AFHU News Winter 2023
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<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS<br />
Vol. 31 / <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
KNOWLEDGE<br />
MOVES<br />
US
PAGE 2<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 3<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> National Leadership<br />
Letter from Leadership<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
Pamela Nadler Emmerich<br />
CHAIR OF THE BOARD<br />
Clive Kabatznik<br />
VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD<br />
Richard S. Ziman<br />
VICE PRESIDENTS<br />
Kenneth L. Stein<br />
Ronald M. Zimmerman<br />
HONORARY PRESIDENTS<br />
Stanley M. Bogen<br />
Clive Kabatznik<br />
Marc O. Mayer<br />
George A. Schieren<br />
Daniel I. Schlessinger<br />
Ira Lee Sorkin<br />
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN CHAIR<br />
TREASURER<br />
Joshua M. Olshin<br />
ASSISTANT TREASURER<br />
Michael S. Kurtz<br />
HONORARY VICE<br />
PRESIDENTS<br />
Ernest Bogen<br />
Rita Bogen<br />
Michael G. Jesselson<br />
Herbert L. Sachs<br />
Charles A. Stillman<br />
Stanley R. Zax<br />
SECRETARY<br />
I. Steven Edelson<br />
ASSISTANT SECRETARY<br />
Richard D. Weinberg<br />
HONORARY DIRECTORS<br />
Alan Fiske<br />
Charles H. Goodman<br />
Brindell Gottlieb {z”l)<br />
Brad Karp<br />
Ellen Klersfeld Hechtman<br />
Steve Rubinow<br />
Lynne Silbert<br />
Robert Snyder<br />
Marla Lerner Tanenbaum<br />
Mark Vidergauz<br />
HONORARY CHAIRS<br />
OF THE BOARD<br />
Stanley M. Bogen<br />
Michael S. Kurtz<br />
Marc O. Mayer<br />
George A. Schieren<br />
Daniel I. Schlessinger<br />
Ira Lee Sorkin<br />
On October 7, <strong>2023</strong>, a Sabbath morning on<br />
Simchat Torah, our world changed as a brutal<br />
attack by the Hamas terror organization<br />
rocked Israel.<br />
The attack has left our community grappling<br />
with unimaginable tragedy. This horrific<br />
massacre and capture of innocent civilians<br />
are unprecedented acts of terror. The<br />
victims include children, Holocaust survivors,<br />
families, teachers, senior citizens, community<br />
leaders, soldiers, and ordinary citizens - each<br />
with their own stories, each with their own<br />
heartbreak.<br />
Everything has changed since we published<br />
the last edition of <strong>AFHU</strong> <strong>News</strong> in May. Today,<br />
the Hebrew University’s campuses should be<br />
filled with eager young students embarking<br />
on a new school year. Professors should be<br />
in classrooms and researchers should be in<br />
their labs. Instead, thousands have answered<br />
the call to defend Israel in one of her darkest<br />
hours.<br />
At a time like this, it can be difficult to recall<br />
the happy times that came before, and<br />
even more difficult to dream of happier times<br />
ahead. Yet we do remember, we must dream,<br />
and we look forward to better days.<br />
have not already made a gift, I urge you to do<br />
so today. Other content in this issue reminds<br />
us of happier moments and of the generosity<br />
and importance of donors like John Paulson,<br />
Mortimer B. Zuckerman, and others whose<br />
transformative gifts ensure that the Hebrew<br />
University and Israel will thrive well beyond<br />
these troubled times.<br />
Thank you for your support of the Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem and your commitment<br />
to the State of Israel. Together, we will build<br />
a brighter future and a better tomorrow.<br />
With best wishes,<br />
Joshua W. Rednik<br />
Chief Executive Officer<br />
James Matanky<br />
On page 5, you will find information on We<br />
Are One, the emergency fund established<br />
to support those at the Hebrew University<br />
affected by the war and its aftermath. If you
PAGE 4<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 5<br />
3<br />
6<br />
8<br />
LETTER FROM<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
PAULSON FAMILY<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
DAVID CHESNOFF<br />
10<br />
20<br />
26<br />
SPOTLIGHTS<br />
NEWS & UPDATES<br />
EVENT RECAPS<br />
CONTENTS
PAGE 6<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 7<br />
The Paulson Family Foundation<br />
Donates $27 Million for Hebrew<br />
University School of Computer<br />
Science and Engineering Building<br />
thus expanding and upgrading the school’s<br />
learning spaces and research laboratories.<br />
The new building will feature state-of-the-art<br />
education facilities including approximately 75,300<br />
sq ft. (7,000 m2) of special laboratories, teaching<br />
rooms, office space, and computer stations in the<br />
labs and open areas.<br />
“Over the last decade, we have increased<br />
threefold the number of students at the School<br />
of Computer Science and Engineering,” said Prof.<br />
Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University.<br />
“The current complex, which comprises three<br />
buildings, will be at full capacity by the end of<br />
2024. Construction of this fourth building will<br />
enable us to meet the huge demand for the<br />
outstanding hi-tech personnel that the University<br />
produces. The Paulson Family Foundation’s<br />
generous donation will allow us to continue<br />
supporting the Israeli hi-tech industry in the best<br />
possible way.”<br />
The Paulson Family Foundation was founded in<br />
2009 by John Paulson, President of Paulson &<br />
Co., a global investment company. The Foundation<br />
invests in education, science, health, culture, and<br />
the arts.<br />
are on campus around the clock, with modern<br />
learning and research spaces to the highest<br />
international standards. It will also be the home of<br />
an AI research center that we are in the process<br />
of establishing.”<br />
L-R Amb. Yossi Gal, John Paulson, and President Professor Asher Cohen<br />
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced<br />
an unprecedented $27 million donation from the<br />
Paulson Family Foundation for the construction of<br />
a new building within the Rachel and Selim Benin<br />
School of Computer Science and Engineering,<br />
located on the Edmond J. Safra Campus in the<br />
Givat Ram neighborhood in Jerusalem.<br />
The donation will improve and enrich the<br />
experience of Hebrew University’s students and<br />
researchers, who are in high demand in the Israeli<br />
and international hi-tech industry. The Hebrew<br />
University’s School of Computer Science and<br />
Engineering is the birthplace of some of the<br />
world’s leading hi-tech companies, including<br />
Mobileye and Lightricks.<br />
The gift from the U.S.-based Paulson Family<br />
Foundation will enable the construction of the<br />
fourth building in the computer science complex,<br />
“Israel’s quality higher education is largely<br />
responsible for the country’s technology boom<br />
and rapid economic development,” said Paulson,<br />
who is Founder and Chairman of the Paulson<br />
Family Foundation. “This gift will ensure that the<br />
Hebrew University has the resources to meet<br />
the growing demand for computer science and<br />
engineering education.”<br />
“We are immensely grateful to the Paulson Family<br />
Foundation for this generous donation, which will<br />
significantly improve the learning and research<br />
experience of our students and researchers, who<br />
are influencing the future of our field on a daily<br />
basis,” says Prof. Sara Cohen, Dean of the School<br />
of Computer Science and Engineering. “The new<br />
building will provide these sharpest of minds, who<br />
Prof. Sara Cohen<br />
According to Joshua Rednik, Chief Executive<br />
Officer, American Friends of the Hebrew<br />
University, “This is a truly transformational gift<br />
from one of America’s most successful investors.<br />
His contribution to developing the next generation<br />
of computer scientists is a worthy endeavor that<br />
will advance the industry at a global level and<br />
especially within the State of Israel.”
