Connecting
SECTION
VOLUME 14
ISSUE 1
FALL 2015
The National Newsletter of Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A Century of Brilliance
CFHU spearheads
global celebration
of Einstein’s legacy
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge
is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” – Albert Einstein
E =mc2: On November 25, 1915, Albert Einstein set down his famous field Theory
of General Relativity, showing that light is at the centre of the very structure of
space and time. On the 100th anniversary of the Theory of Relativity, Einstein’s
spirit of innovation has never been more relevant. As one of the founding fathers of
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU), Einstein helped to establish HU as the
academic and intellectual centre of Israel, and as an innovation powerhouse that has
become the start-up of the start-up nation. That’s why CFHU has spearheaded the
Einstein Legacy Project (ELP), a global series of initiatives that align Einstein’s creative
spirit with the university he helped found and to whom he bequeathed his estate.
The Einstein Legacy Project encompasses a wide range of initiatives that celebrate
the famous physicist’s vision of an expansive world, characterized by possibility,
imagination and peace. They include a 3-D book, an IMAX movie, and the first
museum devoted solely to Einstein. It also includes the “Next Einstein” contest,
conceived by CFHU to nurture the next generation of geniuses and innovators. One of
the many high points of the ELP will be the Dinner of the Century: a gathering of the
greatest thought leaders, geniuses and influencers of our time, to be held in May 2017.
The Einstein Legacy Project was launched in Toronto on October 21 at the home of
Larry and Judy Tanenbaum. Judy is the project’s co-chair, along with Tribal Planet
cofounder and CEO Jeff Martin. The inaugural European launch took place in the
Netherlands on October 29, in recognition of Albert Einstein’s special relationship
with Holland and his professorship at Leiden University in that country. Launches are
forthcoming in Vancouver, Montreal, Japan, Tel Aviv and Monaco, among others.
“Our goal is to create and nurture a new generation of Einsteins,” explains CFHU
President & CEO Rami Kleinmann: “the young scientists, humanitarians and innovators
with a new vision for the world and the creativity and brilliance to solve the problems of
the 21st century.”
In 2016, CFHU’s Toronto chapter will host its second Einstein Gala dinner, which will
feature journalist Anderson Cooper as a special guest and honour Dr. Naomi Azrieli,
Jeff Martin, Dr. Barry Sherman and Shuki Levy with the Jake Eberts Key of Knowledge
Award. The 2016 dinner follows on the success of the inaugural Einstein Gala dinner,
which featured Chelsea Clinton (see page 3).
(Top) Celebrating Einstein’s legacy: Einstein Legacy Project co-chairs Judy Tanenbaum (l) and Jeff
Martin at the project’s Toronto launch.
(Bottom) ELP in the Netherlands: The ELP launched in Holland over two evenings in October, at the
residence of Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands and ELP committee member Amb. Haim Divon
(l) and his wife, Linda, and at the home of ELP executive committee member Shida Bliek (r) and her
husband, Peter.
Einstein Museum @ Hebrew U
Genius: 100 Visions of the Future
The Einstein Museum on the Hebrew
University campus will be the first and
only museum to celebrate exclusively
the legacy and creative spirit of Einstein.
The interactive space, which will house
Einstein’s letters, publications, images
and theories, will encourage people of
all ages to think creatively, push the
boundaries of imagination and explore
science and the Theory of Relativity in
entirely new ways.
The world’s first 3-D printed book,
designed by renowned artist Ron Arad,
will invite 100 of the greatest icons,
leaders and influencers of our time to
share their wisdom and visions for the
future. A publishing milestone, Genius
will be launched at The Dinner of
the Century.
Einstein: The Movie
Finally, Einstein’s story is coming to
the big screen. Narrated by Academy
Award–nominated actor Benedict
Cumberbatch, this IMAX 3-D movie tells
the story of one of the greatest geniuses
of all time. Scheduled for release in 2018,
the film will be distributed and screened
at science museums worldwide, with an
expected shelf life of 20 to 30 years.
The Next Einstein
Now in its third year, this online
competition seeks to find and empower
the world’s next big thinkers, innovators
and geniuses. The Next Einstein
competition garnered 42 million
page views in its first year alone,
with submissions from more than 32
countries and write-ups in the Wall
Street Journal. In 2016, the Next Einstein
competition is going global: watch for
details at thenexteinstein.com.
1
A Message from our Leadership
Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University (CFHU)
facilitates connections through fundraising, research
partnerships and academic exchanges. Founded in
1944, CFHU has raised over half a billion dollars, proudly
bestowing academic scholarships to 50,000 Canadian
and Israeli students. With communities in Montreal,
Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and
Vancouver, CFHU’s efforts enrich lives throughout the
world through the academic excellence of the Hebrew
University inspired by founding father Albert Einstein.
A catalyst for
worldwide change
Happy Chanukah!
As we write this, Canadian Friends of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem has just concluded its second
Annual General Meeting. Our stakeholders from across
Canada gathered in Ottawa for two days devoted to
reflection, learning and envisioning the future.
National Office
We came away with many lessons and insights from
those two days, not to mention a sense of immense
possibility. The AGM re-energized CFHU as a national
organization and strengthened our commitment to
support the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel.
3020 – 3080 Yonge Street, PO Box 65
Toronto, ON M4N 3N1
Phone: 416.485.8000 • Toll-free: 1-888-HEBREW-U
Website: www.cfhu.org
Donations and Tribute Cards: [email protected]
Student Inquiries: 416.485.1222 • [email protected]
General Inquiry: [email protected]
President & CEO
Rami Kleinmann, [email protected]
Executive Vice President
Merle Goldman, [email protected]
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Abrams CA, [email protected]
National Director, Communications & Marketing
Miriam Pilc-Levine, [email protected]
Eastern Region
Executive Director
Simon Bensimon, [email protected] • T: 514.932.2133
Montreal Chapter
[email protected]
Ottawa Chapter
[email protected] • T: 613.829.3150
Toronto Chapter
Executive Director
Elan Divon, [email protected] • T: 416.485.8000
[email protected]
Winnipeg Chapter
[email protected] • T: 204.942.3085
This year, for example, marks the 90th anniversary of
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From the visions
of founders that included Martin Buber, Sigmund Freud,
Chaim Weizmann and Albert Einstein, the University has
grown to encompass six campuses in two cities, ranking
among the top hundred universities in the world and
first in Israel. It has produced eight Nobel laureates, 14 Wolf Prizes, 93 Rothschild prizes and 277 Israel
prizes. Hebrew University researchers have collectively created more than 2,500 inventions and nearly
9,000 patents and 100 spinoff companies, enriching the lives of not only Israelis but the entire world.
