In the winter of 1920 during the days of the British Mandate in Israel, the director of health in the mandate authorities approached the president of the "International Society of Pharmacists in Jerusalem" to establish a high-level government program for pharmacy studies. In his letter, the health director was interested in the number of students who would be interested in the new prestigious course, and how much they would be able to pay for it. About half a year later, an attempt began under the leadership of the pharmacist Yitzhak Yelin to establish the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University.
The vision becomes a reality: the establishment of the Beit Hasmar for Pharmacy at the Hebrew University.
While the new country is gaining momentum, there is an urgent need for pharmacists. In 1950, a dedicated committee recommended the immediate establishment of the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University to train students for first, second, and third degrees. The establishment budget of $574,000 was made possible by the generous donation of pharmacist Charles Crown, vice president of the College of Pharmacy in the USA.
Three years later, in 1953, the school of pharmacy was opened under the management of Magar Akiva Kosbina and the first cohort consisted of 10 students. At the end of the studies, which included a thesis during the fourth academic year, the students were awarded a master's degree in pharmacy (Magister Pharmacia).
The school building - from the Russian Lot to Hadassah Ein Kerem
At the beginning of its journey, the school of pharmacy was located temporarily in the Russian lot, in a building that was used as a maternity hospital during the British Mandate. In 1964, the foundation stone was laid for the future and permanent home of the school in Hadassah Ein Kerem, next to the Faculty of Dentistry. In 1972, a new four-story building was inaugurated, where the school is still located today.