A prominent institution of higher learning located in Jerusalem with a student body of approximately 23,000 (2006). Hebrew University was formally opened on 1 April 1925, on Mount Scopus and remained there until the War of Independence (1948^49), when in 1948 it became an enclave in Jordanian-held territory. The main focus of university life then was transferred to a new campus at Givat Ram. After Israel recaptured the surrounding areas and restored the Mount Scopus campus to the university during the Six-Day War (1967), the university embarked on an ambitious scheme to dramatically increase its activities on the Mount Scopus campus. In 1981, Mount Scopus again became the main campus.
Hebrew University's Jewish National and University Library is the national library of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. It was founded as a world center for the preservation of the literature of Jewish thought and culture in 1892, and it has grown to become the world's largest collection of Judaica and Hebraica. Judah Magnes was instrumental in the creation of the university, serving as its first president. Chaim Weizmann, Albert Einstein, and Sigmund Freud were among the members of the first board of governors.
See also Education.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..