Shevah Mofet (; ), also transliterated Shevach Moffet, is a junior and high school on HaMasger Street in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was established in 1942 as a vocational school. Since the 1990s, new programs were inaugurated to meet the needs of the Russian immigrant population in Israel.
History
20th century
The school was originally called Shevah, named after a British World War II pilot, who was the uncle of one of the founders of the school. Founded in 1942, it was the second Hebrew high school in Tel Aviv, after Gymnasia Herzliya. It was founded on the ruins of the Mount Hope farm, founded by Clorinda S. Minor and others. The buildings are designed by the architect Genia Averbuch.
Shevah was initially a vocational school teaching trades such as cabinet making, electricity, mechanics and sheet metal works. As the demand for such schools declined, it became an academic high school.
In the 1990s, with the onset of mass immigration from the former Soviet Union, Shevah introduced a new educational approach to help Russian youngsters from falling behind due to the language barrier. Intensive Hebrew language classes were organized based on proficiency in Hebrew rather than age, and a program for parents was developed that included Hebrew language studies, Jewish history, and culture. several students won medals on the International Mathematical Olympiad including the gold medal by Lev Buhovsky in 1996 and several silver and bronze medals on the Asian and the International Physics Olympiads.
Shevah Mofet has attracted many Russian visitors, notable figures such as Sergei Brin, one of the creators of Google, and Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet president.
21st century
right|thumb|Dolphinarium massacre memorial in Shevach Mofet school
On June 1, 2001, an Arab suicide bomber killed 21 Israeli teenagers in the Dolphinarium discotheque massacre. Seven of the victims were from the Shevah Mofet high school, with more injured. The bombing created an international outrage, but also caused many Jewish communities worldwide to donate money to Shevah Mofet. This helped improve the financial situation of the school and create a new library and cafeteria.
In November 2002, it was discovered that the school cafeteria served expired, or otherwise bad food products. It created a citywide scandal, where the media (newspapers such as Yedioth Ahronoth and Maariv) were involved, as well as the health ministry. Despite this, the cafeteria was still operating and employing the same workers in a repeat check-up in August 2003.
Organization
For many years, Shevah Mofet was a six-year school organized into a junior-high school (grades 7–9), and a secondary school (grades 10–12). In 2007–08 however, a new organization was introduced, and the school was split into three, two-grade sub-sections.
The secondary school has five departments, each focusing on a specific subject. In order of introduction, they are computers, business administration, robotics, electronics, and Biotechnology. Each department has one class, for a total of five classes per year.
Notable alumni
- Artem Dolgopyat (born 1997), Israeli artistic gymnast (2020 Summer Olympics gold medalist)
See also
- Education in Israel