PAGE 8<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 9<br />
David Chesnoff: Fighting for the<br />
Underdog<br />
American Friends of the Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>):<br />
“I remember visiting the university as a young kid,<br />
and my brother worked in public relations for the<br />
university while he was a student. I have a great<br />
photograph of him with Eleanor Roosevelt during<br />
her visit to the campus.” he said, adding, “I’ve<br />
always appreciated the history of the university<br />
and the people who founded it. They made the<br />
university what it is today, a world-class institution<br />
that produces fantastic discoveries in the sciences,<br />
medicine, and computers. But I think HU’s work in<br />
the humanities is essential, too. In a country that<br />
has seen so many successes in scientific research<br />
and innovation, the humanities help to ground<br />
Israel in its tradition of democracy, Jewish learning,<br />
and education in general. It’s a very important<br />
component of Israel’s success.”<br />
As a leader in his Las Vegas community, David is<br />
an enthusiastic supporter of Friends of the Israel<br />
Defense Forces, Chabad of Southern Nevada, the<br />
Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, and several<br />
other organizations. “This is a community filled with<br />
warm-hearted, wonderful people. I feel very blessed<br />
to have settled in Las Vegas and to have achieved<br />
personal success, so I want to give back to a<br />
community that has been very good to me. Also,<br />
my background reminds me that we all must do<br />
what we can to help others. After all, when you’re<br />
Jewish and you know how often we’ve been the<br />
subjects of persecution, you know how important<br />
it is to help others,” he said. <strong>AFHU</strong> Western Region<br />
Board Vice Chair, Patricia Glaser, has joined David<br />
in helping to strengthen the connection between<br />
Las Vegas and the Hebrew University: “Through<br />
Patty Glaser’s influence, we have made Las Vegas<br />
a more supportive community for the university,”<br />
David added.<br />
For his support of the Hebrew University, his<br />
dedication to Israel, and his service to the<br />
community, David will be honored with the Scopus<br />
Award on January 20, 2024. Named for Mount<br />
Scopus in Jerusalem, the Scopus Award reflects<br />
the university’s highest ideals of achievement,<br />
leadership, and philanthropic engagement. Previous<br />
Scopus Award recipients include Barbra Streisand,<br />
Leonard Bernstein, Frank Gehry, Frank Sinatra,<br />
Elizabeth Taylor, and Elie Wiesel, among others.<br />
Asked to comment on the award, David shared,<br />
“When I look at the list of previous recipients, I am<br />
truly humbled. I feel honored to be named the 2024<br />
recipient of the <strong>AFHU</strong> Scopus Award.”<br />
And what would David say to someone wondering<br />
why they should support the American Friends of<br />
the Hebrew University? David said, “You should<br />
support <strong>AFHU</strong> because the research and innovation<br />
coming out of the Hebrew University doesn’t just<br />
benefit a country, it benefits the world. And helping<br />
to further that work? I can’t think of a better goal.”<br />
Although born in New Jersey, noted attorney,<br />
community leader, and upcoming <strong>AFHU</strong> Scopus<br />
Award honoree David Chesnoff is at heart a<br />
Nevadan, having lived there for 41 years. “I consider<br />
myself more western than eastern now,” he said.<br />
And the more casual, no-nonsense attitude of<br />
the American West was one of the first things he<br />
noticed about Israel, saying, “I’ve been to Israel<br />
many times over the years, beginning in 1958 when<br />
I was a young child, and I’ve visited on a regular<br />
basis throughout my life and lived in Jerusalem on<br />
several occasions. When I first went to Israel, I don’t<br />
think there was a [neck] tie to be found in the entire<br />
country. It’s very cosmopolitan now.”<br />
David’s brother Richard (z”l) was an alumnus of the<br />
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) and sparked<br />
his interest in becoming involved with HU through<br />
As one of the United States’ leading criminal<br />
defense attorneys, David can count Hollywood<br />
celebrities and well-known public figures among<br />
his many famous clients. But not all his clients are<br />
famous, and none can face the power of the state<br />
without a vigorous defense. “A person accused of<br />
something by a very powerful government—they’re<br />
the underdog. My role is to see that the Constitution<br />
is followed and that my defendants receive the best<br />
defense available.”<br />
David sees his support for the Hebrew University<br />
and Israel as stemming from the same commitment<br />
to helping the underdog: “Israel is the ultimate<br />
reflection of the need for the Jewish people to have<br />
a place where they can feel safe and protected.<br />
Israel is a beautiful place, a society unique in the<br />
Middle East. The same things that make me love<br />
Israel make me love being a defense attorney. I<br />
know what it means to be the underdog and to<br />
fight unjust power. They’re both a part of my Jewish<br />
heritage.”<br />
Read about David’s recent trip to Israel to volunteer below:<br />
‘I went with a purpose’: Las Vegas attorney volunteers in Israel<br />
Amb. Yossi Gal and David Chesnoff at the Hebrew University during David’s November visit.
PAGE 10<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 11<br />
Brindell Gottlieb (z”l)<br />
It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of Brindell Gottlieb (z”l), a cherished member of<br />
the <strong>AFHU</strong> Western Region, former Honorary Director and National Board member, and longtime supporter<br />
of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.<br />
A Benefactor of the University, Brindell was awarded an Honorary Fellowship and an Honorary Doctorate<br />
in recognition of her humanitarianism. Devoted to students, Brindell spearheaded fundraising campaigns<br />
that raised millions of dollars for scholarships. For many years, Brindell hosted the Western Region’s annual<br />
event “The Bel Air Affaire” in her beautiful home, “The Milton,” named after her beloved late husband,<br />
Milton Gottlieb (z”l).<br />
Brindell’s generosity extended to a wide range of causes in the arts, medicine, culture and education,<br />
and many gifts were made in tribute to Milton, and to her beloved late son Ross Stephen Roberts (z”l).<br />
A graduate of UCLA, Brindell advanced medical initiatives at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center, The UCLA<br />
Jules Stein Eye Institute, and the Children’s Burn Foundation, in addition to scientific research at the<br />
Hebrew University. Active in the Jewish community, Brindell supported the work of the Jewish Federation<br />
and the American Jewish Committee.<br />
Unter Family Visit<br />
to the Hebrew<br />
University<br />
Dr. Saul Unter and his daughter Jennifer were<br />
welcomed on the Hebrew University Ein Kerem<br />
campus to visit the facility he will name with his<br />
generous bequest commitment – the Dr. Saul<br />
Unter Reception Area at Hebrew University’s<br />
Robert I. Schattner Oral Health Center for People<br />
with Disabilities. In addition, Dr. Unter established<br />
the Dr. Saul Unter Endowment Fund, an act of<br />
generosity that helps ensure the University’s future<br />
for generations to come.<br />
<strong>2023</strong> Rappaport<br />
Prize Winners<br />
Professor Eli Pikarsky from the Concern Foundation<br />
Laboratories at the Lautenberg Center for<br />
Immunology at the Hebrew University and Dean of<br />
the Faculty of Medicine, received the prestigious <strong>2023</strong><br />
Rappaport Prize for his outstanding contributions to<br />
inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma research.<br />
L-R Prof. Stella Chaushu, Chair, Department of Orthodontics and Vice<br />
Dean of International Relations, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of<br />
Dental Medicine, Jennifer Unter, Dr. Saul Unter, Naomi Mizrahi, Director,<br />
North American Desk, Division for Advancement and External Relations,<br />
Professor Nissim Benvenisty from the Alexander<br />
Silberman Institute of Life Sciences received the<br />
prestigious Rappaport Prize for his groundbreaking<br />
work in the field of pluripotent stem cells in humans<br />
and the study of embryonic development and<br />
genetic diseases in humans.
PAGE 12<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 13<br />
Gabrielle Sherb Joins <strong>AFHU</strong> as<br />
Mid-Atlantic Region Executive Director<br />
Hebrew University’s Glocal Program:<br />
Where Israel Meets the World<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> is delighted to welcome fundraising veteran Gabrielle “Gabby”<br />
Sherb as the new Executive Director of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s Mid-Atlantic Region.<br />
She joins <strong>AFHU</strong> from the United Way of the National Capital Area,<br />
where she led the daily operations for the fundraising department as<br />
Vice President, Development and Donor Engagement. Prior to her<br />
time at the United Way, Gabby held development positions with the<br />
Jewish National Fund, Anti-Defamation League, and The Leadership<br />
Conference, which comprises The Leadership Conference Education<br />
Fund and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.<br />
“I am honored to be joining <strong>AFHU</strong> and look forward to deepening and<br />
expanding support and engagement with Hebrew University, one of<br />
Israel’s and the world’s most renowned academic and innovative institutions,” Gabby said.<br />
Gabby received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Baruch College and a Bachelor of<br />
Arts Degree from Binghamton University. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and will work out of<br />
the Mid-Atlantic regional office in Rockville.<br />
Brad Eisen Joins <strong>AFHU</strong> Western Region<br />
as Philanthropy Officer<br />
American Friends of the Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>) is pleased<br />
to welcome Bradley “Brad” Eisen as the new Western Region<br />
Philanthropy Officer. Brad joins <strong>AFHU</strong> from the Jewish Federation<br />
of Greater Los Angeles, where he served as a Major Gifts Manager.<br />
His areas of expertise include major and planned giving, capital<br />
campaigns, donor engagement, and stewardship.<br />
A graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington with a Bachelor of<br />
Science in Kinesiology (BSK), Brad previously worked in the sports<br />
marketing and sales arena. He served as a consultant to Crowd<br />
Game, a sports fan engagement company, and worked for several<br />
sports teams, serving as Manager of Group Tickets for the LA Galaxy<br />
and Group Sales Supervisor for the Los Angeles Clippers.<br />
Asked about joining <strong>AFHU</strong>’s Western Region, Brad said, “I am excited to be joining the <strong>AFHU</strong> team<br />
and look forward to playing an integral role in supporting the growth and innovation taking place at<br />
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.”<br />
As Israel’s premier institution of higher learning,<br />
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is well known<br />
for its leadership in the sciences, medical research,<br />
technology, and agriculture. Perhaps not as well<br />
known, however, is a Hebrew University program<br />
that builds grassroots development projects, both<br />
in Israel and in some of the neediest regions of the<br />
world: the GLOCAL M.A. Program in International<br />
Development.<br />
A portmanteau of “global” and “local,” the program<br />
brings change on a global scale through local,<br />
community-based development. GLOCAL is an<br />
18-month master’s degree program that includes<br />
a four-month field internship based on students’<br />
interests. The program builds upon academic<br />
research to create a practical understanding of<br />
community development, an approach that helps<br />
communities in need across the world to advance<br />
and prosper.<br />
With a student body that is approximately one-third<br />
Israeli, one-third North American, and one-third from<br />
the developing world (primarily Africa), GLOCAL<br />
offers a unique experience for its participants. Israel<br />
is where the developed world meets the developing<br />
world: a nation that includes High-Tech Jerusalem<br />
and Bedouin nomads. Now in its 13th year, GLOCAL<br />
is a well-established program with a developed<br />
network that includes global NGOs and more than<br />
300 alumni, two-thirds of whom are working in field<br />
projects throughout the world. GLOCAL fosters the<br />
next generation of community-led development<br />
practitioners who are trained by experienced<br />
instructors, informed by cutting-edge theories with<br />
a global perspective, and incorporating practical<br />
local solutions formed by marginalized communities<br />
seeking positive change.<br />
The program offers two specialized tracks. The first,<br />
International Development and Gender, offers a firm<br />
grounding in theories relevant to gender studies,<br />
enabling students to approach their studies and<br />
their internship through the lens of gender and the<br />
empowerment of women.<br />
The second, International Migration and<br />
Development, offers participants cutting-edge<br />
knowledge and research on recent migration flows,<br />
migration theory, and refugee studies. This track<br />
addresses cases that include the recent European<br />
refugee crisis, the situation of asylum seekers around<br />
the world, the fate of labor migrants, and the status<br />
of asylum seekers and refugees in Israel. GLOCAL<br />
also offers a research component to a limited<br />
number of students. For these students, their M.A.<br />
thesis focuses on GLOCAL’s mission to advance<br />
critical global thinking while challenging existing<br />
theories in the field of international development.<br />
With recent projects that include water accessibility<br />
in Tanzania, food security in Vietnam, and the gender<br />
dimension of an Ethiopian drought, areas of study<br />
are wide-ranging and can be tailored to a student’s<br />
needs, with all field projects integrating academic and<br />
practical experience. GLOCAL ensures that projects<br />
have input and buy-in from their communities, with<br />
the goal of building a self-sustaining project that is<br />
directed by the community it serves.
