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Dear Students and Parents, The management of IDC Herzliya continues to regularly monitor the developments and updates on the Corona Virus (COVID-19) spread. We wish to inform you of the following instructions, which were adapted by IDC Herzliya , based on the Ministry of Health's guidelines. Please read the guidelines carefully and act accordingly in order for us to commence the second semester, and do all we can to protect our health. A. Return from abroad and starting quarantine: Students who have returned from abroad and are required to enter quarantine in accordance with the Ministry of Health's instructions are not permitted to move around campus. If you are in need of quarantine, either at the dormitories or your own place of residence, please do not leave your room at any time in order to enter any IDC facilities, including classes, exams, libraries, sports facilities and the like. Those who have returned from these destinations should strictly abide by their home quarantine. Those who wish to quarantine in their dorm rooms, must send a request in advance to the management of the dorms. Anyone who has been at the destinations listed below, even for a short stay, is required to stay in quarantine at home for a 14-day period, starting from the date of departure. Mandatory home quarantine includes transfers (connection flights) to those returning from these destinations: mainland China, South Korea and Italy. Mandatory quarantine does not include transfers (connection) to those returning from these destinations: Hong Kong, San Marino, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, France, Andorra, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Austria. Members of the Interdisciplinary Center community (employees, students and guests) are required to follow these guidelines and any additional mandatory guidance issued by the Ministry of Health. Other countries and regions might be added to this list in the coming days. We will continue to update you by email and please follow these emails. There are general restrictions on entry into Israel for non-Israeli citizens coming from these areas mentioned above, unless they have filled out a form of the ministry of Health, specially showing they have a place in Israel where they can quarantine. Anyone who requires home quarantine under the guidelines, whether an Israeli citizen or not, must report his or her status to the Ministry of Health by completing this form on the Ministry of Health’s website (click on the global symbol to change into English) or by calling *5400. We ask everyone to respect and fully comply with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. During the self-quarantine period, you are expected to stay in your room for 24 hours a day for a period of 14 days and you are not allowed out of this specific living area according to the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Health. We recommend that if possible foreign students quarantine outside the dormitories in alternative residence if they have the possibility to do so. However if students do not have this alternative, they need to inform the dorm management of their need to quarantine in the dorms and we will do all we can to assist the student with their food and other needs, while quarantine in the dorms. While in quarantine, or if you could not return to Israel, your academic studies and need to take exams will not be hindered in any way. Students who need to be in quarantine according to the above guidelines are requested to notify the relevant student director. B. Students planning to travel abroad from IDC Herzliya: For IDC students who planned to study outside of Israel this semester as part of a student exchange – Exchange Programs are cancelled until further notice. Currently, delegations and organized study tours of IDC Herzliya abroad are suspended until further notice. Personal travel abroad— we request you do not travel abroad according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health. C. Distance Learning: Academic units at IDC Herzliya in collaboration with the Information Systems and Computing Division were requested to make every effort to prepare for distance learning solutions. We will be informing you of the distance learning solutions in the coming weeks, in order to assist you to finish the first semester or begin the second semester if you cannot make it back on time. D. Semester B 2020: Our second semester will commence as planned and we are sticking to the original calendar of IDC. Should changes incur due to the fluid situation at hand or due to the change of the Ministry's guidelines, the management of IDC Herzliya will update you right away. The rest of the IDC’s activities are taking place as usual and we are careful to maintain the daily school and work routine. E. The guidelines of the Ministry of Health are found at: https://www.health.gov.il/Subjects/disease/corona/Pages/default.aspx We thank you for your patience and understanding and we work hard for the safety and health of our dear students. Happy Festival of Purim, Jonathan Davis Vice President for External Relations Head of the Raphael Recanati International School
We are happy to announce, that Mira of blessed memory has bequeathed funds in order to support students in the coming years as she so generously did during her lifetime. She touched the lives of students then, and due to her generosity, she will continue to touch the lives of dozens of more students. The Zionist values of Mira Fraenkal continue to live on.
