June 30th, 1998

IN ISRAEL

The 1997-98 School year has ended. Summer Semester will start on July 5, 1998 and will continue until September 11, 1998.

A labor dispute involving worker sanctions was resolved in an agreement signed last week with the Administrative Staff Union.

The prestigious journal Lancet published this month findings of research by TAU's Prof. Israel Hershkovitz of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine. His research traced the origins of the human disease hemanglioma to the Jurassic Era (200 million years ago) by using x-rays of dinosaur bones. Prof. Bruce Rothschild (USA); Darren Tanke (Canada); and Michael Schultz (Germany) are co-authors.

Singer Yehuda Poliker contributed an evening performance in aid of the establishment of a Medical Psychology Clinic in the Department of Psychology for women suffering from breast cancer. The event, held in the presence of Tel Aviv-Jaffa Mayor Roni Milo, was organized by TAU's Israeli Friends.

The TAU Student Union held the annual Student Day. Some 30,000 students took part in the festivities.

CONFERENCES

The Lodz School for Film, Television and Theater won first prize in the category of Outstanding School Program at the 7th International Student Film Festival. First prize in the fiction category was awarded to Dover Koshashvili of TAU's Department of Film and Television for his feature film With Rules. Asif Kapadia of the UK was awarded most promising director for his film The Sheep Thief.

One hundred and fifty films from 60 schools representing 40 countries participated in the Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel and the 25th anniversary of the TAU Film and Television Department. The Festival was held under the auspices of TAU, the Ministry of Education, the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the Cinema Industry Association in Israel, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The theme of the festival was "Big Screen - Small Screens". The closing ceremony was held in TAU's Levy and Fortuna Eskenazi Sculpture Garden.

The first symposium of the Shalom and Varda Yoran Institute was entitled "The Human Genome Towards 2000," organized by Prof. Batsheva Bonne-Tamir, Head of the Yoran Institute and Director of the National Laboratory for the Genetics of Israeli Populations at TAU. Guest lecturers were Prof. Gert J.B. van-Ommen of the University of Leiden, President of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO); and Prof. Stylianos Antonarakis of the University of Geneva. Sir Prof. Walter Bodmer of Oxford University, former President of HUGO, delivered the Dr. Dan Moran Memorial Lecture. Welcoming addresses were given by Prof. Shimon Yankielowitz, Vice Rector, and Prof. Yair Aharonowitz, Dean for Research.

Shiluvim, the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Club, hosted Dr. Orna Berry, Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Yossi Selah, GEMINI Vice President. DSPC Israel Ltd awarded three outstanding students of the Faculty's Electronics Department with scholarships which were presented by Gabi Hilevitz, DSPC Assistant Director-General. Faculty Vice Dean Prof. Shmuel Einav moderated the event.

The Bat Sheva Seminar on Contemporary Issues in Modeling Psychopathology was held at TAU under the auspices of the Adams Super Center for Brain Research and the Department of Psychology, Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, supported by AGIS (Israel), Eli Lilly (USA) and the Marmot family.

The 5th Alzheimer's Disease Conference sponsored by TAU's Adams Super Center for Brain Studies and the Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, was held at TAU and organized by Prof. Amos Korczyn and Prof. Daniel Michaelson. Guests from abroad were Dr. Steven Barger (US), Dr. Peter Eikaelenboorn (Holland), and Dr. Laurent Pradier (France).

The Cegla Institute for Comparative and Private International Law at the Buchmann Faculty of Law held an international conference entitled "The Law of Restitution," organized by Prof. Ariel Porat, Director of the Cegla Institute, and Dr. Hanoch Dagan. The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Buchmann Faculty of Law hosted Prof. Louis Henkin of Columbia Law School, New York, who delivered a lecture entitled "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - 50 Years Later." Greetings and opening remarks were given by Prof. Amos Shapira, Head of the Minerva Center, and Dr. Oren Gross.

The Cegla Institute and the Minerva Center held an international conference, in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, on "Judging and Judgment in the Shadow of the Holocaust: History, Law and Human Rights Discourse." Cegla Director Prof. Ariel Porat was the conference organizer and Dr. Leora Bilsky the academic moderator. Greetings at the opening session were delivered by Dr. Kristin Voelker, the Goethe Institute Director, and the keynote address by Justice Gabriel Bach, of the Israeli Supreme Court, on "Reflections on the Eichmann and Demjanjuk Trials."

