JUNE 1ST, 1998

The 1998 Board of Governors Meeting marked the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel and was attended by more members than ever. Shimon Peres, MK, former Prime Minister of Israel, addressed the Board at the closing plenary session.

TAU honorary degrees were conferred upon: Dr. Josef Burg, Israel; Professor Guido Calabresi, USA; Professor Howard E. Gardner, USA; Professor David Weiss Halivni, USA; Mr. Shlomo Hillel, Israel; Mr. Gerhard Randa, USA; Mr. Melvin S. Taub, USA; Prof. Avraham B. Yehoshua, Israel; and Mr. Shalom Yoran, USA. An Honorary Fellowship was conferred upon Mrs. Paulina Mizrahi De Deutsch, Argentina. The response on behalf of the recipients was delivered by A. B. Yehoshua.

New Facilities

The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center was inaugurated in the presence of the President of the State of Israel, Ezer Weizman and donors Norbert and Paulette Cymbalista. The building was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. Two days before the inauguration the President of Switzerland, Flavio Cotti came to inspect the new building (while on a state visit to Israel).

The Terry and Lawrence Bessner Building for Zoological Research at the I. Meier Segals Garden for Zoological Research was inaugurated by Prof. Lawrence Bessner, National President of the Canadian Friends. Dr. Roni Rado, Academic Director of the Gardens, delivered a lecture entitled "A Return to Academic Zoos".

The Rutie and Yuli Ofer Floor at the Dan David Building was inaugurated in the presence of the donors (from Israel). A lecture was delivered by Prof. Haim Ben-Shahar, former President of the University, entitled "Israel's Economy in the Globalization Era".

The cornerstone-laying ceremony of the Miriam and Adolfo Smolarz Auditorium was held in the presence of the donors (from Argentina). A lecture entitled "The Smolarz Auditorium - In the Tradition of Aula Magna With a View to the Future" was delivered by Prof. Abraham Yaski, Israel Prize Laureate, who designed the building.

The Austria Floor was inaugurated at the Dan David Building. Prof. Dr. Alfred Ebenbauer, Rector of the University of Vienna, delivered a lecture entitled "Some Reflections upon the Inauguration of the Austria Floor". The floor was donated by the Austrian Friends headed by Dr. (Hon) Hella Gertner.

The Sara and Felix Dumont Auditorium was inaugurated in the presence of the donors (from Mexico). Prof. Asher Susser of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies delivered a lecture entitled "Israel at Fifty: The Dilemmas of Peace-Making".

A panel discussion entitled "The Role of a University in Shaping National Health", moderated by Prof. Baruch Modan, Director of the Stanley Steyer Institute for Cancer Epidemiology and Research, was held at the inauguration ceremony of the Guillermina Reis De Strauss Periodicals Floor at the Gitter-Smolarz Library of Life Sciences and Medicine. Other facilities inaugurated at the ceremony were the Simone Mallah - Argentina Multimedia and Database Unit; the Ilana Ben Ami Textbook Reading Room; the Sylvia and Pablo Simko Student Visual Aid Unit; the Seminar Room in Memory of Samuel and Valesca Moos; and the Simona Fridman De Goijman Study Group Room. Addresses at the inauguration ceremony were delivered by Chairman of the Board Benno Gitter; Rector Prof. Nili Cohen; and in the name of the donors, Fred Strauss.

Programs

The Lowy School for Overseas Students was inaugurated by Frank and Shirley Lowy of Sidney, Australia. A lecture was delivered by Prof. David Chen, Head of the School of Education, entitled "The Mission of Jewish Higher Education in the Knowledge Society". MK Meir Sheetrit, Chairman of the Coalition, sent his regards.

The Ellin Mitchell Hillel Program was inaugurated with a performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed by Michael Berl and produced by the Director of Hillel Tel Aviv, Shmuel Bowman. The cast was made up of students of TAU's Lowy School for Overseas Students and a crew of volunteers produced the musical especially for the event. Greetings were delivered by donor Jan Mitchell (of the US), and the President and International Director of Hillel, Richard M. Joel.

