I Microsoft Israel Announces Creation of Joint “Innovation Labs” with

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News BGU
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NEWSLETTER OF BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV
‫גוריון בנגב‬-‫אוניברסיטת בן‬
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SUMMER 2008
VOL 2
I Microsoft Israel Announces Creation of
Joint “Innovation Labs” with Ben-Gurion University
Microsoft R&D
center in Haifa.
Prof. Rivka Carmi and Yoram
Yaacovi, CTO and General
Manager of Microsoft’s
R&D Center, at the opening
ceremony of the University’s
Annual Project Day, organized
by the Faculty of Engineering
Sciences.
Speaking at the
ceremony, Yaacovi,
explained that
the company
will select 12
outstanding
students each year
as interns. As part
of the agreement
Microsoft and
University
researchers will
carry out joint
projects. There
will be seminars
and professional
conferences during
the year, and the students
will participate in Microsoft’s
innovation competitions. Dr.
Ronen Brafman, a member of
the University’s Department
of Computer Sciences, will
supervise the University’s
involvement in this initiative.
Microsoft has created six similar
facilities in the United States.
This is the first lab of its kind
to operate outside of the US.
The Lab will be located at the
BGU President Prof. Rivka
Carmi noted that the University
teaches around 20 percent of the
students in the country in hi-tech
fields and sees the expansion
President Prof. Rivka Carmi and CTO Yoram Yaacovi of Microsoft’s R&D Center
Ben-Gurion University of
the Negev and Microsoft’s
R&D Center in Israel have
announced that they recently
signed an agreement of
strategic cooperation. Within
this framework, outstanding
computer science students
will complete internships
with Microsoft Israel at an
“Innovation Lab,” which is
focused on hands-on practical
research. The announcement
was made by BGU President
of these fields in the Negev as
a national mission. “BGU is
the second largest educational
institution in the country
training engineers, second only
to the Technion,” she said,
lamenting the fact that today,
the vast majority of graduates
leave the Negev. She detailed
the University’s involvement
in developing an Advanced
Technologies Park adjacent to
the Marcus Family Campus.
Remarking on the agreement,
Deputy-Rector Prof. Yael
Edan said: “Co-operation with
Microsoft’s R&D Center is the
right way of ensuring that the
best brains remain in Israel.”
Moshe Lichtman, Corporate
Vice-President and President of
Microsoft Israel R&D added:
“We believe that cooperation
with academia as a
technological model is positive
and enriching to both sides.
Cooperation with Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev
allows outstanding students a
direct path to the heart of the
technological achievements in
the world market, whilst coping
with real challenges.”
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I Hubert Burda Prizes
for Innovation
Awarded
I Minister-President of North
Rhine-Westphalia Receives
Honorary Professorship
I Marvin Kalb
Receives Robert St. John
Award
I 38th Annual Board of
Governors Meeting Marks the
60th Anniversary of Israel
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I Hubert Burda Prizes for Innovation Awarded
Stephanie Czerny congratulates Evgeny Berger and Marina Gitelman, recipients
of the Burda Prize for Innovation
Thirteen graduating
engineering students received
the Hubert Burda Prize for
Innovation at a ceremony
marking the opening of the
University’s annual Projects
Day. Traditionally a showcase
for fourth-year students from
the Faculty of Engineering
Sciences, this year the event
was broadened to include
projects from the Faculties of
Natural and Health Sciences
and from the Department of
Psychology.
Managing Director of
Marketing & Communications
at Hubert Burda Media
Stephanie Czerny represented
the renowned German
publisher Dr. Hubert Burda at
the ceremony. The opening
session also included greetings
from CTO and General
Manager of the Innovation
Labs, R&D Technologies
of Microsoft-Israel, Yoram
Yaacovi; the CEO of Polymer
Logistics, Zvi Yemini; and the
Director of Development of
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Freescale, Udi Barel. A number
of Israel’s leading industrialists
and entrepreneurs, including
Dr. Joseph (Yossi) Vardi and
Sammy Sagol, were also
present at the event.
The newly-created Burda Prize
is the brainchild of Dr. Burda,
Publisher and Chairman of the
Board of Hubert Burda Media.
“Dr. Burda understands Israeli
innovation and the promise
of our younger people and
decided that this is the right
investment into the future of
this small country,” declared
BGU President Prof. Rivka
Carmi at the opening session.
“This is why it is significant
that these prizes have been
created this year, as we
celebrate the 60th anniversary
of the establishment of the
State of Israel,” she said.
According to the University
citation, the students were
recognized, for “their
intellectual creativity and
technological innovation
which will advance future
research and development of
the world.”
The 13 recipients are the
innovators of nine different
projects, one from each
department in the Faculty of
Engineering Sciences.
The winners were as follows:
Marina Gitelman and Evgeny
Berger, Information Systems
Engineering; Daphna Volsky,
Nuclear Engineering; Pamela
Oren and Ophir Artzi,
Communication Systems
Engineering; Mor Peleg and
Guy Dabah, Biomedical
Engineering; Yiftach Barash,
Biotechnology Engineering;
Eitan Yair, Structural
Engineering; Daniel Reisner,
Mechanical Engineering;
Tamar Yelin, Chemical
Engineering; Talia Gazit and
Roni Shascham, Industrial
Engineering and Management.
Students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering with one of their advisers, Dr. Amir Shapiro (second from right)
I Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia
Receives Honorary Professorship
between Israel and the
European Union in her speech
to the Knesset in March.
“I would like to see Israel
having a ‘privileged
relationship’ with the EU. We
are working towards this and
have concrete proposals,” the
Minister-President stated.
L to R: Prof. Avigad Vonshak, Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers and Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt
Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, MinisterPresident of North RhineWestphalia, Germany,
recently received an honorary
professorship from the Jacob
Blaustein Institute for Desert
Research (BIDR). He was
honored for his instrumental
role in reaching agreements on
scientific-technical cooperation
between the European Union
and the State of Israel and
between Germany and Israel.
“Since the founding of
the Blaustein Institutes,
our researchers have had
strong ties with the scientific
community of the Federal
Republic of Germany in
almost all the disciplines, from
desert architecture to water,
algal-biotechnology and solar
energy,” noted Director
Prof. Avigad Vonshak, who
moderated the event.
As a former minister for
education, science, research
and technology in Chancellor
Helmut Kohl’s Cabinet in the
1990s, Rüttgers negotiated
the agreement under which
Israel was able to benefit
from EU research support
programs. He has also actively
promoted German-Israeli
bilateral scientific research
and development projects,
particularly in the areas of
oceanography and water
technology.
Rüttgers has strongly
supported collaborative
research projects between
researchers in the region
as a way to promote
greater understanding and
coexistence. Noting that North
Rhine-Westphalia has been
running an exchange program
for Israeli students since 2004,
Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt
said, “It is my privilege to
honor a person with not only
the vision of the importance of
globalization of education, but
who also takes action to bring
about active cooperation of
the exchange of knowledge,
researchers and students.”
In his address at the Sede
Boqer ceremony, Dr. Rüttgers
called for the expanding
of German-Israeli scientific
cooperation “beyond research
and development.” He said
that he was encouraged by
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s
call for even closer links
According to the University
citation for the honorary
professorship, Rüttgers was
recognized for his “many
laudable accomplishments in
education, science, research
and technology as Federal
Cabinet Minister and as
Minister-President of North
Rhine-Westphalia; in deep
appreciation of a sincere and
devout friend of the Jewish
people and the State of
Israel, who has encouraged
Christian-Jewish dialogue,
and who embodies the warm
relationship and cooperation
between Germany and
Israel, in the spirit of Konrad
Adenauer and David BenGurion; in gratitude for
his steadfast continuing
support of the long standing
relationship between
the State of North RhineWestphalia and Ben-Gurion
University, as established
by former President of
Germany, Johannes Rau; and
in recognition of his deeplyheld belief in the power of
science and education to
improve our world and as a
vehicle to promote mutual
understanding, peace and
coexistence in the Middle East
and beyond.”
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I Prof. Rivka Carmi Honored by Hadassah
Prof. Rivka Carmi admires the glass plaque while Marlene Post, former National
President of Hadassah, reads the text.
Hadassah, the Women’s
Zionist Organization of
America, recognized Prof.
Rivka Carmi as a “Woman
of Distinction” at a moving
ceremony held in June. The
event took place at the Knesset
in Jerusalem, in the presence
of Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik,
MK Amira Dotan, Hadassah
National President Nancy
Falchuk and former Deputy
President of the Supreme
Court and State Comptroller
Miriam Ben-Porat.
“Life takes place in cycles,”
said Prof. Carmi in her
remarks, recalling how she
started her studies at as a
doctor 38 years earlier at
the Hadassah hospital in
Jerusalem. “I have closed the
circle in my medical work with
sadness and joyfully opened
another large circle of work of
another kind for the good of
the State of Israel,” she said.
“Theoretically, the investment
that Hadassah made in me
has been lost, but in fact it
has received a large dividend
because actually, I am
continuing to realize the vision
of the Hadassah Women’s
Organization to work for ‘the
development of the State of
Israel and to meet its changing
needs’.”
In the official announcement
detailing the decision, the
organization noted that
“Prof. Rivka Carmi is the first
woman ever to head an Israeli
university. A graduate of
Hadassah Medical School, she
first made history in the year
2000 when she became the
first woman in Israel to head
a medical school at BGU. A
pediatrician and geneticist,
Carmi has studied the genetic
diseases of the Bedouin. One
of her discoveries, a rare
congenital skin disorder, is
called the Carmi Syndrome.