The Department of English at the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities held the annual awards ceremony in memory of Nadav Vardi. Prof. Walter Benn Michaels of Johns Hopkins University delivered a lecture entitled "Willa Cather's Native Tongues: English, Hebrew, French," sponsored by the Cohen- Porter Fund for the Department of English.

The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies held the 15th Annual Georges A. Kaller Lecture on "Orientalism - A Revisionist View," delivered by Prof. John M. MacKenzie of Lancaster University, England.

The Marcel and Annie Adams Institute for Business Management Information Systems, and the Information Technology Executive Forum of the Faculty of Management-Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration hosted Michael Eitan, Minister of Science, who delivered a lecture on "The Computation Policy of the Government and Ways of Realization."

The Faculty of Management-Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration and the Mexico Chair in Management Information Systems held a conference in memory of Eran Adereth, on "The Influence of the Internet on Society," moderated by Prof. Seev Neumann, incumbent of the Mexico Chair.

TAU's Elite Sports Center hosted a ceremony in the presence of President of Israel Ezer Weizman honoring outstanding sports people over the past 50 years. A gathering of 211 athletes who represented Israel in the Olympic Games was held within the framework of the event.

TAU's new Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center held a panel discussion between orthodox and secular figures, featuring lectures by Elyakim Rubinstein, State Attorney General, and Prof. Yosef Gorny of TAU. Opening remarks were given by Prof. Aron Dotan, the Center Director.

"A Peace Process that Succeeded: The Lessons of New Caledonia" was the title of a conference held by the Morris E. Curiel Center for International Studies in cooperation with the French Embassy and the French Institute of Tel Aviv. Greetings at the opening session were given by Prof. Eli Barnavi, Director of the Curiel Center, and Jean-Noel Bouillane de Lacoste, Ambassador of France. Among the participants was Michel Rocard, former French Prime Minister and member of the French Senate and the European Parliament.

The French space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the Israel Space Agency held a joint workshop with Prof. Alain Ben-Soussan, director of CNES. Guests at the opening session, organized by Abraham Tal of TAU's Interdisciplinary Center for Technological Analysis and Forecasting, were French Ambassador Jean-Noel Bouillane de Lacoste, TAU's Prof. Yuval Neeman, and Aby Har-Even, the ISA Director.

The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies and Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs held a joint conference on "Challenges to Global and Middle East Security," marking the 20th anniversary of the Jaffee Center. The Conference was opened by Prof. Shai Feldman, Director of the Jaffee Center, with greetings by Major-General Uzi Dayan, Israel's newly-appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, and Mrs. Raya Jaffee. Experts from the US, Russia, India, Egypt, England, and Israel presented papers.

Renowned author and poet Haim Guri was guest speaker at the Mosh Haviv memorial evening on "The 50th Anniversary of the State of Israel: Past and Future." Opening remarks were delivered by newly-appointed Israeli Ambassador to the US Zalman Shoval and concluding remarks by Gad Yaakobi, Chairman of the Israel Electrical Company.

The Buchmann Faculty of Law held a symposium on "Multiculture in a Jewish and Democratic State" upon the publication of a memorial book in the name of the late Dean Prof. Ariel Rosen-Zvi.

TAU's Israeli Friends Association and WOJAC, the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries, held a conference on "The Political Negotiation and the Issue of Jewish Property in Arab Countries," moderated by Prof. Itamar Rabinovich. Opening remarks were delivered by Oved Benozair, member of the TAU Board of Governors. The School of History and the Institute for German History at the Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities held an international conference on "Critical Theory in Contexts," organized by Prof. Dan Diner, Head of the Institute.

VISITS

A delegation from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, visited TAU and was hosted by Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi. A meeting was held to discuss the accreditation of Monash students at TAU's Lowy School of Overseas Students with Prof. Lawrence Lewin, appointed liaison officer for Monash University; Prof. Reuven Chen, acting Academic Head of the Lowy School; Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz, Vice Rector; and Prof. Shmuel Einav, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

Prof. Bill Thompson and Dr. Russell Crawford of Perth University visited on campus and met with Prof. Mordechai Sokolov, Director of TAU's Interdisciplinary Center for Technological Analysis and Forecasting; Prof. Uri Shaked, outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Dr. Amos Ullman, Chairperson of the new Environmental Engineering Program at the Faculty of Engineering, to discuss cooperation in recycling research.

Members of the Beit Shalom Community, Japan, visited the campus. They were hosted by Yoram E. Shamir, Director of the Public Affairs Division.

A delegation of the Turkish press visited on campus. They met with members of the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and visited the Wolfson Center for Applied Materials Research. They were hosted to lunch by TAU's Zvi Elpeleg, former Ambassador of Israel to Turkey.

