The Shalem Center in Jerusalem announced today that it has received a $12.5 million challenge grant from the Tikvah Fund to help establish Israel’s first liberal arts college. The grant, intended to galvanize other major philanthropists to support the launching of Shalem College, provides a one-to-one match for gifts that are received during the college’s first four years. Shalem’s application for accreditation from Israel’s Council for Higher Education is pending, and it is anticipated that the college will open in fall 2012.