Rhodes lead to Oxford for two Israeli scholars
THE RHODES scholarship — an international postgraduate award to study at Oxford — has been extended to Israel for the first time in its 113-year history.
To celebrate the announcement, Lord Mendelsohn hosted a reception of current Rhodes scholars at the House of Lords which was also attended by Lord Polak, Lord Wasserman and Bob Rae, the former leader of Canada’s Liberal Party.
Computer scientist Nadav Lidor and anthropologist Maayan Roichman, both from Tel Aviv, became Israel’s first-ever Rhodes scholars in 2016, and will start at Oxford in October.
Lord Mendelsohn said: “The introduction of Israel into the Rhodes programme is a fantastic acknowledgement of the significance of Israel in the global university world and its contribution to science and technology.
“We hope for a rapid expansion in the numbers of Israeli students who can participate.”
The scholarship, named for mining magnate Cecil Rhodes, initially took students from the Commonwealth and the United States, but has extended to include the UAE and other Middle East countries.
Mr Lidor told the JC that he saw the scholarship as “an incredible opportunity to both gain a world-class education — in my case, delving deeper in into the field of artificial intelligence — as well as joining a unique community of scholars with a passion to make a positive impact on the world.” Nadav Lidor and Maayan Roichman