She also founded an
educational organization to
help Bedouin women.”
At the same ceremony,
Hadassah, the Jewish
world’s largest membership
organization and America’s
largest women’s organization,
also recognized two Israel
Prize laureates: Prof. Anita
Shapira for her groundbreaking work defining the
study of Zionism and actress
Orna Porat for her work
both on and off stage, as
the “grande dame” of Israeli
theater and the pioneer of
children’s theater in Israel.
I Magnets with Staying Power
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A discovery that could prove
to be a milestone on the
road to the development of a
quantum computer was made
by Prof. Boris Tsukerblat from
the Department of Chemistry
and is described in an article
published in a recent edition
of the prestigious journal,
Nature.
current classical computers,
explains Tsukerblat. “Whereas
a classical computer has a
memory made up of bits,
where each bit holds either
a ‘one’ or a ‘zero’, a quantum
computer encodes information
at the nanoscale in a sequence
of qubits (quantum binary
digits).
A quantum computer could
solve certain problems
much faster than any of our
The development of the
quantum computer is
hindered by ‘decoherence,’ or
‘forgetfulness’ of the encoded
information.” The challenge,
he concludes, lies in exploring
the reasons for forgetfulness
and how to remedy the
problem.
The article, “Quantum
oscillations in a molecular
magnet,” reports
unprecedented results on the
basis of a magnetic molecule
containing vanadium and
oxygen atoms which can
act as a carrier of quantum
information.
The research was carried out
through the interdisciplinary
collaboration of three groups:
Bielefeld University of
Bielefeld, Germany; Institut
Neel of Grenoble, France and Ben-Gurion University, with
the support of the GermanIsraeli Foundation for Scientific
Research and Development
(GIF).
I Marvin Kalb Receives Robert St. John Award
Marvin Kalb
Award-winning news
commentator Marvin Kalb
received the Robert St. John
Chair for Objective Middle
East Reporting in June. At
the ceremony, University
President Prof. Rivka Carmi
noted that Kalb “follows in the
tradition of veteran journalist
Robert St. John – combining
first-hand quality reporting
from Washington and around
the globe with the kind of
intelligent commentary that
defines a first-class observer of
human nature.”
In his talk titled,
“The Next American
President and the
Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict,” Kalb
predicted that
Barak Obama will
win the US election
in November,
noting that this year
the electorate is
interested in ABB,
“anyone but Bush.”
He dismissed
accusations
that Obama as
president would
be, “bad for Israel”
and encouraged
members of the
audience to see
what Obama wrote in his
first book. “In it, he describes
Israel as ‘sacrosanct’ and he
means it. Both Democrats and
Republicans will support Israel
to the hilt. Both also want an
agreement. It is part of the
American platform.” It is not,
he emphasized, that John
McCain doesn’t care about
the Israeli-Palestinian issue, it
is simply that “he will be too
preoccupied with Iraq, the
war that the Republicans have
committed themselves ‘to not
losing’.”
Kalb is the incumbent of the
Edward R. Murrow Professor
of Practice, Emeritus at
Harvard University. His
distinguished journalism
career encompasses 30 years
of award-winning reporting for
CBS and NBC News, as Chief
Diplomatic Correspondent,
Moscow Bureau Chief, and
host of Meet the Press. Among
his many accomplishments,
he was recipient of the
2006 National Press Club
Fourth Estate Award. Kalb
has authored or coauthored
10 nonfiction books and
two best-selling novels. He
hosts the Kalb Report, a
discussion of media ethics and
responsibility at the National
Press Club in Washington,
D.C., and is a regular
contributor to Fox television
and National Public Radio.
The Robert St. John Chair
for Objective Middle East
Reporting honors the memory
of a journalist and prolific
author who wrote 23 books
and worked for many news
organizations. He wrote eight
books about the Middle East,
including well-reviewed
biographies of David BenGurion and Gamel Abdel
Nasser. He was dubbed
the “Dean” of the foreign
press corps in Israel during
Operation Galilee in Lebanon
in 1982 – the fifth conflict he
had covered in the region.
St. John traveled the world,
carrying out research for the
World Book Encyclopedia and
making radio broadcasts.
According to President Carmi,
Robert St. John “wanted to
provide Israelis with the
opportunity to hear how
Israel and her neighbors are
perceived by the foreign press.
Therefore, he decided to help
us here at BGU by providing
an ongoing invitation to hear
from these journalists as
visiting lecturers under the
auspices of the chair in his
name.”
“I knew Robert St. John
well,” recalled Kalb, after the
presentation of the scroll.
“I was at his 80th and 90th
birthday parties and at the
ceremony in Washington [St.
John’s 100th birthday] when
this chair was inaugurated.”
To see the lecture online, click
to mms://karish.bgu.ac.il/bguacademic/tekes.wmv
I Prof. Zeev Zachor Honored
Prof. Zeev Zachor, President of
Sapir College near Sderot and
a member of the University’s
Department of Jewish History,
received the Herzl Award
recently in recognition of his
“exemplary Zionist spirit,”
from the City of Herzilya. At
the awards ceremony, Mayor
Yael German lauded Zachor’s
courage and determination
as an educator committed to
providing higher education
to students regardless of daily
rocket attacks from Gaza on
the College and his leadership
during these difficult times.
The judges noted that he is “an
outstanding example of the
Zionist enterprise.”
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I Graduates for the Future
Zach Ngalo Otieno-Ayayo from the Department of Life Sciences receives his diploma from Prof. Rivka Carmi, while (from left) the Dean of the Kreitman School for
Advanced Graduate Studies Prof. Ramy Brustein, Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt and Dean of the Facutly of Natural Sciences Prof. Abraham Parola look on.
“I have an almost 20 year
long relationship with this
University,” asserted Zach
Ngalo Otieno-Ayayo, who
came especially from Kenya
to receive his Ph.D. from the
Kreitman School of Advanced
Graduate Studies at a festive
graduation ceremony in June.
“I originally came to BGU
to do guided research on an
International Atomic Energy
Agency fellowship program in
1989-90, but in the end, I came
back to do my Ph.D. because
of the excellent research and
supportive atmosphere.”
Ngalo Otieno-Ayayo is one
of a record 155 students
who received their doctorate
degrees this year. His
doctorate thesis, written
for the Department of Life
Sciences at the Faculty of
Natural Sciences, focused
on biological methods for
mosquito control. “Malaria
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is one of Africa’s greatest
problems, so it is critical
that new methods are found
to control the mosquitoes
that carry the disease,” he
explained. “Hopefully, I
will be able to continue
my research in Africa in
collaboration with Israeli
researchers.” Today he heads
the Department of Biological
Sciences at the University
of Eastern Africa in Baraton
Kenya, where he also serves
as chairman of the University’s
Research Committee.
According to Dean of the
Kreitman School Prof. Ramy
Brustein, this has been a
significant year for advanced
degree studies at the
University, as a direct result of
the administration’s ongoing
efforts to invest in advanced
research. “We have committed
energy and resources to make
BGU competitive with the
best research universities in
the world,” he explained,
“as part of the University’s
policy to attract the highest
caliber graduate students,
including Masters and Ph.D.
candidates.” The creation of
the Negev Fellowships, to
complement the prestigious
Kreitman Foundation and
Pratt Fellowships, he noted,
has given the University the
power to attract an increasing
number of outstanding
doctoral students. The number
of incoming doctoral degree
candidates at BGU rose from
273 students last year to 313
this year. Two weeks later, some 5,229
undergraduate and graduate
students received their
degrees in two consecutive
ceremonies, breaking down as
follows: 1,633 Masters degrees,
3,431 Bachelors degrees and
165 teaching certificates. The
majority of graduates are from
the Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences – 2,044,
including recipients of
teaching certificates. There
were 1,153 graduates from
the Faculty of Engineering
Sciences; 856 from the
Guilford Glazer School of
Business and Management;
575 from the Faculty of Natural
Sciences; 548 from the Faculty
of Health Sciences and 53 from
the Jacob Blaustein Institutes
for Desert Research.
In May, 74 new medical
doctors received their M.D.
degrees from the Joyce and
Irving Goldman Medical
School at the Faculty of
Health Sciences and 23
from the Medical School
for International Health
in collaboration with the
Columbia University Medical
Center.
I 38th Annual Board of Governors Meeting Marks
the 60th Anniversary of Israel
The Finance Affairs Committee: (l-r) Vice-President and Director-General David
Bareket; President Prof. Rivka Carmi; Co-Chair Micha Dapht, Israel; Co-Chair
Eric Charles, UK; Chairman of the Board Roy J. Zuckerberg
The Marcus Family Campus
came alive with more than
300 guests from Israel and
around the world who came to
celebrate the 60th anniversary
of the State of Israel at the 38th
Annual Board of Governors
Meeting between May 25-28,
2008. The four-day Meeting
offered Board members
and guests an opportunity
to engage with students
and faculty members while
learning more about the
University’s accomplishments.
A number of special events
marked important milestones
in the development of the
University, as highlighted on
these pages.
Board members participated
in the important business
of the committee meetings
with presentations by
the University’s senior
administration, academic
faculty and students, all of
whom outlayed the year’s
accomplishments and their
future plans. At the Finance
Affairs Committee, the
Vice-President and Director-
General David Bareket and
his team detailed the financial
constraints of the University
and sister institutions in
Israel, the troubling fiscal
consequences of the
90-day faculty strike at the
beginning of the academic
year and ongoing draconian
governmental budget
cuts while weathering the
repercussions of the volatility
of world markets and a
weakened dollar.
