Jerusalem and sought to take preventive mea- Yavneh tempered their knowledge with their con- sures to avert the simultaneous destruction of temporary concerns and social commitments; . He approached the Roman general and both authors imbued their interpretations asked if he could relocate to Yavneh, where he with concerns about national fate and history. hoped a devastated Judaism might be healed by Alon emigrated from Berlin to Palestine in the the formation of a new culture that would replace 1920s. When he wrote his 1940s essay, Yavneh the Temple. The Roman general found the sug- seemed to epitomize two opposite tropes: The SHMA.COM gestion foolhardy and agreed without knowing first focused on the concentration camp where that his decision would give this defeated people Jews were slaughtered; the second alluded to a chance to create a spiritual center that was des- Palestine under the British Mandate, where, tined to outlive the victorious Roman Empire. though still impoverished, an increasing immi- In the 1940s, the talmudist Gedalyahu Alon gration harbored a hope of national resuscita- published a seminal paper in which he ques- tion. Xu Xin, on the other hand, lived through tioned the historical authenticity of this founding the turmoil of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, myth. He argued that Yavneh was a Roman in- whose dark shadow still lingers on the title of ternment camp for war prisoners where Yohanan his paper “On the Revolution in Yavneh.” His ben Zakkai was sent against his will. And then, interpretation of Yavneh is saturated by feelings about a decade ago, one of the trailblazers of for the innumerable Chinese intellectuals Chinese , Xu Xin, suggested that whose dignity was trampled and whose lives Yavneh represented a revolution not only be- were deprived during the revolution. cause it transformed Judaism but also because it I am of the mindset that teaching Jewish affirmed that Jewish identity was no longer an- studies in China contributes to cultivating a Tsameret Zohar is the - chored on race, geography, or political system, sophisticated perspective by seeking common Asia academic relations but on culture. Even more important, the revolu- ground while reserving differences between the manager of the Israeli Council tion was led by Yohanan ben Zakkai, a paragon two Jewish and Chinese civilizations. In culti- for Higher Education (CHE) of the Jewish intellectual. And so, Yavneh marks vating an open-minded approach to and respect where she oversees the an unprecedented shift wherein Jewish intellec- for the dissimilarities between these, I can help promotion of student exchange programs and joint research tuals became the communal leaders. my students to fully understand themselves and and academic collaborations Both interpreters of what happened at their own position in this global village. among Israel, China, and India. Prior to joining the CHE, she cofounded and managed Israel and China: Building Modern Bridges the largest Chinese language and culture school in Israel. Between Two Ancient Civilizations She lived in China for seven years, where she got her TSAMERET ZOHAR AND ALEX PEVZNER masters degree in international espite the obvious contrast in size and yields worldwide, and most of Israel’s drink- relations at Nankai University, seemingly different cultures, Israel and ing water is desalinated from seawater. China Tianjin. DChina have much in common, and they benefits from Israel’s expertise in sustainable Alex Pevzner is an independent have developed fruitful collaborations. Perhaps development. Israel has discovered several consultant in the area of most evident are academic exchanges, which large offshore gas deposits as well that can Chinese news media and build lasting bridges between the two peoples. meet some of China’s energy needs. social media. Pevzner regularly publishes articles on Israel Israel and China have complementary The biggest match, though, is in the field and China in the Chinese strengths. Known as the “start-up nation,” of education, where an innovative Israel serves media. He worked for several Israel excels in innovation and technological as a laboratory of ideas for China — the larg- years as a staff reporter for advances; China offers a huge market, strong est developing nation. Israel recently launched Dow Jones Newswires in manufacturing capabilities, and a highly a multilevel academic cooperation with China Taiwan, covering the economy, trained and diligent work force. Israeli exports and India that will not only help Israel to re- financial markets, and cross- strait ties. He assisted Michael to China, Israel’s third largest export desti- main relevant in the field of academic research, Oren, Ambassador of Israel nation, rose 6.5 percent in 2012 to $2.45 bil- but also help to create lasting relationships to the , in the lion, and the overall bilateral trade is close to with the two Asian giants. preparation of his book Six $8 billion annually. Beginning in 2012, the Israeli govern- Days of War: June 1967 and Israeli capacity is especially strong in ment has implemented a comprehensive and the Making of the Modern . He is fluent in areas where China’s needs are greatest: significant transformation of its academic ties Mandarin Chinese, Russian, food, water, and clean energy. For example, with China and India. The plan includes joint Hebrew, and English. Israel’s milking technology has improved research grants — between the Israel Science

