November 1st, 1998

IN ISRAEL

Today is Rabin Memorial Day in Israel. The University held a memorial ceremony at Bar-Shira Auditorium. Rector Prof. Nili Cohen and Amos Messika, representative of the Students Union, delivered addresses. A new film, "Rabin 1922-1995," directed by Yehuda Kave, was screened.

TAU students joined the nation's 180,000 students in a strike that began on October 25, 1998, the day which was to open the 1998-99 academic year, demanding a 50% reduction in tuition fees. More than 100 students were arrested in clashes with police during the demonstrations, including TAU Student Union Chairman Erez Eshel and National Student Union Chairman Lior Rothbart, who is also a TAU student. The Government will discuss the students' demands at its weekly meeting, today.

The TAU Senate Steering Committee announced that it regrets that the school year was not opened as scheduled. Tuition in Israel is not determined by the Universities, but the Committee's position is that the economic burden of the students should be eased without hurting the Universities' budgets. "We call upon the Ministries of Finance and Education and the student leaders to find a solution to the problem by intensive negotiations. We call upon the students to obey the law during their strike and upon the police to avoid unjustified use of force."

TAU's Executive Council passed a decision calling for better financial conditions for Israeli students, as higher education is essential to the survival of the State of Israel. The Israeli students (most of whom start University at a later age than youth in the rest of the world after a long military service) deserve conditions which will allow them to attend to their studies in accordance with the demands of higher education. The Executive Council urged the authorities to find an immediate solution to the economic problems which burden the students without damaging the Universities' budgets and academic research and teaching.

CONFERENCES

General (res.) Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, former Chief of Staff, delivered the annual Haim Avital memorial lecture, entitled "IDF Lessons from the Yom Kippur War." Prof. Arie Levite and Dov Tamari of the Security Studies Program responded. Opening remarks were delivered by General Shlomo Gazit of TAU's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies.

"Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Image or Any Likeness" was the title of a symposium on Jewish art marking the Rimmonim exhibition at the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center. Moderator of the symposium: William Gross.

The Nursing Department of the School of Health Professions at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine celebrated its 30th anniversary and the founding of its Alumni Association. Special guest was Mrs. Reuma Weizman, wife of the President of the State of Israel. Greetings were offered by Prof. Menachem Fainaru, incoming Dean of the Faculty; Prof. Mordechai Miron, the Department Chairperson; Prof. Yair Aharonowitz, Dean of Research; Prof. Hanan Munitz, Head of the School of Health Professions; and Prof. Rebecca Bergman, the Department founder and first Chairperson. Ziva Tal represented the Alumni Association. The annual prizes for Creativity in Nursing of the Prof. Rebecca Bergman Fund were awarded at the ceremony.

"Moshe Safdie: Museum Architecture 1971-1998: If I Forget Thee Jerusalem, Between Memory and Identity" is the title of the new exhibition at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery in cooperation with the Recanati Museum of Science, Haifa. Curator of the exhibition is Sophia Dekel. Greetings at the opening ceremony, held in the presence of Ambassador of Canada to Israel David Berger, were delivered by Vice Rector Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz; Architect Moshe Safdie; and Prof. Mordechai Omer, Curator of the Gallery.

The Business Club of the Alumni Association of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering held its first meeting for the 1998-99 school year, hosting Major General Isaac Ben-Israel, Head of the Defense Research and Development Directorate at the Israel Ministry of Defense, and a teacher at TAU's Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas. Major General Ben-Israel delivered a lecture on the "Importance of Information and Information Technologies in the Next Millennium." The event was moderated by Moshe Horev, the Club Chairman.

The TAU Israeli Friends Association held its first monthly meeting of the 1998-99 school year, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the meetings, with a lecture by Prof. Moshe Semyonov, Dean of the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, on "Processes and Trends in Israeli Society."

The annual conference in memory of Moshe Dayan hosted former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, MK, who portrayed Dayan as "Man and Soldier." The conference, which was moderated by Mordechai Ben-Porath, was attended by friends and family, and was organized by TAU's Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and the Moshe Dayan Association.

RAMOT - the University Authority for Applied Research and Industrial Development Ltd. celebrated its 25th anniversary. Certificates were awarded to TAU academic staff who registered patents through RAMOT during the year. The Chairman of the RAMOT Executive Committee, General Amos Lapidot, who was elected President of the Technion - the Israel Institute of Technology, was replaced by Gideon Lahav, former Chairman of Bank Discount.

A three-day advanced research workshop on "Unconventional Optical Elements for Information Storage, Processing and Communications" was held in Israel for the first time under the auspices of NATO and organized by the Israeli Ministry of Science. Prof. Emanuel Marom of the TAU Fleischman Faculty of Engineering was a member of the organizing committee.

The second European Union Meeting in Optronics (Microelectronics and Optics) MEL-ARI OPTO II was held in Israel, under the auspices of TAU, EL-OP and ISERD, the Israeli Liaison Office for the European Union's R&D, organized by Prof. Emanuel Marom of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and Dr. Pierpaolo Malinverni of ESPRIT.