PAGE 14<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 15<br />
What Does it Mean to be Human?<br />
Humanities at the Hebrew University<br />
Curiosity is the foundation for all research and the<br />
impetus behind all education. Through our study<br />
of the humanities, we turn away from the objects<br />
found in our world and shift our gaze inwards to<br />
understand what it means to be human.<br />
The variety of courses offered at the Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of the<br />
Humanities is vast, covering many fields of<br />
knowledge. Since its founding in 1928, the faculty<br />
has been Israel’s leader in the humanities and the<br />
world leader in Jewish studies. In recent years,<br />
the Faculty of the Humanities has explored new<br />
modes of teaching, including integrating digital<br />
humanities into its programs and adding tours<br />
in Israel and abroad and courses that include<br />
hands-on educational opportunities.<br />
Here is a sampling of the fascinating studies in<br />
the humanities that can be found at the Hebrew<br />
University:<br />
Avigail Manekin-Bamberger is a member of the<br />
Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Martin Buber<br />
Society of Fellows in the Humanities and Social<br />
Sciences and a professor in the University’s<br />
Department of Jewish History and Contemporary<br />
Jewry. A historian of Jews in antiquity, focusing<br />
on social and cultural history and on the study of<br />
ancient Jewish magic, Prof. Manekin-Bamberger<br />
integrates rabbinic sources, non-Jewish sources,<br />
and material evidence in her reconstruction of the<br />
lives of early Jews.<br />
Archaeological findings of Jewish magical texts<br />
and artifacts from antiquity are an important<br />
source for her research. Previously, many<br />
scholars disregarded Jewish magical sources,<br />
preferring to paint ancient Judaism as rational<br />
and non-superstitious. They viewed magical acts<br />
as a marginal practice limited to the uneducated.<br />
As more texts and artifacts have been discovered<br />
however, scholars have come to recognize the<br />
central role that magic played in the ancient<br />
Jewish world. For example, a discovery of<br />
hundreds of magical texts from the time of the<br />
Babylonian Talmud demonstrates how Jews<br />
protected their households from demons, curses,<br />
and malice. Jewish scribes wrote incantations,<br />
divine names, curses, and spells in ink, on the<br />
surface of an earthenware bowl, usually in a<br />
spiral fashion. The bowl was later buried. In her<br />
research, Manekin-Bamberger demonstrates<br />
how careful study of these bowl texts, alongside<br />
rabbinic literature, and non-Jewish sources, can<br />
reshape our understanding of the daily lives of<br />
ancient Jewish men and women.<br />
Slaves and the demonic as depicted in magical sources<br />
Uri Gabbay is an Associate Professor of<br />
Assyriology and the Ancient Near East in the<br />
Institute of Archaeology.<br />
Prof. Gabbay’s research focuses on the liturgy,<br />
ritual, and intellectual history of ancient<br />
Mesopotamia, especially in the first millennium<br />
B.C.E. His research is based on an analysis of<br />
cuneiform tablets in Sumerian and Akkadian,<br />
with a special interest in the Sumerian ritual<br />
laments that were an important part of the<br />
temple liturgies of ancient Mesopotamia. In<br />
addition to deciphering and reconstructing the<br />
texts, Prof. Gabbay integrates other cultural and<br />
archaeological sources to reconstruct the ritual<br />
and music of these ancient temples.<br />
Prof. Gabbay also hopes to gain insights from the<br />
Mesopotamians themselves. Using translations of<br />
texts from Sumerian into Akkadian, and Akkadian<br />
commentaries on different religious texts, he<br />
seeks to discover the ways Mesopotamian<br />
scholars viewed and interpreted their own texts<br />
and culture. In a recent project funded by the<br />
European Research Council, his team of Ph.D.<br />
students and post-doctoral researchers worked to<br />
combine the study of ritual and the study of the<br />
ancient interpretations, remembering that temple<br />
priest-scholars are the source for both.<br />
An example of Assyrian and Sumerian writing carved on clay or stone<br />
Oded Erez is a Professor in the Musicology<br />
Department. Prof. Erez specializes in the study<br />
of popular music, including music used in films<br />
and other media. With a focus on Israel and<br />
the Eastern Mediterranean, his research seeks<br />
to provide an understanding of popular music<br />
cultures, highlighting the interplay of the music’s<br />
aesthetics and its social/political meaning. Much<br />
of his work focuses on the politics of “East” and<br />
“West” in Israel at a time when social hierarchies<br />
and ethnic identities are being contested.<br />
One of his studies focused on the extraordinary<br />
popularity of Greek music in Israel since the late<br />
1950s and its use as a means of negotiating and<br />
subverting the Jew/Arab dichotomy, a dichotomy<br />
that was central to the organization of the new<br />
state’s national culture and instrumental to the<br />
marginalization of Mizrahi Jews. Prof. Erez also<br />
studied the role of music in Arab public schools<br />
during Israel’s early decades, viewing the music<br />
as a unique window into the dynamics of inclusion<br />
and exclusion that underline the encounter<br />
between the Jewish State and its Arab citizens.<br />
In other research, he has explored the resurgence<br />
of Arabic in the contemporary popular music<br />
of Israeli Jews, looking at the different ways in<br />
which Arabic is performed as a “post-vernacular”<br />
language (a heritage language that no longer<br />
serves primarily for everyday communication),<br />
and has written about the status of Mizrahiyut<br />
(the “Eastern”) in contemporary Israeli “sonic<br />
economies.”<br />
Prof. Erez’s latest project, Mixing Rituals, provides<br />
the first major study of Israeli wedding music,<br />
focusing on wedding DJs and their audiences.<br />
Supported by an ISF grant, the study is the first<br />
ethnomusicological study anywhere to investigate<br />
the central role of wedding DJs as cultural<br />
brokers, at once heirs to the traditional functions<br />
of the professional wedding musician, mediators<br />
of elements from club culture into the realm of<br />
familial and communal celebration, and actors in<br />
the commercial field of the wedding industry.<br />
Sharon Krishek is a Professor in the Department of<br />
Philosophy. Her area of research is the philosophy
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 17<br />
of 19th century Danish philosopher Søren<br />
Kierkegaard, who is well-known as ‘the father of<br />
existentialism.’ She uses Kierkegaard‘s ideas as a<br />
platform for asking substantive questions about<br />
the correct way of living, the nature of the self,<br />
and most of all, about love.<br />
Love in its various forms – its nature, its<br />
significance to human existence, its relation to<br />
morality – is the focus of her research and the<br />
center around which her other questions are<br />
formed. Not surprisingly, studying love leads to<br />
the study of literature. After all, literature has<br />
the power to provide the kind of ‘knowledge<br />
by experience’ needed for a more thorough<br />
understanding of human experience, particularly<br />
love. Her published works: The Moral Implications<br />
of Kierkegaard’s Analysis of Despair, Kierkegaard’s<br />
Notion of a Divine Name and the Feasibility of<br />
Universal Love, and The Focus of Love, reveal her<br />
ability to explore the human condition through the<br />
study of Kierkegaard’s theories.<br />
Through our study of the humanities, we can<br />
learn about global cultures—past and present—<br />
and learn to chart our way through this world.<br />
Visit the Faculty of Humanities page to learn<br />
more about the Hebrew University of Jerusalem<br />
academics who are helping us understand what<br />
it means to be human.<br />
Faculty of Agriculture volunteers planting 24,000 lettuce seedlings in the aftermath of October 7 at Meshek Yemini, south of Ashkelon
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 19<br />
Prof. Mona Khoury and Prof. Meir Buzaglo<br />
Awarded Presidential Medal of Honor<br />
by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog<br />
On September 6, <strong>2023</strong>, Israel’s President Isaac<br />
Herzog awarded the Presidential Medal of<br />
Honor to outstanding members of the Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem faculty, Profs. Mona<br />
Khoury and Meir Buzaglo, who have made an<br />
extraordinary contribution to the State of Israel,<br />
the Jewish people, and all humanity.<br />
They were among 13 recipients in various fields<br />
in Israel and the Diaspora to receive Israel’s<br />
highest civilian honor during a ceremony at<br />
the President’s residence. “Having a shared<br />
foundation is what provides stability and<br />
strength for growth and prosperity,” President<br />
Herzog said. “This idea, of prosperity based<br />
on great diversity but rooted in a common<br />
foundation – is a very central theme that has<br />
been woven into the Israeli presidency since its<br />
inception.”<br />
Hebrew University Vice President for Strategy<br />
and Diversity Prof. Mona Khoury expressed her<br />
gratitude for the Presidential Medal of Honor<br />
and the recognition of her work in promoting<br />
diversity and inclusion in academia. She stated,<br />
“Receiving this prestigious award is not just a<br />
personal honor, but a testament to the power<br />
of diversity and unity in shaping a better future<br />
for all people. Together, we can build a stronger<br />
and more inclusive society that values the<br />
contributions of every individual, regardless of<br />
their background. Throughout my career, I’ve<br />
had the privilege of breaking through glass<br />
ceilings, and in my role at Hebrew University,<br />
I’m committed to shattering those barriers for<br />
others.”<br />
Prof. Meir Buzaglo is a lecturer in the Hebrew<br />
University’s Department of Philosophy, a leader<br />
