SEPTEMBER 29, 2000

IN ISRAEL

The cover story of the last issue of the Journal of Bacteriology (of the American Society for Microbiology) is by Dr. Mazal Varon and Dr. Mordechai Choder of the Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology at TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. The title of the article is "Organization and Cell-Cell Interaction in Starved Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Colonies."

An exhibition entitled "Dynamics and Function" of architect Erich Mendelsohn, sponsored by the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), Stuttgart, in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, has opened at TAU's Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts. Greetings were delivered by TAU President Itamar Rabinovich; Curator of the Gallery, Prof. Mordechai Omer; Director of ifa, Prof. Kurth Jorg; former Senator for Cultural Affairs and Senator for Urban Development and Environmental Protection, Berlin, Dr. Volker Hassemer; and curator of the exhibition, Dr. Regina Stephan.

TAU and the Tel Aviv Cinematheque held a joint symposium on contemporary Cuban Art, within the framework of a month long celebration of Cuban cinema and the arts, entitled "Havana Nagila." Opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Raanan Rein, Head of the TAU Institute for Latin American Studies, and Graziella Dizenhioz, Chairperson of ICFA, the forum for promotion of Israel-Cuba cultural relations.

TAU and the City of Tel Aviv-Jaffa held a conference on "Financing Urban Projects" within the framework of the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership. Among the speakers were Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and Tel Aviv Director-General Ariel Kapun. Stanley Gold, CEO of Shamrock

Holdings, delivered a lecture entitled "Alternative Urban Economic Development: Lessons From the US." Dr. Glenn Yago of the Milken Institute moderated an experts panel on "Alternative Financial Structures." TAU Vice President and Director-General Niv Ahituv opened the Conference.

An international symposium on "Signal Transduction in Health and Disease (Stady II)" was held at TAU, sponsored by the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD and National Institutes of Health (NIH); the Ares Serono Foundation, Switzerland; and the Maurice and Gabriela Goldchleger Conference Foundation at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Organizer of the Symposium was Prof. Zvi Naor of TAU's George S. Wise Faculty of Life Science.

"The Middle East Peace Process and Religion: Jewish, Moslem and Christian Perspectives," was the title of an international seminar of the Prof. Dr. Raphael Taubenschlag Institute of Criminal Law at TAU's Buchmann Faculty of Law, sponsored by the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies (Israel and the US); the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies (International Law Institute, Washington, DC); and the International Center for Terrorism Studies (Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, Arlington, Virginia). Greetings were delivered by Faculty Dean Prof. Menachem Mautner. Co-Chairmen of the Seminar were Prof. Asher Maoz, Director of the Taubenschlag Institute, and Prof. Yonah Alexander, Director of the Inter-University Center for Terrorism Studies.

Prof. Marianne Hirsch, Humanities Distinguished Research Professor, Dartmouth College, delivered a lecture entitled "Nazi Photographs in Post-Shoah Art: Gender as an Idiom of Memorialization" held by the TAU Women Studies Forum and the National Council of Jewish Women (USA), under the auspices of the Ford Foundation; TAU's Porter Institute for Poetics and Semiotics; and TAU's Samuel L. and Perry Haber Chair on the Study of the Jewish Experience in the United States.

The Joseph Kasierer Institute for Research in Accounting at the Faculty of Management held a conference in memory of Joseph Kasierer, Honorary Doctor of TAU. Speakers at the conference were Dr. Yossi Vardi , CEO of ICQ, and MK Dan Meridor, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Moderator of the event was Prof. Yitzhak Swary, Head of the Institute.

SHILUVIM, the Faculty of Engineering's alumni club, held its first meeting of the 2000-2001 school year. Keynote speaker was Dr. Gideon Kunda, Chairperson of the Department of Labor Studies, who spoke on "Organizing Time in the High-Tech Industry." Opening remarks were delivered by Faculty Dean Prof. Gideon Langholz, and greetings by TAU Vice President and Director-General Prof. Niv Ahituv. The moderator was Alon Barnea, Chairperson of Shiluvim.

APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

Two graduates of TAU's School of Mathematical Sciences won prizes for young European mathematicians (up to 32 years of age) awarded at the European Congress of Mathematics 2000 in Barcelona. The Congress is held every four years and awards prizes to ten young scientists for impressive contributions in the field. The winners are Dr. Semyon Alesker, who is now a TAU faculty member, and Dr. Dennis Gaitsgory, who is pursuing post-doctoral studies at Harvard University.

Doron Tamir, President of Tevel World Group and member of the TAU Board, is the new Chairperson of the Business Forum of the Israeli TAU Friends, replacing TAU Prof. Israel (Issy) Borovits, Chairperson and CEO of Arkia Airlines.

VISITS

Prof. Wofgang Fruehwald, President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and Prof. Helmut Hanle of the Foundation visited TAU. They met with Rector Nili Cohen, Vice Rector Shimon Yankielowicz, and Vice President and Dean for Research and Development Yair Aharonowitz.

A French industrial and academic mission for technological and R&D cooperation visited TAU. They met with Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz, Vice Rector; Prof. Yair Aharonowitz, Vice President and Dean for Research and Development; Prof. Touvia Miloh, Vice Dean of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering; Prof. Yoram Shapira, Director of the Wolfson Applied Materials Research Center; Dr. Yair Sharan, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Technological Analysis and Forecasting (ICTAF) and special adviser for European Affairs; and faculty members.

