ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated:
Ono Academic College in Kiryat Ono, close to Tel Aviv, announced Sunday that it is expanding its campus to spread over an area of 13 dunams, where academic campus facilities, student dormitories and offices will be built, according to a press release from the college. 

As part of the development, a major metropolitan boulevard will connect the campuses.

The venture, which will be done in collaboration between Tidhar Real Estate Group together with the Harel Finance Group, is estimated to cost more than NIS 750 million in total. The college emphasized the goal of creating a multicultural campus that will combine its ultra-Orthodox campus in Or Yehuda and the college's Ono’s Kiryat Ono campus, and is is expected to include dormitories, commercial areas and offices. 

CEO and Founder of Ono Academic College Ranan Hartman spoke of the importance of the new construction project, saying in a statement that “We are happy and excited to open the first multicultural campus in Israel that will unite all sectors and cultures and in fact, address the challenges of the State of Israel for decades to come. As part of this move, the ultra-Orthodox and general campuses will be merged into one campus; this is the first time an ultra-Orthodox campus will operate alongside a secular campus."

"We believe that the good news will emerge from academia on how to live side by side and formulate policies that will know how to deal with the different populations and empower them without impairing their lifestyles. The new and modern campus will combine the latest technologies and advanced teaching methods, and provide a study experience that has never been seen before in Israel,” Hartman added.

Gil Geva, Chairman of the Tidhar Group and the Board of Directors, noted the significance of the project for educating future generations in Israel, saying that “We are proud to build the new complex of Ono Academic College and create fertile ground for the education of the future generation of the State of Israel under the best conditions and at the highest level available.

"This is a unique transaction that we are leading from the stage of purchasing the land until the delivery of the academic complex, the completion of which is planned for the opening of the academic year in 2023,” he said.