Israel Institute Research Articles

The challenge of diversity in teacher education institutions in Israel: Students’ sense of relatedness and perceptions regarding being a minority or majority.

The challenge of diversity in teacher education institutions in Israel: Students’ sense of relatedness and perceptions regarding being a minority or majority.

The degree of implementing total quality management (TQM) standards in Arab minority higher education institutions in Israel

The purpose of this article is to identify the degree of implementing TQM standards in the Arab Minority Higher education institutions in Israel as perceived by lecturers and administrators. The article also aimed at identifying the impact of gender, education, job title, job position, years of experience, and in which faculty members and administrators applying TQM standards. Results revealed that Arab higher education need more involvement and decentralization in decision making. The Arab higher institutions need to rely on scientific mechanisms to check efficiency of the lecturer's staff on both scientific and professional levels. Also, there were significant differences that were attributed to the effect of the variables of gender, job position, and specialization, while there were not any significant differences that can be attributed to the effect of education, job title, and years of experience.

Labor market facing higher education surplus, trends and solutions (the case study of Israel)

Annotation: Since the 1990s, the government has increased outputs from higher education institutions in Israel, by increasing public funding for these institutions. The policy of increasing output was based on an approach according to which more accessible higher academic education is the key to growth on individual and national levels and narrowing gaps between weak and stronger populations. Added to these national steps, was the introduction of the information revolution and accelerated technological advancements that changed the structure of focus of the employment market in Israel and around the world. These processes even underwent a more aggressive tendentious change after the wave of global quarantines caused by the Corona pandemic. Hence, a negative educational-employment trend started which made education redundant. This article will examine the phenomenon in Israel, looking at what is happening around the world and the author’s proposals for feasible solutions.

Preservice kindergarten teachers’ distance teaching practices during the COVID-19 lockdown period

ABSTRACT This study examined the distance teaching practices that early childhood preservice teachers chose for working with kindergarten students during the COVID-19 lockdown. The study involved 32 female preservice teachers studying at teacher training institutions in Israel. The study used the qualitative research method. The data analysis revealed that preservice teachers could be divided into three categories: (a) those who adopted distance teaching (12.5%), (b) those who sent asynchronous messages (21.8%), (c) and those who initiated activities distance teaching (65.6%). Participants raised three issues: (a) communication and interactions, (b) characteristics of the preservice teachers, and (c) attitudes, tools, and technological skills of the preservice teachers. The findings revealed differences in the resilience and efficacy of the preservice teachers, including creativity, endurance, independence, flexibility, and the degree of e-readiness for teaching in a digital environment. These differences affected the choice of distance teaching practices. Imparting knowledge, tools, and skills for working in this environment could have led to more significant teaching during the COVID-19 lockdown period by some of the participants in the study.

Society Awards 2021.

Society Awards 2021.

Radical conservatism and circumstantial multiculturalism: Jews, Christians and Muslims in a French Catholic School in Israel

ABSTRACT The French Saint-Joseph school in Jaffa is one of the few educational institutions in Israel that have survived, since 1882, three political regimes without relinquishing pedagogical or managerial autonomy. This article examines the emergence of circumstantial multiculturalism in the midst of radical political changes in a colonial-international school. Since 1948, the school has been founded on three constitutive contradictions: a Catholic school with a majority of Muslim and Jewish students; a French school whose vast majority of pupils are not native French speakers; and a colonial school designed to serve the French metropole and the interests of the Catholic Church, but which has been catering for the changing local elites. We show how the school produces a conservative pedagogical space that preserves religious and cultural recognition through a policy of de-politicization. The combination of pedagogical conservatism and pragmatic institutional pluralism posits a radical educational alternative to Israel’s public-school system and a political alternative to multicultural policy.

China’s media strategy towards Israel

ABSTRACT This article examines China’s media strategy and activities towards Israel, underscoring its recent increase in intensity. By way of doing so, the article explores Beijing’s use of journalism and other Israeli media outlets on the one hand, and the employment of direct Chinese soft power tools, from China Radio International (CRI), to the establishment of Chinese institutes in Israel, to public and media activities of Israel-based Chinese diplomats.