Two new institutes:

The Deutsch Institute of Computer Sciences was inaugurated in the presence of donors Jorge and Polly Deutsch and Dr. Orna Berry, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Prof. Arnon Avron, Head of the Institute, delivered a lecture entitled "Can a Machine Have a Mind?" A symposium was held entitled "Computer Science and the Community Toward the 21st Century", organized by Dr. Eitan Rupin with opening remarks by Prof. Yehezkel Yeshurun.

The Claire and Amédée Maratier Institute for the Study of Blindness and Visual Disorders was inaugurated in the presence of donor Claire Maratier and Hugo Ramniceanu, President of the French Friends. Prof. Giora Treister, Head of the Institute and President of the International Society of Ocular Trauma, delivered a lecture entitled "Prevention of Age Related Blindness".

Five chairs were inaugurated:

The Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors was inaugurated in the presence of donors Mr. Efraim Gildor, of Chicago, Illinois (a graduate of TAU in Mathematics and Computer Science magna cum laude) and his wife. Prof. Ilana Gozes, incumbent of the Chair delivered a lecture entitled "The Brain as an Enigma - Mysteries and Solutions in Drug Design".

The Prince Wittgenstein Chair for International Exchange in Music was inaugurated in the presence of the Prince and Princess Beatrix. Prof. Yizhak Sadai of the Samuel Rubin Israeli Academy of Music delivered a lecture entitled "Meaning and Significance in Music from the Point of View of Mental Archetypes".

The Samuel L. and Perry Haber Chair on the Study of the Jewish Experience in the United States was inaugurated in the presence of donor Mrs. Perry Haber (from Israel). A lecture was delivered by Prof. Hana Wirth-Nesher entitled "Jewish Writing in the Promised Land".

A Chair in Comparative Art History was inaugurated by donors George and Mary Bloch of Hong Kong. A lecture was delivered by Prof. Nurith Kenaan-Kedar, incumbent of the Chair, entitled "Medieval Marginal Sculpture, Notre Dame de Paris, and Victor Hugo".

Alan and Ada Selwyn of Melbourne, Australia, inaugurated a Chair in Clinical Infertility Research and Molecular Medicine in their name. Prof. Haim Zakut, incumbent of the Chair, delivered a lecture entitled "Molecular Medicine in Aid of Clinicians".

Funds and scholarships

The Cukierman Family Doctoral Endowment Fund for Exact Sciences and Engineering Students in memory of Aron, Mendel, Moniek, Raphael and Regina was inaugurated in the presence of donor Michel Cukierman and Mr. Hugo Ramniceanu. Prof. Emanuel Marom, the incumbent of the Max and Betty Kranzberg Chair in Electro-Optics, delivered a lecture on "International Cooperation in Scientific Research at Tel Aviv University". The first scholarship recipient is Moshe Maharizi, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Electrical Engineering-Physical Engineering. Ephratt Beck delivered greetings in the name of the Student Union.

Social events

A Gala Dinner marking Israel's 50th jubilee year opened the Board of Governors, hosted by Benno Gitter and Ilana Ben Ami.

A Kabbalat Shabbat dinner was hosted by Chancellor of TAU Sir Leslie Porter and Dame Shirley Porter, and a reception in honor of the recipients of honorary degrees was hosted by Prof. Yoram Dinstein and Mrs. Ada Dinstein by courtesy of Moshe Porath, Chairman of the Executive Council, and Mrs. Zila Porath.

A full production of the opera Saul and David by Carl Nielsen was premiered, conducted by Prof. Ami Maayani, directed by Micha Hendel and performed by the students of the Samuel Rubin Israeli Academy of Music. A tour following the trail of fighters in the Northern Negev and Latrun during the War of Independence was accompanied by Maj. Gen. (res.) Shlomo Lahat, former Mayor of Tel Aviv and a TAU Governor, and TAU faculty members Dr. Mordechai Naor and Dr. Aviva Halamish.