Rector Prof. Jimmy Weinblatt,
the Vice-President and Dean
for R&D Prof. Moti Herskowitz
and Faculty Deans outlined the
ramifications of government
policies at the Academic
Development Committee,
while proudly announcing a
number of newly-established
prestigious programs. They
outlined efforts to develop
new international academic
ties and the considerable
strides being made in
advancing the University’s
research agenda. This includes
the ability to offer competitive
start-up packages based on
scientific merits and the results
of a successful recruitment
policy of some of the best and
brightest young researchers.
At the Student Affairs
Committee, members of the
Student Association eloquently
reminded the Governors of
the impact of two strikes and
the Second Lebanon War upon
their studies over the past
three years and detailed their
extensive activities to enrich
student life throughout the
University. The Associates
Affairs Committee included
presentations by the VicePresident for External
Affairs Prof. Amos Drory,
who highlighted a record
year in the magnitude of
support of BGU friends, and
a fascinating presentation
L-R: Representatives of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Dr. Lars Hansel, and of
the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation,Yair Torenheim, and Prof. Rivka
Carmi unveil new names on Ben-Gurion Wall for 2008
Friends from Philadelphia meet with faculty members at the festive opening dinner, including Dean of the Faculty of
Engineering Sciences Prof. Yigal Ronen (back row, far left) and Vice-President for External Affairs
Prof. Amos Drory (far right)
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38th Annual Board of Governors Meeting (con’d)
On Monday night guests enjoyed a special multi-media performance in Park Golda in Ramat HaNegev
by new University campaign
consultant John Gleir,
who analyzed the current
fundraising environment for
academic institutions in the
United States and around the
world.
During ceremonies at the
Ben-Gurion Wall and the
Founders Wall, worldwide
Associates were recognized for
their individual support of the
University, in the presence of
family and friends. Members of
the Ben-Gurion Society were
presented with a special scroll
marking the 60th anniversary
of Israel that lauded their
contribution to BGU and the
Negev. The text acknowledged
the University’s appreciation
of its “magnanimous friends
and supporters who have
committed themselves to the
advancement of knowledge
and scholarly research as part
of the greater development of
the Negev region and the State
of Israel.”
The Student Association
hosted its fun-filled Student
Evening, impressing guests
with the musical and dancing
talent of the student body,
which includes the Zlotowski
Dance Troupe and a student
jazz ensemble. The event was
sponsored by Dorian Goldman
and Marvin Israelow, New
York, NY; Alex Goren, New
York, NY; Ben and Arline
Guefen, Houston, TX; Fred
and Marlene Levinson, San
Francisco, CA; Joel Reinstein,
Boca Raton, FL; Carol and
Dr. Harry Saal, Palo Alto,
CA; and Max and Marjorie
Schechner, West Newton,
MA, on the occasion of the
36th anniversary of BGU’s
American Associates.
The Opening Plenary Session
of the Board included
welcoming remarks by
Chairman of the Board
Roy J. Zuckerberg and annual
reports by both University
President Prof. Rivka Carmi
and Rector Jimmy Weinblatt.
The keynote address was
given by the internationallyacclaimed Israeli writer and
BGU professor Amos Oz,
incumbent of the S.Y. Agnon
Chair in Contemporary
Hebrew Literature established
by the German Associates.
Six outstanding researchers
received the President’s Prize
for Outstanding Scientific
Achievement, saluting the
international and national
accomplishments of the
University’s exceptional
scientists during the nation’s
60th anniversary.
Changing venues to
University’s Sede Boqer
Campus, participants were
given a unique view of
practical coexistence in a
presentation titled “Creating
an Environment for Peace,”
moderated by Jacob Blaustein
Institutes for Desert Research
Director Prof. Avigad Vonshak.
Member of the BIDR faculty
Prof. Alon Tal described
“A Model Agreement for
Environmental Cooperation,”
Members of the Departments of Hebrew Literature and Jewish History were on hand to celebrate 60 years of Israeli culture with performing artists and writers: (l-r)
Etgar Keret, Prof. Haviva Pedaya, Nidaa Khoury, Prof. Nissim Calderon and musical artist Yehudit Ravitz
8
of the Laboratory
Prof. Sammy
Boussiba.
Dr. Natan Aridan
of the BenGurion Research
Institute made
a poignant
presentation at
the gravesite of
Paula and David
Martin Landau (left) with Prof. Sammy Boussiba
Ben-Gurion that
at the dedication of the Landau Family Microalgal
focused on David
Biotechnology Laboratory in Sede Boqer
Ben-Gurion and
a draft accord dealing
emphasized his critical role in
the period leading up to the
with environmental issues
creation of the State of Israel
shared between Israel and
60 years ago.
the Palestinians. Also on
the program were Israeli,
Guests traveled northward in
Jordanian and Palestinian
the direction of Beer-Sheva
graduate students and alumni
for a festive dinner celebrating
from the BIDR’s Albert Katz
International School for Desert the 60th anniversary of the
Studies.
State, which was held on the
shores of the enchanting manGuests had an opportunity to
made lake in the beautiful
tour the Ben-Gurion Research
Golda Park. The event, titled
Institute for the Study of
“Let There Be Life – L’haim!,”
Israel and Zionism and the
sponsored by Etty Luzzatto,
varied research laboratories at
Raya Strauss Bendror, Dov
the Blaustein Institutes. The
Tadmor and Chezy and Zehava
Landau Family Microalgal
Vered of the Israeli Friends
Biotechnology Laboratory
of BGU, included a display
was dedicated at a touching
of the University’s academic
ceremony in the presence of
strengths according to the
Martin Landau, UK, and head
themes of the natural elements
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water,
which were accompanied
by performers using sand,
fire and water and a musical
group from the Black Hebrew
community of Dimona.
Chairman of the Executive Committee
David Brodet at the Second Plenary
Session of the Board Meeting
An intellectual and musical
potpourri of local prose,
poetry and music was
presented by Israeli writers
and members of the
Departments of Hebrew
Literature and Jewish History
in the enthralling “A Showcase
of the Humanities: From the
Heart – Israeli Culture in
Context.”
Moderated by Prof. Nissim
Calderon of the Department
of Hebrew Literature and
a central figure in cultural
studies in Israel, the event
featured readings and
conversations with faculty
the 25th anniversary of the
Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer
Department of Social Work
and the 30th anniversary of
BGU’s trailblazing Open
Apartments Program. In
an inspiring speech at the
event, Herzog praised the
Department as “dynamic,
vibrant and innovative.”
Moderated by Chairman
of the Spitzer Department
Dr. Natan Aridan of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel
and Zionism talks to the guests the gravesite of Paula and David Ben-Gurion
members Etgar Keret, one
of today’s brightest young
Hebrew writers; Nidaa
Khoury, a brilliant bilingual
Hebrew and Arabic poet,
and Prof. Haviva Pedaya, a
leading scholar in Jewish
thought. Musical icon Yehudit
Ravitz sang popular songs
that are based on poems by
famous Israeli poets. The
musical group Ensemble
Ha’Yona performed traditional
Sephardic liturgical prayers
with a modern beat.
Minister of Social Welfare
Isaac Herzog was the guest
of honor at “A Celebration
of Community Intervention:
Engaging the Mind and Soul –
Academia in the Community,”
which commemorated
of Social Work Prof. Alean
Alkrenawi, the event included
presentations by faculty
members and students. Guests
were able to meet with some
of the students involved in the
Open Apartments Program at
a special lunch in honor of the
program following the event.
Prof. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
presents the Hyman and Irene
Kreitman Annual Memorial Lecture
9
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@
38th Annual Board of Governors Meeting (cont’d)
Ruth Flinkman and her sons and grandson (l-r, Lewis, Noah and Russell) visit the Atom Chip Fabrication facility
Family and friends of Swiss
businessman Abraham Ben
David Ohayon were on hand
for the dedication of the
Abraham Ben David Ohayon
Behavioral Sciences Complex.
During the ceremony,
special guest Nobel laureate
Guest speaker Prof. Daniel
Kahneman reminisced about
his experiences at the young
University. Later, in the
sparkling new auditorium,
Kahneman delivered the
Zlotowski Annual Lecture:
“Recent Revolutions in
our View of the Mind,” in
the presence of Suzanne
Zlotowski, UK, and Adelene
Zlotowski, UK.
On Tuesday, May 27, 2008,
the University awarded six
Honorary Doctoral Degrees,
granted in recognition of the
individuals’ distinguished
contributions to science and
humanity, as detailed in the
official citations. The guest of
honor was President of the
Israel Academy of the Sciences
and Humanities and Board
member Prof. Menachem
Ya’ari. This year’s recipients
included Prof. Avishay
Braverman, Israel; Prof. Claude
Cohen-Tannoudji, France;
Baron David de Rothschild,
France; Dr. Agnes Heller,
Hungary/USA; Carol Saal, USA;
Prof. Amos Oz, Israel.
Nobel Prize laureate in Physics
of the Collège de France and
the Ecole Normale Supérieure
in France spoke to an
enthusiastic audience on “Light
and Matter: The Modernity of
Einstein’s Ideas” at the Hyman
and Irene Kreitman Annual
Memorial Lecture.
At the Second Plenary
Session of the Board Meeting,
“Challenges for the Future,”
led by the Chairman of the
Executive Committee, David
Brodet, members were able to
review committee resolutions
that focused on varying
aspects of the government
budget cuts and made a
To see more pictures from the Board Meeting, visit the online gallery:
http://cmsprod.bgu.ac.il/Eng/Units/Board
10
special resolution concerning
the academic boycott of Israel.