2015 also marks the hundredth anniversary of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. This month,
CFHU launched the Einstein Legacy Project (ELP). From the world’s first museum devoted to Einstein
to our online search for the next generation of visionaries, to a 3-D film, a 3-D book — Genius: 100
Visions of the Future — and the Dinner of the Century, the ELP celebrates the spirit of genius and
innovation that Einstein embodies, and that characterizes the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The ELP also symbolizes CFHU’s expansive vision and mission. From our strong Canadian foundation
and national beginnings, we have embraced and defined ourselves as a catalyst and partner for
worldwide partnerships, discovery, change and growth. The ongoing and deepening partnerships
between Canadian researchers and their counterparts at the Institute for Medical Research IsraelCanada (IMRIC), and the global reach of the ELP are just two examples of the ways in which CFHU
continues to take its place on the world stage to inspire change.
We are nearing the final stages of our $50 million IMRIC campaign, which has spawned dozens of highend partnerships in medical research between Hebrew University and Canadian researchers. As the year
draws to a close, please consider making a year-end gift to help us reach this milestone in support of
medical research. You can donate using the attached envelope, or by visiting cfhu.org/donate-now.
We look forward to the next 90 years!
Western Region
Executive Director
Dina Wachtel, [email protected] • T: 604 .257. 5133
Vancouver Chapter
[email protected]
Calgary Chapter
Murray PalayRami Kleinmann
National Chair
President & CEO
[email protected] • T: 403.297.0605
Edmonton Chapter
[email protected] • T: 780.444.0809
Contents
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for
Medical Research Israel-Canada brings together the
best minds from the scientific disciplines. Together, our
researchers are creating innovative approaches to meet
the challenges of medicine in the 21st century.
Email: [email protected] • www.imric.org
Connecting newsletter
Managing editor
Miriam Pilc-Levine
Writing and editing
Susan Goldberg, susanlgoldberg.com
Graphic design
The Metrick System
Printing
Print Dot Com Inc.
Message from Our Leadership
2
Galas: Dazzling Affairs in Toronto, Montreal & Vancouver
3
Focus on Philanthropy: The Bloomfield Family
5
What’s Happening at HU
5
CFHU Across Canada
6
Students & Alumni: Challenging Students Across Cultures
7
CFHU Partnerships: STOLEN Documents WWII Art Theft
9
Board of Governors 2015
11
Calendar of Events
11
Galas
From Chelsea Clinton to Albert Einstein,
from elite IDF veterans to major intellects and analysts, a series of high-profile
events in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver this year honoured exemplary Hebrew
University supporters and showcased its outstanding scholarship and research.
Top: Keynote speaker Chelsea Clinton (centre) with Einstein Legacy Awards event co-chairs Judy Nathan
Bronfman (l) and Karen Simpson-Radomski.
Centre: Roz and Ralph Halbert (third and fourth from l) pose with Clinton and with their children and
grandchildren (l to r) Jason, Eden, Perri, Elliot and Madison Kirshenblatt.
Bottom: Hebrew University President Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, CFHU Toronto President Randy
Masters and his wife Risa Masters; Jennifer, Sheila, Robert, Michele, Russell and Cynthia Masters;
and Mark Brodlieb with CFHU National Board Chair Murray Palay.
Chelsea Clinton delivers
keynote at Toronto’s
Einstein Legacy Awards
TORONTO – Chelsea Clinton delivered
the keynote address at a Toronto
gala that honoured a select group of
exemplary Canadian philanthropic
families who have “demonstrated values,
vision, social responsibility and a passion
for education.”
Held during the centennial year of Albert
Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of
relativity, the Einstein
Legacy Awards dinner
paid tribute to the
Appleby, Austin,
Dzialoszynski-Waks,
Halbert, Lindenberg
& Brown, Masters
and Mintz-Nyman
families. Odette Levy
was honoured with the
Bronfman Prize for Exemplary Service,
and CFHU Vice President Merle Goldman
was awarded the Bronfman Prize for
Outstanding Professional Commitment.
Clinton, 35, discussed education and
the work of her family’s charity. The
event, held in May at Toronto’s Liberty
Grand, was hosted by one of Clinton’s
political peers: Ben Mulroney. To further
the University’s scientific legacy, the
Azrieli Foundation announced $10M
in giving to the Hebrew University, to
support both the study of stem cells and
genetic research and Israeli doctoral and
Canadian postdoctoral students
and young
research faculty.
“Being the mother of
a daughter...made me
care much more about
the things I already
cared about.”
Clinton talked
about education
and shared
personal stories.
“Being the
mother of a daughter [eight-month-old
Charlotte],” she says, “made me care
much more about the things I already
cared about.”
3
Galas
Vancouver launches
grassroots
“Student Soldier
Scholarship Campaign”
VANCOUVER – Several hundred members of the Vancouver
community gathered in May to celebrate 90 years of excellence at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The event focused on the experiences of four young Israeli soldiers,
members of the IDF’s Duvdevan Elite Unit. Their arresting stories of
covert missions and superhuman training stood in sharp contrast to
their alter egos as mild-mannered Hebrew University students. The
evening served as a scholarship fundraiser for these “soldier-students,”
who must strike a balance between their lives as civilians and soldiers,
weathering severe financial hardships, interruptions in their studies
and the stresses of both military and student life.
The evening also featured presentations by Ambassador Ido Aharoni,
Israeli consul general in New York City, who spoke on “The Rise
of The New Infosumer,” and Hebrew University geography scholar
Noam Shoval, who spoke about the geographic realities of the city
of Jerusalem as revealed through his complex GPS study of its
inhabitants’ movements (see page 9). Israeli musician and actor
— and a former Duvdevan member — Tzachi Halevi provided the
evening’s entertainment. Vancouver chapter president Randy Milner
described the evening as a “Hebrew U Ted Talk.”
Top (l to r): IDF Duvdevan Elite Unit soldiers Gilad Waldman, Daniel Kolver, Ariel Rubin
and Boaz Faschler with musician and former Duvdevan soldier Tzahi Halevy (centre).
Bottom (l to r): CFHU National Vice President Phil Switzer, CFHU past National
Chair Nathan Lindenberg and CFHU Vancouver chapter President Randy Milner.
Montreal presents
Alvin Segal with
Scopus Award
MONTREAL – He’s a visionary business leader, an inspirational
philanthropist, and an overall mensch. In May, 450 of his family, friends and
associates gathered at Montreal’s Congregation Shaar Hashomayim to pay
tribute to Alvin Segal, OC, OQ, who received the Scopus Award, the highest
honour conferred by the Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Segal is chair and chief executive officer of Peerless Clothing Inc.,
the largest supplier of men’s fine tailored clothing in North America.
