AFTAU Events: 2007

NORTHEAST REGION

SOUTHEAST REGION

WESTERN REGION

BEVERLY HILLS, CA:

RECEPTION FOR ZVI GALIL AND ASHER SUSSER
AT THE HOME OF BEVERLY AND HERB GELFAND

December 10, 2007

Herb and Beverly Gelfand, Prof. Zvi Galil and Asher Susser

Edna Grinberg Weissman, Nira Roston and Beverly Gelfand

Beverly and Herb Gelfand hosted Professor Zvi Galil, President of Tel Aviv University, and Professor Asher Susser, Director, External Affairs of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, for a dessert reception at their Beverly Hills home on December 10, 2007.

Over 60 enthusiastic AFTAU constituents listened as Professor Susser offered a briefing on "Israel's Place in the 'New' Middle East," followed by a lively question-and-answer session.

Professor Susser spoke about the challenges facing Israel today. These challenges are serious and dangerous but not like the challenges of the past, which were based on an assessment of Arab conventional power. For years, the phrases "Middle East" and "the Arab world" were considered synonymous. This is no longer true politically, with non-Arab countries such as the U.S., Iran, Turkey and Israel setting the Middle East agenda. Now the challenges are terror (which comes in all shapes and forms), the nuclear threat of Iran and demography, with Israel striving to remain the state of the Jewish people.

Bill Cohen, Dr. Ilan and Susan Tamir, and Asher Susser

Rosalie Lurie, Asher Susser, Herb Gelfand and audience

New York:
Recanati Business School Alumni Event

December 4, 2007

Graduates of the Tel Aviv University Recanati Graduate School of Business from the New York region gathered at the law firm Shiboleth, Yisraeli, Roberts & Zisman LLP to inaugurate new friendships and rekindle old ones.

They celebrated the first night of Chanukah with sufganyot and other refreshments and honored the former Dean of the Recanati School, Simon Benninga, by inviting him to light the first Chanukah candle on the menorah.

Asher Tishler, the new Dean of the Recanati School, gave a thought-provoking presentation entitled "The Israeli Defense Budget: Strategy and Realities."

The evening concluded with an update and open discussion about ongoing programs and events at the Recanati Business School and future plans for alumni in the New York area.

Los Angeles:
Premiere of Yiddish Theater: A Love Story

December 2, 2007

Through tears and laughter, with much applause at the end, 125 of AFTAU's Southern California constituents were treated to a sold-out Los Angeles premiere at the Laemmle Grande of the critically-acclaimed documentary film Yiddish Theater: A Love Story. The story of 85-year-old Yiddish theatrical legend Zypora Spaisman was brought to the screen through the efforts of two TAU alumni, director Dan Katzir and producer Ravit Markus.

After the screening, AFTAU chair emeritus Jona Goldrich expressed his enthusiasm for Yiddish and the programs offered at TAU through the Goldreich Family Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture. This was followed by a question-and-answer session with the producer and director and, in celebration of Hanukkah, a sufganiyot and coffee reception.

California:
MULTICULTURALISM IN ISRAEL:
Dessert Reception Presentation and Briefing

November 7, 2007

An enthusiastic group of Southern California residents gathered at the home of Judith and Yechezkel Kattan in Beverly Hills for a dessert reception on November 7th to hear a discussion about multiculturalism in Israel.  Dr. Elana Gomel, Senior Instructor, and prior Chair, of the Department of English and American Studies at Tel Aviv University spoke about "All In The Family? Multiculturalism in Israel."

Dr. Gomel shared her insights about the persistence of ethnic stereotypes in Israel.  "Like America, Israel is an immigrant nation; and like any immigrant nation, it has its share of stereotyping and mutual hostility between different ethnic communities," Dr. Gomel said. "The problem is:  what is an ‘ethnic community’ in the Jewish state?"

The lively question and answer session followed with debate about the differing multiculturalism in Israel, Europe and America.  There was a brief discussion about Dr. Gomel’s latest book about the Russian-speaking community in Israel which was published in Hebrew in 2006 (You and We) and is scheduled to be published in English in 2008 (The Pilgrim Soul: Being A Russian In Israel).

