Ephraim Cohen-Reiss

Ephraim Cohen-Reiss was one of the pioneers of the education system in Mandatory Palestine. At the turn of the 20th century, he established the first Hebrew school system in Palestine and the Levant.

Biography

Ephraim Cohen-Reiss was born in Jerusalem. When he was 15, he was sent to school in Europe. From 1878–1887 he studied in the German Empire and England. When he returned to Palestine, he was commissioned to restructure the school system. Cohen-Reiss' vision was to create a more advanced curriculum with science and arts all taught in Hebrew. Cohen-Reiss worked with his friend Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the founder of modern Hebrew, to incorporate new Hebrew words into the system. Over the next 25 years, 27 schools had been founded under his plan, and by 1912 the language of Palestine was Hebrew.

The Cohen-Reiss Prize at King David High School in Vancouver was named after him.