He played a key role in the 1980s negotiations leading to the North
American Free Trade Agreement, a fact attested to in a videotaped
message from former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
Author and guest speaker Jeffrey Goldberg, a staff writer for The
Atlantic specializing in the Middle East, warned the audience in his talk
that world Jewry — and in particular the Montreal Jewish community
— needs to prepare for a possible exodus of Jews from France, where
anti-Semitism is on the rise dramatically.
Among the dignitaries at the evening were Hebrew University
President Menahem Ben-Sasson, McGill University Principal Suzanne
Fortier, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and former Segal Centre
executive director Manon Gauthier, now Montreal’s executive
committee member responsible for culture.
Proceeds from the dinner benefited two programs at The Hebrew
University: brain research at the Institute for Medical Research IsraelCanada and Revivim, a Jewish studies teacher training program.
Top (l to r): Hebrew University President Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, Emmelle and
Alvin Segal, CFHU Montreal chapter President Ari Brojde and CFHU President and
CEO Rami Kleinmann.
Bottom (l to r): Alvin Segal celebrates with his sisters Harriet Lazar (l) and
Connie Solomon (r).
4
FOCUS ON PHILANTHROPY
The
Bloomfield
family’s
lasting
impact on
the Hebrew
University
Harry Bloomfield QC and his sister, Evelyn Bloomfield
Schachter, pull a letter from the archives of the Eldee
Foundation. It’s typewritten, on Canadian Friends of
the Hebrew University letterhead, dated October 22,
1969, and it’s signed by CFHU founder Allan Bronfman.
The letter is addressed to the siblings’ father, the
late Bernard Bloomfield, then-president of the Eldee
Foundation. It’s an appeal for $4 million to build a
library on the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem.
The Bloomfield Library for the Humanities and Social
Sciences was completed in 1976. Today, it continues to
function as a cornerstone for the University’s students
and researchers. In 1996, the Eldee Foundation — of
which Harry is now president and Evelyn vice president,
and which is the vehicle for the Montreal family’s
philanthropy — added a media centre to the building
in order to allow soldiers to catch up on studies missed
during active duty.
But the Bloomfield Library is just one of the many
Hebrew University initiatives created or supported
by the Bloomfields. They are the driving force behind
the Lady Davis Fellowship Trust (LDFT), inspired
by the Rhodes Scholarship. Founded in 1973, it
offers fellowships at the Hebrew University and at
the Technion to visiting professors, postdoctoral
researchers and doctoral students. Well over 2,000
academics have benefited from the trust, which is one
of the most distinguished and sought-after fellowship
programs in the world.
The Eldee Foundation also established Jerusalem’s
Bloomfield Science Museum, which was founded by
and operates under the Hebrew University and the
Top: Neri and Bernard Bloomfield with Yitzhak Rabin (l)
Bottom: Neri Bloomfield (centre) with her daughter Evelyn Bloomfield Schachter (l) and son Harry Bloomfield (r).
It’s a family legacy of support for Israel and its people
that goes back more than a century, when Harry and
Evelyn’s great grandmother served as a delegate to
the second Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in
1898. “Zionism is in our DNA,” says Harry. His uncle
Louis Bloomfield QC was a prominent Canadian lawyer
and close friend of Lady Henrietta Davis; together with
Bernard, the three established the Eldee Foundation.
The Bloomfield brothers worked tirelessly to solidify
and expand the trust, establishing it as one of the
most important and effective
channels of support for Israel
and for its educational and
cultural institutions.
“Our family’s legacy is visible all over Israel
and in the very foundations of the Hebrew
University. We have been there since the
beginning of Canadian Friends — our parents
saw the very existence of the Hebrew
University as part of their responsibility.”
Jerusalem Foundation. It established the Lady Davis
Chair in Experimental Medicine and Cancer Research,
the Bernard Bloomfield Memorial Endowment Prize
and the Harry Bloomfield Endowment for Perpetual
Student Aid, and contributed substantially to the
Cherrick Center for the Study of Zionism, the Yishuv
and the State of Israel. It has supported a wide variety
of Hebrew University scholarships, buildings, research
projects, funds and other initiatives over the last halfcentury, with literally hundreds of gifts totaling millions
of dollars
Bernard’s wife, Neri Bloomfield,
succeeded her husband as
the chairman of the Eldee
Foundation after his death in
1985. Neri, who passed away
earlier this year, was a tireless
powerhouse in the field of
Jewish philanthropy, including
the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. She
shattered all kinds of gender and age barriers: not
only was she the youngest-ever president of Canadian
Hadassah WIZO, but also the first woman to hold the
position of national president of the Canadian Zionist
Federation, the first female president of the JNF and
the first female director of Bank Hapoalim, Canada. She
was a member of the Hebrew University’s International
Board of Directors for more than 40 years, and — like
her husband and brother-in-law — received an honorary
doctorate from Hebrew U.
“When the Women’s Lib movement began in the
late 1960s,” says Harry, “I remember having no idea
what they were talking about because for me it was
normal for my mother to be out at an office every day,
working her way up the corporate philanthropic ladder,
constantly attending meetings, organizing, strategizing
about policy with her boards of directors and her
officers, who were all her best friends.”
“The philanthropy and vision of the Bloomfield family,
beginning with Neri, Bernard and Louis and continuing
through to Harry and Evelyn’s generation, has made an
indelible impact not only on the Hebrew University but
on the State of Israel,” says Hebrew University President
Menahem Ben-Sasson. “They have literally helped to
build both the University and the country, and through
vehicles like the LDFT and other scholarships and
fellowships, to nurture and develop its intellectuals. We
deeply mourn the recent passing of Neri Bloomfield.”
Today, Harry and Evelyn and their families continue to
uphold their family’s tradition of Jewish philanthropy.
“Harry and I are the fourth generation of our family to be
involved in Zionist activities,” says Evelyn, who is a past
president of the Montreal chapter and a member of the
CFHU National Board of Directors. “We are fortunate to
have been brought up in an environment steeped in the
finest traditions of Judaism, and we consider ourselves
privileged to have been exposed to the concept of
philanthropy from the earliest age. Our family’s legacy
is visible all over Israel and in the very foundations of the
Hebrew University. We have been there since the beginning
of Canadian Friends — our parents saw the very existence
of the Hebrew University as part of their responsibility.”
5
What’s Happening at HU
World Science
Conference Israel
They came from Ecuador and China,
Ghana and Norway, Bosnia Herzegovina
and Mexico — and, of course Israel
and Canada, not to mention another
60+ countries around the world. And
for four days this past summer, they
transformed Jerusalem and the Hebrew
University into a worldwide hotspot for
cutting-edge science.