of the renewal of Jewish tradition and liturgical<br />
poetry (piyyut) in Israel and has led the Tikkun<br />
movement for social change. He says, “Amidst the<br />
clamor of external distractions, precision in our<br />
vision becomes paramount. As the ancient verse<br />
wisely states, ‘Without vision, a nation perishes.’<br />
Today, as Israel grapples with the complex<br />
balance of being a Jewish and democratic state,<br />
it faces pressing concerns. Yet, we should strive<br />
to envision a revitalized Middle East, where we<br />
can transform the challenges and crises that<br />
confront us into opportunities for progress and<br />
prosperity in the region while enriching the<br />
Abraham Accords.”<br />
The Medal was established by the late Shimon<br />
Peres, the State of Israel’s ninth president. Upon<br />
taking office, President Isaac Herzog established<br />
an advisory committee chaired by Supreme<br />
Court Judge (ret.), Prof. Yoram Danzinger, to<br />
nominate candidates from all parts of Israeli<br />
society, including Jewish Diaspora leaders.<br />
Addressing the award recipients at the event,<br />
President Herzog said, “This is embedded deeply<br />
in the DNA of the State of Israel, and it is not<br />
without reason that it is reflected in all its glory<br />
in you – recipients of the Presidential Medal of<br />
Honor in the 75th year of the State. You have<br />
been privileged to do good, to bring about<br />
change, and to make a dramatic contribution<br />
to the State of Israel, to the Jewish people, for<br />
all humanity. This is why each and every one of<br />
you is worthy of receiving the highest civilian<br />
decoration in Israel – the Presidential Medal of<br />
Honor.”<br />
Prof. Mona Khoury, receives the Presidential Medal of Honor from Israel’s<br />
President Isaac Herzog<br />
Prof. Meir Buzaglo, receives the Presidential Medal of Honor from Israel’s<br />
President Isaac Herzog
PAGE 20<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 21<br />
<strong>News</strong> & Updates<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGISTS<br />
FIND BYZANTINE GREEK INSCRIPTION<br />
FROM BOOK OF PSALMS IN JUDEAN<br />
DESERT<br />
Archaeologists from the Hebrew University of<br />
Jerusalem unearthed a rare Byzantine Greek<br />
inscription paraphrasing a verse from the Book<br />
of Psalms at the remote Hyrcania Fortress in the<br />
Judean Desert in Israel.<br />
This is the first methodological, academic<br />
archaeological excavation conducted at the<br />
site due to the complexity and remoteness of<br />
the location. The team, led by HU’s Institute<br />
of Archaeology researchers Dr. Oren Gutfeld<br />
and Michal Haber, along with Carson-Newman<br />
University and American Veterans Archaeological<br />
Recovery, spent four weeks at the site.<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS FIND<br />
PREHISTORIC FLUTES USED TO IMITATE<br />
BIRD CALLS<br />
A 12,000-year-old bird call, made of bird bones:<br />
The New York Times covered a new study by the<br />
Hebrew University discussing a collection of small<br />
flutes carved from waterfowl bones that may have<br />
been used as hunting aids.<br />
NEW AI BIOSENSOR FOR LANDMINE<br />
DETECTION DEVELOPED BY HEBREW<br />
UNIVERSITY AND ENZYMIT DETAILED IN<br />
NEW STUDY<br />
Researchers at Hebrew University, in collaboration<br />
with bioproduction platform company Enzymit,<br />
developed a protein-based biosensor that can<br />
accurately detect landmines and a range of other<br />
TNT-based unexploded ordnances (UXO).<br />
Utilizing Enzymit’s proprietary algorithms and<br />
experimental capabilities, the sensor was optimized<br />
to be up to five times more sensitive, with faster<br />
reaction times, and a signal strength 30 times<br />
stronger than the original construct. The efficacy<br />
of the solution is reported in a paper published<br />
recently in the Computational and Structural<br />
Biotechnology Journal.<br />
INNOVATIVE, NEW METHOD TO STUDY<br />
CELL NUCLEI DEVELOPED BY HEBREW<br />
UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS<br />
HU researchers developed an innovative new<br />
method for studying the inner workings of cell<br />
nuclei, a significant step forward in cellular biology<br />
that could add to the understanding of various<br />
cellular processes and diseases.<br />
Regarding the study, Prof. Eran Meshorer said,<br />
“Our research opens new doors for understanding<br />
the complexities of cellular behavior during<br />
differentiation. The ability to precisely track local<br />
densities within bio-condensates using fluorescent<br />
proteins provides valuable insights into cellular<br />
development that were previously hidden from<br />
view.”<br />
PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO PHTHALATE<br />
CHEMICALS LINKED TO DEVELOPMENTAL<br />
ISSUES IN TODDLER BOYS<br />
Chemicals used in hundreds of products known<br />
as phthalates have been linked to emotional and<br />
behavioral development issues in 24-month-oldboys<br />
who were exposed during the first trimester<br />
of pregnancy, according to a new study by Hebrew<br />
University researchers.<br />
“Our findings, published in NeuroToxicology,<br />
underscore the potential impact of maternal<br />
exposure to phthalates on children’s emotional and<br />
behavioral development, particularly among boys,”<br />
says Liron Cohen-Eliraz, a Ph.D. student who<br />
conducted the research as part of her dissertation.<br />
“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence<br />
highlighting the need for greater environmental<br />
awareness and action to minimize exposure to<br />
harmful chemicals during pregnancy.”<br />
TINY, MULTICHAMBERED HUMAN<br />
HEART MODEL COULD TRANSFORM<br />
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH AND DRUG<br />
EVALUATION<br />
A team of researchers led by the Hebrew<br />
University developed a tiny human heart model<br />
that could potentially transform cardiovascular<br />
research and animal-free drug testing.<br />
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading causes<br />
of global mortality, underscoring the critical<br />
importance of this pioneering development. The<br />
study introduces a self-paced, multi-chambered<br />
human heart model, approximately half the size of<br />
a rice grain.<br />
“Integrating our complex human heart model<br />
with sensors allowed us to monitor critical<br />
physiological parameters in real-time, revealing<br />
intricate mitochondrial dynamics that drive cardiac<br />
rhythms,” said Prof. Yaakov “Koby” Nahmias,<br />
Director of the Hebrew University Alexander<br />
Grass Center for Bioengineering, and a Fellow of<br />
the American Institute for Medical and Biological<br />
Engineering (AIMBE). “This is a new chapter in<br />
human physiology.”<br />
IMPACT OF GESTATIONAL AGE ON<br />
MATERNAL AND FETAL HEALTH REVEALED<br />
A new and detailed analysis of early mother and<br />
fetus dynamics provides a greater understanding<br />
of gestational age (pregnancy stage) on maternal<br />
and fetal health, according to researchers at<br />
Hebrew University and Stanford University.<br />
Discoveries from this research could fill a<br />
knowledge gap regarding normal placenta<br />
development that could improve maternal and fetal<br />
outcomes, and lead to advancements in treating<br />
placenta-related obstetric complications, such as<br />
preeclampsia (a high blood pressure disorder) and<br />
preterm birth.<br />
NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION<br />
TREATMENT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY<br />
IMPROVE ADHD SYMPTOMS<br />
Transcranial random noise stimulation [a mild<br />
electrical current on the brain sent through two<br />
electrodes attached to the scalp] (tRNS) combined<br />
with cognitive training, could significantly improve<br />
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)<br />
symptoms in children, according to new research<br />
conducted by the Hebrew University and the<br />
University of Surrey.<br />
In the study, a small clinical trial was conducted<br />
involving unmedicated children aged 6-12<br />
diagnosed with ADHD, to determine whether<br />
tRNS during cognitive training can improve ADHD<br />
symptoms. After a two-week program of brain<br />
stimulation, the study found that 55% of children<br />
showed significant clinical improvements in ADHD<br />
symptoms, as reported by their parents. This was<br />
compared to 17% percent in the control group,<br />
who also showed improvement after receiving<br />
placebo brain stimulation during cognitive training.<br />
The study also found that participants maintained<br />
these improvements three weeks after the end<br />
of the treatment, with nearly two-thirds (64%)<br />
reporting clinically meaningful responses to the<br />
treatments compared to 33% in the control group.<br />
NEW HOPE FOR CONTROLLING DANGEROUS<br />
IMMUNE RESPONSE<br />
A groundbreaking study at the Hebrew University<br />
uncovered exciting possibilities for treating<br />
inflammatory disorders and preventing cytokine<br />
storms, which can damage the body and even be<br />
lethal.<br />
The inflammatory response is indispensable for<br />
protective immunity, yet microbial pathogens
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 23<br />
often trigger an excessive response, known as<br />
a ‘cytokine storm,’ which is harmful to the host.<br />
Despite recent advances in our understanding<br />
of inflammatory signaling, how to prevent a<br />
cytokine storm remains a challenge. HU scientists<br />
discovered that particular domains within key<br />
mediators of our immune response, called B7 and<br />
CD28 receptors, have a crucial role in enabling<br />
the inflammatory response and can be targeted<br />
with man-made molecules to manage immune<br />
responses and inflammation, saving lives. These<br />
findings bring us one step closer to developing<br />
effective treatments for inflammatory diseases.<br />
STUDY SHEDS LIGHT ON WHERE<br />
CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCE RESIDES IN<br />
BRAIN<br />
Researchers from the Hebrew University and the<br />
University of California, Berkeley, made progress in<br />
understanding a puzzling condition called unilateral<br />