Adjustment of Israeli undergraduate students to emergency remote learning during COVID-19: a mixed methods examination

ABSTRACT Using a mixed method approach, the study examined the emotional and academic adjustment to higher education amongst undergraduate students, in light of the Spring, 2020 COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The undergraduate students’ social, emotional, institutional and academic adjustment, during the COVID-19 outbreak pandemic was compared with a database of undergraduates examined before the pandemic, which served as a control group. Four hundred and twenty-three undergraduates from 30 academic institutions in Israel participated in the study: 226 before COVID-19 and 197 undergraduates examined during the Spring, 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. The results indicated that undergraduate students during the Spring, 2020 pandemic had significantly lower academic, social, emotional and institutional adjustment compared with controls tested before the pandemic. In the COVID-19 sample, higher self-perception of satisfaction with life predicted better adjustment. Emotional stress as well as financial burden reported by undergraduates were associated with lower adjustment. Qualitative analysis revealed that social isolation was considered the most disturbing factor. Findings showed that there is a need to support students’ social, emotional and academic concerns during COVID-19 and also highlighted the role of instructors’ and support staff in particular.

Epistemology of surveillance: Revealing unmarked forms of discipline and punishment in Israeli academia.

This paper analyzes the unmarked forms of discipline and punishment employed against Palestinian researchers in Israeli academia, attempting to decolonize it through critical knowledge production. Based on interviews with 15 researchers from a cross-section of academic institutions in Israel, the paper identifies subtle mechanisms of discipline and punishment, directed toward normalizing the epistemology of the colonized. The findings suggest that the gatekeepers of Israeli academia not only seek to maintain the existing racial hierarchy between Israeli and Palestinian researchers but also seek to "eliminate" the indigenous epistemology of the latter through mechanisms of hidden surveillance, used to control them as colonized subjects unable to challenge the Zionist ideology that is an essential aspect of Israeli academia. The current paper aims to unpack these invisible mechanisms of surveillance, which are part of a broader colonial apparatus aiming to maintain not only territorial sovereignty but also epistemologic sovereignty.

Особенности развития медицинского туризма в Турции

Турецкие медицинские клиники на рынке медицинского туризма добились в последнее время значительных успехов благодаря многим факторам и, прежде всего, хорошей базе – оздоровительному туризму, в частности, термальным СПА-курортам и грязевым ваннам. На государственном уровне в лице Департамента по медицинскому туризму разрабатываются проекты по привлечению иностранных пациентов: добровольная международная аккредитация, регулируемая ценовая политика и работа по росту профессионализма турецких врачей путем стажировок в США, Германии, Израиле и др. 
 На рынке медицинского туризма активно работают как государственные учреждения, так и частные. Крупные медицинские центры расположены в Анкаре, Измире и Стамбуле. Турецкие власти не хотят останавливаться на достигнутых результатах и намереваются в ближайшие годы выйти на уровень – 1 миллион человек в год.

Before | After: Thresholds Roundtable: The History and Legacy of Thresholds Journal

Before | After: Thresholds Roundtable: The History and Legacy of <i>Thresholds</i> Journal

New Books across the Disciplines

New Books across the Disciplines

The evolution of Asian studies in Israel

Asian studies in Israeli institutions of higher education are a relatively new field of study and research. The late start in launching Asian studies in Israel has many reasons. The first has to do with perception. Geographically, Israel is a part of the Asian continent, lying as it were on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and it has often been referred to Western Asia, but Israel does not consider its culture and civilisation or religion as part of the great traditions of East and Southeast Asia. Today, Israel and East and Southeast Asia have much to offer each other.

Implementation of a triage monitoring program for internal exposure to short-lived radionuclides in Israel—challenges and recommendations

Monitoring internal exposure to short-lived radionuclides is challenging, due to the frequent measurements required. ISO Standard 16 637 and the Swiss Personal Dosimetry Ordinance describe a screening measurement (triage monitoring) conducted in the workplace to identify workers suspected of internal exposure. Based on a previous study that examined the feasibility of using several commonly found radiation monitors in Israel in a triage monitoring program, we conducted a pilot study towards the implementation of triage monitoring in nuclear medicine facilities in Israel. The pilot study was conducted while considering the current Israeli regulations and local safety culture. We implemented the triage monitoring program in three nuclear medicine facilities in Israel, with a total of 55 monitored workers. The pilot study consisted of two stages: a short-term stage conducted in the largest manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals in Israel and a long-term stage in two nuclear medicine departments in Israel. During the first stage of the study, participants were asked to conduct a daily measurement at the end of the workday and send a urine sample to the national internal dosimetry laboratory. The second stage lasted 5 months in a major hospital and 18 months in a regional hospital. The workers were asked to perform the measurement at the end of the shift and send a urine sample if a defined threshold had been crossed. The mean participation rate in the long-term stage (>70%) indicates that implementation of the triage monitoring program could be successful in Israel. Based on the findings of the study, practical recommendations are listed: suitable monitoring devices, allocating a monitoring location, time of measurement, training of the workers, record keeping and coordination with a certified dosimetry laboratory. The pilot study recommendations were submitted to the Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services.

