On April 25, 2025, Professor Motti Golani passed away in a tragic accident when a tree collapsed on him during an outing at Nahal HaShofet in the Galilee. His loss is deeply felt throughout the Mandel community. At the time of his passing, Professor Golani was at the height of a distinguished career – as a scholar, mentor and educator. As a faculty member of the Mandel Foundation–Israel, he led the development of historical thinking and memory studies as foundations for understanding Israeli society and cultivating leadership.
Professor Golani was also a leading historian, biographer and Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University. His research focused on the history of early Zionism and the State of Israel, especially questions of morality, memory, and politics. He was a renowned expert on the British Mandate period and Zionist-British relations, and founded the Israeli Inter-University Mandate Researchers’ Forum. His work changed the way the Mandate era is understood in research and public discourse. Together with Professor Jehuda Reinharz, president and CEO of the Mandel Foundation, Professor Golani received the 2023 President and Prime Minister’s Prize for their comprehensive biography of Chaim Weizmann.
On July 21, 2025, the Mandel Foundation–Israel hosted a memorial evening attended by fellows, graduates, faculty, and members of Professor Golani's family. The event featured tributes from close friends and colleagues, among them Professor Jehuda Reinharz, Dr. Miriam Szamet, Professor Ayman Agbaria, and Professor Amir Goldstein. The program also included a musical and literary tribute by actress and director Asnat Zibil, a cousin of Professor Golani, and musician Nathan Salor, a grandson of noted Israeli poet Nathan Alterman.
Reflecting on Professor Golani's influence, Professor Reinharz described him as "someone who broadened the boundaries of academic discourse about the history of Israel, the Mandate period, and Zionism in a manner that did not alienate but allowed people to listen. He did not take things for granted, but also did not shatter myths for its own sake." He added, "the tremendous strength that Motti brought to Mandel, to his fellows and to the faculty, will be sorely missed by all of us. He was attentive, knowledgeable, open, and full of insight – a person of wisdom and joie de vivre. A man of integrity, truth, and courage. A person of rare virtue, the likes of which are few."
The evening included five parallel workshops. Led by Mandel faculty members and graduates who had worked and studied with Professor Golani, the workshops explored the necessity of complexity, peace in times of war, historians as responsible storytellers, the question of whether history repeats itself, and the intersection of spirituality and leadership.
The gathering concluded with the presentation of a commemorative book to the Golani family – a collection of personal tributes from friends, colleagues and students who knew Professor Golani simply as “Motti,” as he always insisted everyone call him. The memories compiled in the book paint a portrait of a brilliant scholar, beloved teacher, devoted educator, and a kind, humble, and generous friend.