Following a moving
presentation by BGU faculty
members Dr. Orit NuttmanShwartz and Dr. Dror Zeevi,
who shared their experiences
about living and working in
the Sderot area, the Board
passed a formal resolution,
“extending its concern to the
residents of Sderot and other
Western Negev settlements,”
and called on “the government
of the State of Israel to take
proactive steps to provide
for the security of all of its
citizens.”
Family and friends of Ruth
Flinkman of the United
States gathered together for a
moving dedication ceremony
of the Stan Flinkman Foyer
in the Henry and Anita Weiss
Family Building for Advanced
Research, moderated by
Dr. Ron Folman of the
Department of Physics. The
family visited the unique Atom
Chip Fabrication facility in
the Henry and Anita Weiss
Family Building for Advanced
Research.
Eric F. and Lore Ross of the
USA were present at the
dedication of the Eric F.
and Lore Ross Atrium for
Community Action. At the
dedication of the Eric F. and
Lore Ross Lecture Hall in
the Ruth and Heinz-Horst
Deichmann Building for
Health Professions, Dean of
the Faculty of Health Sciences
Prof. Shaul Sofer described
some of the achievements of
Faculty.
The exciting week came to a
warm ending with a friendly
evening of home hospitality by
University faculty.
Prof. Daniel Kahneman delivers the Zlotowski Annual Lecture
I President’s Prize for Outstanding Scientific
Achievement Awarded
From L-R: Dr. Moshe Sagi, Prof. Yigal Meir, Prof. Ayala Malach Pines, Prof. Rivka Carmi, Prof. Yigal Schwartz, Prof. Ron Dagan and Prof. Joseph Kost
On the occasion of the 60th
anniversary commemorating
the establishment of the State
of Israel, the President’s Prize
for Outstanding Scientific
Achievement was awarded to
six exceptional researchers.
The honor recognized their
accomplishments and role
in helping to position BenGurion University as a first
class research university
and for their considerable
contribution in promoting
academia in Israel.
The prizes were distributed
during the Opening Plenary
Session. The recipients are
as follows: Prof. Yigal Meir,
Department of Physics, Faculty
of Natural Sciences; Prof.
Joseph Kost, Department of
Chemical Engineering, Faculty
of Engineering Sciences;
Prof. Ron Dagan, Division of
Infectious Diseases, Faculty
of Health Sciences; Prof. Yigal
Schwartz, Department of
Hebrew Literature, Pinchas
Sapir Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences;
Prof. Ayala Malach Pines,
Department of Business
Administration, Guilford
Glazer School of Business and
Management; and Dr. Moshe
Sagi, Department of Dryland
Biotechnologies, the Jacob
Blaustein Institutes for Desert
Research. The scrolls read as follows:
“The President’s Prize for
Outstanding Scientific
Achievement is hereby
awarded to each of these
outstanding individuals in
recognition of their important
achievements in research,
their role in making BenGurion University of the
Negev a world-class academic
institution and their significant
contributions to the nation’s
scientific accomplishments.”
I The Gainesmobile
Lis Gaines, one of the founders and
former president of the American
Associates of BGU, inspects the spiffy
new “Gainesmobile” during the
Board of Governors Meeting.
The vehicle, which makes touring
the Marcus Family Campus a real
pleasure, was donated in Lis Gaines’
honor by her sister-in-law Carol
Nash Green. The Gainesmobile
is powered by electricity and can
comfortably ferry seven passengers.
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I Going Above and Beyond – Six Honorary
Doctoral Degrees Awarded
gratitude to a dynamic leader
who successfully transformed
BGU into a significant, worldclass institution, providing a
nurturing home and state-ofthe-art facilities for thousands
of researchers and students;
to a former President who
brought the University to
fiscal stability and left an
architectural legacy of beauty
on campuses in Sede Boqer,
Eilat and the Marcus Family
Campus in Beer-Sheva; and
to a Member of Knesset who
actively promotes social justice
and the development of the
Negev and the Galilee and the
advancement of science and
higher education in Israel.”
Back row (L to R): Prof. Amos Oz; Prof. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji; Baron David de Rothschild.
Front row: Prof. Ágnes Heller; Carol Saal; Prof. Rivka Carmi; MK Prof. Avishay Braverman
The University conferred
honorary doctoral degrees on
six outstanding individuals
in recognition of their
accomplishments during
the 38th Annual Board of
Governors Meeting.
The degrees were granted in
recognition of the individuals’
distinguished contributions
to science and humanity.
According to University
President Prof. Rivka Carmi,
“Regardless of the field we
are acknowledging – be it
human liberties, education,
performing arts or the sciences
12
– this age-old ceremony at
revered institutions around
the world has always been
about going above and
beyond.” Rector Prof. Jimmy
Weinblatt noted that each
of the evening’s recipients
“symbolize one or more facets
of David Ben-Gurion’s visions”
for the Negev and Israel, as
detailed in the University’s
citations quoted below:
MK Prof. Avishay Braverman
received the doctoral degree
“In heartfelt recognition of the
fifth President of Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev; a
former senior economist at the
World Bank, who promoted
economic development and
worked to prevent hunger
on four continents; with deep
appreciation of a true visionary
for his untiring efforts to
develop the Negev and bring
the periphery closer to the
center, increasing accessibility
of the disenfranchised to
higher education and creating
new economic horizons
for all the residents of the
region, including his inspired
drive for the creation of the
Advanced Technologies Park
adjacent to the University; in
received the doctoral degree
“In recognition of one of the
world’s greatest physicists
of our times, a gifted and
prolific scientist who has
extended the frontiers of
quantum mechanics and
quantum optics, developing
new theoretical and practical
approaches to the study of the
interaction between light and
matter; in honor of a pioneer
in the use of laser light to cool
and trap atoms, providing
scientists with new tools for
conducting experimental
research, revealing intriguing
new insights that have paved
the way for a wide range
of future applications; in
admiration of a man who has
fearlessly and relentlessly
spoken out against proposed
boycotts of Israeli academia;
in profound gratitude for his
long-lasting friendship with
the State of Israel and efforts
to advance scientific research
in the region as a means of
promoting peace; and in deep
esteem of a member of the
French Academy of Sciences
and laureate of the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 1997, amongst
numerous other prestigious
awards, and a dedicated
teacher at the Collège de
France and a researcher at the
Ecole Normale Supérieure,
whose lectures and books
have inspired generations of
young physicists to join in his
scientific quest to unravel the
secrets of our world for the
benefit of all mankind.”
Baron David René James
de Rothschild received
the doctoral degree “In
recognition of a distinguished
banker, scion of an
internationally-renowned
business family and pillar of
the French Jewish community;
who, in continuing the
200-year tradition of the
Rothschild family, has
become the embodiment of
trust, integrity and stability
in the tumultuous world of
international markets; in
admiration for an Officer of the
French Legion of Honor, who
served for 18 years as mayor
of the town of Pont L‘Evêque;
in deep esteem for his selfless
public service, leadership and
commitment to numerous
Jewish philanthropies,
particularly on behalf of
French Holocaust survivors;
in gratitude to a loyal friend
for his unflagging support of
the Zionist vision and the State
of Israel, carrying on a family
commitment of more than two
centuries that is perpetuated
in the names of the flourishing
towns founded and nurtured
by the Rothschild family; and
in recognition of his efforts
in advancing education and
welfare, scientific research and
higher education, encouraging
those assets so crucial to the
State of Israel – the future
generations of scientists and
scholars.”
Prof. Ágnes Heller received
recognition of an eminent
philosopher, one of the
founders of the “Budapest
School,” who has been
an model of personal and
intellectual courage; in
admiration of a Holocaust
survivor who has dedicated
her life to examining the moral
and ethical issues of our lives,
posing fundamental questions
about history, culture,
democracy and modernity; in
appreciation of a woman who
bravely withstood persecution
by a totalitarian regime in her
native Hungary, unwilling to
compromise her independent
thought and integrity; in
acknowledgement of an
award-winning scholar whose
prolific body of work and
teaching continues to inspire
generations of students; in
profound esteem for a person
who did not hesitate to reexamine her ideas, never
losing her belief in the spirit of
man and the values of mutual
responsibility and brotherhood
which have found expression
in her support of the State of
Israel.”
Prof. Amos Oz received
recognition of an acclaimed
author and essayist, one
of the foremost writers in
contemporary Hebrew
literature, who has brilliantly
portrayed the complex reality
of Israel with a critical eye
and a loving heart and a belief
in the capacity of literature
as a bridge between people;
to a master-craftsman who,
in his works so filled with
personal experiences and local
landscapes – from Jerusalem
and from the kibbutz, to Arad
in the Negev desert – conveys
how pain, love, fear and pity
are universal experiences that
resonate worldwide in over
forty languages, touching the
hearts of readers around the
globe; in deep esteem for
a committed Zionist and a
tireless advocate for peace; in
honor of a distinguished and
prolific writer and a member
of the Israel Academy of the
Hebrew Language, among
whose many prestigious
awards are the 1998 Israel
Prize for Literature and the
2005 Goethe Prize; in gratitude
for his enthusiasm and desire
over the years to dedicate his
time to teaching, sharing his
sensitivity and wisdom with
his students and colleagues
and nurturing young writers
as a faculty member of the
Department of Hebrew
Literature and incumbent
of the S.Y. Agnon Chair
in Contemporary Hebrew
Literature established by the
German Associates at BenGurion University of the
Negev.”
