Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, President

Our Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Leon H. Charney, has taken ill and is currently hospitalized in New York. I send him wishes for a speedy recovery.

We can proudly say that the first term of this academic year reflected the comprehensive growth and academic advancement that the University of Haifa consistently upholds. Despite the existing financial challenges in today’s difficult economic climate, our students and study programs, research and physical development continue to thrive and excel.

This year we welcomed sixteen outstanding scientists from abroad to our academic ranks. The infusion of exciting minds on the verge of great discoveries not only advances the University’s academic standing; it also enables world-renowned scientists to live and work in Israel. One of our chief goals today is to continue drawing exceptional researchers from abroad to our institution, increasing academic excellence at all levels, especially in the sciences.

We have recently established new state-of-the-art labs that are already being used by our new and veteran scientists (in the fields of psychology, communication sciences and disorders, learning disabilities, and marine sciences, to name just a few) and look forward to realizing our plans to establish a new Science Center and a complex of unique Social Welfare and Health laboratories.

The University’s merit is determined by its research standards and its ability to prevail in the competitive academic arena. Therefore, we must dedicate considerable human and financial resources to setting up cutting-edge facilities for our scientists and faculty to carry out their work. We urge you to become partners in our efforts to make this a reality.I wish you all a happy Passover.

NEWSLETTERUniversity of Haifa

March 2010

Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences

Chairman of the Board of Governors, Mr. Leon H. Charney

L-R: Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, Soraya and Younes Nazarian, daughter Sharon Baradaran, businessman Izzy Borovitch, Navy Commander Eliezer Marom

“Legacy”

Dear Friends

A new “Legacy”Soraya Nazarian, wife of businessman Younes Naz-arian, donated a sculp-ture that she herself de-signed and created to the University of Haifa. The marble sculpture, entitled “Legacy”, depicts a ship with sails made of books, expressing the story of the Jews who landed in Israel on the illegal immigration ships (the “Ma’apilim”). It represents the vulnerabil-ity of the Jewish people alongside bravery and strength, knowledge, cul-ture and history.

President of the Univer-sity of Haifa Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev warmly thanked Mrs. Nazarian for her unique and moving donation. “It is so wonderful for me that my wife brings me such honor,” Mr. Nazarian said with much emotion at the un-veiling ceremony. Attending the ceremony were Commander of the Israeli Navy Eliezer Marom; CEO of Beth Hatefutsoth (Museum of the Jewish Diaspora) Avinoam Armoni; family members; leaders of the US Iranian Jewish community; and others.

The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences is in full thrust and opened its Department of Marine Biology this year. The School proudly welcomed its new head, Dr. Dan Tchernov.

Dr. Tchernov, an expert on the effect of climate change on tropical coral reefs, participated in the 2nd University of Haifa Symposium in Copenhagen, “Climatic Changes - Consequences and Solutions”, where he discussed his field of expertise and gave the audience a fascinating presentation of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences and its goals. Other speakers at the symposium included Danish scientists alongside University of Haifa experts Prof. Haim Kutiel, Head of the

Laboratory of Climatology, and Prof. Mordechai Shechter of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. This bilateral Israeli-Danish symposium project is orchestrated by the Danish Friends of the University of Haifa chaired by Malgorzata H. Hansen.

The meeting was concluded with discussions with Danish water solutions companies toward creating financial and research cooperation with the University of Haifa.

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Dr. Dan Tchernov

NEWSLETTERUniversity of Haifa

After serving as a Member of the Board of the American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH) for just over one year, Mr. Arthur K. Wachtel has been appointed Chair of ASUH’s Board of Directors.