A fashion show by Gideon Oberson Beachwear was hosted by Mrs. Ada Dinstein.

Around the Board

A celebration was held marking the tenth anniversary of the Sima Vaisman Fund for Research and Specialization in Medicine. Addresses were delivered by Dean-elect of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Menahem Fainaru; former Dean of Research and Development Prof. Emanuel Marom, who represented the family; and former scholarship recipients who are now doctors. The 1998 research award recipient is Dr. Ruth Djaldette of the Rabin Medical Center.

An international conference entitled "Iran, Israel and the International Community" was held by the Parvis and Pouran Nazarian Chair for Modern Iranian Studies and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies. It was supported by the Entin Faculty of Humanities and the French Institute and French Embassy, and organized by Prof. David Menashri, incumbent of the Chair.

The Felix and Hedy Switzer Computer Training Facility was inaugurated at the Brender-Moss Library of Social Sciences and Management in the presence of donor Mrs. Switzer. Prof. Niv Ahituv, Director of the Max Perlman Center for Global Business, delivered a lecture entitled "The Importance of Library Instruction in the Information Super-Highway Era".

The fourth Dr. Baruch Teichman Lecture was delivered by Prof. Fred T. Valentine, Director of the Center for AIDS Research, New York University School of Medicine, and Infectious Diseases and Immunology Divisions, Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, entitled "AIDS 1998: Modest Progress, Major Challenges".

An exhibition, "50 Israel 50 Rimmonim (Torah Finials)", was opened at the Judaica Museum in the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center. The exhibition curator and catalogue editor is Rafi Grafman, and the Judaica consultant is William L. Gross. The exhibition "Giacomo Manzù: Sculptures and Drawings" was opened at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery in the presence of Mrs. Inge Manzù; Mr. Gian Paolo Cavarai, Ambassador of Italy in Israel; Dr. Livia Velani, Director of the Manzù Collection at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rome; Mr. Beniamino Matatia, Chairman of the International Board of Trustees of the University Art Complex; and Curator of the Art Gallery, Prof. Mordechai Omer.

An exhibition "Designing of Tomorrow" - stage designs by students of the Department of the Theater Arts, Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts - opened at TAU's Elias Sourasky Central Library in the presence of Rector Prof. Nili Cohen, Faculty Dean Prof. Eli Rozik-Rosen, and Chairperson of the Department Prof. Tom Lewy.

Mr. Maurice Levy, Chairman & CEO of Publicis Group, was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Faculty of Management-Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration, in the presence of Dean Prof. Israel Zang; Hugo Ramniceanu, President of the French Friends Association; and TAU Vice President Yehiel Ben Zvi. Mr. Levy delivered a lecture entitled "Are There Universal Ways to Construct a Good Advertisement?" sponsored by the Henri Glasberg Extraordinary Chair for International Cooperation.

The Celia and Marcus Maus Annual Prizes in Computer Sciences were awarded for 1998 to Sariel Har-Peled, Nadav Aleh and Ron Shpilman. An address was delivered by Prof. Haim Wolfson of the Department of Computer Sciences.

The Laboratory for Advanced Methods in Analytical Chemistry in Memory of Charles and Sally Drimer and their parents, Solomon and Rosa Drimer, and David and Regina Link, was inaugurated. Prof. Aviv Amirav of the School of Chemistry, Head of the Laboratory, delivered a lecture entitled "Advanced Methods in Analytical Chemistry". Mrs. Malvina Malinek responded on behalf of the family.

Dr. Jeanne Bernstein of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences was awarded the first Aron and Malka Moscona Research Prize in Developmental Biology in a ceremony held in the presence of the donors, moderated by Prof. Yehuda Ben-Shaul, Head of the Switzerland Institute of Developmental Biology. Dr. Nir Ohad of the Department of Plant Sciences delivered a lecture entitled "The Arabidopsis FIE Genes! Novel Regulators of Reproduction". Prof. Francis Ferguson of John Hopkins University gave the Annual Sheila Carmel Lecture on "Fiction and Justice in the Early British Novel".

