OCTOBER 1ST, 1997

IN ISRAEL

The Israeli Labor Court decided against vocational aptitude tests for TAU administrative staff who wish to change positions at the University, except for offices under the Director-General.

The TAU School of Education opened an Internet site for children and parents, enabling them to query School experts on issues such as learning difficulties; communication skills -- language, speech and hearing; and children at high-risk behavior.

CONFERENCES

"Europe and the Middle East -- New Tracks to Peace?" was the title of a conference organized jointly by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, organized by Dr. Mark Heller of the Jaffee Center. Greetings at the opening session were given by Marcelo Dascal, Dean of the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities, and Winfried Veit, the Director of the Friedrich Foundation Israel. Among the speakers were Miguel Moratinos, EU Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process; Christoph Zopel, MP, SPD, Germany, who also delivered concluding remarks; Yossi Katz, MK, Labor Party; Richard Erdman, Political Counselor of the US Embassy; Jurgen Hogrefe of DER SPIEGEL, the German news magazine's representative in Israel; and Gernot Erler, MP, SPD, Germany.

Dr. Charles J. Sherr of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, was guest lecturer of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine's Department of Human Genetics.

"Social Aspects of Learning Disabled Children and Youth" was the title of a conference held by the University Clinic for Occupational Therapy of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine’s School of Health Professions, organized by Gila Rabinovitc, the Clinic director.

Elyakim Rubinstein, Attorney-General of Israel, delivered a lecture on the Peace Agreement with Jordan at the first meeting of the 1997-1998 academic year of SHILUVIM, the Graduate Club of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering. The evening was moderated by Moshe Horev, SHILUVIM Chairman.

Jorge Alberto Lozoya, Ambassador of Mexico to Israel, chose the TAU Mexico Building's front lawn as the venue for celebrating the 187th anniversary of Mexico's independence. The Ambassador put a wreath in front of the statue of Hidago Y. Costilla in the name of the Embassy; and Benno Gitter, Chairman of the Board of Governors, and Dr. Ilana Ben-Ami, Regional Vice-Chairperson for Latin America and Spain, laid a wreath in the name of TAU.

The TAU Faculty of Management -- Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration held an international conference entitled "Accounting in Finance -- Tel Aviv 1997," sponsored by Clal (Israel) and Bank Hapoalim. Other Conference sponsors were the Goldreich Chair of International Banking; the Joseph Kasierer Institute for Research in Accounting; the Max and Steffi Perlman Chair in Financial Economics; and the Gretl and Fred Raymond Extraordinary Chair for International Exchanges in Science. The conference was organized by Prof. Elazar Berkovitch and Dr. Eli Amir of the Financing-Accounting Program.

APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

Dr. Shai Feldman was appointed the Director of TAU's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, replacing Prof. Zeev Maoz who completed his term of office. Dr. Feldman was, during the past three years, a Visiting Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a Senior Research Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

The Yitzhak Sadeh Prize for Military Literature was awarded to Prof. Asa Kasher, the incumbent of the Laura Schwarz-Kipp Chair in Professional Ethics and Philosophy of Practice, for his book on military ethics, and to Irit Keynan of the Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies' "Ha'apala Project Founded in Memory of Shaul Avigur" for her book, Holocaust Survivors and the Emissaries from Eretz-Israel: Germany 1945-1948.

Three students of the TAU Film and Television Department won prizes in the first Tel Aviv Festival for Drama and the Short Israeli Film, "Cut," sponsored also by the TAU Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts. The Uzi Peres Prize for the 1997 Best Short Film went to Yoel Froilich and Guy Lieberman for their film, Nachman Lieminer-Express Mail and the Jury Prize went to Dan Katzir for his film, I Went to Look for Love...Back Soon.

The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies appointed Prof. Bernard Lewis of Princeton University, Fellow of TAU's Mortimer and Raymond Sackler Institute for Advanced Studies, as a member of the International Council of the Center.

Dr. Ariel Porath of the Buchmann Faculty of Law was appointed Head of the Cegla Institute of Comparative and Private International Law, replacing Prof. Amos Shapira who concluded his term of office.

Dr. Asher Maoz of the Buchmann Faculty of Law was appointed Head of the Prof. Dr. Raphael Taubenschlag Institute for Criminal Law, replacing Prof. Andrei Marmor who completed his term of his office.

VISITS

Ambassador of Sweden to Israel, John H.M. Hagard, toured TAU. He met with Prof. Yoram Dinstein, TAU President, and visited the Wiener Library on Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Racism and the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.

Teo Chee Hean, Singapore's Minister of Education, visited TAU heading a delegation. They visited with the School of Education staff, met Pro-Rector Prof. Dan Amir, and were hosted for lunch by Prof. Emanuel Marom.

ABROAD

The Third Annual North American Conference took place in Toronto, Canada. Benno Gitter, Chairman of the Board of Governors, delivered the opening address and TAU President Prof. Yoram Dinstein presented a report on TAU at the first session. Speakers at the conference were Prof. Michael Keren, Head of the Institute for the Study of the Jewish Press, on "New Politics: Between Populism and Democracy"; Dr. Norman Spector, The Jerusalem Post President and publisher; and Prof. Moshe Lazar. A Community Program was held with lectures by Prof. Abel Schejter, Director of the Sackler Institute for Molecular Medicine, on “Genes and Diseases: New Breakthroughs,” and Dr. Shai Feldman, incoming Director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, on "Israel's Strategic Challenges." The host committee was chaired by Susan Fenwick and Jeannie Tanenbaum.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The "Howard Gilman International Colloquium Quo Vadis Zionism?: What Is the Meaning of Zionism 100 Years after the Basel Program and 80 Years after the Balfour Declaration?" will take place in Basel, Switzerland, at the "Stadtcasino", the historical setting for the first Zionist Congress, on November 2-4, 1997. The Conference is jointly sponsored by TAU and Basel University, under the auspices of TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein; Director of Basel University, Prof. Heiko Haumann; and Rector-elect of Basel University, Prof. Ekkehard Stegemann. The Conference is being directed by Head of TAU's Chaim Weizmann Zionist Research Institute, Prof. Yossef Gorny. For further information contact Yona Gabi, Public Affairs Division, Tel Aviv University, Tel. 03-6407200, Fax 03-6408601.

The 7th Regional Conference of the Board of Governors will take place at the Carlton Hotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland, on 22-26 January, 1997. For more information contact Barbara Kandell, Secretary of the Board of Governors, at Tel: (972)-3-641-6464. Fax: (972)-3-640-6257.

The TAU International Board of Governors' Study Cruise -- Jewish Roots of the New World, will take place aboard the Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas from March 11-21, 1998. For more information contact Jules Love, Executive Vice President, American Friends of Tel Aviv University, Tel: (212) 687-5651; (800) 989-1198. Fax: (212) 687-4085.

TAU will be closed for the High Holidays on the following dates: Rosh Hashana, October 1-4; Succoth, 0ctober 16-25. The 1997-1998 School Year will start on November 2nd, 1997.

We wish you all Shana Tova