The first World Science Conference Israel (WSCI)
brought together not only 400 talented young scientists
from across the globe, but also 15 Nobel Prize and Wolf
Prize laureates as well as Fields Medal winners from
both Israel and abroad. Organized by the Israeli Foreign
Ministry with help from the Hebrew University and
the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space,
the conference exposed science students to the Israeli
spirit of innovation, where basic and applied sciences
generate trailblazing technologies. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the opening address
and former Israeli President Shimon Peres also attended
the opening ceremonies.
The majority of participants were not Jewish; for most,
the WSCI was their introduction to Israel. And what
an introduction it was, with a chance to meet and
learn from scientific superstars. Israeli Nobel laureates
included Prof. Ada Yonath, a Weizmann Institute
crystallographer; Hebrew University mathematician
Robert (Yisrael) Aumann; and physician and biologist
Aaron Ciechanover.
Rather than simply admiring great scholars from
afar, young scientists were able to engage with Nobel
laureates on a human scale, in a series of three-toone interviews with their personal and professional
heroes. “The opportunity to speak with two laureates,
Aaron Ciechanover and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, is
an experience that I will never forget,” says Canadian
Connecting with Nobel laureates: Canadian WSCI delegates Brandon Tang (l) and Justin Lessard-Wajcer (far r) and Welsh delegate Cerys
Jenkins with Hebrew U Nobel laureate Dr. Aaron Ciechanover (in purple shirt).
delegate Brandon Tang, 23, who is studying medicine
at the University of Toronto. Based on his conversations
with the Nobel laureates, Tang is writing a reflection piece
on balancing passion for one’s work with the pragmatic
demands of career advancement, which he plans to
submit to the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
In the Eureka! contest, participants collaborated
with colleagues from around the world to compete in
scientific projects. Israeli innovations and startups —
like OrCam, MUV Interactive and Mobileye — were
showcased. And just in case anyone was worried that
the conference would be all work and no play, the
WSCI offered plenty of time for both: more than 400
participants from around the world danced one night
away at the Tel Aviv port, and took time to tour the Old
City and other significant sites in Jerusalem.
“I had never visited Israel before, and the event
completely changed my perspective on Israeli
innovation and scientific research,” says Jessie
MacAlpine, 19, in her third year of microbiology and
molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. One
of the highlights of the trip, she says, was interviewing
Nobel laureate Prof. Harry Kroto.
The conference organizers hoped that the participants
would act as “scientific ambassadors of goodwill” for
Israel. If MacAlpine is any indication, they succeeded.
The WSCI, she says, “was by far one of the best
experiences in my life and I truly hope to return to Israel
again one day. It is a beautiful country that is completing
outstanding research and I look forward to collaborating
with all of the future scientists I met at the conference.”
No fridge?
No problem.
Hebrew U invention could help
break cycle of rural poverty in the
developing world
Hebrew University researchers have developed a
technology that can extend the life of vegetables for
weeks without refrigeration. It’s an innovation that
could end the cycle of poverty among rural farmers in
the developing world.
Dozens of technologies can help farmers grow healthier,
hardier and better-tasting fruits and vegetables. Many
of those inventions, like drip irrigation, were developed
in Israel. Outside of refrigeration, though, few
technologies exist to extend the life of produce once
it’s harvested. While some fruits and vegetables can
be kept in cold storage for months, others — like leafy
vegetables — have to be brought to market within days,
before they begin to wilt.
And that’s a problem for farmers, especially in the
developing world, says Dr. Rivka Elbaum, from the Faculty
of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences
at the Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and
Genetics in Agriculture at the Hebrew University. Rural
growers who have no access to refrigeration — for reasons
6
Fresh without the fridge: Both sets of lettuce leaves above have been unrefrigerated for a week. The leaves on the left have been treated
with a novel solution developed at the Hebrew University to keep produce fresh.
that include lack of access to electricity, equipment or
infrastructure — can’t get their produce to urban markets
before it goes bad. That leaves them at the mercy of local
wholesalers, who typically pay far less than their crops are
worth. It’s a system that perpetuates a cycle of poverty.
Dr. Elbaum is poised to break that cycle. She has
formulated a solution that has been shown to keep leafy
vegetables fresh for extended periods of time. Thus
far, it has delayed wilting and chlorophyll loss in lettuce
leaves for up to a month. It will also work with other
leafy vegetables, such as celery, spinach, cabbage, kale,
parsley, basil, cauliflower and broccoli. The formulation
has been patented in the United States and Israel,
and is being commercialized by Yissum, the Hebrew
University’s technology transfer company.
“We’ve been speaking to some large organizations,
such as food wholesalers, who are very interested in
working with us,” says a Yissum spokesperson. “We’re
still working on the form of delivery for the solution —
possibly as a mist spray in the produce section of the
supermarket, with the sprayers using [Dr. Elbaum’s]
solution instead of water.”
What’s Happening at HU
Way to go, baby!: The birth of Prof. Yaakov Nahmias’s
daughter earlier this year sparked an idea that led to a major
pharmaceutical breakthrough.
published on the cover of the July edition of Hepatology,
they reported that they produced large amounts of
functional liver cells from human embryonic and
genetically engineered stem cells. “Nobody had thought
of mimicking this part of human development before, so
that’s exactly what we did,” says Nahmias.
Until this breakthrough, human liver cells — called
hepatocytes — could be sourced only from donated
organs. That left them in woefully short supply for
the researchers and pharmaceutical companies who
needed them to test new drugs. As the gatekeeper
to the digestive system, the liver is responsible for
drug breakdown and is the first organ in the body to
be injured or affected by drug overdose or misuse.
Evaluating drug-induced liver injury thus is a critical part
of pharmaceutical discovery.
But limited supplies of hepatocytes had represented
a major bottleneck and expense for the industry, with
pharmaceutical companies spending $1 billion a year
on liver cells alone. “Our ability to produce an unlimited
supply of functional liver cells from human pluripotent
stem cells can change all that,” said Nahmias.
Gut Feelings
Hebrew U scientists create functional
liver cells from stem cells
Newton’s apple. A wayward spore that led to the
development of penicillin. Archimedes’s Eureka!
moment. More often than we realize, scientific
inspiration comes from seemingly chance encounters.
For Hebrew University Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, the
birth of his daughter earlier this year was such an
encounter. And it’s led to a breakthrough that will
have staggeringly positive effects for research and
development in the pharmaceutical industry.
“I watched her feeding just moments after birth, and
realized this is the first time her liver started working,”
said Nahmias. That insight allowed him and his team
to overcome a major obstacle in drug development:
creating functional liver cells in the lab.
“A … revolution for
pharmaceutical
drug discovery.”
Nahmias and his team discovered that the bacteria
populating the infant gut moments after birth produce
vitamin K2 and bile acids that activate the fetal liver’s
dormant drug metabolism program. In research
Call your Bubbie
and Zaidy!