A delegation from Vasile Goldis University, Arad, Romania, visited TAU. They met with Vice Rector Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz and Prof. Yair Aharonowitz, Dean for Research.

APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

Prof. Gideon Langholz of the Department of Electrical Engineering-Systems was elected Dean of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, replacing Prof. Uri Shaked who completed his term of office.

Prof. Uri Liberman of the School of Mathematical Sciences was elected Dean of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, replacing Prof. Avraham Nitzan who completed his term of office.

Igal Bursztyn of the Department of Film and Television was awarded the Michael Albin Prize for Scripts.

ABROAD

The New York State/American Program of the TAU Sackler Faculty of Medicine was awarded the "Partners for Democracy Award" of the America-Israel Friendship League and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. The award was presented to Dr. Raymond R. Sackler at a gala dinner celebrating Israel's 50th anniversary hosted by New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and First Lady Donna Hanover at Gracie Mansion, in the presence of Mrs. Beverly Sackler and Richard Sackler; Program Director Prof. Louis Shenkman; Mrs. Marsha Werner; and Mr. Jules Love. Other recipients of the Democracy Award were Al Schwimmer, founder of Israel Aircraft Industries; Motorola Israel Ltd; Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd; and the NASDAQ Stock Market Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange.

Prof. Zvi Ben-Avraham of the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Studies organized a workshop in Amman, Jordan, launching the Dead Sea Research Project (DSRP), together with Prof. Rolf Emmerman of the Geo-Forschungszentrum (GFZ), Potsdam, Germany, and Dr. Halil Abu Ayyash of the Natural Resource Authority of Jordan. Fifty-three scientists from Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, and Germany participated in the workshop, which was held in a friendly atmosphere.

The Austrian Friends of TAU held a benefit performance of songs prohibited under the Nazi regime, to raise funds for the Austria Floor in TAU's Dan David Classroom Building and scientific projects within the framework of cooperation between the University of Vienna and TAU. The event was held in the Volksoper in Vienna under the auspices of the Federal Chancellor Viktor Klima.

The TAU Canadian Friends held a Gala Evening of Broadway at the Theatre Maisonneuve, Montreal, featuring Michael Burgess, star of Les Miserables, in tribute to the Honorable Alan B. Gold, who was awarded the TAU President's Award for his unique and distinguished service to the communities of Canada.

A delegation of rectors of universities in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal visited TAU. On their first day they were hosted for a working lunch by Dr. Ilana Ben Ami, Regional Vice Chairperson for Latin America and Spain, and they met with Prof. Yair Aharonowicz, Dean for Research; Prof. David Menashri of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies; Dr. Mark Heller of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies; and Prof. Mordechai Sokolov, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Technological Analysis and Forecasting. On their second day, they participated in a symposium entitled "Universities on the Threshold of the 21st Century," with the participation of Prof. Marcelo Dascal, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; Prof. David Chen, Head of the School of Education; and Dr. Eli Dresner of the Faculty of Humanities. The Rector of the University of Buenos Aires, Dr. Oscar Shuberoff, delivered a lecture on "Challenges of the Universities on the Threshold of the 21st Century." The delegation also visited TAU's Wiener Library, Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, and Meyerhoff Technical School.

TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein awarded Rector of the University of Buenos Aires Dr. Oscar Julio Shuberoff with the President's Award, in recognition of his long career as head of the largest university of Argentina and his contribution to academic cooperation with TAU. Prof. Shuberoff was hosted to lunch at the University Club by Professor Dinstein, with the participation of Chairman of the TAU Board of Governors, Benno Gitter; Dr. Ilana Ben Ami; outgoing Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Arie Nadler; Ambassador of Argentina in Israel, Dr. Vicente Espeche Gil; and the State Secretary in Charge of the National Institute against Discrimination of the Ministry of the Interior of Argentina, Dr. Victor Jorge Ramos, who was a guest of TAU.

While visiting on campus, Dr. Ramos met with Dr. Dina Porat, Head of the Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism and Head of the Wiener Library, and was hosted to lunch by TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein.

Dr. Jorge Castro, director of the Buenos Aires daily, El Cronista, and professor of international relations at various universities and academic institutions in Argentina, visited TAU. He met with Dr. Ilana Ben Ami and the directors of several key research centers at the University.

COMING EVENTS

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

The Fourth Annual TAU North American Conference hosted by TAU's American and Canadian Friends will take place in New York on October 8-11, 1998.