Carol Saal received the
doctoral degree “In honor of
a true friend of Ben-Gurion
University and a partner to
its vision; in recognition of
her initiatives in the world of
hi-tech, the application of her
entrepreneurial gifts to the
social sector, her passionate
advocacy of many worthy
and important causes and the
centrality of volunteerism as
her life’s work; in deep esteem
of her great contributions
to Jewish education and
community life as President
of the Saal Family Foundation
and her work heading Jewish
organizations in California,
spearheading support of
medical research and higher
education in the United
States and Israel; in heartfelt
gratitude for her tireless efforts
on behalf of the University,
including the advancement
of promising young scientists
and medical research and the
establishment of the Dr. Harry
and Carol Saal Auditorium
in the Alon Building for HiTech; and in recognition of
the energetic commitment
she brings to every position
she holds, including her
activities as a member of
the Board of Governors and
the Ben-Gurion Society and
her dedicated leadership as
President of the American
Associates of Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev.”
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I Two Professorial Chairs Inaugurated
Aaron Fish and his son Samuel
It was an international
celebration as two professorial
academic chairs were
inaugurated during the Board
Meeting, in the presence of
both benefactors and their
families: the Fish family of
Montreal and the Scheller
family of Philadelphia.
University Rector Prof. Jimmy
Weinblatt praised the decision
to create academic chairs as
the core of the University’s
endeavors and praised
the two new incumbents,
Prof. Mordechai Perl of the
Department of Mechanical
Engineering in the Faculty of
Engineering Sciences and
Prof. Amos Drory of the
Department of Business
Management at the Guilford
Glazer School of Business and
Management.
Aaron Fish, a member of
the University’s Board of
Governors and the Montreal
Executive of the Canadian
Associates of BGU, was
accompanied by his son
Samuel. Through the Aaron
14
and Wally Fish Family
Foundation, he and his
wife support many cultural
and medical institutions in
Montreal and Israel. They
have been involved with
the University for a number
of years, particularly in the
area of engineering sciences,
creating the Aaron Fish
Scholarship Endowment
Fund in 2001, designated for
the support of Mechanical
Engineering students.
is a prominent Pennsylvania
business leader and
philanthropist. As members
of the Ben-Gurion Society,
he and his wife Roberta
have served on the Board
of Directors of the AABGU
Philadelphia Chapter, of
which Ernest is now chair. In
addition to funding the Ernest
Scheller, Jr. Chair in Innovative
Management, the Schellers
have generously supported
BGU’s nanotechnology
research and the GinsburgIngerman Overseas Student
Program, in addition to
establishing significant
deferred gifts. In 2004, they
received the David BenGurion Award in recognition
of their outstanding leadership
and generosity.
Incumbent Prof. Amos Drory
has held a number of senior
positions at the University,
including Chairperson of
the Department of Industrial
Engineering and Management,
Dean of the Guilford Glazer
School of Business and
Management and Dean of
the University’s Eilat Campus.
Currently, he serves as VicePresident for External Affairs.
“As researchers, we are
compelled to understand how
innovations and innovative
management processes
can and are applied in the
workplace,” Drory explained.
“As educators, we must
disseminate this knowledge to
our students by using the most
appropriate teaching methods.
It is our responsibility to
prepare them for the dynamic
and highly competitive world
of innovation.”
Scheller summed up the
connection between both
families with the well-known
anecdote that it is “better
to teach a man to fish than
to give him a fish.” This, he
explained, is the essence of
innovative management.
Incumbent Prof. Mordechai
Perl has been with Department
of Mechanical Engineering
since 1995, serving as
Chairman of the Department,
Associate Dean for Academic
Development and then
as Dean of the Faculty
of Engineering Sciences.
“Through his entrepreneurial
skill, leadership, and charitable
deeds, Aaron Fish has had a
tremendous impact on the
lives of many individuals
including myself,” Perl said, in
a videotaped message.
Ernest (“Ernie”) Scheller, Jr.
Roberta and Ernie Scheller, Jr. with Prof. Amos Drory (left)
I Minister of Social Welfare Isaac Herzog Praises
Community Involvement
“You have to be a special
human being to be in social
work. You need a good heart
and a strong stomach to attend
to the needs of the others,”
remarked Minister of Social
Welfare Isaac Herzog while
speaking at the event marking
the 25th Anniversary of the
Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer
Department of Social Work.
Herzog was the guest of
honor at “A Celebration of
Community Intervention:
Engaging the Mind and Soul –
Academia in the Community,”
saluting the achievements of
the Department, together with
those of the University’s Open
Apartments Program that
marked its 30th anniversary.
Herzog noted that while
professional challenges
for social workers are
great everywhere, they are
especially difficult in Israel. “In
many ways, the problems
are similar to those in every
society: sexual harassment,
alcoholism, old age and
family issues, violence in the
community, which are in
themselves a major challenge.
Add to all that what we
have had to deal with since
the establishment of Israel:
the consequences of the
Holocaust, the results of wars,
the pain of new immigrants
who have just come from
Africa or the former Soviet
Union, the conflicts between
Jew and Arab – all these
represent a major burden
on our resources,” Herzog
declared in his passionate,
spontaneous remarks.
“I believe that the Negev
poses a major challenge
to Israeli society,” he
continued, praising the
Spitzer Department. “It works
within the community, and
the projects are extremely
interesting and contribute
to the success of services
throughout Israel.”
Minister of Social Welfare Isaac Herzog
Herzog congratulated the
Board of Governors and the
University, “for showing vision
and leadership in this field.
It has changed the lives of so
many people in Israel.”
I Sderot: A Personal Viewpoint
Since 2001, the western
Negev development town of
Sderot has suffered ongoing
attacks of Kassam rockets
fired from the Gaza Strip. Two
University faculty members
Dr. Orit Nuttman-Shwartz, a
member of the Charlotte B.
and Jack J. Spitzer Department
of Social Work, and Dr. Dror
Zeevi of the Department of
Middle East Studies shared
their experiences of living and
working in the area.
Chair of the Department
of Social Work at the Sapir
Academic College, NuttmanShwartz related how she
entered her office the day
after one of the College’s
students, Roni Yihye, had
been killed when a Qassam
rocket exploded in a parking
lot on the campus. “My office
was a chaotic mess, fragments
of glass and plaster covered
the room. All the windows had
been shattered,” she related.
“What would have happened
if I hadn’t had enough time
to run away, or if I hadn’t
heard the siren? I mustered
the courage to look out of
the window and saw the big
hole in the ground left by the
Qassam rocket, right where
Roni was killed.,” she told the
audience.
Nuttman-Shwartz related the
ongoing dilemma of whether
to continue teaching in this
situation, and how a shared
traumatic reality impacts
student-faculty relationships.
“We expect the instructor to
lead the class, but sometimes
the students show more
courage and deal with the
stressful situation in more
adaptive ways than faculty
members,” she admitted.
Zeevi, an expert in Middle
East Studies moved to Sderot a
few months ago from Tel Aviv
where he had an easy, culturefilled existence. “I felt that
there was such a gap between
my life and theirs,” he said.
“I was living in a bubble in Tel
Aviv and the people in Sderot
were suffering these missiles
everyday. I felt that there is
something wrong here. This
is the same country, the same
people.”
“I was astonished to see how
strong everyone was. I figured
I’d find miserable, unhappy
people, but actually they
helped me more than I helped
them,” he explained. He said
that he discovered what it
means to be living under the
constant threat of rockets.
“First of all, if you have kids,
think about them going out to
play, worrying about them all
the time. What if you’re having
a shower, and you have 15
seconds to find shelter. What
if your building – like half
of the structures in Sderot –
doesn’t have a shelter or a
safe room?” Zeevi pointed out
that businesses have suffered
greatly and expressed hope for
an improved situation in the
future.
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I Prof. Amos Oz on Israel at 60: the Conflict of
Dreams and Reality
Prof. Amos Oz
“Israel is a dream come true,
and therefore, it has a touch
of disappointment about it,”
remarked Israeli writer,
Prof. Amos Oz, in his keynote
speech at the Opening Plenary
Session of the 38th Board
of Governors Meeting. The
internationally-acclaimed
writer explained: “The only
way to keep a dream rosy and
intact is never to try to live it
out. This is true not only of
creating a nation. This is true
of writing a novel, planting a
garden or living out a sexual
fantasy. This is not about
the nature of Zionism; this is
about the nature of dreams.”
Oz, incumbent of the S.Y.
Agnon Chair in Contemporary
Hebrew Literature established
by the German Associates,
has been teaching in the
Department for Hebrew
Literature for over 20 years.
Israel was born of many
conflicting and sometimes
mutually exclusive dreams, he
pointed out: the recreation of
16
the biblical monarchy, a petit
bourgeois middle European
society where everyone is
polite, a Jewish shtetl, or a
Marxist paradise to which one
day even Stalin would come
for a visit and die of happiness
to see this perfect Socialist
state.
“What has become of all
these monumental dreams?”
he asked. “Some are still
struggling, some have died,
and some have been taken
for granted. On the surface,
we have something that the
early founders and Herzl
never dreamt about. What
we actually have here is a
very Mediterranean country.
Along the coastal plain where
80 percent of Israelis live, it
is hedonistic, noisy, warmhearted, materialistic, bursting
with energies, but with painful
pockets of poverty and
exclusion, but nonetheless,
a Mediterranean country.”
Oz went on to describe the
urgent existential problems
that he believes must be
solved in order for this
“golden age” to continue,
detailing his outlook for
peace in the region. He also
addressed what he referred
to as a “question of life and
death”: the renewal of “social
solidarity” within the state.