OTHER EVENTS

IN ISRAEL

The TAU Dean of Students Office held the annual Employment Fair. Over 200 companies offered jobs to students and graduates.

Architects and city planners in Israel, and the architecture schools of Israel - the Technion, Bezalel and TAU's David Azrieli School of Architecture - held a festive event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Israel. Guests were Roni Milo, Mayor of Tel Aviv, and MK Shimon Peres.

CONFERENCES

The Rector's Series "50 Years to Israel" dedicated to the memory of Prof. Judah Eisenberg offered a week's worth of panel discussions. Opening remarks for the first evening and closing remarks for the last session were delivered by Rector Prof. Nili Cohen. Panels were held on "The Contributions of University Graduates to the Society and the Economy - TAU as an Example", moderated by Prof. Seev Neumann of the Faculty of Management; "Social Justice and Economic Growth - Could They Go Hand in Hand?" moderated by Prof. Zeev Segal of the Faculty of Social Sciences; "Ethics in the Academy" moderated by Prof. Yosef Sarne; "Changing Dilemmas in Science: 1948-1998", moderated by Prof. Eliezer Gileadi of the School of Chemistry; and "The Changing Israeli Identity" moderated by Prof. Anita Shapira of the Entin Faculty of Humanities.

"Litigating the Values of a Nation", an international Canada-Israel legal conference held by TAU's Prof. Dr. Raphael Taubenschlag Institute of Criminal Law and the Canada-Israel Legal Cooperation Program in commemoration of the 50th anniversaries of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the State of Israel; and the Supreme Court of Israel, was organized by Dr. Asher Maoz, Head of the Institute and co-sponsored by TAU's Buchmann Faculty of Law; the Faculty of Law, McGill University; InterAmicus-International Human Rights Center, McGill University; Faculty of Law, University of Toronto; Center for Constitutional Studies, University of Alberta; and TAU's Alain Poher Chair in Labor Law. Speakers at the opening session were Prof. Irwin Cotler of McGill University, Canada; President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Prof. Aharon Barak; and Justice Rosalie Abella of the Ontario Court of Appeal. Awards for the "Pursuit of Justice" were presented to Justice Moshe Laundau, former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, and Justice Haim H. Cohn, former Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Israel.

Prof. Yehuda Bauer, Israel Prize laureate in the Study of the History of the Jewish People, delivered the Ruta and Felix Zandman Annual Lecture in Memory of Moshe Shamir, on "The Shoah - An Intermediate Summary", chaired by Prof. Ya'acov Shavit, Chairman of the Department of Jewish History. Greetings were delivered by Raya Jaglom, President of TAU's Israeli Friends Association.

The Zakham Family Hall was inaugurated at TAU's Buchmann Faculty of Law in the presence of TAU President Prof. Dinstein and Law Dean Prof. Eli Lederman. A lecture entitled "Civil Rights in the Era of Privatization" was delivered by Dr. Daphna Barak Erez. Advocate Michael Caspi gave an address in memory of Advocate Zakham.

TAU hosted a conference of the Council of Higher Education entitled "Higher Education on the Verge of the Third Millennium". Opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Nili Cohen, TAU Rector, followed by a panel discussion entitled "The Link between Instruction and Research in Institutions of Higher Education", moderated by TAU President, Prof. Yoram Dinstein.

Prof. Adam Garmoran of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was a guest of the Department of Sociology where he delivered a lecture entitled "Inequality in the Effects of Early Child Care".

Prof. Gudrun Krämer of the Free University, Berlin, was guest lecturer of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies' Annual Joseph (Buddy) Strelitz Lecture. Her talk was entitled "Law and Order: The Application of the Shari'a in the Middle East".