A delegation from China's Ministry of Science and Technology visited TAU. They met with Vice President and Dean for Research and Development Yair Aharonowitz, and were given a presentation on RAMOT, the University Authority for Applied Research and Industrial Development Ltd., by Dr. Ben-Zion Rubinfeld, and on ATIDIM Ltd., the TAU-Tel Aviv Municipality science-based industrial park, by Prof. Shmuel Einav of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, a Board member of ATIDIM.

ABROAD

TAU and the London Business School held a conference entitled "Britain and Israel High-Tech Cooperation - A Meeting of Minds" at the London Business School, sponsored by CITIBANK. Keynote speakers were Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, President of TAU; Didi Arzi, founder and former CEO of Nice Systems and Chairperson of the Executive Council of TAU's High-Tech Management School (HTMS)at the TAU Faculty of Management; Prof. Jacob Frenkel, former Governor of the Bank of Israel; Prof. Saul Estrin, Deputy Dean, Faculty and Academic Planning, London Business School; Dan Goldstein, founder and Chairperson of Formula Group; Prof. Shmuel Kandel, Dean of the Faculty of Management; and Dr. Gad Ariav, Head of HTMS.

Dr. Henry Kissinger was the guest speaker at the TAU American Friends dinner in support of the Abba Eban Teaching Program in Diplomacy at TAU, held at the Russian Tea Room in New York City. Acting Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Shlomo Ben-Ami of TAU, delivered an address. Co-chairs were Abigail and Leslie Wexner; vice chairs were Billie and Laurence Tisch and Chairman-elect of the TAU Board of Governors, Michael Steinhardt, and Mrs. Judy Steinhardt. TAU was represented by President Itamar Rabinovich, Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi and Head of the Abba Eban Program Prof. Aaron Klieman.

The new International Board of TAU's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies was launched at the home of its co-chair Mortimer B. Zuckerman, publisher of US News and World Report and the New York Daily News. Co-chair of the Board Conrad Black, Chairman and CEO of Hollinger International Inc. publishers of newspapers in Canada, the US, UK and Israel, Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, TAU President, and Prof. Shai Feldman, Head of the Jaffee Center, attended the dinner.

The Swiss Friends of TAU held their annual gala dinner in Zurich. Guests of honor were author and humorist, TAU honorary doctor Ephraim Kishon, and TAU President Itamar Rabinovich. Host of the event was Dr. Andre Kuy, President of the Swiss Friends. Among the participants were Israeli Ambassador Yitzchak Mayer; TAU Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi; Honorary Consul of the USA in Switzerland Mrs. Ellen A. Bruckmann; Prof. Dr. Hans Weder, President of the University of Zurich; and Prof. Gerhart von Graevenitz, Rector of the University of Konstanz. Master of ceremonies was Simon de Pury.

The TAU French Friends participated in the award ceremony of the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur to Dr. Nahum Barag, honorary doctor of TAU and donor of the Louise and Nahum Barag Chair in Molecular Genetics of Cancer Biology. The award was presented by Christian Poncelet, President of the French Senate, in the presence of TAU Friends and Dr. Barag's family.

Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi was guest of honor at an event in Paris hosted by Mrs. Carole Benoit. He met with the President of the French Friends, Mr. Hugo Ramniceanu.

A reception was held in Paris to launch a new book entitled Les Juifs au 20eme Siecle (The Jews and the 20th century), edited by TAU professors Eli Bar-Navi and Saul Friedlander, at the Ed. Calmann Levy Publication House, in the presence of TAU Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi and members of the French Friends Association.

OBITUARY

TAU mourns the passing of one of Israel's greatest poets, Yehuda Amichai, TAU honorary doctor.

COMING EVENTS

The International Convention "Sefarad 2000" will take place in Madrid, Granada and Seville, on October 22-26, 2000. Registration is closed.

The 10th European Regional Conference of the TAU Board of Governors will take place at the Carlton Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland, on January 25-29, 2001. The program will feature Thomas Friedman of The New York Times; TAU visiting Professor Eli Kapon (nanosciences); Prof. Yosef Shiloh of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine (genetics and molecular biology); Dr. Astrith Baltsan, musicologist; Michael Steinhardt, Chairman-elect of the TAU Board of Governors; Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, TAU President; Prof. Nili Cohen, Rector; and Benno Gitter, outgoing Chairman of the Board.
For registration contact:
Mrs. Viviane Bollag-Mannheimer
Swiss Friends of TAU
Tel: 41-1-211-6092; Fax: 41-1-211-7832
Mrs. Barbara Kandell
Secretary of the Board of Governors, TAU
Tel: 972-3-641-6464; Fax: 972-3-640-6257

The 2001 Annual Meeting of the BOG will take place from May 11-18, 2001.

TAU will be closed for the high holidays on the following dates: Rosh Hashana: September 29-October 1, 2000. The University will reopen on October 2. Yom Kippur: October 8-9 and Succoth: October 13-21. The University will reopen on October 22.

The 2000-01 school year will start on October 29, 2000.

We wish you a Happy New Year.