neglect, in which stroke victims lose conscious<br />
awareness of half of what their eyes perceive.<br />
More than a quarter of all stroke victims develop<br />
this disorder.<br />
“Consciousness, and in particular visual experience,<br />
is the most fundamental experience that everyone<br />
feels from the moment they wake up to the<br />
moment they go to sleep,” said Hebrew University<br />
graduate student Gal Vishne, lead author of the<br />
paper.<br />
“The inspiration for my whole scientific career<br />
comes from patients with stroke who suffer<br />
from unilateral neglect,” said Prof. Deouell.<br />
“Understanding this disorder could help us<br />
understand what is missing in the cognitive system<br />
and in the brains of patients.”<br />
DNA EVIDENCE TRIPLES INDICTMENT<br />
RATES IN CRIMINAL CASES<br />
Prosecutors were nearly three times more likely<br />
to issue an indictment in criminal cases if DNA<br />
(deoxyribonucleic acid) evidence was available,<br />
according to a new study led by researchers at<br />
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU).<br />
The study, published in the Journal of Forensic<br />
Sciences, focused on how the presence of DNA<br />
influences a prosecutor’s decision to advance<br />
a case, a factor which had never before been<br />
evaluated.<br />
NEW STUDY REVEALS POTENTIAL KEY TO<br />
LONGEVITY AND HEALTH<br />
A recent study led by Dr. Itamar Harel, a researcher<br />
in the Experimental Biology of Vertebrate Aging &<br />
Age-Related Diseases and Genetics at the Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem’s Silberman Institute of<br />
Life Sciences, revealed new insights into the role<br />
of Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) biosynthesis<br />
in the lifespan and metabolic health of vertebrates.<br />
The study’s findings have far-reaching implications,<br />
significantly advancing our understanding of the<br />
intricate interplay between energy metabolism,<br />
aging, and lifespan regulation. Moreover, the<br />
study opens up exciting possibilities for developing<br />
interventions to combat age-related metabolic<br />
diseases and enhance healthy aging.<br />
RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY GREENHOUSE<br />
GAS WARMING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN<br />
EARTH AND EARTH-LIKE EXOPLANETS<br />
Researchers at the Hebrew University identified<br />
similar patterns of greenhouse gas warming on<br />
Earth and temperate terrestrial planets, which<br />
could provide new insights for predicting and<br />
mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.<br />
A new study published in Nature Scientific Reports<br />
explores the effects of adding greenhouse gases<br />
to the atmospheres of Earth and TRAPPIST-1e, an<br />
Earth-like exoplanet, located in a region outside<br />
the solar system where liquid water is most likely<br />
to be present.<br />
Researchers found that adding CO2 leads to<br />
heightened warming in those areas shielded from<br />
direct sunlight, specifically the night side and polar<br />
regions. These localized temperature changes<br />
can bring about significant alterations in global<br />
circulation.<br />
RESEARCHERS REVEAL ANCIENT ROCK<br />
ENGRAVING TECHNIQUES WITH NEW 3-D<br />
ARCHAEOLOGY SOFTWARE<br />
Researchers at the Hebrew University developed<br />
new 3-D software, called ArchCUT3-D, that they<br />
have used to extract and analyze engravings<br />
that could lead to a better understanding of the<br />
engravers’ background and skills.<br />
ArchCUT3-D extracts thin, 3-D slices of man-made<br />
engravings using micromorphological incision<br />
recognition to closely examine size, shape, and<br />
color for precision analysis.<br />
“Our research provides a fresh perspective<br />
on ancient rock engravings by delving into the<br />
intricacies of their production processes,” says<br />
Professor Leore Grosman, Head of the Hebrew<br />
University Computational Archaeology Laboratory.<br />
“By unlocking the technological secrets behind<br />
these engravings, we gain valuable insights into<br />
the craftsmanship, artistic expression, and cultural<br />
context of our ancestors—even the background of<br />
each engraver.”<br />
MANIPULATING BRAIN NEURONS CAN<br />
INHIBIT FENTANYL AND OTHER OPIOID<br />
CONSUMPTION, ACCORDING TO A NEW<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY STUDY<br />
Hebrew University researchers found that<br />
manipulating specific types of brain cells inhibit<br />
fentanyl consumption urges. This discovery could<br />
have significant implications for public health<br />
initiatives addressing the opioid crisis.<br />
“Our findings shed light on the intricate relationship<br />
between the brain and fentanyl consumption,” says<br />
Prof. Ami Citri, lead investigator from Hebrew<br />
University’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain<br />
Sciences. “Understanding the role of claustral<br />
neurons in regulating the urge to consume opioids<br />
offers a new avenue for interventions aimed at<br />
curbing addiction.”<br />
RESEARCHERS TRANSFORM HUMAN SKIN<br />
CELLS INTO FUNCTIONAL PLACENTA CELLS<br />
FOR THE FIRST TIME<br />
In a groundbreaking milestone in cell<br />
reprogramming, Hebrew University researchers<br />
successfully transformed human skin cells into<br />
functional placenta cells for the first time.<br />
The study, published in the prestigious journal<br />
Nature Communications, details this extraordinary<br />
achievement which could develop into new cell<br />
therapies, leading to improved diagnostic tools and<br />
therapeutic interventions. The findings open new<br />
avenues for investigating the causes of infertility,<br />
complications during pregnancy, and the long-term<br />
health of both mothers and babies.<br />
Reprogramming cells to assume new identities<br />
has been a focus of lead researcher Prof. Yossi<br />
Buganim’s Lab for Stem Cell Biology and Cell<br />
Fate Decision at Hebrew University’s Faculty of<br />
Medicine, which utilizes specialized proteins to<br />
modify gene expression. By transforming skin cells<br />
into other cell types, the team can study specific<br />
diseases and the potential development of cellbased<br />
therapies.<br />
BEYOND AIR® LICENSES RIGHTS FROM<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY TO DEVELOP NEW<br />
TREATMENT FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM<br />
DISORDER<br />
Beyond Air®, Inc., a commercial stage medical<br />
device and biopharmaceutical company, licensed<br />
the commercial rights to develop a treatment<br />
for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other<br />
neurological conditions from Yissum Research<br />
Development Company LTD., the technology<br />
transfer company of the Hebrew University.<br />
Currently, no therapies are approved by the U.S.
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 25<br />
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically<br />
for treating ASD.<br />
“We’re excited about advancing our novel approach<br />
for treating ASD, and hope to one day help children<br />
and families around the world,” says Dr. Haitham<br />
Amal, a professor at the Hebrew University School<br />
of Pharmacy, Institute for Drug Research, Faculty<br />
of Medicine.<br />
IMPROVING THE FORECASTING OF<br />
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS AND SAVING LIVES<br />
AROUND THE WORLD<br />
The emerging climate crisis has in recent years<br />
included a rise in the frequency and intensity of<br />
extreme rain events, leading to loss of life and<br />
property. A new research study, led by Prof. Assaf<br />
Hochman and by doctoral student Tair Plotnik at<br />
the Hebrew University’s Fredy & Nadine Herrmann<br />
Institute of Earth Sciences, investigated the<br />
factors influencing our ability to forecast extreme<br />
rain events and developed tools that will soon be<br />
able to help prevent disasters by improving the<br />
forecasting of such events.<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS<br />
UNVEIL MOLECULAR BASIS FOR RAPID<br />
DECLINE IN FEMALE ALZHEIMER’S<br />
PATIENTS<br />
Hebrew University researchers discovered a<br />
molecular mechanism that leads to accelerated<br />
cognitive deterioration in women with Alzheimer’s<br />
disease.<br />
brain changes, severe depletion of mitochondrial<br />
RNA fragments in affected brain nuclei that have<br />
been inherited from the patient’s mother correlate<br />
with the rapid cognitive deterioration.<br />
“This discovery provides the first molecular<br />
explanation for the accelerated cognitive damages<br />
occurring in the brains of women with Alzheimer’s<br />
disease, opening the door for improvement of<br />
current treatment protocols,” Prof. Soreq says. “We<br />
can now take a crucial step forward in developing<br />
drugs suitable for women suffering from this<br />
devastating condition and pave the way for optimal<br />
care and support for Alzheimer’s patients and their<br />
families.”<br />
HEBREW UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS<br />
DEVELOP NEW METHOD TO PREVENT<br />
MOSQUITO BITES<br />
A safe, new method to prevent mosquito bites<br />
using a skin coating from naturally occurring<br />
cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) has been developed<br />
by researchers at the Hebrew University.<br />
According to a new study, applying the thin CNC<br />
coating on human skin decreased the number of<br />
mosquitoes feeding by 80%. Cellulose nanocrystals<br />
(CNCs) are renewable raw materials produced from<br />
wood, cotton, or other cellulose-rich sources and<br />
are used in cosmetics, composites, food packaging,<br />
and medical devices.<br />
Profs. Hermona Soreq and Yonatan Loewenstein<br />
of the Hebrew University Edmond & Lily Safra<br />
Center for Brain Sciences led the study that was<br />
published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal<br />
of the Alzheimer’s Association.<br />
The researchers discovered a direct link between a<br />
family of mitochondrial-originated RNA fragments<br />
and the rate of dementia progression in women.<br />
The findings indicate that independent of structural<br />
For more information, please contact Bari Alovis at balovis@afhu.org.