Hebrew U study shows teens who are
close with grandparents do better
Other groups have been able to produce liver cells, notes
Nahmias, but “their cells showed little functional activity,
and could not be reliably used for drug discovery. In fact,
up until now stem cell–derived hepatocytes showed little
ability to predict clinical outcome.”
The groundbreaking work further demonstrated that
liver cells produced from either embryonic stem cells
or genetically engineered skin cells can detect the toxic
effect of over a dozen drugs with greater than 97%
accuracy. “This is quite a revolution for pharmaceutical
drug discovery,” said Nahmias.
“The implications for liver biology and drug discovery
are quite staggering,” said Prof. Oren Shibolet, Head
of the Liver Unit at the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical
Center, who was not involved in this study. “The method
provides access to unlimited amounts of functional
liver cells and is likely to critically improve our ability to
predict drug toxicity, which was previously limited by
the unavailability of liver cells.”
warm relationships with their grandparents. For teens
with average emotional closeness to their parents,
contact with their closest grandparent was linked with
significantly reduced difficulties, though the reduction
was moderate. For teens with very close parental
relationships, the closest grandparent played an even
stronger role in reducing adjustment difficulties.
What’s more, benefits to teenagers were even greater
when they had strong relationships with both a parent
and that parent’s parent.
It’s a given that warm emotional relationships with
parents are a key factor in their teenagers’ well-being.
But a recent study by Dr. Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, a
senior researcher at the Hebrew University’s School of
Social Work and Social Welfare, suggests that we need
to take a stronger look at the role grandparents play in
their teenaged grandchildren’s lives.
What makes grandparental involvement so significant?
Although Dr. Attar-Schwartz’s study didn’t ask teens
the reasons why they benefited from spending time with
grandparents, she says that the results are in line with
other research on grandparents and their grandchildren.
Dr. Attar-Schwartz and her team surveyed 1,405
Israeli teens between the ages of 12 and 18 about
difficulties in their lives, including hyperactivity,
excessive worrying, social skills, fighting and
bullying. They found that teens who had close, loving
relationships with both their parents and grandparents
had the fewest problems. The research was published
online in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
“In other studies, adolescents have told us that spending
time with their grandparents was an opportunity for
relaxation and treats, but also time where they received
attention and could share their thoughts and problems
with a committed adult, and get advice. Some young
people reported that it was easier to open up to their
grandparents than to their parents, often because
grandparents had shown themselves to be better
listeners and more sensitive to the young person’s
concerns in the past.”
Grandparents are often seen as a useful buffer when
teens and parents don’t see eye to eye. Interestingly,
however, Dr. Attar-Schwartz’s study showed that teens
who were not close to their parents didn’t benefit from
Dr. Attar-Schwartz is currently spending her sabbatical
year as a visiting professor at the Factor-Inwentash
Department of Social Work at the University of Toronto.
7
CFHU Across
SECTIONCanada
Montreal
Water, water
everywhere
One Drop CEO outlines partnership
model at Einstein Business Forum
“There are more cellphones in the world than toilets,”
points out Catherine Bachand, chief executive officer of
the One Drop Foundation.
It’s a graphic example, but it underscores the dramatic
worldwide inequalities around access to clean drinking
water. Eight hundred million people do not have access
to safe water, and 2.5 billion have no sanitation, says
Bachand, who spoke in January at CFHU Montreal’s
Albert Einstein Business Forum.
One Drop, created by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy
Laliberté, believes that adequate clean water is key
to improving health and alleviating poverty. The
foundation doesn’t simply go into countries and dig
wells or build infrastructure, Bachand explained, but
rather seeks to make people self-sufficient. It does this
by co-operating with like-minded NGOs, universities
and corporations.
Suitably, One Drop is exploring possibilities for
collaboration with the Hebrew University’s Braun
School of Public Health and Community Medicine;
Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment; and the
Glocal Community Development Studies program, all of
which help train people from the developing world who
want to improve food security, water and sanitation.
Montreal chapter president Ari Brojde said the mission
statements of One Drop and the Hebrew University are
similar. “Hebrew University is developing innovative
research to best serve humankind. Both organizations
are working for a better world.”
Toronto
Ottawa
CFHU March
Ottawa hosts AGM
Madness expands
its brand
On the weekend before the federal election, executive
members and stakeholders from across Canada gathered
in our national capital for “Looking to the Future,”
Canadian Friends’ second Annual General Meeting.
At the age of 21, CFHU’s annual Online March Madness
College Basketball Tournament continues to expand
its reach. What started as a Toronto-based alumni
initiative is now a Canada-wide event that raised more
than $80,000 this year in support of the Bernard
Persiko & Darren Kendal Merit Student Scholarship
Fund at the Hebrew University. Over the past three
years, March Madness basketball has raised more than
$250,000 and awarded 20+ scholarships to Canadian
students studying at Hebrew U.
But the Madness isn’t just about basketball any more.
In April 2015, much to the delight of hockey fans across
the country, co-chairs Lorne Persiko and David Kendal
and their committee launched a very successful Playoff
Hockey Madness. In September 2015, the brand scored
another touchdown with the launch of the inaugural
Football Madness Online Tournament. Funds raised
from all three Madness events support the PersikoKendal scholarships.
From a tour of the Parliament building to our engaging
conversations and speakers, the weekend was filled
with learning, strategizing and socializing, with
panels on “The Multifaceted Prism of Philanthropy,”
“Canada/Israel Partnerships” and emerging trends in
philanthropy. Hebrew University researcher Yaacov
(Koby) Nahmias gave a lecture, hosted by Dorothy
Nadolny, on “Inspiring the Next Generation of Medical
Innovation” (see more about Prof. Nahmias’s innovative
research on page 7).
Other special guests included Israeli Ambassador
to Canada Rafael Barak and his wife, Miriam Barak,
and Ambassador Yossi Gal, Hebrew University VicePresident of Advancement & External Affairs.
The AGM was also the occasion to say goodbye to two
long-time CFHU team members. Ottawa and Winnipeg
chapter Executive Directors Shelli Kimmel and Sharon
Zalik are moving on to new adventures. We thank them
both for their hard work and dedication over the years,
and look forward to seeing them at CFHU events.
“We realized that expanding our sports repertoire would
allow us to engage with a younger demographic and
connect them with the Hebrew University,” says Persiko.
The Madness team is also thrilled to announce that
alumni of the Pi Lambda Phi Canada Kappa Chapter
have established the Pi Lambda Phi Student Scholarship
Fund, which will support University of Toronto students
taking summer courses at the Hebrew University.