Palo Alto:
October 10 Bay Area Alumni Kick-off

A lively group of Bay Area TAU and OSP alumni gathered in an event room at DLA Piper in Palo Alto on October 10th for their first alumni networking social. This delightful dessert reception was made possible through the generous assistance of co-sponsors Tom French of DLA Piper and Shuki Zeitak of Bank Leumi USA. The mouthwatering desserts themselves were beautifully presented by Cassis Catering.  Aaron Paley Salloway, AFTAU’s Bay Area executive director, offered some remarks about TAU and possibilities for future programs, including visiting professors from the university.

This delightful opportunity for alumni to reconnect with each other and with TAU and AFTAU was coordinated by alumnus Tali Cohen and AFTAU Western Region coordinator Susan Sysler.

Boca Raton:
Top Geneticist Discusses Genetics, Disease and Stress
in Boca Raton AFTAU Lecture

October 3, 2007 

American Friends of Tel Aviv University presented a stimulating lecture featuring speaker Dr. Karen Avraham at the Boca Woods Golf & Country Club.

Dr. Avraham is an internationally recognized geneticist at Tel Aviv University. The Men's Card Room in the Club House was filled to capacity, with eighty members of the Women's Group, the Singles' Group and a sprinkling of men who gathered, with coffee and danish in hand, to listen to a thought-provoking presentation and to participate in an active question-and-answer session.

In her talk, “Genetics and How it Affects Our Lives,” Dr. Avraham stressed the important role that genetics play in causing disease and in how we react to environment stresses. Her research regarding gene mutations is considered a key element in the development of treatments and cures for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, deafness, diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s disease.  Genetic research -- which includes the use of stem cells, cloning and pre-natal testing -- raises challenging moral issues with differing perspectives depending upon country of origin, religion, culture and personal sentiment.

The event was organized by Adrienne Gruskin from AFTAU and Audrey Sterenfeld from Boca Woods.

Lake Worth:
Top Geneticist Discusses Genetics, Disease and Stress
in Lake Worth AFTAU Lecture

October 2, 2007 

American Friends of Tel Aviv University presented a stimulating lecture featuring speaker Dr. Karen Avraham at a luncheon hosted by the Valencia Shores Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women.

Dr. Avraham is an internationally recognized geneticist at Tel Aviv University. Nearly 100 guests gathered in the Social Hall at Valencia Shores to listen to a thought-provoking presentation and to participate in an active question-and-answer session.

In her talk, “Genetics and How it Affects Our Lives,” Dr. Avraham stressed the important role that genetics play in causing disease and in how we react to environment stresses. Her research regarding gene mutations is considered a key element in the development of treatments and cures for diseases such as multiple sclerosis, deafness, diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s disease.  Genetic research -- which includes the use of stem cells, cloning and pre-natal testing -- raises challenging moral issues with differing perspectives depending upon country of origin, religion, culture and personal sentiment.

The event was organized by AFTAU’s Adrienne Gruskin and, from the local chapter of the NCJW, Barbara Shprecter, Ann Albersheim and Sandy Hendrick.

The National Council of Jewish Women is a generous supporter of the Women and Gender Studies Program at Tel Aviv University. This innovative, interdisciplinary course of study explores the role of women and other minorities and their effect on history, social change and culture. It is the first bachelor’s degree granting program of its kind in the Middle East.

Bay Area:
Genetics Presentation Intrigues Bay Area AFTAU Members

August 22, 2007

Prof. Gil Ast, Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Medicine of the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, was welcomed at a dessert reception by Dr. Gary and Mrs. Lisa Gershony on Wednesday August 22, 2007, at their home in the Bay Area.

Prof. Ast spoke to a group of AFTAU constituents about potential therapies for certain neurodegenerative diseases. He is the leading researcher of Familial Dysautonomia (FD), a very rare Ashkenazi Jewish genetic disease, in the world, having identified the single gene that accounts for the mutation. There is reason to hope that Prof. Ast's work will contribute significantly to the prevention and treatment of multiple sclerosis, ALS and Parkinson's disease as well.