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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 27<br />
Event Recaps<br />
14th Annual Bel Air Affaire<br />
he currently serves on several committees. He is<br />
also a Hebrew University Benefactor, a member<br />
of the university’s Board of Governors, and he<br />
sits on the Board of Trustees of the Harry S.<br />
Truman Research Institute for the Advancement<br />
of Peace. In 1981, Stanley was the youngest<br />
person to be awarded an honorary doctorate<br />
from Hebrew University.<br />
as a greeting from legendary comedian Billy<br />
Crystal and cuisine from Whoa Nelly Catering.<br />
Watch Greeting from Billy Crystal on YouTube<br />
(L-R) Hebrew University President Professor Asher Cohen, event honorees Roberta and Stanley Bogen<br />
On September 11, <strong>2023</strong>, the 14th Annual Bel<br />
Air Affaire, hosted at the iconic Papillon Estate<br />
in Beverly Hills, raised more than $2 million<br />
for student scholarships at Israel’s Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem.<br />
This year’s honorees, Roberta and Stanley<br />
Bogen, were presented with the Humanitarian<br />
Torch of Learning Award during the event<br />
hosted by the Western Region of American<br />
Friends of the Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>).<br />
“Roberta and Stanley Bogen have been actively<br />
involved with Hebrew University and <strong>AFHU</strong><br />
for decades wherever they call home in the<br />
U.S.,” says Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, MD,<br />
President, <strong>AFHU</strong> Western Region. “We are<br />
honored to welcome Roberta and Stanley to<br />
our Los Angeles <strong>AFHU</strong> community and pay<br />
tribute to their extraordinary generosity as<br />
vibrant <strong>AFHU</strong> members and Torch of Learning<br />
Honorees.”<br />
Roberta and Stanley have generously supported<br />
the Hebrew University Lautenberg Center for<br />
General and Tumor Immunology, the Truman<br />
Center’s Roberta and Stanley Bogen Library,<br />
and the Rothberg International School. The<br />
Hebrew University Department of Economics<br />
bears the Bogen Family name, and, in honor<br />
of Stanley’s parents, the Bogens established<br />
two named chairs at the university: the Max<br />
Bogen Visiting Professorship in Economics and<br />
the Marcy Bogen Chair in Academic Excellence.<br />
The couple received the <strong>AFHU</strong> National Scopus<br />
Award in 2012.<br />
Stanley, who became involved with <strong>AFHU</strong> in 1961,<br />
has been a past President, Treasurer, and Vice<br />
President. A member of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s National Board,<br />
Roberta, a member of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s National Board<br />
of Directors, has worked to build <strong>AFHU</strong> in the<br />
New York region and has been a driving force<br />
behind <strong>AFHU</strong>’s development of the Palm Beach<br />
community. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem<br />
recognized Roberta’s leadership by awarding her<br />
an Honorary Fellowship in 2013.<br />
As part of the evening’s festivities, Hebrew<br />
University President Asher Cohen welcomed<br />
guests. Student ambassador Yona Shemesh, a<br />
scholarship recipient pursuing Middle Eastern<br />
studies, addressed the gala attendees.<br />
Guests were treated to the extraordinarily<br />
humorous comedienne Wendy Liebman as well<br />
(L-R) Renae Jacobs-Anson, comedienne Wendy Liebman, Helen Jacobs-Lepor<br />
“I want to express my gratitude to our Co-<br />
Chairs: Joyce Brandman, Renae Jacobs-Anson<br />
and Dr. David Anson, and Helen Jacobs-Lepor<br />
and Dr. Norman Lepor, who have ceaselessly<br />
shown their dedication and devotion to Hebrew<br />
University and Israel,” Dr. Horowitz added. “I’d<br />
also like to effusively thank others that helped<br />
make the Bel Air Affaire a reality including our<br />
Honorary Chairs, Stephen J. Cloobeck, Patricia<br />
L. Glaser and Sam Mudie, as well as May and<br />
Richard Ziman. Our Event Chairs were Hella and<br />
Chuck Hershson, William H. Isacoff, Mindy and<br />
Robert Mann, Michelle and Marc Rosenbach,<br />
and Nancy and Ken Stein.”
PAGE 28<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 29<br />
The 86th Hebrew University Board of Governors’<br />
Meeting<br />
The 86th Hebrew University of Jerusalem Board of Governors’ (BOG) meeting—a long weekend<br />
filled with informative meetings, fascinating lectures, moving ceremonies, and entertaining events—<br />
took place in Jerusalem from June 10-13, <strong>2023</strong>. The BOG is not only a time for the university to<br />
conduct important business, but also serves as a meeting place where board members, dedicated<br />
partners, and philanthropic supporters from around the world gather to reconnect with old friends<br />
and meet new ones.<br />
With this year’s theme of Sustainable Planet, the <strong>2023</strong> BOG focused on Hebrew University’s (HU)<br />
commitment to a sustainable university and spotlighted the many HU research breakthroughs that<br />
are helping to build a more sustainable future. Highlights included Sunday’s trip to the Robert H.<br />
Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment on the University’s Rehovot campus, which<br />
included a visit to HUJI Market, where BOG attendees were able to enjoy some of the ways the<br />
Smith Faculty is helping Israel and the world grow tasty, nourishing, and sustainable food. The day’s<br />
presentation of the President’s Report highlighted the University’s academic achievements and<br />
featured a delicious, sustainability-themed lunch for attendees. The day concluded with a festive<br />
cocktail reception where partygoers enjoyed a range of tempting morsels that were developed,<br />
grown, and harvested at Smith Faculty facilities.<br />
Monday featured a celebration that honored HU Benefactors, as well as ceremonies where honorary<br />
fellowships and doctorates were conferred. The day closed with convocation, followed by special<br />
events held by various international friends’ organizations.<br />
HU President Prof. Asher Cohen and HU Rector Prof. Tamir Sheafer presenting an Honorary Doctorate to Arthur Gutterman<br />
On Tuesday, HU honored the generosity of its many friends through Wall of Life, Legacy Tree, and<br />
Wall of Founders dedications. After a morning of beautiful and moving ceremonies on the Mt. Scopus<br />
campus, BOG attendees traveled to the Edmond J. Safra campus to witness the presentation of this<br />
year’s highly competitive Asper Prize startup award to Avertto, a startup in the health field. Finally,<br />
the dedication of the Marie and Jose Mugrabi Albert Einstein House, a new museum focusing on<br />
the world-famous physicist and one of HU’s founders, capped the event-filled BOG.<br />
BOG attendees visit the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food,<br />
and Environment<br />
Dedication of the new Einstein House in the Marie and Jose Mugrabi<br />
Building<br />
Asper Prize startup award presented to Avertto
PAGE 30<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 31<br />
LEAD Israel Mission Highlight<br />
The <strong>AFHU</strong> Leadership Empowerment and Development (LEAD) Israel Mission was intense, inspiring,<br />
and invigorating! From June 6-14, LEAD members traveled throughout Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to<br />
learn about—and become immersed in—the exciting research and innovation taking place at the<br />
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU).<br />
During their time together, LEAD members bonded with each other and with the Hebrew University.<br />
LEAD participants met with HU dignitaries including Hebrew University President, Prof. Asher<br />
Cohen; Vice President for University Advancement, Ambassador Yossi Gal; and Vice President for<br />
Strategy and Diversity, Prof. Mona Khoury. They visited labs, met with students and researchers,<br />
and learned about myriad departments and programs, including: HU’s Urban Clinic; the Institute of<br />
Archaeology; the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment; the Israel Institute<br />
for Advanced Studies; Asper HUJI-Innovate, HU’s center for innovation and entrepreneurship;<br />
Yissum, the University’s technology transfer company; the Rachel and Selim Benin School of<br />
Computer Science and Engineering; and more.<br />
The group spent a day and a half in Tel Aviv with HU alumni and visited the HESEG Foundation,<br />
the Tel Aviv Museum, and Start-Up Nation Central, saving time for a tour of the Carmel Market<br />
led by HU Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Food Science, and Nutrition, Zohar Kerem. On the<br />
final day of the mission, participants traveled to the Ein Kerem campus to learn about the Faculty<br />
of Medicine, the new Center for Computational Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine’s School of<br />
Pharmacy, and the Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.<br />
In discussing their collective experience, LEAD members described what they felt were the<br />
highlights of the trip: meeting students, professors, and leaders and hearing their stories;<br />
understanding the importance of the relationship between the Hebrew University and the state<br />
of Israel; learning about HU’s diversity programs and meeting student ambassadors; realizing the<br />
impact of HU throughout the world, including meet and greets with international students from<br />
the Smith Faculty of Agriculture; witnessing the easy interactions between students and faculty,<br />
seeing the drive and excellence of students throughout the university; and understanding how<br />
passionate donors are about HU.<br />
