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Wednesday December 26 – Tuesday
January 8, 2018
Contacts
Program Coordinator
René Reinhard
(Israel cell) (from
the U.S.) 011-972-52-601-4080
(Israel cell)
(within Israel) 052-601-4080
(U.S. cell)
484-574-1690
(Email) rreinhard@jnf.org
Program Manager
Eileen Wedeen
(Israel cell) (from
the U.S.) 011-972-52-601-4292
(Israel cell)
(within Israel) 052-601-4292
(U.S. cell)
917-207-7392
(Email) ewedeen@mwio.org
Guide Shay Levia
(Israel cell) (from the U.S.) 011-972-50-520-8756
(Israel cell) (within Israel) 050-520-8756
(Email) shayka001@walla.co.il
Bus Driver Yaron De
Paz
(Israel cell) (from
the U.S.) 011-972-52-520-2023
(Israel cell)
(within Israel) 052-520-2023
Wednesday,
December 26 – NEW YORK
· Travel day –
Domestic transfers (as applicable) to New York
o All confirm with
Eileen upon arrival to JFK
o U.S. cell
917-207-7392 or via email ewedeen@mwio.org
·
08:45pm Eileen
arrives at JFK Airport and proceeds to Terminal 4 – EL AL
o Check in together
as a group (unless boarding passes issued at origin) please inform Eileen of
your boarding pass status for flight to Tel Aviv
o As applicable,
ensure at origin departure point as to whether baggage is checked only to New
York (JFK) or thru to final destination Tel Aviv (TLV)
· 11:50pm Departure of EL AL flight LY8 from New
York to Tel Aviv
· Overnight En route
Thursday,
December 27 – WELCOME TO ISRAEL
·
05:00pm Arrival of
EL AL LY8 from New York to Tel Aviv at Ben Gurion International
Airport
o
All participants meet in public area Arrivals Hall after
clearing immigration and collection of luggage.
·
Evening Participants
exit into arrivals hall. René to meet
and greet.
o
Group proceeds with luggage to bus
o
Proceed to Tel Aviv
o
On arrival, all
alight from bus and proceed to group check in area
o
Introductions
o
Dinner
· Overnight
Dan Panorama Hotel, 10 Kaufmann St, Tel
Aviv (t: 011-972-3-519-0190)
Friday, December
28 – CENTRAL ISRAEL
·
07:15am Breakfast at hotel
·
07:50am Check out and bags on bus
·
08:00am Depart to Hod Hasharon
·
08:30am Israel 101- with Rabbi Leor Sinai,
Co-Executive Director, Alexander Muss High
School in Israel
·
09:30am Depart Hod Hasharon
·
10:30am Fureidis
o
Guest Speaker: Ibtissam Machmeed,
Womens Right and Interfaith Activist
o
Guest Speaker: Professor Esther
Herzog, Beit Berl College
·
11:50am Proceed north
·
01:15pm Arrive to Daliat El-Carmel
o
Lunch at Nura’s Kitchen
o
Guest Speaker: Ram Asaad – The Druze
community in Israel
·
04:00pm Arrive Tiberias and check in to hotel
o
Presentation – Lt Col (Res.) Tiran
Attia in private room at hotel
·
07:00pm Dinner at Gali Gil restaurant, Tiberias with Lt Col (Res.)
Tiran Attia
o
Guest: Efi Talbi - “Mom, it’s me”
o
Guest: Carina Baum, Building
Bridges
·
Overnight Leonardo Club Hotel, Tiberias, 1 HaBanim Street
(t:011-972-4-671-4444)
Saturday,
December 29 –GOLAN HEIGHTS
·
07:30am Breakfast and discussion at hotel
·
08:30am Depart hotel
·
09:00am Visit to Capernaum (proper attire required)
·
10:20am Depart Capernaum
·
10:40am Visit to Mount of Beatitudes
·
11:20am Depart to Golan Heights
·
12:15pm Valley of Tears site with Lt Col (Res.) Tiran Attia
·
01:15pm Mt Bental on the Golan Heights – Briefing with Lt Col (Res.)