IDC Herzliya bade farewell to dear friend and supporter, Mira Fraenkal z”l, this past January. Mira’s relationship with IDC began on Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers (Yom
Hazikaron) 2013, and she has since become a regular and beloved guest at all types of IDC
events.
Mira was the youngest of 10 children, born to a religious family that came to Palestine from
Iran in 1905. While most girls were not educated then, Mira always had a thirst for learning.
So, at the age of 13, she went to work, in order to pay for her own education.
“We moved to the U.S. in 1956 because my father wanted to complete a Ph.D.,” says Mira’s son Eran Fraenkal. “At first my mom worked menial jobs. Eventually, she decided to get a degree, despite not knowing English. She ultimately got a B.A., an M.A., and a Master’s in Library Science.” When her husband got a teaching job at University of Pittsburgh, Mira began to teach Hebrew at a local Jewish school.
After Mira’s husband passed away from illness in 1970, she began to focus on her career. “She moved four or five times over the next few years, climbing up the career ladder in American Jewish education,” says Eran. Her final position was as the director of
a school in San Mateo, California. She returned to Israel after retiring in 1993.
Mira’s connection with IDC began after she heard a radio interview with Prof. Uriel Reichman, the university’s founder and president. She connected with Reichman’s story and vision, and
called his office the next day. Gili Dinstein, CEO of Friends of IDC, took the call. Mira offered to help or volunteer at the Raphael Recanati International School and after the two met,
they struck up a deep friendship.“I fell for her energy, assertiveness, Zionism, generosity, and the discrepancy between her small physique and her enormous heart.
Though she was in her late eighties, she knew exactly what she wanted to do: give scholarships to children of Israelis who had emigrated to the United States. She hoped that via the scholarships, they would come back to Israel,” says Dinstein. These young students, explains Dinstein, gave meaning to Mira’s life. “There was nothing she loved more than to meet them, to select those she would support that year, to see if they would make aliya .. She would read their resumes carefully, call to ask us for further details, interview them herself, and then stay in touch with them throughout their studies. When one student
created a successful YouTube video honoring Israel, it made her so very happy – almost as if it were her own wedding video.” Eran notes that because Mira did not visit Israel
often during her nearly forty years in the U.S.,she lost contact with most of her siblings. “I only got to know two of her brothers and their children,and only met her father once, very briefly.So, when she returned to Israel, while she had a huge family, she was not in touch with them. I think this was one of the motivations that drove her to fund students at IDC; that, combined with her commitment to education. Awarding scholarships presented her an opportunity for both intellectual and emotional reward.”
When she turned 90, Mira’s friends from IDC, including the students she supported, threw her a birthday party. They were joined by Eran, her granddaughter Sarah, who came to Israel for the celebration, and her dear friends and neighbors, Lori and Moshe Barnes, who cared for her here in Israel. At that celebration, Mira promised we would dance and celebrate
her 100th birthday too. Lori and Moshe remember how very proud Mira was to be
associated with IDC. “Her role allowed her to immerse herself in two things that were very important to her - education and Israel. We spoke often about her work with the university, and these conversations always made her smile. She was satisfied that she was able to help students obtain a first-class education, and truly excited about what the future might hold for them. She felt loved and respected by the IDC community. Mira encouraged us to attend events with her, and we soon understood why she felt the way she did. We miss Mira very much, and are grateful for how much her life was enriched by her relationship with IDC.”
“Mira represented the finest aristocracy of the Yishuv that fought in the War of Independence for the survival of the Jewish State,”says vice president for External Relations and head of the Raphael Recanati International School. “She remained the same Zionist 70 years after the creation of the State. It was always an honor to talk to her. Sometimes, during our conversations, I would picture sitting next to her by a bonfire, as if it was 1948. She was a
great woman.” Mira is survived by her son Eran and granddaughter Sarah. She is mourned and will long be remembered by the many people whose lives she touched.
May her memory be for a blessing!
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