LEAD participants with Hebrew University Vice President for Advancement and External Relations, Amb Yossi Gal (center)<br />
LEAD participant Milan Chatterjee at Start-Up Nation offices<br />
While the trip is over, the LEAD journey has only just begun. We look forward to working with<br />
participants as they continue their exploration of HU’s many accomplishments and deepen their<br />
commitment to <strong>AFHU</strong>.<br />
LEAD participants at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate<br />
LEAD participants visit the Western (Wailing) Wall
PAGE 32<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 33<br />
53rd Annual George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award<br />
“In our world today where democracy seems to be in danger in so many different places and in so<br />
many ways, I believe it is even more important for us to support institutions like the Hebrew University<br />
of Jerusalem that help to foster the foundations of Israeli democracy. I’m so honored to be receiving<br />
this award”, said Kaplan.<br />
Audrey Strauss, Senior Counsel, Fried Frank, represents clients in white-collar criminal defense and<br />
regulatory matters. Prior to rejoining Fried Frank in 2022, Audrey served as U.S. Attorney for the<br />
Southern District of New York, where she oversaw all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the<br />
U.S. These include taking on Roy Cohn and the Gambino family, and as deputy U.S. Attorney, where<br />
she took on Michael Cohen and Rudy Giuliani.<br />
Geoffrey S. Berman, Partner, Fried Frank, and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New<br />
York presented the award to Strauss.<br />
“It is a profound honor to receive this year’s Torch of Learning Award, along with my co-recipient<br />
Robbie Kaplan, joining the ranks of many distinguished past awardees,” said Strauss. “I am proud to<br />
continue to support American Friends of the Hebrew University and HU’s Faculty of Law in its efforts<br />
to educate and champion outstanding future global leaders and innovators, among other important<br />
work.”<br />
(L-R): Roberta (Robbie) Kaplan, Honoree; Josh Rednik, <strong>AFHU</strong> CEO; Fran Katz, <strong>AFHU</strong> National Board of Directors; Audrey Strauss, Honoree<br />
Roberta Kaplan and Audrey Strauss received the 53rd Annual George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award<br />
(TOL), presented by American Friends of the Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>) at Cipriani on Thursday, May<br />
18.<br />
At the event <strong>AFHU</strong> President Pamela Emmerich said, “These two brilliant women—whose careers are<br />
the stuff on which legends are made—are most deserving recipients of the Torch of Learning Award,<br />
named in memory of the late George Katz (z’l), founding partner of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.<br />
It honors outstanding lawyers who have made a significant impact in the legal profession and in the<br />
broader community. Both of our distinguished honorees meet that requirement in spades.”<br />
Roberta (“Robbie”) Kaplan is the founding partner of Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP which she founded to<br />
build what she calls a “new-fashioned, old-fashioned” law firm that combines a cutting-edge civil and<br />
criminal litigation practice with a groundbreaking commitment to using the courts to serve the public<br />
interest. To that end, she has been in the news recently for successful representation of E. Jean<br />
Carroll, but before that her victory in the landmark Windsor case helped pave the way for marriage<br />
equality in the U.S. Robbie has taken on the white supremacists in Charlottesville and co-founded the<br />
Times Up Legal Defense Fund.<br />
Dahlia Lithwick, lawyer, New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and senior editor at Slate<br />
presented the award to Kaplan.<br />
Celebrating its 53rd year, the Award has an illustrious history and raises awareness and important<br />
support for the Hebrew University Faculty of Law and the mission of its American Friends.<br />
Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law is a dynamic institution where traditional legal research is<br />
conducted along with trailblazing programs in international law, multidisciplinary studies, and human<br />
rights research. HU law alumni include the majority of Israel’s former Supreme Court justices (many<br />
now faculty members), legislators, attorneys-general, social activists, and heads of NGOs.<br />
At the luncheon, Prof. Tomer Broude, Dean of the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, presented a talk<br />
on “Constitutional Reforms and the Future of Israel’s Democracy.”<br />
Co-chairs for the event include Elkan Abramowitz, Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC;<br />
Daniel J. Beller, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Gregory L. Diskant, Patterson Belknap<br />
Webb & Tyler LLP; Tali Farhadian Weinstein, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, Frederick P. Hafetz, Frederick<br />
P. Hafetz LLC; Sean Hecker, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP; David B. Hennes, Ropes & Gray LLP; Robert<br />
J. Jossen, Robert Jossen PC; Alan Levine, Cooley LLP; Molly Levinson, The Levinson Group LLC;<br />
Jonathan L. Mechanic, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP; Gary P. Naftalis, Kramer Levin<br />
Naftalis & Frankel LLP; Sharon L. Nelles, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; John S. Siffert, Lankler Siffert &<br />
Wohl LLP; Ira Lee Sorkin, Mintz & Gold LLP and Charles A. Stillman, Ballard Spahr LLP.<br />
Advisors for the event include H. Rodgin Cohen; Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; Stephen M. Cutler, Simpson<br />
Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Adam O. Emmerich, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Stephanie J. Goldstein,<br />
Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Brad S. Karp, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Meredith E.<br />
Kotler, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer US LLP; George A. Schieren, Avi Weitzman, Paul Hastings LLP.
PAGE 34<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 35<br />
Mid-Atlantic Tzameret Event<br />
On October 1, the Mid-Atlantic Region hosted a reception welcoming Josh Rednik, CEO of American<br />
Friends of the Hebrew University and the students of Tzameret, Hebrew University’s elite military<br />
medical exchange program. Held at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, supporters<br />
gathered to hear Josh discuss the goals of the University and the important role of the American<br />
Friends in the Mid-Atlantic.<br />
Dental Medicine & Israel<br />
The students from the Tzameret Student Exchange Program, based at Bethesda’s Uniformed<br />
Services University of Health Sciences, gave an overview of the program and their course of study.<br />
Recognizing the importance of military medicine in saving lives on the battlefield and in emergency<br />
situations, Tzameret was founded in 2009 in partnership with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).<br />
Degree candidates in the Tzameret program fulfill the full six-year medical school curriculum at<br />
the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and then complete an internship year. They also<br />
receive specialized training in medicine and infrastructure that equips them to function as triage<br />
military personnel.<br />
The audience was engaged in a lively question and answer session where the students provided<br />
information on the program and its impact on their lives and future in medicine.<br />
(L-R) Mindy Salzberg-Siegel, Prof. Avi Zini, Marvin Sonne, Harry Siegel, and Judith Shenkman<br />
On October 29, in partnership with the Alpha Omega International Dental Society and the Alpha<br />
Omega Detroit Chapter, Mindy Salzberg-Siegel DDS and Harry Siegel hosted thirty guests at<br />
their home in Michigan. Guests heard about the Hebrew University’s current efforts in Israel from<br />
Hebrew University’s Prof. Avraham (“Avi”) Zini, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine.<br />
Prof. Zini began by discussing the current war, sharing facts about the situation, alongside his<br />
personal experience (his nephew, Nirel Zini (z”l), and Nirel’s girlfriend, Nieve Raviv (z”l), were<br />
among those massacred in the October 7 attacks). He went on to describe how HU’s Faculty of<br />
Dental Medicine is assisting with the war efforts, including treating injured patients. In addition,<br />
10 faculty members of HU’s Faculty of Dentistry are performing the grueling task of identifying<br />
the deceased through dental records, DNA, and human remains. He explained that while this work<br />
is unimaginably heartbreaking and difficult, it is an important and necessary task for the State of<br />
Israel and her people.<br />
Brad and Sheryl Schwartz (Member, Mid-Atlantic Regional Board, National<br />
Board of Directors) & Bill Kilberg (President, Mid-Atlantic Regional<br />
Board, Nominations Chair, National Board of Directors)<br />
(L-R) Shelly & Dr. Richard Weitzman, inaugural Chairs of Paws for a Cause<br />
benefiting the Koret Veterinary School, pictured with Tzameret students<br />
Prof. Zini then concluded by speaking about the Faculty of Dental Medicine, its history, and plans<br />
for renovation and expansion, including the planned, state-of-the-art, Robert I. Schattner Oral<br />
Health Center for People with Disabilities. This center is part of an overall planned five-floor<br />
renovation, construction, and equipment upgrade. It will be the first of its kind in Israel, with<br />
accessible and optimal care for people with a wide range of disabilities, conducted by specially<br />
trained dental professionals.