“In Jewish shtetls in Eastern
Europe there was misery and
poverty and suppression, but
not starvation and illiteracy. In
Israel today, there are pockets
of hunger and pockets of
dehumanizing poverty,” he
decried. “This is the urgent
business of the State of Israel,
of Israeli society, to renew this
social solidarity.”
The following day, Oz
received an honorary
doctorate from the University.
During his remarks, he noted
that the “University has been
my home for 22 years” and
that in many ways, receiving
this honor was almost
“incestuous.” But, he said, of
all the honorary degrees that
he has received, this one “is
closest to my heart. This is a
family recognition.”
To see the keynote speech
online, click to mms://karish.
bgu.ac.il/bgu-academic/amos_
oz.wmv
Leonard and Dorothy Wasserman from Philadelphia received an
unexpected surprise while on the Marcus Family Campus: their children
and grandchildren donated a public bench in honor of their 60th wedding
anniversary.
I Abraham Ben David Ohayon Behavioral
Sciences Complex Dedicated
The Abraham Ben David
Ohayon Behavioral Sciences
Complex was dedicated in
the presence of benefactor
Abraham Ben David Ohayon
and his family of Geneva,
Switzerland. The special guest
was Nobel laureate and former
BGU lecturer Prof. Daniel
Kahneman and the guest of
honor was MK Prof. Avishay
Braverman. Esther Halperin
spoke on behalf of the Swiss
Associates.
Designed by Israeli architect
Alex Meitlis, the building
includes more than 3,000
square meters and a covered
courtyard. The facility serves
the needs of the Department
of Psychology, housing
laboratories for human
behavior research, offices for
faculty and administrative
staff and lecture rooms and
includes a 380-seat auditorium.
During the ceremony, former
Chairman of the Department
of Behavioral Sciences
Prof. Avishai Henik and his
former mentor Kahneman
recalled the early days of the
Department. Kahneman spoke
about teaching at the young
university that used old store
fronts as classrooms.
“They were structures built to
be grocery stores, and those
were our classrooms,” he said,
adding that “there was always
something special about the
enthusiasm here, a sense of
pioneering and warmth that
Abraham Ben David Ohayon and his children Dan and Laurence
I don’t find in many other
places.”
Kahneman, one of the
founders of the branch of
behavioral economics and a
recipient of the Nobel Prize
in Economic Sciences in
2002, called the Department
of Behavioral Sciences “first-
class,” nothing that “what has
been accomplished here at
BGU is almost unbelievable.”
Addressing Ben David Ohayon
directly, he commented,
“I think you chose very well
in choosing to build this
magnificent building on this
beautiful campus and in this
extraordinary place.”
I University Celebrates Eric F. and Lore Ross’
Heartfelt Commitment to the Community
Eric F. and Lore Ross of the
USA were present at the
dedication of the Eric F.
and Lore Ross Atrium for
Community Action. Moderated
by Chair of the Department
of Politics and Government
Prof. Fred Lazin, the ceremony
highlighted the University’s
exceptional involvement
with the children of the
surrounding community. The
Ross’ were very touched by
the photo album presented
by the children of Perach and
Community Action Unit that
included hand-written thank
you notes.
At the dedication
of the Eric F. and
Lore Ross Lecture
Hall in the Ruth
and Heinz-Horst
Deichmann
Building
for Health
Professions,
moderator and
Dean of the
Faculty of Health Eric F. and Lore Ross with Prof. Shaul Sofer (left) and Prof. Rivka Carmi
Sciences Prof. Shaul Sofer
the Hall. Participants had
Mathilde Recanati School
described the mission of the
the opportunity to tour the
for Community Health
School and the purpose of
facilities at the Leon and
Professions.
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I Creating an Environment for Peace
air pollution sources that are
transboundary and impact
their air quality.”
The model agreement has
been submitted to Israel’s
Ministry of Environmental
Protection and the Palestinian
negotiating team on the
environment.
Prof. Avigad Vonshak
A model for an agreement on
environmental cooperation
was unveiled at the Jacob
Research (BIDR) during
the Board Meeting. “This
event reflects the continued
commitment of BGU and the
BIDR, not only to academic
excellence, but also to reach
out to societal needs of Israel
and it neighboring countries,”
said Director of the Blaustein
Institutes Prof. Avigad Vonshak.
The agreement was created
by Prof. Alon Tal, a member of
the BIDR and Dr. Mohammad
Said Al-Hmaida of Bir Zeit
University. Tal is a long-time
environmental activist who
founded the public interest
advocacy group Adam Teva
V'din – the Israel Union for
Environmental Defense, while
Al-Hmaidi is a past DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of the
Environment of the Palestinian
Authority.
Recognizing the proximity
of the Palestinian and Israeli
peoples and the critical
importance of protecting
transboundary resources,
Tal and Al-Hmaida initiated
this cooperative project
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that spanned several
months of research and
negotiations. The ambitious
project was undertaken in
consultation with international
environmental legal experts
and peer review teams of
Palestinian and Israeli experts.
According to Tal, the
agreement would encourage
joint management over shared
resources. “For example,
Palestinians and Israelis would
both be directly involved
in the physical planning of
areas on both sides which
are adjacent to the borders.
Israel would have a say in the
sewage treatment strategy
in the Palestinian sector –
which directly affects our
water resources, just as the
Palestinians would have
access to monitoring of Israeli
The event also included
a panel presentation
focused on “Transboundary
Environmental Research” by
students from the Albert Katz
International School for Desert
Studies (AKIS). During the past
year, three Palestinian and 10
Jordanian students have joined
the School’s international
student body that includes
over 150 students from 25
different countries.
The students spoke about
their environmental research
projects that have a regional
impact.
The following students and
a recent graduates presented
their research: Samer Eid,
a biology teacher from
Ramallah, spoke about his
project on air pollution
patterns and exposures,
comparing measurements
in east Jerusalem and west
Jerusalem, a project that is
part of a multi-lateral “MERC”
research grant with Jordanian
and Palestinian partners.
Suleiman Halash, an electrical
engineer from Amman, aspires
to establish the first solar
power company in Jordan.
His research assesses the
effectiveness of different solar
technologies in the conditions
of the kibbutzim in the Arava.
Sawsan Batarseh comes from
an agricultural family based
in Jarash, near Amman,
Jordan. Her research analyzes
water and food security in
Jordan with an emphasis
on drought, food grains
and recommendations for
contingency planning.
Hila Ackerman, an Israeli
from Jerusalem, worked
with her Palestinian and
Jordanian counterparts to
assess the stream pollution
in the transboundary ZumarAlexander drainage basin.
Immediately upon completing
her Masters degree, she was
hired as the Director of the
Environmental Unit in the
Negev Highlands (Ramat
HaNegev) Regional Council,
where she now oversees
environmental regulation in
the region.
Hila Ackerman makes her remarks while (l-r) Prof. Alon Tal, Suleiman Halash, Sawsan Batarseh and Samer Eid look on
I Making Headlines with Al-Jazeera
“A newsroom is a newsroom
is a newsroom,” explained
internationally-acclaimed
television host Riz Kahn,
describing the demands that all
news-gathering organizations
have in common. Kahn,
one of the founders of the
English network Al-Jazeera,
was speaking during a recent
visit to the Marcus Family
Campus, where he gave a
lecture on “International News
in a Global World” at a lecture
organized by the Department
of Communications Studies
and the Hubert Burda
Center for Innovative
Communication.
Kahn, who spent eight years
at the BBC World and another
eight at CNN International,
described the difference
between the three networks
in terms of cars. “Think of the
“BBC as a Rolls Royce; CNN
as a Ferrari; and Al-Jazeera
as a Toyota Previs,” i.e., a
hybrid car, he said. “We like
to think of ourselves as an
‘international channel with
Arab roots’,” he explained,
“with an emphasis on covering
the developing world.”
The dialogue that
comes from open
information is good,
he said, as it breaks
stereotypes. “If you
don’t get strong
enough voices, you
risk being boring.”
He was in the region to
produce a series of programs
marking the 60th anniversary
of the State of Israel, but
was also clearly concerned
with pitching the Al-Jazeera
“brand” to the local audience.
“Israel,” he noted, “was the
only country in the Middle
East that didn’t ban Al-Jazeera
[the Arabic-language network]
when it was launched.”
Khan is particularly
well suited to be
the spokesman for
the network that
has bureaus in four
cities; Washington,
D.C.; Doha, Kuala
Lumpur and London.
Riz Kahn
Born in Eden, Yemen
to Indian parents, Khan’s
family moved to London
when he was four years old.
He described the typical
English Al-Jazeera viewer as
young and internet-based
“expatriates.”
He stressed that Israeli
politicians are welcome
on the network as part of
their ongoing efforts to be
comprehensive and timely.
“We are the network,” he said,
“for people looking for other
voices. We are looking for the
truly global audience that is
interested in the diversity in
the region.”
To watch the full lecture, click
to mms://karish.bgu.ac.il/bguacademic/algezira.wmv
I Spitzer Prize for Social Welfare Awarded
The Spitzer Prize for
Excellence and Innovation
in Social Welfare in the
Negev was awarded to
Ilana Azulai for her work at
the Department for Social
Services of the Dimona
Municipality. Granted by
the Charlotte B. and Jack J.
Spitzer Department of Social
Work, the biannual prize
recognizes individuals who
dedicate their professional
lives to the advancement of
residents of the Negev region.
The ceremony took place at
an international conference
organized by the Department
as part of its 25th anniversary
celebrations.