Prof. Amnon Yariv, Thomas Myers Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics at CALTECH, USA, and Prof. Marcus Feldman, Director of the Morrison Institute for Population and Resource Studies, Stanford University's Department of Biological Sciences, were guest lecturers of the Mortimer and Raymond Sackler Institute of Advanced Studies, moderated by Prof. Saul Abarbanel. IEEE Region 8 and Israel Section held the 9th Mediterranean Electrotechnical Conference "Melecon '98" entitled "Regional Cooperation in Technology" in Tel Aviv, organized by Prof. Anthony J. Weiss of TAU's Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, and Chairman of IEEE Israel.

The Fleischman Faculty of Engineering held a research workshop sponsored by the Israel Science Foundation entitled "Cyclotron Resonance Masers and Gyrotrons", organized by TAU's Prof. Eli Jerby together with Gregory Nusinovich, Institute for Plasma Research, University of Maryland.

1998 Wolf Prize laureate Prof. Sir Michael V. Berry of Bristol University, UK, delivered a memorial lecture in honor of Prof. Yossef Dothan entitled "Quantum Indistinguishability". Introductory remarks were delivered by TAU's Prof. Yakir Aharonov, co-recipient of the Prize together with Prof. Berry. Einan Gardi, a Ph.D. student of the School of Physics and Astronomy, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, was awarded an "Academic Achievement" scholarship by the Dothan Fund and the Israel Phoenix Insurance Company, in memory of Prof. Yossef Dothan.

Dr. Harold L. Moses of the Department of Cell Biology, Vanderbilt Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, presented the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences' Otto Herz Memorial Lecture in Cancer Research. The event was coordinated by Prof. Isaac P. Witz.

TAU's Morris E. Curiel Center for International Studies and the Terrorism Studies Program of George Washington University held an international seminar entitled "Punishing Terrorists: Past Experience and Future Trends", co-chaired by Prof. Eli Barnavi, Director of the Center, and Prof. Yonah Alexander, Director of the Program and a senior research fellow of the Center.

The David Azrieli School of Architecture held a conference in cooperation with the French Institute (affiliated with the French Embassy) on the publication of the book, Toward Architecture, by La Courbousier in Hebrew. Lectures were delivered by architect Jacques Sbriglio of Marseille, France, and architect Franck Hammoutene of Paris, moderated by Sharon Rotbart of the School.

The Katz Faculty of Arts inaugurated the Hadas Dror Theater Production Fund. Greetings were delivered by Dean Prof. Eli Rozik-Rosen and Robert J. Topchik, AFTAU National President. Prof. Tom Lewy, Chairperson of the Department of Theater Arts, gave a lecture on Theater Studies. Hadas Dror was killed in a terrorist attack.

The International Forum of the Department of Political Science and the English Speaking Friends of TAU hosted Dr. Istvan Csejtei, Ambassador of Hungary, who delivered a lecture entitled "Israel and Hungary: Encouraging Prospects".

The Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for the Research of the Jewish Press held the Inbar Attia and Tali Gordon scholarship awarding ceremony. Addresses were delivered by Prof. Moshe Semyonov, Dean-elect of the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences; Prof. Marcelo Dascal, Dean of the Entin Faculty of Humanities; and representatives of the families. Prof. Zeev Segal delivered a lecture entitled "Who Is Afraid of Free Press?"

The Department of Hebrew Literature held an academic conference entitled "50 Years of Israeli Literature", organized by Prof. Tova Rosen. Addresses at the opening session were delivered by President Prof. Dinstein; Dean of the Entin Faculty of Humanities Prof. Marcelo Dascal; and Chairman of the Department Prof. Dan Laor.

APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

Hugo Ramniceanu was elected Vice Chairperson of the Board of Governors. Joseph Buchmann and Simon Seren were reelected for another term.

Vice President Yehiel Ben Zvi was elected for another term.

Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz of the School of Physics and Astronomy was elected Vice Rector, replacing the late Prof. Judah Eisenberg.

