a Hebrew high school should be established in Dr. Herzl's name. This will serve, for the time being, as a living memorial to fulfill the national vision of the founder of political Zionism.[1]

Such visionary words laid the foundation for the establishment of the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium in the first Hebrew city, Tel Aviv.

The Herzliya Gymnasium was founded in 1905 (5666 in the Hebrew calendar) by Dr. Yehuda Metman-Cohen and his wife. It was the first high school in the world to teach in Hebrew.[2]

Gymnasia Herzliya was the country's first Hebrew high school,[3] founded in 1905 in Jaffa, part of the Ottoman Empire in those days. The cornerstone-laying for the school's new building on Herzl Street in the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood (the nucleus of future Tel Aviv) took place on July 28, 1909. The building was designed by Joseph Barsky, inspired by descriptions of Solomon's Temple.[4]

An important benefactor for the establishment and development of the Gymnasium was Jacob Moser a wool merchant of Bradford in England (originally from Schleswig in Denmark). In 1907 he donated 80,000 Marks towards the construction of the Gymnasium. Ya’akov Mozer St., named after him, is situated off David Yellin St. very close to the present location of the Gymnasium.[5]

In 1909, its iconic building was constructed on Herzl Street, which later became the center of Tel Aviv. The master plan for Ahuzat Bayit (the original name for Tel Aviv) prominently featured the large plot allocated for the first Hebrew gymnasium. The building’s façade faced Herzl Street and the railway. As Shenkin[non sequitur] remarked, "... Every person passing by on the train will raise their eyes to the Gymnasium..." Indeed, the Gymnasium became the social and cultural hub of the young neighborhood.

The Gymnasium hosted neighborhood meetings, discussions on settlement issues, concerts, theatrical performances, and cultural evenings.[6]

It was also the birthplace of youth movements like the Tel Aviv Scouts and Machanot HaOlim. After World War II, the Gymnasium served as a hospital. During the cornerstone-laying ceremony for its permanent building in the month of Av 5669, the founder, Dr. Metman, said:

Another architect, another teacher in our nation—these are certainly needed, but much more must still be created within our people. This alone is not enough. The private good of each individual will naturally come to them, yet we are concerned for an entire generation and hope that the Gymnasium will raise a generation of Hebrew scholars, worthy in their ideas and feelings to lead the people and show them the way.[citation needed]

It did not take long for Dr. Metman's prophecy to come true. The Gymnasium quickly attracted many students, including those from the Diaspora whose parents wished to provide their children with a Hebrew education. Over the decades, numerous graduates from the Gymnasium became leaders in the community: writers, educators, scientists, and artists who contributed to advancing Hebrew culture and education in the land of Israel.

To this day, thousands of Herzliya Gymnasium alumni are actively involved in Israeli culture, entertainment, arts, and academia.The building on Herzl Street was a major Tel Aviv landmark until July 1959, when it was razed for the construction of Shalom Meir Tower.[7] The new tower was the tallest building in Israel those days, representing a significant architectural achievement.

As one of the first significant structures to be built in the first Hebrew city of Israel, the school, conceived and constructed in the founding years of Tel Aviv, came to represent the original pioneering spirit of the city and the country. The destruction of the building sparked public anger and widespread recognition of the importance of conserving historical landmarks.[7] The Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel was founded in the 1980s partly in response to the fate of Herzliya Hebrew High School.[citation needed]

The current building

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Located today on Jabotinsky Street, it serves as a six-year secondary school. The modern campus is entered through a gate that is reminiscent of the facade of the 1909 building.

Principals

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New building on Jabotinsky Street. The gate was built in 2006.

Former principals include Haim Bograshov, Baruch Ben Yehuda and Carmi Yogev. In 1992, former Air Force fighter pilot and Brigadier General Ron Huldai was appointed principal. He implemented many changes and modernizations later adopted by other schools. [citation needed] After leaving the school, he was elected mayor of Tel Aviv. The current principal is Ze'ev Dgannie.

Notable faculty

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Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ↑ Ben-Yehuda, Eliezer (August 10, 1904). "זכרון להרצל" [A Memorial for Herzl]. ההשקפה [HaHashkafa] (in Hebrew). לבנות ע״ש הרצל שכונה גדולה עבריה, עיר שכל תושביה ידברו בה עברית... ובעיר העברית הזאת יכוננו ע״ש דר׳ הרצל בית ספר תיכון עברי, ואחר, אם יהיה אפשר, בית מדרש עליון עברי... דבור עברי בעיר עבריה בירושלים עם בית ספר עברי והכל ע״ש הרצל — זה יהיה לע״ע זיכרון שיגשים את תכונתו הלאומית של יוצר הציונות המדינית. כפי שצוטט אצל: Azaryahu, Maoz. פיסות תל אביביות [Tel Aviv Fragments] (PDF) (in Hebrew). Herzl Institute for the Study of Zionism, University of Haifa. p. 16.
  2. ↑ "Fania Metman-Cohen". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ This day in Israel's history: July 28, 1909 Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Sergey R. Kravtsov, "Reconstruction of the Temple by Charles Chipiez and Its Application in Architecture," Ars Judaica, Vol. 4, 2008
  5. ↑ Philipsen, Bernd (2007). Jacob Moser - Unternehmer - Philanthrop, Weggerfahrte Theodor Herzls [Jacob Moser - Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Ally of Theodor Herzl] (in German). Leipzig, Germany: Hentrich & Hentrich. pp. 21, 23, 40. ISBN 9783938485521.
  6. ↑ Aricha, Yosef (1969). "Gymnasium Herzliya". Tel Aviv: 60 Years. Tel Aviv: Massada Publishing. pp. 21–23.
  7. 1 2 Azaryahu, Moaz; Troen, Ilan (2012). "Tel Aviv's Foundation Myth". Tel-Aviv, the first century: visions, designs, actualities. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0-253-35694-9.
  8. 1 2 "artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery". December 3, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
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