Persiko and Kendal extend congratulations to the 2015
March Madness Basketball winners Jack Rose, Craig
Walters, Allen Abbott, Michael Schacter, Eric Moncik,
Paul Litman, Allan Katchky and Stephen Victor, and
extend a hearty thanks to their Madness committee
members: Ben Babins, Sylvia Babins, Max Benudiz,
Stuart Clapham, Harvey Hazan, Shawn Kendal, Amy
Kerbel, Michael Konikoff, Sam Kopmar, Stewart Laszlo
and Lauren Wise.
01
02
03
01 TORONTO They Scored!: Madness co-chairs David Kendal (l)
and Lorne Persiko (r) are all smiles as they present the prize cheque
to Max, Justin and Jamie Benuditz (centre, l to r), the winners of
CFHU’s first annual Playoff Hockey Madness Online Tournament.
The event raised more than $15,000 in its first year.
02 MONTREAL One Drop: The CFHU Montreal Albert Einstein
Business Forum hosted Catherine Bachand (centre), CEO of the
ONE DROP Foundation.
03 OTTAWA AGM Canada/Israel Partnerships panel: Moderator
Stephen Victor; CFHU National Board Chair Murray Palay; Dr.
Thomas Hudson, President and Scientific Director, Ontario
Institute for Cancer Research; Dylan Hanley, Associate Director,
Government Relations and University Outreach, CIJA; His
Excellency Ambassador Raphael Barak.
04 OTTAWA AGM Outside Parliament: Robert Gabor
(Winnipeg); Debbie and Howard Sniderman (Edmonton); Michael
Abrams (Toronto); Shelli Kimmel (Ottawa); Bryant and Lillian
Shiller, Carol Koffler and Danielle Pollock (Montreal); Cheryl and
Randy Milner (Vancouver); Neil Hazan (Montreal).
04
8
CFHU Across
SECTIONCanada
Winnipeg & Edmonton
Vancouver
HU prof gives down-to-earth talk on
“heavenly” city
Gropper law faculty exchange
continues to thrive
Hebrew University geography professor Noam Shoval
has a whole new way of looking at the ways people
live, work and play in the Holy City. In two fascinating
lectures, delivered to the Winnipeg and Edmonton
CFHU chapters in May, he outlined some of the results
and implications of his research.
Hebrew U law professor Moshe Hirsch is the fifth Israeli
professor to participate in what is emerging as a highlight
for the Jewish and wider legal communities in Vancouver.
An Open Jerusalem Legal Eagles
Shoval drew on his studies using GPS tracking
technology to see how both residents (Israeli and Arab)
and tourists spend time in Jerusalem. Not surprisingly,
tourists tend to cluster in the Old City and the area
of Yad Vashem/Har Herzl. More interestingly, Prof.
Shoval’s research characterizes Jerusalem as an “open”
city: both Jewish and Arab residents spend significant
amounts in “each others’” traditional neighbourhoods.
The entire city, Shoval pointed out, is used by the entire
population.
This finding has key implications in several policy areas,
Shoval said, not the least of which are the difficulties in
dividing Jerusalem as part of any proposed two-state
solution. For his part, Shoval does not see the division
of Jerusalem as a viable option in any future diplomatic
settlement.
“Divisions will just make things worse. Cities are divided
as a result of war, not in an effort to make peace.
Stakeholders need to understand that Jerusalem is a
living city like any other living city,” he said.
Shoval spoke before large crowds at Winnipeg’s Asper
Campus on May 4, at a program co-sponsored by
CFHU, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. In Edmonton,
Professor Shoval spoke at the Beth Shalom Synagogue.
The Mitchell H. Gropper QC Law Faculty Exchange allows
law students at the Hebrew University and the University
British Columbia to benefit from the expertise of faculty
at both schools. Each September, UBC law students study
with a visiting professor from Hebrew U; the following
spring, a member of the UBC faculty travels to Jerusalem
to teach a course to Hebrew University students.
Prof. Hirsch, whose focus is international relations,
taught a graduate seminar on developing countries in
the world trading system. “Issues relating to developing
countries involve some of the most acute problems in
the contemporary international system,” he said at the
course’s outset. “Dilemmas discussed in this course
may help students to better understand the complex
realities of economic development and international
trade law in this sphere.”
Prof. Hirsch was pleasantly surprised at the diversity
of his students, of whom fully half come from outside
Canada. He was also happy to return to Vancouver, which
he has visited twice before as part of a multinational
research group led by UBC law professor Pitman Potter.
During his stay in Vancouver, Prof. Hirsch gave a
lunchtime lecture — called “Why are some countries
rich and others poor?” — to an over-capacity crowd of
lawyers and academics, hosted by Mitchell Gropper at
his law office. UBC professors Cristie Ford, David Duff
and Dennis Pavlich, all alumni of the exchange program,
attended the talk, as did the new UBC Dean of Law, Prof.
Catherine Dauverge, who thanked CFHU for continuing
to support the faculty exchange, citing its many benefits
for students, faculty and research collaborations.
Alberta
Israel-Alberta
Neuroscience
Symposium
Symposium fuels, strengthens
international relationships
“Today, breakthroughs in science aren’t a one-man
show. They’re about teams co-operating.”
With those words, Israeli Ambassador to Canada
Rafael Barak summed up the spirit of the Israel-Alberta
Neuroscience Symposium, a three-day event in June
that brought together researchers from the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem with their colleagues from
the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology and the
universities of Alberta, Calgary and Lethbridge. The event
was designed to promote the exchange of knowledge
and ideas and to foster collaboration between top
neuroscience research institutes in Israel and Alberta.
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) and Campus
Alberta Neuroscience (CAN) partnered to host the
scientific exchange, which followed closely on the
heels of the announcement of the Joint Canada-Israel
Health Research Program, a $35 million funding
scheme for Canadian and Israeli researchers working in
biomedicine, with an initial focus on neuroscience.
More than 50 researchers, trainees and dignitaries
attended the symposium, including Amb. Barack, the Hon.
Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic
Diversification; and Cam Westhead, MLA for BanffCochrane. HBI director Dr. Samuel Weiss described the
event as a “kick-start towards the goal of nurturing mutual
interests into meaningful collaborations.”
Speakers at the neuroscience symposium showcased
a variety of topics, including movement disorders,
multiple sclerosis, neural circuitry, neurodegeneration,
neurotechnology and more. Smaller breakout sessions
identified potential research collaborations. “This is
about identifying interesting, viable and impactful
neuroscience collaborations that can be developed by
these five incredible institutions,” said Grant McIntyre,
PhD, CAN’s executive director.
Eager to share ideas with one another, researchers
made the most of this opportunity to interact.