Prof. Moshe Semyonov of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology was elected Dean of the Gershon Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, replacing Prof. Arie Nadler who concluded his term of office. Abraham Mayer Goldwasser, founder and Chairman of Avgol Nonwoven Industries Ltd., was awarded the Hugo Ramniceanu Prize in Economics for 1998, in the presence of the founder of the Prize, Mr. Ramniceanu. Prof. Leonardo Leiderman, of the Berglas School of Economics and Senior Director of the Research Department of the Bank of Israel, announced at the ceremony the establishment of the Ramniceanu Economic Forum at Tel Aviv University. Mr. Goldwasser donated the award to the University.

Mr. Jacques Dondoux, French Minister of Foreign Trade, awarded Prof. Emanuel Marom and Dr. David Mendelovic of the TAU Fleischman Faculty of Engineering the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce's Excellence Prize in Research and Development for their European Union Research and Development Program (ESPRIT)-funded RODCI project. The two TAU scientist and their research partners EL-OP Israel; Thomson CSF-LCR; IOTA-CNRS; and LETI-CEA were presented the Prize at the Chamber's annual festive dinner.

The Adler Prize for Child Welfare was presented to Irving Schneider, TAU Governor and founder of the Children's Medical Center of Israel, at a symposium entitled "Childhood in the Shadow of War and Terror" held by TAU's Adler Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work, organized by the Director of the Center, Prof. Zahava Solomon. A Certificate of Recognition was awarded to Prof. Muli Lahad, Director of the Community Stress Prevention Center of Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shemona.

The 1998 Max Perlman Prize for Excellence in Global Business Administration was awarded to Eli Hurvitz, CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., during the annual conference of TAU's Perlman Center. Prof. Ehud Houminer of Columbia University delivered the keynote address entitled "A Reflection on the Drivers of Success for International Business Strategies". The Conference was organized by Prof. Niv Ahituv, Director of the Center.

Prof. Mordechai Rosner, Dr. Yoram Zolberg, and Prof. Michael Belkin of TAU's Goldschleger Eye Research Institute are the 1998 winners of the Professor Richard Stein Memorial Prize for their research entitled "Development of a Retinal Injury Model and Testing the Efficacy of Neuroprotective Drugs". Prof. Claudio Azzolini, Director of the Vitreoretinal Service, Hospital Raffaele, University of Milan, Italy, delivered a lecture at the ceremony entitled "Surgical Behavior of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy".

VISITS

Ambassador of Ecuador to Israel, Mrs. Garcia Donoso de Larrea, met with TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein, and visited the Faculty of Medicine and the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism while visiting on campus.

ABROAD

Events marking "50 Years to Israel" were held at the Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden, with Prof. Dan Diner, Head of TAU's Institute for German History; and at the Emperor Hall of the Frankfurt Roemer, benefiting the Wittgenstein Chair at TAU, with actress Channa Marron and the former German Ambassador to Israel Dr. Niels Hansen, hosted by Frankfurt Mayor Petra Roth, and sponsored by the Frankfurter Sparkasse.

A poetry evening benefiting the Karin Brandauer Fund at TAU was held at the Otto Braun Hall of the State Library in Berlin, with Channa Marron and Klaus Maria Brandauer, both TAU honorary doctors.

Publisher Heinz M. Bleicher was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of TAU's Entin Faculty of Humanities by Dean Prof. Marcelo Dascal for his contribution to understanding between Jews and Christians, in an evening with Channa Marron and Dr. Niels Hansen at the Jewish Community Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart, sponsored by the Daimler-Benz AG and by the Landesgirokasse Stuttgart Arts and Culture Foundation.

COMING EVENTS

The 7th International Student Film Festival of TAU and the Tel Aviv Cinematheque will take place on June 6-13, 1998, organized by Alon Caspi and Liran Atzmor.

The University's 4th Riviera Weekend will take place on July 24-27, 1998, under the auspices of Prince Rainier of Monaco.