California:
Hope in Alzheimer's Disease Research Presentations

August 6, 7, & 9, 2007

Dr. Michaelson, Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Neurosciences at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Head of an Alzheimer’s Lab at TAU was in the Los Angeles area in August, 2007.

A co-sponsored presentation on “Hopes In Alzheimer’s Disease Research” was held at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara with 80 people including Federation Board members and local community constituents.

Connecting with a Los Angeles retirement facility, Westwood Horizons, brought a group of 40 people together to listen to Professor Michaelson discuss “What We Know About Alzheimer’s Disease” and “Ways to Help With Memory In One’s Daily Life.”

An additional presentation was hosted by Nira Roston and Aviva & Fred Forster at the Forster’s home in Corona Del Mar, California for a group of 20 Orange County constituents.

Professor Michaelson also met with friends and supporters of his research including Joni Berry, President of The Joseph K. & Inez Eichenbaum Foundation and Ruth Ornest.

Professor Danny Michaelson giving lecture

Shelly Katz Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara

New York:
AFTAU Hosts Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Briefing
at Harmonie Club

October 1, 2007

Under the sparkling chandeliers of midtown Manhattan’s private Harmonie Club, some of the most influential and powerful voices in the Middle East delivered an insider briefing to members of the American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) on Monday, October 1, 2007. The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an external institute of Tel Aviv University, brought together figures from the academic, military and policy worlds to discuss “Policy Issues Shaping Tomorrow’s Middle East.”

Included in the program were INSS chairman Frank Lowy AC; Major General Ido Nehushtan, director of planning for the Israel Defense Forces; Ambassador Richard N. Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations; Ambassador Martin S. Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and senior fellow with The Brookings Institution; the Honorable Dan Meridor, former minister of finance and minister of justice of Israel; Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich of Tel Aviv University, Harvard University and The Brookings Institution; and Dr. Zvi Shtauber, the director of the INSS. An invited audience of almost 200 AFTAU supporters mingled with the speakers at an elegant reception preceding the briefing.

“It would be hard to imagine a more ‘inside’ group of policy-makers and policy-influencers,” said Jeffrey M. Stern, chairman of the board of trustees for the INSS, underscoring the importance of both the INSS and AFTAU. He thanked both organizations for supporting important briefings like this one. Speaking of the INSS, Stern said, “Our mission is to enrich the public debate, of course, but also to give the best possible counsel to those who are making policy, policy that establishes the foundations of our future. We’re superbly equipped to do that because the INSS has such depth of expertise, and because it’s informed by such astonishingly good research.”

Noting the role of Tel Aviv University, Stern told the collected members of AFTAU, “Because of you, TAU is ranked with world-class universities around the globe. As is the case with the INSS, it’s the groundbreaking quality of its research that is TAU’s crown jewel — work that has profound implications for the future we all share.”

The INSS was established in October 2006 as an external institute of Tel Aviv University (TAU), incorporating the university’s Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies. The mission of the INSS is to enrich the public debate and advise policymakers on national security issues affecting the state of Israel.

New York:
Harvard Club Reception

May 3, 2007

More than 200 supporters of Tel Aviv University packed a special reception at the Harvard Club to honor Marcia Warner and Howard R. Udell, and to say farewell to Itamar Rabinovich as he ends his distinguished eight-year term as TAU’s President.

Ms. Warner, who has been Executive Director of the university’s internationally renowned Sackler School of Medicine-New York State/American Program since its inception, and Mr. Udell, the American Program’s General Counsel, each received the President’s Award 2007 for their distinguished service.

President Rabinovich, the event’s keynote speaker, offered a personal assessment of Israel’s choices and challenges in the geopolitical arena. A former Ambassador to the United States, he is widely recognized as Israel’s foremost scholar of the modern history of Syria and Lebanon, and was instrumental in the creation of TAU’s Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, serving as its first Director.

In an innovative and fitting tribute, Dr. Raymond R. Sackler, Honorary Chairman of the university’s Board of Governors, announced the establishment of “The Study of Contemporary Middle Eastern Affairs”, a new academic program of the Dayan Center established in President Rabinovich’s honor.

Guests at the reception enjoyed remarks by Bobby Goldberg, Chairman of Tel Aviv University’s Board of Governors.