PAGE 36<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 37<br />
After his visit to the Midwest, Dean Zini traveled to New Jersey where he attended a reception<br />
graciously hosted by Dr. Joseph and Lori Rozehzadeh.<br />
HU Professor Shares His Insights on Judicial Reform<br />
On Wednesday, May 24, Prof. Tomer Broude, Dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)<br />
Faculty of Law and holder of the Bessie and Michael Greenblatt QC Chair in Public and International<br />
Law, was the featured speaker at a fireside chat and Q&A with Bobby Gerber, Midwest Region board<br />
member of the American Friends of the Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>) and Managing Partner of Neal,<br />
Gerber & Eisenberg. The Chicago event featured Prof. Broude’s presentation, “Judicial Reforms and<br />
the Future of Israel’s Democracy,” which focused on the critical role the Hebrew University’s Faculty<br />
of Law plays in Israeli jurisprudence. In attendance were <strong>AFHU</strong> Midwest Region board members,<br />
including Mary Ann Tuft and Karen Herbst and their invited guests.<br />
Sponsored by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, a dozen attendees gathered at the famous Rookery<br />
Building, a historic building in the Chicago Loop and home to the offices of Tabet DiVito & Rothstein,<br />
to discuss far-reaching topics including Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law curriculum, the role of<br />
HU graduates in legal public service and the judiciary, and the effectiveness of protests in Israel.<br />
The Hebrew University Faculty of Law is the beneficiary of The Decalogue Foundation (the charitable<br />
arm of The Decalogue Society of Lawyers) endowed fellowship, The Decalogue Society of Lawyers<br />
Perpetual Fellowship Fund. This year’s scholarship was awarded in honor of Martin Moltz, Associate<br />
Judge on the Cook County (Illinois) Judicial Circuit Court. Robert Matanky, the President of The<br />
Decalogue Foundation, is the brother of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s National Campaign Chair, James Matanky.<br />
(L-R) Dr. Joseph Rozehzadeh and Prof. Avi Zini<br />
(L-R) Prof. Avi Zini and Dr. David J. Katz, Assistant Dean for Clinical<br />
Affairs at Touro College of Dental Medicine<br />
Pictured in front of the oriel staircase designed by Burnham and Root, and later redesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright, are (left to right) Michael Rothstein,<br />
Partner, Tabet DiVito & Rothstein; Prof. Tomer Broude, Dean, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Robert Matanky, President, the Decalogue<br />
Foundation; Curtis Ross
PAGE 38<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 39<br />
Einstein Visionaries Society Luncheon <strong>2023</strong><br />
An Event of Biblical Proportions: American Friends<br />
of Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>) Western Region Hosts<br />
Exclusive Preview of the Unique Codex Sassoon<br />
American Friends of Hebrew University (<strong>AFHU</strong>)<br />
Western Region guests attended an exclusive<br />
event to preview the unique Codex Sassoon<br />
Hebrew Bible at Sotheby’s Beverly Hills on<br />
Tuesday, May 2. On May 17, the manuscript sold<br />
for a record $38.1 million dollars, one of the<br />
highest prices for a book or historical document<br />
ever sold at auction.<br />
approximately 1,100 years ago, the contents<br />
were digitized, reviewed, and analyzed by the<br />
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) Faculty<br />
of Humanities researchers as part of its Bible<br />
Project.<br />
(L-R) Ambassador Meron Reuben with HU Student Ambassador Yona Shemesh<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong>’s Northeast Region hosted its annual Einstein Visionaries Society Luncheon on September<br />
12, at The Harmonie Club in midtown Manhattan. This celebratory luncheon recognizes generous<br />
donors who have made a legacy gift to support the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This year,<br />
we recognized Dr. Saul Unter for his recent bequest in support of Hebrew University’s Robert I.<br />
Schattner Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities and the creation of the Dr. Saul Unter<br />
Endowment Fund.<br />
The event was hosted by <strong>AFHU</strong> Western Region<br />
Executive Director Justin Pressman. Sotheby’s<br />
Judaica Consultant, Shaul Seidler-Feller, regaled<br />
attendees with background on the Manuscript<br />
named for its most prominent modern<br />
owner: David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942),<br />
a passionate collector of Judaica and Hebraic<br />
manuscripts.<br />
The 466-page manuscript is the earliest,<br />
most complete Hebrew Bible, containing all<br />
24 books, and missing only 12 leaves. Created<br />
Judicial Reform Parlor Meeting<br />
Sotheby’s Judaica Consultant, Shaul Seidler-Feller, regales attendees<br />
with background on the Manuscript<br />
Our surprise special guest, and proud HU alum, was the Consul General of Israel to New England,<br />
Ambassador Meron Reuben, who shared updates and greetings from Israel. Guest speakers<br />
included Hebrew University Student Ambassador Yona Shemesh, who shared his journey to<br />
Hebrew University and discussed the positive impact of scholarships on his life. The presentation<br />
from <strong>AFHU</strong> planned giving consultant Neal Myerberg covered strategies for estate planning and<br />
tax-wise giving.<br />
Welcoming our guests was <strong>AFHU</strong> National and Northeast Region Board member, Frances Katz,<br />
who established a bequest to endow a Chair at the Hebrew University School of Social Work. Fran’s<br />
remarks reflected her deep connection to the University and paid tribute to her late husband,<br />
George Katz (z”l), and his passion for Hebrew University, Israel, and global betterment. Closing<br />
the program was Maura Milles, the Executive Director of the Northeast Region. A big thank you<br />
also went out to our luncheon sponsor, PNC Bank, who continues to generously help underwrite<br />
this important event.<br />
HU’s Chancellor Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson leads an insightful<br />
conversation about politics in Israel<br />
On Tuesday, September 19, twenty eight<br />
members of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s Western Region gathered<br />
at the residence of Michael and Corie Koss<br />
for a discussion about political reform in<br />
Israel with Hebrew University Chancellor,<br />
Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson. Prof. Ben-<br />
Sasson shared his perspective on the issues<br />
surrounding reform, including public response,<br />
and his optimism for the future. A focal point<br />
of the evening was the impact that supporters<br />
of the Hebrew University continue to have<br />
on Israel’s continued growth and prosperity.<br />
As the Chancellor stated, “when you invest in<br />
education, you create expressive minds.”
PAGE 40<br />
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY<br />
<strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 41<br />
HU Visits the Hamptons<br />
Prof. Netta Barak-Corren<br />
More than 100 people attended “Changes in the<br />
Israeli Judicial System and the Separation of<br />
Powers in Israel,” held on July 22, at Temple Adas<br />
Israel in Sag Harbor, and July 23, at the Jewish<br />
Center of the Hamptons in East Hampton. The<br />
presentation was made by Prof. Netta Barak-<br />
Corren of the Hebrew University Faculty of Law,<br />
Director of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s<br />
Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and<br />
Diversity, and Member of the University’s<br />
Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality.<br />
One of Israel’s most important legal minds,<br />
Prof. Barak-Corren detailed the history of<br />
Israeli judicial reform and the problems she sees<br />
with the current legislation. She also spoke of<br />
a proposed Constituent Assembly for Israel, a<br />
concept she developed with six colleagues,<br />
including religious, secular, Haredi, and Arab<br />
women and men.<br />
A part of <strong>AFHU</strong>’s Hebrew University in the<br />
Hamptons series, the events provided thoughtprovoking<br />
discussions that served as an example<br />
of the multi-faceted and important work<br />
happening every day at the Hebrew University<br />
of Jerusalem.<br />
A Personal Converation<br />
with Professor David<br />
Flatto<br />
On November 18, Professor David Flatto from<br />
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of<br />
Law and Department of Jewish Philosophy spoke<br />
at the 16th annual United Jewish Federation of<br />
Greater Stamford, New Cannan, and Darien’s<br />
Tapestry event, an evening of communal adult<br />
Jewish learning and education. During his talk,<br />
Professor Flatto provided an overview of the<br />
Israeli judicial system and its key players, focusing<br />
on the background and historical context<br />
leading up to this year’s controversial Supreme<br />
Court Judicial Reform developments. Using an<br />
interdisciplinary lens to unpack the judicial crisis,<br />
he discussed the history of Israeli statehood and<br />
the calls for an Israeli constitution. Professor<br />
Flatto’s conclusion included his perspective on<br />
how the current Israel-Hamas war may influence<br />
Israel’s legal and judicial systems.<br />
Outside of Professor Flatto’s discussion, guests<br />
also enjoyed talks on the Israeli labor movement,<br />
the links between anti-Israel and antisemitic<br />
sentiment, and the reform movement in Israel.<br />
Professor Flatto presenting to a crowd of guests<br />
We Are One Webinar Series<br />
On Wednesday, December 6, the Hebrew<br />
University of Jerusalem hosted a Zoom webinar<br />
titled “The Digital Frontline: The Israel-Hamas<br />
War on Social Media.” Featured speakers: Prof.<br />
Amit Pinchevski, Prof. Neta Kligler-Vilenchik,<br />
Dr. Lilly Boxman-Shabtai, Prof. Paul Frosh, and<br />
researcher Tom Divon. Click the image above<br />
to view.<br />
On Sunday, November 5, the Hebrew University<br />
of Jerusalem hosted a Zoom webinar titled<br />
“Fighting for the Israeli Hostages.” Featured<br />
speakers: Prof. Yuval Shany, the Hersch<br />
Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law; Dr.<br />
Shiran Reichenberg, Executive Director of the<br />
Clinical Legal Education Center; and Prof. Tomer<br />
Broude, Dean of the Faculty of Law. Click the<br />
image above to view.<br />
On Monday, November 20, the Hebrew University<br />
of Jerusalem hosted a Zoom webinar titled<br />
“Maintaining Food Stability In A Time of War.”<br />
Featured speakers: Prof. Saul Burdman, the Dean<br />
of HU’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture,<br />
Food, and Environment, and Prof. Benny Chefetz,<br />
Head of FOOJI, HU’s Center for Sustainable Food<br />
Systems. Click the image above to view.<br />
On Sunday, October 29, the Hebrew University<br />
hosted a Zoom webinar titled “Israel-Gaza-<br />
Lebanon: Where Are We Going?” Featured<br />
speakers: Dr. Or (Ori) Rabinowitz, Dr. Daniel<br />
Sobelman, and Dr. Guy Laron, and was moderated<br />
by Prof. Yoram Haftel, Chair of the Hebrew<br />
University International Relations department.<br />
Click the image above to view.<br />
Visit Our Website for Upcoming Events!
American Friends of the Hebrew University<br />
Tel. 212.607.8500 | <strong>AFHU</strong>.ORG | info@afhu.org<br />
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T: 212.607.8510<br />
E: northeast@afhu.org<br />
Southeast Region<br />
T: 561.750.8585<br />
E: southeast@afhu.org<br />
Pacific Northwest Region<br />
T: 415.299.8691<br />
E: pacificnorthwest@afhu.org<br />
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T: 202.363.4600<br />
E: midatlantic@afhu.org<br />
Midwest Region<br />
T: 312.329.0332<br />
E: midwest@afhu.org<br />
Philadelphia Office<br />
T: 215.330.6722<br />
E: philadelphia@afhu.org<br />
Western Region<br />
T: 310.843.3100<br />
E: western@afhu.org