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Hebrew University High School




The Hebrew University High School, commonly known as '''''Leyada''''', is a six-year, secular, "experimental", academically-autonomous, semi-private secondary school. It is located next to the Hebrew University Givat-Ram campus in Jerusalem . Along with the Haifa "Reali" High School, it is considered one of the best high schools in Israel .

Founded in 1935 as "Beit-Hakerem High School", it soon established a unique methodology and syllabus, carefully screening applicants through psychotechnical entrance exams. Its alumni include former president of Israel Yitzhak Navon , Supreme Court president Aharon Barak , Nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and David Gross , and many other key figures in Israel's science, arts, business, and—to a lesser degree—political and military arenas.

The school is one of the few in Israel to employ a five-day week (Sunday through Thursday), keeping facilities open on Fridays for self-study. In addition to the 25+ classrooms, facilities include two 200 seat lecture halls, fully-equipped physics and chemistry laboratories, a chamber-music auditorium, and a 600-seat theatre.

Over the years, the school has carried out several integration projects in response to accusations of social elitism. However, due to its semi-private status, Leyada's students still majorly come from middle- and upper-class families.

The current principal is Gilad Amir (class of 1970 ), who joined faculty in 1977 as a math teacher, and took the top position in 2003 from 35-year veteran Hannah Levita. Among the school's board of directors is Labor - Meimad party's Orna Angel, a 1980 Leyada graduate and currently a CEO of two major corporations.


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