The cornerstone of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (VLJI) was laid in 1957, reflecting Polly Van Leer's vision of a place where individuals could aspire towards a better world. She foresaw the Institute as a home for interdisciplinary, scholarly research related to philosophy, society, culture and education, while its fellows would take an active lead in generating the social change proposed in their studies and analyses. With a vision for a better world, grounded in a basic belief that the Jewish people in the State of Israel were meant to assume a prominent role in realizing such a vision, the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute has become widely acknowledged as a center of excellence and intellectual research, and as a civic organization with a strong public action and community orientation. The Institute gives expression to the wide range of opinions in Israel, and takes particular pride in its role as an incubator and creative home for many of the most important civil society efforts to enhance and deepen Israeli democracy. This represents the Van Leer vision of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people and a democratic society, predicated on justice, fairness and equality for all its residents.