The TAU Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA Program held its first graduation ceremony for 39 graduates. Among them are four from the Palestinian Authority and two from Jordan. Keynote speaker was Shimon Peres, MK. Other guests were Vice Rector Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz; Don Jacobs, Dean of Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Chicago; Prof. Israel Zang, Dean of Faculty of Management-Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration; and Dr. Gadi Ariav, the Head of the Program.

The International Day for the Elderly was marked at TAU by a conference held by the Rosita and Esteban Herczeg Institute for Aging; the Bob Shapell School of Social Work; and the Israel Gerontological Society and Forum in honor of Berta and Emilio Motlis, with the participation of Knesset Members Maxim Levy, Chairman of the Labor and Welfare Committee, and Rafi Elul. Prof. Haim Hazan, Head of the Herczeg Institute, opened the conference. Social issues were presented by Prof. Moshe Semyonov, Dean of the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences; medical issues by TAU's Prof. Dan Michaeli, CEO of Kupat Holim, and Prof. Menachem Fainaru, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine; and legislative issues by Prof. Dan Schnit, former Head of the School of Social Work.

APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

Prof. Uri Seligsohn, incumbent of the Jose Henrique de Paiva Ferreora Chair for the Research of Thrombosis and Hemostasis at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine was elected Chairman of the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis for the years 2000-2002.

Prof. Shaul Harel of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Director of the Institute for Child Development and the Pediatric Neurology Unit at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, was elected President of the International Child Neurology Association (ICNA).

Prof. Gabriel Gorodetsky of the Department of History and the Cummings Center for Russian and East European Studies was appointed Head of the Morris E. Curiel Center for International Studies.

Prof. Shmuel Einav of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering was appointed Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Tel Aviv Engineering College, replacing Prof. David Abir who continues in his capacity as the Head of the Academic Program.

Vilonot (Curtains) by Yitzhak Wolf won first prize in the short film category in the Haifa Film Festival.

Jonathan Aner of the TAU Samuel Rubin Israeli Academy of Music won first prize at an international piano contest in Italy.

ABROAD

"Peace 101: Tolerance and Understanding" was the topic of the fourth annual TAU North American Conference hosted by AFTAU and the Canadian Friends and held in New York City. The keynote address was delivered by Shimon Peres, MK, former Prime Minister of Israel. Among the participants were Benno Gitter, Chairman of the BOG; and TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein.

"Academic Freedom" was the title of a symposium held at the International University of Venice by TAU and the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich. Participants included Prof. Nili Cohen, TAU Rector; Prof. Shimon Yankielowicz, TAU Vice Rector; Prof. Andreas Heldrich, Rector of Ludwig-Maximilians University; and Prof. Dr. Rudolf Cohen, Rector of the University of Konstanz.

The Howard Gilman International Colloquium on Jews and New Christians (cristao-novo) was held at the Casa de Mateus, Vila Real, and at the New University of Lisbon. The Colloquium was organized by Prof. Luis de Sousa Lobo, Rector of the New University of Lisbon and President of the Casa de Mateus International Institute, and TAU President Professor Yoram Dinstein.

The Rector of Buenos Aires University, Dr. Oscar Schuberoff, conferred upon TAU Rector Prof. Nili Cohen the title Professor Honoris Causa.

Prof. Cohen delivered the opening address at the international symposium on economy organized by the Argentine Friends of TAU.

A cooperation agreement with San Andres University, Buenos Aires, was signed by TAU Rector Prof. Nili Cohen.

Vice President Yehiel Ben-Zvi participated in the annual general meeting of the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Friends of TAU. More than 90 people attended the meeting. The following elections took place: President - Arnold Isaacson; Vice Presidents - Reginald Weiser and Fredric L. Carsley; Treasurer - David Hazan; and Chairman of the Executive Committee - Myer Bick. Reginald Weiser, Claire Dalfer and Gerald Soiferman were presented with awards for their outstanding contribution to the year's successful activities.

The general meeting of the TAU Swiss Friends was held in the Jewish Community Center in Zurich, followed by a lecture on "Injustice in Justice" delivered by Prof. Bernd R?thers.

The 77th birthday of the President of the German Friends of TAU, Ernst Gerhardt, was celebrated at a concert given by the Radio Symphony Orchestra. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Ernst Gerhardt Scholarship Fund at TAU.

Prof. Haim Ring of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation at the TAU-affiliated Loewenstein Hospital delivered a lecture at the workshop entitled, "Rehabilitation Research," at the 1998 International Conference of the Pio Manzu Research Center, a consultant organization of the United Nations and UNIDO. The invitation to deliver a lecture at the conference came from Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the International Scientific Committee.

COMING EVENTS

The 8th TAU European Conference will be held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, from January 28-February 1, 1999.