“We have all the elements to develop really fruitful
collaborations,” commented Tamir Ben-Hur, MD-PhD,
professor of neuroscience and Israel S. Wechsler Chair
of Neurology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“The people here have common interests, the same
level of great science, and good chemistry.”
05
06
07
05 ALBERTA: Rafael Barak, Ambassador of Israel to Canada, speaks of the importance of international collaborations
to achieve scientific breakthroughs at the Israel-Alberta Neuroscience Symposium’s opening reception.
06 VANCOUVER Law Faculty Exchange: Prof. Moshe Hirsch (l) with Mitchell H. Gropper, QC.
07 ALBERTA Collaborating across countries to further neuroscience: (l to r) Anthony Phillips, CIHR Institute of
Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction; University of Calgary President Elizabeth Cannon; Samuel Weiss,
Hotchkiss Brain Institute; the Hon. Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic
Diversification; Cam Westhead, MLA for Banff-Cochrane; Cam Westhead and Ambassador Rafael Barak at the
opening reception of the Israel-Alberta Neuroscience Symposium. 08 WINNIPEG & EDMONTON GPS This!: Hebrew U geography professor Noam Shoval with Edmonton chapter
President Howie Sniderman.
08
9
SECTION
Students
& Alumni
Hebrew U and U of T
programs challenge
students cross-culturally
School’s “Coexistence in the Middle East” course, while
Glassman was part of the Rothberg’s “Entrepreneurship &
Innovation” program. Both received scholarships that made
their participation possible.
Transformative. That word — as well as words like exciting,
overwhelming, unexpected, amazing, resonant — comes
up often as Danielle Pal and Aviva Glassman describe their
first-year experiences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
and the University of Toronto.
Pal, 19, and Glassman, 18, met as freshman students in
“Innovating for the Global,” offered by U of T’s Munk
School of Global Affairs. In small classes, students work
collaboratively to tackle global challenges.
“It was a process of narrowing down an idea enough to
find a changeable problem that you could solve through
innovation,” explains Pal. Her group, for example, focused
on preventing voluntary recruitment of child soldiers in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Glassman’s group
developed a messaging app called Cricket that could be
used by dissidents to bypass Internet censorship and spread
news and important information during conflicts.
“We learned about global problem-solving from different
perspectives, including business, the sciences, the arts and
humanities, computer sciences,” explains Glassman, whose
grandparents, Rose Marie and Leon Glassman, are longtime
supporters of the Hebrew University and CFHU. “It involved
taking into account all the unique angles and working
together collaboratively.”
Both young women jumped at the chance to continue in
the spirit of academic innovation when the Munk School
announced opportunities for students to study abroad at
the Hebrew University. Pal took the Rothberg International
Both courses focused on hands-on experience and
immersion. “We visited tech startups, did fieldwork,”
says Glassman, of her group’s visits to Google, MobilEye,
Stratisys and other drivers of Israel’s technological and
environmental economies.
“It was a
process of
narrowing
down an idea
enough to find
a changeable
problem that
you could
solve through
innovation...”
“I can count on one hand the
number of times we were
actually in the classroom,”
says Pal, who, like Glassman,
describes eight-hour days in
the field, visiting a variety of
sites and learning from diverse
stakeholders. “In Israel and
Palestine, I talked with soldiers,
students, politicians, clergy,
people on the ground: Jews and
Arabs from East Jerusalem,
Haifa, Tzfat, Palestinians in
Ramallah and in refugee camps
and Bethlehem.”
Being at the Hebrew University was a chance, says Pal, to
reflect upon the collaborative problem-solving skills of her
Munk course: “I was struck by how much people on both
sides have in common, and yet how little contact they had.
Everyone wants the same thing, but has a different way of
getting to the solution. And connecting with that raw human
experience — I really enjoyed that. What Munk One and the
Hebrew University have really driven home to me is that I don’t
know anything except the perspective I’m sitting in, and to be
cognizant of that in all situations.”
Top: U of T student Aviva Glassman with Canadian
classmate and McGill student Joshua Frank, at Israel’s
Google headquarters. The two visited Google as
part of the Hebrew University’s “Entrepreneurship &
Innovation” summer course.
Bottom: Danielle Pal (r)and a friend beside Masada
after getting their B’not Mitzvah
CFHU PARTNERSHIPS
STOLEN: Max
Stern’s story
CFHU partners on feature doc on
Nazi-plundered art
Intrigue, passion, crime and restitution. Broken dreams,
secret lives and new beginnings. Those are the themes of
STOLEN, a new feature documentary film being produced
about legendary Canadian art dealer Max Stern.
The Nazis looted more than 650,000 works of art
during the Holocaust. Approximately 400 of those
works came from the Galerie Stern in Düsseldorf,
when a young Stern was forced to liquidate his art
collection at bargain-basement prices; he never saw the
proceeds from that sale. After spending four years in
internment camps, Stern eventually escaped Germany
and settled in Canada, where he rose to prominence
once more as the owner of the landmark Dominion
Gallery, defining the careers of artists such as Emily
Carr and Henry Moore, and bringing Auguste Rodin and
Wassily Kandinsky to North America. When he died,
he bequeathed his estate to McGill, Concordia and the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
But the Galerie Stern artworks have remained
prisoners of war. And the goal of international art
crimes investigator Dr. Willi Korte is to liberate them
and return them to their rightful owner: Stern’s estate.
Korte, along with Concordia University professor Dr.
Clarence Epstein, head of the Max Stern Art Restitution
Project (MSARP), are central characters in STOLEN.
With Stern’s life as the backbone of the story, STOLEN
negotiates the complex world of plundered art, Interpol,
museums, galleries, Homeland Security and the deep
secrets that loom in family allegiances.
“Hitler knew the best way to destroy a civilization is to
erase their cultural heritage,” says Korte, a Germanborn, American lawyer and historian who has been
instrumental in locating several of Stern’s looted works,
including The Girl from the Sabine Mountains by Franz
Xaver Winterhalter.
On November 23, supporters of STOLEN gathered
at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for a VIP
cocktail reception benefiting the film and the MSARP.
A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of one
of Stern’s restituted paintings, coming home from
Germany on extended loan to the museum.
At intimate gatherings held in September in Montreal
and Toronto, Korte and Epstein spoke about their
respective roles in the MSARP, CFHU and Concordia. At
the Montreal home of Roslie Jukier and Lewis Dobrin,
and in Toronto at the home of co-executive producer
Andrea Wood and Peter Cavanaugh, the two restitution
professionals enlightened the riveted guests and donors
about Stern’s story and the murky world of plundered art.
The events helped to raise funds for the film’s production
and completion.