Azulay, who received both her
Bachelors and Masters degrees
from the Spitzer Department,
began her work in the field as
a neighborhood activist, and
according to the University
citation, has initiated “new
programs for cooperation
between the third sector of
official social organizations
and the population,” and who
works continuously to use
innovative methods to raise
the “consciousness of the
needs and rights of special
target populations and those
that do not figure prominently
on the public and social
agenda.” Made possible by
the generosity of the Spitzer
Family of the United States,
the Prize acknowledges
the commitment of the
Spitzer Department to the
development of social services
in the Negev.
At the same ceremony, the
Frannie Ackermann Prize was
awarded to third year student
Sivan Russo. The Ackerman
Prize was created to honor the
memory of the late
Prof. Frannie (Francis)
Ackerman, one of the
Department’s founders who
championed the idea of an
activist department that would
be integrated in community
activities, with full cooperation
between field professionals
and the academic faculty.
Russo works in the Beer-Sheva
Emergency Center, which
treats children aged 4 to 12
from dysfunctional families
who suffer from severe
post-traumatic emotional,
psychological or physical
injury.
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News BGU
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I An Honor to be an Alumni
the first graduating class.
“We are delighted to be
here tonight because
we all went through
a special experience
together and now we
can re-establish the
connection.”
Dean Prof. Arie Reichel welcomes the participants
More than 100 alumni of the
Business and Management’s
Honors MBA Program (HMBA)
attended a recent reunion held
in Tel Aviv. The event brought
together an impressive
70 percent of all of the alumni
of the Program since it was
created five years ago.
“While in the Program, we
were a very tight-knit group,
but following graduation, each
of us went his or her own
way,” said Inbal Abbou, from
Vice-President for
External Affairs and
Head of the HMBA
Program Prof. Amos
Drory welcomed the
alumni. “We initiated the
program five years ago
with a lot of hope and
optimism, and today we
stand here facing the
impressive success and fruits
of all of our efforts” he said.
Dean of the Guilford Glazer
School Prof. Arie Reichel
and the Program’s Academic
Coordinator Dr. Haim Levy
welcomed the group and
saluted their professional
success.
Proceeds for the evening’s
dinner were used to establish
a scholarship fund for HMBA
students. Drory thanked the
participants, noting, “Until
now, you all were on the
receiving end. It feels good,
but I can tell you that being on
the giving side is much more
fulfilling.”
Reichel expressed his belief
that the event will be the
first in a series to solidify the
creation of an HMBA alumni
network. “Our goal,” he
said, “is to initiate a program
of social gatherings, guest
lectures and career placement
assistance, that will help
graduates to keep in touch and
support one another.”
The consensus of the alumni
about the event was clear:
not to let so much time pass
before their next get-together.
I Toronto Prizes for Excellence Awarded
Six outstanding University
researchers received the
tenth annual Toronto Prize
at the Rector’s annual end of
the year concert. Established
in 1998 in honor of the 50th
anniversary of the State of
Israel by the Toronto Chapter
of the Canadian Associates,
the prize recognizes promising
young researchers for their
intellectual creativity and
laudable achievement. The
Prize committee is headed
by the Vice-President and
Dean for R&D Prof. Moti
Herskowitz. This year’s
winners are:
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Prof. Moshe Sipper of the
Department of Mathematics
at the Faculty of Natural
Sciences, who is a leader
in the field of evolutionary
algorithms;
Faculty of Health Sciences,
a Fulbright scholar and
attending physician in the
Department of Obstetrics
and Gynecology at Soroka
University Medical Center;
Dr. Andrea Berger of the
Department of Psychology
at the Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences, who
researches the development of
attention and the development
of numerical cognition;
Dr. Hanna Rapaport of the
Department of Biotechnology
Engineering at the Faculty of
Engineering Sciences, who
researches peptides for use in
nano-medicines;
Dr. Eyal Sheiner of the
Department of Epidemiology
and Public Health at the
Dr. Yaniv Poria of the
Department of Hotel and
Tourism Management at the
Business and Management,
who explores the operation of
heritage sites and other aspects
of tourism consumption;
Dr. Ofer Dahan of the
Department of Environmental
Hydrology and Microbiology
at the Zuckerberg Institute
for Water Research at the
Jacob Blaustein Institutes for
Desert Research, who studies
problems related to the flow
of contaminants to recharged
groundwater of aquifers in
drylands.
I Academic Tour to Heart of European Union
The Centre for the Study of
European Politics and Society
(CSEPS) organized its second
academic study-tour to NATO
headquarters, institutions
of the European Union
and Jewish communities in
Belgium and in France in May.
The study tour was led by
Prof. David Newman and
Dr. Sharon Pardo, both of
the Department of Politics
and Government, and
was conducted within the
framework of the Centre’s Jean
Monnet special course focused
on “The European Union,
Israel and Jewish communities
in Europe,” taught by
Dr. Sharon Pardo. “This unique
study-tour clearly presented
a concrete opportunity
for BGU students to better
understand the traditional
links, the cultural values and
the economic and security
interests that Israel and the
European Union share,” he
explains.
For five days, 21 students from
the Department and from the
Pilots’ Academic Program
were given the opportunity
to be “Israeli ambassadors”
to Europe, meeting with
senior officials in the various
institutions as well as with
European decision-makers
and leaders of the Jewish
communities in Brussels and
in Paris, to learn more about
Israeli-European relations.
learned about the day-to-day
challenges faced by European
Jewish communities, the
problems of anti-Semitism,
assimilation and emigration.
During the meetings and
discussions, the participants
were exposed to European
institutions and their work
methods, their decisionmaking processes and how
both domestic and global
European policy is shaped.
In a meeting with leaders of
the Jewish community who
stressed the importance of
Jewish-Israeli- European
dialogue, BGU participants
The CSEPS views the unique
study-tour as important for
understanding and enhancing
the complex relationship
between Israel and the
European Union. The tour
was made possible by the
support of the NATO Public
Diplomacy Division, the
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and
the Israeli embassies at the EU
institutions and in Paris. I New Device Developed that Maintains Sterility
during Medical Procedures by Recognizing Gestures
Researchers from the
Department of Industrial
Engineering and Management
have developed a new hand
gesture recognition system that
enables doctors to manipulate
digital images during medical
procedures by motioning
instead of touching a screen,
keyboard or mouse which
compromises sterility and
could spread infection.
In the article, “A GestureBased Tool for Sterile
Browsing of Radiology
Images” published in the
Journal of the American
Medical Informatics
Association, the authors
report on what they believe
is the first time a hand
gesture recognition system
(Gestix) has been successfully
implemented in an actual
“in vivo” neurosurgical brain
biopsy at the Washington
Hospital Center in Washington,
D.C.
According to lead researcher
Juan P. Wachs, a recent Ph.D.
recipient of the Department
of Industrial Engineering
and Management, “A sterile
human-machine interface is of
supreme importance because
it is the means by which the
surgeon controls medical
information in the operating
room (OR) and the other
surgeons, therein avoiding
patient contamination. This
could replace touch screens
now used in many hospital
operating rooms which
must be sealed to prevent
accumulation or spreading
of contaminants and require
smooth surfaces that must be
thoroughly cleaned after each
procedure – but sometimes are
not. With infection rates at U.S.
hospitals now at unacceptably
high rates, our system offers a
possible alternative.”
Prof. Helman Stern of the
Department of Industrial
Engineering and Management
is the principal investigator on
the project. He explains how
Gestix functions in two stages:
“[There is] an initial calibration
stage where the machine
recognizes the surgeons’ hand
gestures, and a second stage
where surgeons must learn to
implement eight navigation
gestures, rapidly moving the
hand away from a “neutral
area” and back again. Gestix
users even have the option
of zooming in and out by
moving the hand clockwise or
counterclockwise.”
Several BGU M.Sc. theses,
supervised by Prof. Stern and
Prof. Yael Edan, have used
hand gesture recognition as
part of an interface to evaluate
different aspects of interface
design on performance in a
variety of tele-robotic and teleoperated systems. Ongoing
research is aimed at expanding
this work to include additional
control modes (e.g., voice) so
as to create a multimodal telerobotic control system.
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News BGU
@
I Lubner Prize for Community Service Awarded
Recipients of the Lubner Prize (and their dogs) at the award ceremony
Twelve exceptional students
were recognized for their
work in the community
with the awarding of the
Lubner Prize for Community
Service last month. Created
in 2007, the Prize honors
students who volunteer in the
community without seeking
or receiving any form of
financial compensation and
not as part of their scholarship
requirements.
As a new addition this year
to his honoring the students,
Bertie Lubner of South Africa
also provide grants to the
organizations where the
students volunteer.
Dean of Students Ya’akov
Afek noted that, similarly to
the first year, since all of this
year’s candidates were equally
deserving, the Prize has been
divided among 12 students
who volunteer in a wide
range of organizations. The
prize winners are: Ma’ayan
Gerber, who visits babies that
have been abandoned by
their parents in the hospital
and helps to raise awareness
about sexual harassment on
campus; Hila Zehavi, Merav
Rodovitch and Einat Amir,
who train guide dogs for the
Israeli Guide Dog Center for
the Blind; Eran Buchaltzev,
who volunteers in the
“Knowledge and Research
for High Schools” project to
promote intellectual skills of
high school students; Moshik
Lichtenstein, who advocates
for the rights of cleaning
and maintenance contract
workers; Avner Kleiner, who
works with aging Holocaust
survivors; Amit Feldman, who
volunteers in the Civil Guard
and works with youth at risk
to ensure their successful
integration into their army
service; Noga Rotem, who
teaches dance to teenage
girls from the Ethiopian
immigrant community; Arava
Ben-Horin, who volunteers
as a counselor for widows
and orphans of fallen
paratroopers; Yael Trau, who
works with disadvantaged
families, providing counseling
on household finances; and
Miriam Fink-Lavi, who works
for the Good Neighbors
Organization, coordinating
volunteers for different
hostels for the mentally ill,
the mentally challenged,
handicapped adults, including
those living in senior citizens
homes, and in the House
on Wheels organization
for disabled children and
adolescents.