In nominating Mr. Wachtel at ASUH’s recent board meeting, immediate past Chair Dr. Lorne Buchman remarked that he feels “great about passing the gavel to a skilled leader with impeccable cre-dentials, experience and dedication . . . who will move this organization forward at a rapid pace.” Arthur K. Wachtel is a practicing attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2007, when he partici-pated in the March of the Living with the

Los Angeles Adult Delegation, Mr. Wachtel has been an active supporter of that organization. He has been a volunteer in various Jewish activities, including a six-month project to catalog all oral histories in the custody of the Holocaust Center of Northern California. He has also been a volunteer for the Pan-Ameri-can Maccabi games. In accepting the nomination, Arthur remarked on his good fortune for having learned from Lorne Buchman and his “enthusiasm for this opportunity to work on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Mr. Wachtel is an experienced director, and has participated in numerous board activities. He has extensive experience in guiding academic institutions, includ-ing as Chair of the board for four years of a San Francisco graduate school of psychology. “I consider Arthur Wachtel a new friend of mine, and I am proud to have such a skilled and motivated person on board. The faculty of the University is desperate for new sources of funding for our innovative research and I am confident that with Mr. Wachtel’s leadership we will be able to achieve this goal,” said VP for External Relations and Resource Development Amos Gaver.

International resource development: Full speed aheadDr. Maya Talmon-Chvaicer has been appointed Execu-tive Director of International Resource Development at the University’s Division for External Relations and Re-source Development.

Dr. Talmon-Chvaicer, a gradu-ate of the University, joins the Division of External Relations and Resource Development with impressive leadership credentials and broad experi-ence in the world of fundrais-ing. In her new position, she will expand and strengthen resource development ef-

forts, as well as focus on supporting affiliate offices world-wide, cultivat-ing relationships with lay leaders and forging new ties.

Until recently, Dr. Talmon-Chvaicer was the Israel Emissary (shlicha) of Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal in Toronto, Canada, where she suc-

New leadership for ASUH

ASUH’s new Chair, Mr. Arthur K. Wa-chtel (right) and Dr. Lorne Buchman, President of ASUH

The distinguished Bahat Prize, the highest in Israel for a refer-ence manuscript, was awarded at a festive ceremony to Prof. Eli Yassif, Dr. Dana Olmert and Dr. Yehuda Goodman.

The prize, named after the late Prof. Yaakov Bahat, one of the founding faculty members of the Department of Comparative Hebrew Literature at the University of Haifa, has been awarded annually since 1998 for quality, original, non-fiction manuscripts in Hebrew. This is the first year in which the prize for a senior academic faculty member is 100,000 NIS and 40,000 NIS for young scholars. The amounts were enlarged thanks to a grant from the Bahat and Yuval families and former students of Prof. Bahat who wished to honor his memory.

Bahat Prize 2009

L-R: Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, President of University of Haifa; Prof. Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Editor-in-Chief of University of Haifa Press; Prof. Eli Yassif; Dr. Yehuda Goodman; Dr. Dana Olmert; Ehud Olmert

cessfully managed a wide range of activities for one of the world’s leading Federations, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. She has extensive experience in the field of philanthropy, including design-ing and implementing strategic plans, developing new initiatives, launching projects and generating community support.

Before that she was the Program Director for the Center for the Study of the United States at the University of Haifa. During this period she was also a member of the academic faculty of the Department of Multi-Disciplinary Studies. Dr. Talmon-Chvaicer has represented the Jewish Agency in Brazil and England promoting Israeli higher education programs.

Dr. Talmon-Chvaicer has also been active in the non-formal educa-tion system, as director of various educational programs for youth. Vice President for External Relations and Resource Development at the University Amos Gaver welcomed her on board: “I warmly con-gratulate Dr. Talmon-Chvaicer upon joining the University staff and wish her great success in her new position. Open, intense and posi-tive communication between all our Friends organizations around the globe and with Israel is key to a successful campaign,” he said.