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DEC13_shma_f.indd 8 11/26/13 3:06 PM Foundation (ISF) and its Chinese equivalent, the model for a modern university in China. National Natural Science Foundation of China has just signed a mem- (NSFC) — as well as several hundred scholar- orandum of understanding to cooperate in in- ships and fellowships for undergraduates and novative research and teaching with Tsinghua graduates. Though academic collaboration be- University in Beijing, dubbed China’s “MIT.” tween Israel and China has existed for years, the The two universities will co-establish a joint magnitude is new. Israel has even started teach- center (named XIN or “new” in Chinese) as ing Chinese in Israeli schools, with hundreds of an international hub for scientific and technical SHMA.COM children learning the language today. innovation. The center will advance interdisci- In addition to the governmental programs plinary research, spur creativity, and promote and funds, some Israeli academic institutions are independently advancing ties with China. The new institute will establish an innovation center that The latest example is the Technion-Israel connects Guangdong industries with Israel’s technological Institute of Technology, which recently an- nounced that it is establishing the Technion creativity, providing a presence for Israeli companies in Guangdong Institute of Technology, a joint China and nurturing the future leaders of the industry. venture with Shantou University in Guangdong Province in southern China. The funding, from activity in fields such as nanotechnology. An the Li Ka Shing Foundation, is one of the big- investment fund will also be established to gest gifts in the history of Israeli higher edu- seed ventures initiated by XIN Fellows. cation. But the significance of the move goes With numerous co-ventures between Israel beyond its financial value. For example, the and China, the most important outcome is that new institute will establish an innovation cen- hundreds, perhaps thousands, of outstanding ter that connects Guangdong industries with Chinese and Indian students will come to Israel Israel’s technological creativity, providing a to study or will be taught by Israeli faculty in presence for Israeli companies in China and China. These students, the future leaders and nurturing the future leaders of the industry. goodwill ambassadors, will, we hope, maintain Moreover, the Technion and Israel and its high regard for their Israeli alma mater and innovation-based economy are serving as a forge an affinity with Israel. Whither China? An Economic Perspective on Modern China HO-MOU WU odern China changed in 1978. In almost half of the total GDP of the United States order to overcome the state of eco- That extraordinary increase in output and in- Mnomic underdevelopment, the come over the past 35 years allowed China to Communist Party of China, under the leader- lift more than 500 million people out of pov- ship of Deng Xiaoping, launched a program erty.1 Today, China holds a foreign exchange of economic reform; the leadership decided it was time to open up to the world. As China China must promote the development of green energy, emerged from a centrally planned economy to reduce pollution, and address the corruption of its one governed by market forces, the country’s top officials. growth rates grew dramatically. With the larg- est export and import volume, China quickly reserve of 3.3 trillion U.S. dollars, which is became the second largest economy in the used mostly to purchase U.S. Treasury bonds world and the world’s largest trading country. and import resources such as iron, copper, and The transformative changes in China over the oil. China has also increased its export and im- Ho-Mou Wu is the Langrun past 35 years also greatly impacted the social port trade, now generating about 20 percent Chair Professor of Economics and cultural spheres. to 25 percent of the economic growth in the at the China Center for “China Miracle” is what the period of rapid world for the past five years. Economic Research at Peking University. growth was named. In 1978, China’s Gross According to the British economic histo-

Domestic Product (GDP) was worth 216 billion rian Angus Maddison, China’s was the largest 1 This is according to World Bank U.S. dollars. Today, it reaches 8.3 trillion — continued on next page statistics.

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