Dr. Yohanan Elihai - Haifa University


On June 4, 2008, in the auditorium of Haifa University, in a moving ceremony, seven prominent personalities received honorary doctorates from the President and Rector of the University. Among them was our very own Brother Yohanan.

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Yohanan receiving the doctorate

The ceremony was introduced under the title of "From the Shoah to the Birth of the State of Israel". Wladyslaw Bartoszewski (former Polish Foreign Minister and Righteous Gentile), Carolyn Baum (Professor of Occupational Therapy), Marinus van IJzendoorn (Professor of Child Development), Itzhak Hoffi (former head of the Mossad), Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Firer (ultra-Orthodox director of a health service) and June Walker (prominent Jewish American philanthropist and educator) all received honorary doctorates alongside Brother Yohanan. The ceremony was very dignified as each person was called to the stage with someone to introduce them. After the doctoral citation was read out, each recipient said a few words. A radiant Yohanan simply said: "Thank you" in Hebrew and Arabic.

The doctorate recepients gathered on the stage
The doctorate recepients on the stage

As Yohanan was called to the stage, images from his life were projected onto a large screen. The first image showed Yohanan as a small boy and others showed him at work and at rest. Inserted among the images was one of Pope John Paul II's visit to the Rome Synagogue. As Yohanan walked to the stage, the mistress of ceremonies explained that Yohanan was "a devout Catholic", "a member of a small congregation, the Little Brothers" and that he had made his life in Israel. Yohanan was introduced by Prof. Arieh Levin from Hebrew University, a world renowned linguist. The ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem "HaTikvah".

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Yohanan at the dinner table

The ceremony was preceded by a sumptious dinner. Gathered around Yohanan at the dinner were a group of about 40 friends, among them about 30 from the different Hebrew-speaking communities. Representatives were there from all the communities, Jerusalem (the largest group), Haifa, Beer Sheba and Tel Aviv-Jaffa. In Yiddish there is an expression, "to schepp naches" meaning to derive great pride from someone. That expression certainly applies to those gathered around Yohanan.

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Yohanan after the ceremony with friends

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The text of the citation on the doctorate reads: "in recognition of his persona characterized by love of mankind, the Jewish people and the Land of Israel; and in esteem of his rare scientific-lexicographic life's work - research into Arab dialects of the Land of Israel and for his contribution to the study of Arabic and coexistence."

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Yohanan we are very proud of you

Below we publish the pages from the booklet of the ceremony that refer to Yohanan.

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