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NEWSLETTERUniversity of Haifa

The University of Haifa awarded 121 scholarships as part of a unique and mov-ing project in memory of each of the 121 fallen soldiers of the Second Lebanon War. The scholarships were donated by the Ima Foundation, established by

The Israeli Business Club in London

A reception hosted by His Excellency Mr. Ron Prosor, Ambassador of the State of Israel in the UK, for the British Friends of Haifa University sealed his commitment to honoring academic excellence. The guest speaker was Prof. Lord Winston, Professor of Science and Society, famed for his dedication to the advancement of fertility treatment, and for his BBC documentary series bringing the wonders of nature to the public. Lord Winston addressed the impressive crowd of community leaders, friends and donors on the role of higher education in general and the University of Haifa in particu-lar in advancing underprivileged groups in society and in giving young

Some fifty prominent members of the Israeli Business Club in London were guests at a unique lecture given by Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli, Head of the Graduate School of Manage-ment and Director of the newly established Sagi Center for the Study of the Internet at the University of Haifa. Prof. Rafaeli spoke on “The Information Revolution in an Online Environment: What Happens When Products are Distributed for Free,” discussing conclu-sions from the dot-com bubble burst, how the Internet has changed the basic models of economy and how it creates a new economy in Israel and abroad. The event was organized and hosted by IBC committee member Mrs. Leora Torn-Hibler in association with British Friends of the University of Haifa. Tali Sayar, Director of British Friends of the University of Haifa opened the event with a presentation about the University and announcing the new International Alumni Organization. Among those attending the event were Shmuel Ben-Tovim, Economic Minister at the Embassy of Israel, and Gil Erez, Commerce Minister at the Embassy and a University of Haifa alumnus.

Scholarships in memory of fallen soldiers

Avraham and Rivka Mashiach (left), parents of the late Sgt. Maj. Ron Mashiach, and third-year student Avichai Shendelman present Soraya and Younes Nazarian with a painting of the University by handicapped artists.

L-R: Prof. Sheizaf Rafaeli; Israeli Business Club committee members Dubi Bergman, Malka Liom, Leora Torn-Hibler, and Moti Besser; Director of British Friends of the University of Haifa, Tali Sayar

L-R: Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, Prof. Lord Winston, Ambassador Ron Prosor

people a chance to improve their lives. He related to the importance of Israeli student participation in international programs as ambassadors able to rep-resent the better side of Israel around the world.

Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, President of the University of Haifa, echoed these themes, assuring that the University “stimulates pragmatic scientific research and discovery - and ensures that the University maintains a strategic contribution to Israel’s present and future.”

Prominent guests at the reception included Michael Crystal, Chairman of the Trustees of the British Friends of Haifa University, and his wife Licia; Hana

Smouha, a trustee of the British Friends, with husband Brian; VP for Ex-ternal Relations at the University, Amos Gaver; longtime supporters of the University Sir Maurice & Lady Hatter; Ernst & Thilde Fraenkel; and many new friends.

UK events Professor Lord Robert Winston

the Younes and Soraya Nazarian family, a leading family in the Los Angeles Jewish community.

This is the unique memorial project’s third year since the University of Haifa initiated it with the aim of adopting all of the bereaved fam-ilies of the Second Lebanon War. The scholarship students’ primary obligation has been to form a personal connection with the family in whose son’s name the scholarship was received. The son whose life was cut short is memorialized through the student’s academic stud-ies. Over the past two years since this project began, the students have grown close to the bereaved families. Some have become like members of the family; some have memorialized the fallen soldier by organizing exhibitions, publishing poetry, and the like.

“The University of Haifa, the University of the north, will not forget the thousands of rockets that targeted the north and the University itself, and will not forget the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for tranquility in the region. The 121 bereaved families have become part of our University life and the lives of those students who have been given the honor of memorializing fallen soldiers through their studies,” said Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze’ev, President of the University of Haifa.

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Over the course of 2009, five more kibbut-zim converted to the “renewing kibbutz” model (paying its members differential wages) bringing the percentage of such kibbutzim up to 72% of all the kibbutzim in Israel. “It is highly probable that by the end of 2012 the number of kibbutzim shifting to alternative models will be higher than the number of the kibbutzim that did so over 2009,” says Dr. Shlomo Getz, Head of the Institute for the Research of the Kibbutz and the Cooperative Idea at the University of Haifa who carried out the survey.