In-Line Monitoring of Downstream Purification Processes for VSV Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Using a Novel Technique.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) increases the need for a rapid development of efficient vaccines. Among other vaccines in clinical trials, a recombinant VSV-∆G-spike vaccine was developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) and is being evaluated. The development of an efficient downstream purification process (DSP) enables the vaccine to be advanced to clinical trials. The DSP must eliminate impurities, either process- or product-related, to yield a sufficient product with high purity, potency and quality. To acquire critical information on process restrictions and qualities, the application of in-line monitoring is vital and should significantly impact the process yield, product quality and economy of the entire process. Here, we describe an in-line monitoring technique that was applied in the DSP of the VSV-∆G-spike vaccine. The technique is based on determining the concentrations of metabolites, nutrients and a host cell protein using the automatic chemistry analyzer, Cobas Integra 400 Plus. The analysis revealed critical information on process parameters and significantly impacted purification processes. The technique is rapid, easy and efficient. Adopting this technique during the purification process improves the process yield and the product quality and enhances the economy of the entire downstream process for biotechnology and bio pharmaceutical products.

Age and Ageing During the COVID-19 Pandemic; Challenges to Public Health and to the Health of the Public.

The distribution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has reached pandemic proportions. While COVID-19 can affect anyone, it is particularly hazardous for those with “co-morbidities.” Older age is an especially strong and independent risk factor for hospital and ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and death. Health systems must protect persons at any age while paying particular attention to those with risk factors. However, essential freedoms must be respected and social/psychological needs met for those shielded. The example of the older population in Israel may provide interesting public health lessons. Relatively speaking, Israel is a demographically young country, with only 11.5% of its population 65 years and older as compared with the OECD average of >17%. As well, a lower proportion of older persons is in long-term institutions in Israel than in most other OECD countries. The initiation of a national program to protect older residents of nursing homes and more latterly, a successful vaccine program has resulted in relatively low rates of serious COVID-19 related disease and mortality in Israel. However, the global situation remains unstable and the older population remains at risk. The rollout of efficacious vaccines is in progress but it will probably take years to cover the world's population, especially those living in low- and middle-income countries. Every effort must be made not to leave these poorer countries behind. Marrying the principles of public health (care of the population) with those of geriatric medicine (care of the older individual) offers the best way forward.

Minimally Invasive Surgery in High-Grade Endometrial Carcinoma and Risk for Local Recurrence: An Israeli Gynecology Oncology Group Study

<h3>Study Objective</h3> To compare oncological outcomes of women with high-grade endometrial carcinoma (HGEC) who underwent surgery by minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus laparotomy. <h3>Design</h3> A retrospective cohort study. <h3>Setting</h3> Academic multi-center. <h3>Patients or Participants</h3> Consecutive women with HGEC cancer treated at 11 Israeli institutions between 2002 and 2017 were accrued in an assimilated database with a median follow-up of 52 months (range 12-120 months). Women with HGEC were stratified into two groups by route of surgery; MIS vs. laparotomy by an intention to treat. Clinical, pathological and outcome data were compared. <h3>Interventions</h3> MIS and laparotomy. <h3>Measurements and Main Results</h3> Six hundred and seventy-eight women met the inclusion criteria: 160 underwent MIS and 518 laparotomy. The two groups were comparable in demographic and clinical characteristics. Local recurrence was more common in the MIS group, Odds Ratio (OR) 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.80 (1.80-4.36). Disease progression rates were comparable (p=0.537). In a multivariable analysis, including age, comorbidities, disease stage, CA-125 and lymph-vascular space invasion, MIS was not associated with an increased risk for either overall recurrence rate, disease progression, or overall survival. Independent risk factors for local recurrence were diabetes, stage III-IV, LVSI and MIS, adjusted OR 95% CI 3.30 (1.69-6.48). <h3>Conclusion</h3> In women with HGEC, MIS is associated with higher rates of local recurrence as compared to laparotomy.

