cover 2006

8 BGU NOW
The preeminent Israeli actress Orna Porat left her
native Germany after World War II to tie her fate
with that of the Jewish people and immigrate to
Israel. She was recognized for her role as one of
the first members of the Cameri Theater Ensemble
who has garnered accolades both in Israel and
abroad and numerous prizes, including the Israel
Prize for Theater in 1979. She was commended for
her efforts to bring theater to Israeli children through
the establishment of the Orna Porat Theater for
Children and Youth, which has helped cultivate a
young audience of theater lovers.
Prof. A. Michael Spence of the United States,
Nobel Prize laureate in Economic Sciences for 2001,
was acknowledged as a theoretician whose
innovative ideas and contribution to general
equilibrium theory revolutionized the way of thinking
of his colleagues and enabled an understanding of
economic processes. He is a dedicated, awardwinning
academician who has filled key roles in the
academic world, leading the Graduate Business
Schools at Harvard and Stanford to new heights.
The Spitzer-Salant Building for the Department
of Social Work was dedicated in the presence of
Kathleen Spitzer and her daughter Samara Spitzer,
respectively daughter-in-law and granddaughter of
Charlotte and the late Jack Spitzer of Seattle,
together with Rubin Salant and his daughter Robin
from Florida. On the same occasion, the Spitzer
Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Social Welfare
in the Negev was awarded to the staff of the
Department of Social Services of the Gaza Coast
Area Local Council. The Prize in Memory of Franny
Ackerman – who as one of its founding members
introduced the elder Spitzers to the Department –
was presented to third-year student Orli Katzir
From right: Samara Spitzer, Prof. Avishay Braverman, Prof. Alean Al-Krenawi, Chairman of
the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Department of Social Work, and Kathleen Spitzer at the dedication
ceremony of the Spitzer-Salant Building for the Department of Social Work
for excellence in her studies in the presence of the
Ackerman family.
Zvi and Ricki Alon, Eric and Illeana Benhamou,
Dr. Harry and Carol Saal and Arlene and Steve
Krieger, all of the Northwest Region of the USA,
were present to dedicate the Alon Building for Hi-
Tech, which incorporates the Benhamou Technology
Hall, the Benhamou Incubation Center, the Harry
and Carol Saal Auditorium, the Henry and Anita
Weiss Family Floor, the Rubenstein Family Laboratory
and the Arlene and Steve Krieger Laboratory. The
impressive state-of-the-art building will facilitate
research in hi-tech and enable Ben-Gurion University
to spearhead innovations in this field.