The kibbutzim can be classified by three methods of compensation: The “collective kibbutz” (kibbutz shitufi), where members are compensated equally regardless of what work each member does; the “ mixed model kibbutz” (kibbutz meshulav), where each member is given a small per-centage of his salary alongside a basic component that is given equally to all members of the kibbutz, and sometimes a seniority factor is added

The Haifa University Ethiopian Women’s Scholarship Fund, a project of the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, held a unique function to raise the profile of the project and raise the funds required for the annual allocation to the project. To this end, Project Chair Vivien Brass hosted a luncheon for about seventy women.

The Haifa University Ethiopian Women’s Scholarship Fund assists women of Ethiopian descent at the University with academic counseling, private tutoring, special courses, transportation costs, books, and equipment and ancillary expenses incurred outside their tuition fees. It provides the opportunity for these students to achieve excellence in their studies alongside personal advancement and to make a contribution to community and society.

Research: Kibbutz transformation continues

Australia fundraiser

Visiting faculty in the lecture hall

NEWSLETTERUniversity of Haifa

Follow us on haifauniversity Join us on University Of Haifa – Official Group

Contact: Office of the Vice President for External Relations Tel: +972-4-8240093 Email: vice-president@univ.haifa.ac.il

Feb 24

Reception featuring Prof. Martin Golumbic: “Cut-ting Edge Computer Science and How It Impacts our World”. American Society of the University of Haifa, New York, USA.

March 3

Plenary session: Dr. Ati Citron, founder and director of the Medical Clowning Program at the University of Haifa, and clowns Noam Rubinstein and Yolana Zimmerman, graduates of the program, discuss their work and the development of the University of Haifa’s ground-breaking Medical Clowning de-gree program. Canadian Friends of Haifa University, Toronto, CANADA.

March 7

Reception featuring Prof. Sammy Smooha: “To be a Palestinian Arab Citizen of the Jewish State”. American Society of the University of Haifa, New York, USA.

March 23

Power Breakfast with keynote speaker Yuval Diskin, Director of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and an alumnus of the University of Haifa. Israel Friends of the University of Haifa’s Business Leaders Forum, ISRAEL.

April 27

“Beyond the Bicentennial”: Power Breakfast with keynote speaker Dr. Roberto Lavagna, past Minister of Economy of Argentina. Asociacion Amigos Ar-gentinos de la Universidad de Haifa, ARGENTINA.

Upcoming events

At the home of Vivien and Philip Brass, Australia: Standing: Fay Swart; seated L-R: Susie Bach, Jenny Downing, Mary Adler, Sandra Abrahams

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Israel’s kibbutz movement continues to shift from the “collective” model to differential wagesto that; and the “renewing kibbutz” (kibbutz mithadesh) where the member’s budget is en-tirely comprised of his individual income from work and sometimes includes income from other sources as well.

Surveys examining kibbutz compensation models were begun in 1996, when it was ob-served that four kibbutzim had begun compen-sating members by the new kibbutz system and another six were using the mixed model budgeting system.

By the end of 2009, 188 kibbutzim had become “renewing kibbutzim”, while 9 kibbutzim (3%)

were “mixed model kibbutzim” and 65 (25%) maintained the original and familiar model, where each member contributes according to his or her ability and is given according to his or her needs. According to Dr. Getz, another 4 kibbutzim shifted over to the new model on the first day of 2010, while 15 more were deliberating the possibility of adopting the differential wages system.

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Dr. Alfred Tauber

Taking an active role in contributing to the academic cur-ricula at the University this spring semester is Dr. Alfred Tauber of Boston, Massachusetts, a prominent supporter of the University who grants scholarships to advanced degree students of the University’s Department of Com-munity Mental Health. Dr. Tauber will be giving a course on “The Philosophy of Psychoanalysis” in the Depart-ment of Philosophy. Dr. Tauber is Professor of Philosophy at Boston University and Director of the Boston Univer-sity Center for Philosophy and History of Science.