I am a bit nervous meeting the school’s famous founder, in whose honour the university has been recently renamed.

Reichman, trim and fit at 79, greets me warmly, immediately putting me at ease, and proceeds to take me on a walking tour of the campus.

We visit the Raphael Recanati Avenue of Flags, 60 flagpoles in front of the International School, bearing the flags representing the home countries of students from the international programme; the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship Building; the Sammy Ofer School of Communications, which contains radio and TV studios; and the impressive residential buildings.

School is not in session, but we occasionally see students in some of the buildings. When they see Prof Reichman, they instantly greet him, and he engages with them, asking them what they are studying and how their work is progressing.

For Prof Reichman — whose brother Gad was killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War — the campus tour is somewhat akin to a parent proudly displaying the achievements of his child.

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