“This is an important and timely film about an iconic
Canadian art dealer who transcended the evils of the
Holocaust to create a legacy of beauty and hope,” says
Robin Turack, who, along with Wood, Sissy Federer and
Susan McArthur, is one of the film’s executive producers
and fundraisers. STOLEN will be directed by Phyllis Ellis
and produced by Henry Less of HLP+Partners. STOLEN
will benefit the Hebrew University and the Vidal Sassoon
International Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism.
For more information on the project and
on how to become a donor, please visit
STOLENdocumentaryfilm.com.
Donors and supporters of the documentary film STOLEN gathered
in Toronto and Montreal to learn more about the story of Max
Stern and the murky world of art restitution from Dr. Clarence
Epstein and Dr. Willi Korte, who play key roles in the film.
MONTREAL (Left): (l to r) Stephen Lipper, Dr. Clarence Epstein,
Simon Bensimon, Rosalie Jukier, Lewis Dobrin, Dr. Willi Korte and
Robin Turack.
TORONTO (Above): Andrea Weissman-Daniels, Andrea Wood
and Mark Daniels.
10
BOG 2015
Canadian contributions highlighted at BoG
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem celebrated its 90th birthday in style at the 78th annual Board of Governors
Meeting, held in June. As always, Canadians made up a strong contingent at the event, as the University paid tribute
to several Canadian donors for their ongoing and vital support. At the annual Canadian Awards Dinner, several
Hebrew University students met with the Canadian donors of their scholarships. Montreal’s Brojde family hosted a
luncheon showcasing the achievements of the Peter Brojde Center for Innovative Engineering and Computer Science.
With 2015 marking the 100th anniversary of his Theory of Relativity, the spirit of Hebrew University founder Albert
Einstein was in the air — look forward to an exciting series of events to mark Einstein’s legacy!
Hold the Date
CFHU’s chapters have an exciting
array of events in the coming
year. Mark your calendar now,
and visit cfhu.org/events or call
your local chapter office for
more information.
NATIONAL EVENTS AND Israel MISSIONS
JAN. - FEB 2016
CFHU Snowbirds Get-togethers:
• Jan. 2016 — Florida
• Feb. 21, 2016 — Palm Springs
Mar. 2016 CFHU March Madness
Online Tournament in support of HU
Merit Scholarships
Apr. 2016 CFHU Playoff Hockey
Madness Online Tournament in support
of HU Merit Scholarships
May 27 - June 1
Building a Bridge to a Better
Tomorrow: Hebrew University 79th
Board of Governors Meeting
Sept. 2016 CFHU Football Madness
Survival Online Tournament in support
of HU Merit Scholarships
Segal honorary doctorate
Montreal’s Alvin Segal (above), who received CFHU’s
Scopus Award in May, received an honorary doctorate
from the Hebrew University. In Jerusalem, Segal hosted
a luncheon with students from the Revivim program
for training outstanding Jewish studies teachers, a
cause close to his heart. Segal was also honoured at the
University’s Wall of Benefactors.
Fall 2016 CFHU AGM, Toronto
NOV. 2016 Live Learn & Explore
Portugal & Israel Mission
CALGARY
Feb. 2016 Albert Einstein Business
Forum, with Prof. Koby Nahmias,
Director of Center for Bioengineering,
Hebrew University (TBC).
Soyka family legacy
Wall of Life
Montrealers Monette Malewski (below, l), Bernard
Shuster (below, c) and Lou and Sylvia Vogel (below, r),
were all honoured at the Hebrew University’s Wall of
Life for their long-time, generous support.
BELOW (l): Monette Malewski with Hebrew University
president Menahem Ben Sasson
BELOW (c): Bernard Shuster also received an Honorary
Fellowship from the Hebrew University.
BELOW (r): Lou and Sylvia Vogel
Toronto’s Sylvia Soyka and her son Marc-Adam SoykaSteinman were honoured at the Hebrew University’s
Wall of Benefactors for their family’s ongoing
commitment to the Hebrew University, most recently
in the form of the Alex U. Soyka Pancreatic Cancer
Research Project, which was named for Sylvia’s father
and Marc-Adam’s grandfather and dedicated at a
ceremony at the Institute for Medical Research IsraelCanada. While in Jerusalem, Sylvia and Marc-Adam
were thrilled to attend the annual Alex U. Soyka Tennis
Tournament, which brings together Jewish and Arab
community youth.
ABOVE: Prof. David Lichtstein, Dean, Hebrew University
Faculty of Medicine and former director of IMRIC; Sylvia Soyka;
Hebrew University Vice President and Director General Billy
Shapira and Marc-Adam Soyka-Steinman at the dedication of
the Alex U. Soyka Pancreatic Cancer Research Project.
LEFT: Some of the winning players and friends at the Alex U.
Soyka Tennis Tournament.
EDMONTON
Jun. 23, 2016 CFHU & JNF event in
honour of Dr. James Shapiro, in support
of diabetes research at IMRIC
MONTREAL
Dec. 1, 2015 Hebrew University Legal
Forum: Cocktail Reception and CLE
Session for Lawyers and Jurists, with
special guest Prof. Guy Davidov, Hebrew
University Faculty of Law, followed by a
public lecture
MAR. 2016 Albert Einstein Business
Forum, with Prof. Koby Nahmias,
Director of Center for Bioengineering,
Hebrew University
OTTAWA
Apr. 27, 2016 Passover Lunch, keynote
speaker TBA
TORONTO
MAR. 2016 Albert Einstein Business
Forum, with Prof. Koby Nahmias,
Director of Center for Bioengineering,
Hebrew University
May 15, 2016 The Einstein Gala
WINNIPEG
Dec. 2, 2015 Parlour Meeting with
special guest Lawyer David Matas
Mar. 2016 Launch of Einstein
Legacy Project
Dragon Boat Israel
The pre-Board of Governors program
began with an exciting new event: the
third annual Dragon Boat Israel. Our
very own IMRIC Beavers (l), made up of
Canadian CFHU supporters as well as
IMRIC students, researchers and faculty,
joined 28 other teams to race along
the shores of the Kinneret in support
of autism research and programs at
the Hebrew University, which was the
charitable partner for the event.
VANCOUVER
Dec. 6, 2015
Launch of Einstein Legacy Project
Dec. 7, 2015 Albert Einstein Business
Forum with Jeff Martin
Feb. 2016 Albert Einstein Business
Forum, with Prof. Koby Nahmias,
Director of Center for Bioengineering,
Hebrew University
11
THE 79 TH MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY & JERUSALEM
BUILDING A BRIDGE TO A BETTER TOMORROW
For more information on upcoming Israel missions please contact Merle Goldman at [email protected].
LIVE • LEARN • EXPLORE
ISRAEL & PORTUGAL
Publications mail agreement #400-268-33
National Office
PO Box 65
3020 - 3080 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M4N 3N1