I Best Book Award in Political Science for 2008
BGU political scientist
Dr. Yagil Levy has won
the Israel Political Science
Association Best Book Award
for 2008 for his book M’Tzava
Ha’Am L’Tzava Ha’Peripheriot
(From the People’s Army to the
Army of the Peripheries).
The award recognizes “the
book which has made the
largest contribution in the
research field of political
science, mainly in politics and
22
government, public policy,
and international relations.”
Levy teaches in the
Department of Public Policy
and Administration at the
Guilford Glazer School for
Business and Management,
and in the Division of
Military and Security in the
Department of Jewish History
at the Faculty of Pinchas Sapir
Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences.
The prize-winning book
examines the changes in
Israel’s military policies, from
the moderation expressed
in the Oslo Accords and the
unilateral withdrawal from
Lebanon, through the Al-Aqsa
Intifada, and up to the collapse
of the Palestinian Authority. It
examines the disengagement
from Gaza, and the second
Lebanon war.
Levy considers how these
upheavals have influenced
policies and brings to light the
shift in the social composition
of the combat field units which
had a destabilizing impact on
the management of military
policy.
The book was recently
published in English by
Lexington Press under the title
Israel’s Materialist Militarism.
I Biogas Project Places in Buckminster
Fuller Challenge
A University- affiliated project
placed third in the prestigious
Buckminster Fuller Challenge
competition. The project was
one of two “Runners Up” in
the Challenge that fielded
some 240 entries from around
the world, as a program that
supports “the development
and implementation of a
solution that has significant
potential to solve humanity’s
most pressing problems in
the shortest possible time
while enhancing the Earth’s
ecological integrity.”
The project, “Promoting the
Use of Biogas in Bedouin
Villages and Training
Bedouin Women Leaders in
Environmental Health,” was
initiated by Ilana Meallem,
who earned her Masters
degree from the University’s
Albert Katz International
School for Desert Studies,
and Mazen Zuabi, a graduate
student at the Department
of Environmental Hydrology
and Microbiology at the Jacob
Research. Today, Meallem
is affiliated with the Arava
Institute for Environmental
Studies.
The concept for the project
to develop environmentally
sound methods of waste
disposal began with Meallem’s
research among Bedouin
women in the newlyrecognized rural community
of Um Batin, located outside
Beer-Sheva, and Zoabi’s
research in environmental
hydrology and microbiology.
He is working to adapt selfcontained biogas digestor
systems for unrecognized
Bedouin villages in the Negev
– a system which has been
used successfully in rural areas
around the world.
like men do, and therefore
they have chronic health
problems that are related to
environmental exposure that
men don’t have.”
Meallem and Zuabi hope to
distribute the digestor system
to the local community, while
training Bedouin women to
operate them. In turn, the
training will mobilize Bedouin
women as environmental
health activists in their
communities.
In a letter to Meallem and
Zuabi, the Buckminster Fuller
Institute said that “the jury
was very inspired by your
entry to the Challenge and
the work you are doing with
the Bedouin community…
We hope that the recognition
of your project will bring
increased attention, funding,
and support to your initiative
and further catalyze your
important work.”
The project has been adopted
by University’s Center for
Women’s Health Studies and
Promotion. According to
Center Director Prof. Julie
Cwikel, “We see this as a
women’s health issue because
the women stay in villages,
and don’t go out to work
To watch a video report on the
project, click to mms://karish.
bgu.ac.il/bgu-academic/The
Bedouin Biogas Project.wmv
I The Fight Against Neglected Tropical Diseases
The diseases collectively
designated as Neglected
Tropical Diseases (NTD) affect
around one quarter of the
world’s population. Together,
such diseases as lymphatic
filariasis, onchocerciasis,
schistosomiasis, soiltransmitted
helminths and trachoma cause
severe disability in the world's
poorest countries, resulting
in billions of dollars of lost
productivity and high rates of
morbidity.
Many of these diseases are
caused by intestinal worms.
As part of the worldwide
struggle against NTDs, the
Faculty of Health Science’s
Center for Emerging Tropical
Diseases and AIDS (CEMTA)
is undertaking a research and
treatment program to help
eradicate intestinal wormrelated diseases in Ethiopia.
In the first stage of the project,
to be launched in August,
30,000 people will be treated
in three different sites in
Ethiopia. This is to be followed
by expanding the project into
larger populations, eventually
covering the whole country.
CEMTA Director and initiator
of the project Prof. Zvi
Bentwich believes there
is a possible connection
between NTDs and the AIDS
epidemic in Africa, and that
the treatment of NTDs will
shed light and have impact on
the epidemic in impoverished
regions.
“Deworming should also have
a significant impact on AIDS,
especially considering how
little it costs in comparison
to the fight against AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria,”
he says, adding that “It is
quite clear by now, that
total eradication of all NTDs
is achievable and for an
extremely modest cost.”
“The University is now joining
the worldwide struggle against
NTDs,” states Bentwich. The
University is partnering with a
number of international non
profit organizations and the
Global Network for Neglected
Tropical Diseases Control
(GNNTDC) in this project.
23
News BGU
@
I Symposium on Israel at Sixty
“In Israel today, we take
for granted what no one
could have imagined at
the beginning of the 20th
century: a country of seven
million people with a highly
developed economy, despite
the fact that there are no
natural resources,” declared
noted political scientist
Prof. Shlomo Avineri in his
lecture Israel, Utopia and the
Reality, delivered in June at a
symposium on Israel Studies.
Avineri, the distinguished
author and former DirectorGeneral of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, gave the
keynote lecture at the event to
honor Prof. Ilan Troen, who
recently retired.
As a way of approaching the
Utopian concept, Avineri
took as his point of reference
Herzl’s famous 1903 novel
Altneuland. “It’s worth reading
this work every now and then
– though it is a dreadful and
sentimental work of fiction
– to examine what Herzl’s
practical vision for the Jewish
state was,” Avineri said, adding
that “Herzl did not describe
a utopian society, but rather
as he himself explained, a
blueprint for a model society.”
That society would be
spiritual and ethical, based
on collective ownership and
state welfare, while at the
same time encouraging private
entrepreneurship. “The society
in Altneuland is a perfect
combination of socialism and
capitalism,” said Prof. Avineri.
“There would be no need
for an army since, in Herzl’s
understanding, the Jewish
state could only be created
as a result of international
agreements. It would have
international suffrage; all
citizens would be allowed to
vote – including non-Jews and
women."
Jumping ahead to the reality
of Israel in the 21st century,
and how it measures up to
that Utopian ideal, Avineri said
he believes that the greatest
achievement of the State of
Israel – beyond the existential
one – is its preservation
of a democratic form of
government.
“What are the chances
of a country remaining
democratic?” Avineri asked
rhetorically, “which on the day
of its founding is attacked by
all its neighbors; that has not
experienced a single day of
real peace in 60 years; that,
though very poor, triples its
population within its first three
years and increases ten-fold in
60 years; which has a strong
army whose military heroes
become impressive political
leaders.”
That scenario could have
developed very differently, he
posited. “Some 60 countries
have achieved independence
since World War Two under
similar circumstances, all
with the goal of remaining
democratic states on the model
of Britain or France. With the
exception of India, none has
managed to do so. They are
all dictatorships, communist,
fascist, or a combination of all
Prof. Shlomo Avineri
three,” he commented.
“Ours isn’t a perfect
democracy, what democracy
is, but” he continued. “It’s still
a democracy. I don’t know of
another case like this. That's
not something that we can
take for granted.”
Nevertheless, in Avineri’s
view, the Jewish state
suffers from two critical
failures: one, the failure to
achieve an agreement with
the Palestinians, “for which
we have a partner, and the
other, the destruction of
the welfare state, for which
we have only ourselves to
blame,” he opined. The loss
of what he termed “the spirit
of humanistic solidarity is an
issue of basic universal justice.
Returning that spirit is up to
us,” he concluded.
Alan Dowty, Notre Dame
University, USA; Prof. Moshe
Shemesh, Ben-Gurion
Research Institute for the
Study of Israel and Zionism;
Prof. Anita Shapira, Tel-Aviv
University; Prof. Gabriel
Sheffer, Hebrew University
of Jerusalem; and Prof. Zeev
Zachor, a member of BGU’s
Department of History of the
Jewish People and President
of Sapir Academic College.
Receive NEWS@BGU Online
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Produced by the Department of
Publications and Media Relations
Editor: Faye Bittker
Text: Patti Golan, Jacqueline
Watson-Alloun
Photos: Dani Machlis, Shai Shmueli,
Wolfgang Motzafi-Haller, Lior Mizrahi,
Hanoch Grizitzky, Niva Simon
Design: www.image2u.co.il
Many other prominent
political scientists from Israel
and abroad took part in the
symposium honoring Ilan
Troen, including Prof. Jacob
Lassner of Northwestern
University, USA; Prof.
Further details of the research projects
described here may be obtained from:
[email protected], Tel: 972-8-646-1753
Ben–Gurion University of the Negev
P.O.Box 653, Beer–Sheva 84105, Israel
www.bgu.ac.il, Vol.2 No.2

I Microsoft Israel Announces Creation of Joint “Innovation Labs” with

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