Minimally Invasive Surgery in Advanced Endometrial Carcinoma Is Associated with an Increased Risk for Local Recurrence

<h3>Study Objective</h3> To compare oncological outcomes of women with stage II -IIIc endometrial cancer (EC) who underwent minimally invasive surgery (MIS) versus laparotomy. <h3>Design</h3> A retrospective cohort study. <h3>Setting</h3> Academic multi-center. <h3>Patients or Participants</h3> Consecutive women with EC treated at 11 Israeli institutions between 2002 and 2017 were recorded in an assimilated database with a median follow-up of 52 months (range 12-120 months). Women with stage II -IIIc were stratified into groups by intentional route of surgery; MIS vs. laparotomy. Clinical, pathological and outcome data were compared. <h3>Interventions</h3> MIS and laparotomy. <h3>Measurements and Main Results</h3> Three hundred and four women met criteria: 200 underwent laparotomy and 104 MIS. Women in the MIS group were younger, had lower rate of diabetes and lower CA-125 level. Women who underwent laparotomy had higher grade EC and more advanced stage disease; Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.34 (0.21-0.56) and 0.56 (0.34-0.92), respectively. Brachytherapy rate was comparable between groups (p=0.715). In a multivariable analysis, including age, comorbidities, disease stage, tumor grade and lymph-vascular space invasion, MIS was not associated with an increased risk for recurrence, progression or decreased overall survival. However, patients operated by MIS had higher risk to recur locally (vaginal cuff or pelvic) (26.9% vs. 16.5%, p=0.032, OR, 1.86, 95% CI 1.05-3.30). MIS was the only independent factor associated with local recurrence, adjusted OR, 2.09, 95% CI 1.12-3.90. <h3>Conclusion</h3> In women with stage II-IIIc EC, MIS was associated with an increased risk for local recurrence compared to laparotomy.

Highly Efficient Purification of Recombinant VSV-∆G-Spike Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 by Flow-Through Chromatography.

This study reports a highly efficient, rapid one-step purification process for the production of the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based vaccine, rVSV-∆G-spike (rVSV-S), recently developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) for the prevention of COVID-19. Several purification strategies are evaluated using a variety of chromatography methods, including membrane adsorbers and packed-bed ion-exchange chromatography. Cell harvest is initially treated with endonuclease, clarified, and further concentrated by ultrafiltration before chromatography purification. The use of anion-exchange chromatography in all forms results in strong binding of the virus to the media, necessitating a high salt concentration for elution. The large virus and spike protein binds very strongly to the high surface area of the membrane adsorbents, resulting in poor virus recovery (<15%), while the use of packed-bed chromatography, where the surface area is smaller, achieves better recovery (up to 33%). Finally, a highly efficient chromatography purification process with CaptoTM Core 700 resin, which does not require binding and the elution of the virus, is described. rVSV-S cannot enter the inner pores of the resin and is collected in the flow-through eluent. Purification of the rVSV-S virus with CaptoTM Core 700 resulted in viral infectivity above 85% for this step, with the efficient removal of host cell proteins, consistent with regulatory requirements. Similar results were obtained without an initial ultrafiltration step.

Preparing Student Teachers to Teach with Technology: Case Studies in Finland and Israel

This quantitative study examines the training of student teachers for ICT-based teaching in two teacher education institution, in Israel and Finland. The data was collected in 2015-2017 using a questionnaire administered to 41 Finnish and 44 Israeli student teachers. The results show that most student teachers had practice in ICT-based teaching. However, about a third of student teachers in both institutions practiced only two times or less using ICT. Those who practiced mostly used a teacher-centred approach as did their college and school mentor teachers who integrated ICT in their lessons. The variable describing competency in ICT-based teaching correlated with student teachers' attitudes, the number of ICT-based lessons they taught, modelling by the school mentor teacher, and the various schools’ infrastructures and support. The results show that students in Israeli institutions are better prepared to teach with ICT which can be explained by the impact of the latest national reforms. We conclude that students' perception of their TPACK is the function of a variety of factors: on a personal level (attitudes towards the contribution of ICT to teaching and learning); on an institutional level (curriculum, modelling by faculty, institutional strategies); on a field practice school level (modelling by school mentors, infrastructure, pedagogical, technological, and administrative support); and on a national level (reforms and their implementation models). All these factors must be considered to promote the pedagogically innovative integration of ICT in teacher training and the overall education system. The best strategy to achieve this goal is to support collaboration between TEIs and schools on the national level. Wide-scale implementation of ICT in teaching demands significant investments in infrastructure and training. Hence much of its success depends on the national vision and priorities given to this purpose.