The Mountain and the Hill presents a socio-historical access to one of the main cultural institutions of the Jewish Settlement and the State of Israel – The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The book analyzes the university's development from its founding in 1925 as a small academic institution, which began in the national Zionistic movement, until the early years of the 60'ies. The university was wise enough to engage, from its beginning, the Jewish communities worldwide in its activities. It set up a unique model of action, which was one of its most outstanding and fascinating features:  "scattered university". The book examines the key personalities' perception in the university's Zionistic vision – such as Haim Weizmann, Yehuda Leib Magnes, Albert Einstein, Berl Katznelson, Ben Gurion and Benjamin Mazar – and their activities in it.

The book starts with The Hebrew University's consolidation until the State of Israel's establishment and the both fast and forced detachment from Mount Scopus, its first campus's habitation. The Jewish Settlement opposed the university's elitism – its focus in research and the neglect of teaching as well as the professional training – whereas the university struggled to keep its institutional autonomy. After the founding of the State of Israel the university was demanded to, as defined by Ben Gurion, engage in "governmental" purposes. The book discusses, among other things, the Jerusalem academic elite's response to these claims; the methods of action taken by the university, to keep its current monopolistic status, in the face of intensions to establish an additional university in Tel-Aviv; the mobilization of the academics against Ben Gurion in the Lavon Affair; factors to establish the social status of an academic in society versus the pioneer's ideal and the university's place in construction of ethnic relations in Israel.

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