Tiran Attia
·
03:30pm Depart Mt Bental and return to Tiberias via Hamat Gader
·
05:00pm Arrive at hotel
·
Free evening
·
Overnight Leonardo Club Hotel, Tiberias, 1 HaBanim Street
(t:011-972-4-671-4444)
Sunday, December
30 –GALILEE
·
07:15am Breakfast and discussion at hotel
·
08:00am Check out and bags on bus
·
08:15am Depart hotel
·
09:00am Kiryat Shmona – View site of future JNF Institute of Culinary
Arts
·
09:15am Academic visit to Tel Hai Academic College
o
Welcome and
introduction
o
Individual meetings
with Tel Hai Faculty
·
10:45am Depart Tel Hai Academic College (light sandwich lunch on bus)
·
12:10pm Visit to Fassuta Village
·
12:40pm Continue toward Nahariya
·
01:00pm Visit to Galilee Medical Center (GMC)
o
Guest Speaker: Dr.
Eyal Sela
o
Guest Speaker: Dr.
Masad Barhoum
·
Proceed to Akko
·
03:30pm Mini tour of Akko with Michal Shiloah-Galnoor, Western Galilee Now
·
05:30pm Return to bus and depart to Haifa
·
06:45pm Arrival to Haifa and check in to Dan Panorama Hotel
o
Free evening – dinner on own
·
Overnight Dan Panorama Hotel, 107 HaNassi Blvd 107,
Haifa (t:011-972-4-835-2222)
Monday, December
31 – HAIFA
·
07:15am Breakfast and discussion at hotel
·
08:00am Check out and bags on bus.
Depart by foot to Promenade
·
08:20am Bahá’i Gardens and view of Shrine from
Terrace 19
o
Guest Speaker: Carmel Irandoust, Deputy Secretary Generay of
the Baha’i International Community Secretariat
·
09:15am Depart to The Technion
·
09:45am Arrival to The Technion–Polak Visitors Center
·
10:10am Academics escorted to meetings at Technion. As applicable, participants
depart Technion to University of Haifa and Hecht Museum
·
10:30am Academic meetings at
the Technion
o
Individual meetings with Technion
Faculty
·
10:30am Academic meetings at
University of Haifa
o
Individual meetings with University
of Haifa Faculty
·
12:05pm Pick up from Technion
·
12:10pm Pick up from University of Haifa (light sandwich lunch)
·
Proceed to Tel Aviv via Roman
aqueduct
·
02:20pm Arrival to Tel Aviv – Nefesh Be Nefesh TLV HUB
·
02:30pm Israel – Start Up Nation – Adverifai
o Guest
Speaker: Dani Goland
·
03:30pm Depart to Old Jaffa
·
03:45pm Tour of Old Jaffa
·
06:00pm Dan Gourmet Cooking School – Dinner Israeli style
·
09:00pm Proceed to hotel
·
New Year’s Eve
·
Overnight Dan Panorama Hotel, 10 Kaufmann St, Tel Aviv (t:
011-972-3-519-0190)
Tuesday,
January 1 – BE’ER SHEVA
·
06:45am Breakfast and discussion at hotel
· 07:15am Check out and bags on bus
· 08:45am Academic Visit to Ben Gurion University
o Greetings
and address by Professor Limor Aharonson-Daniel, Vice Rector for International
Academic Affairs
o Welcome
by Shai Kaplan, ASU-BGU Partnership project manager
· 09:45am Individual academic meetings with Ben
Gurion University Faculty
· 11:15am Depart Ben Gurion University
· 11:30am Visit to
Hi-Tech Park, Be’er Sheva
o Start Up Nation - Global Cross- Sectoral Partnership and
Collaborative Framework with Communities
· 12:50pm Depart Be’er Sheva
· 01:15pm Visit to Hura and Project Wadi Attir and
visit to Bedouin Traditional Hospitality
Tent
o Guest
Speaker: Dr. Lina Alatawna
o Guest
Speaker: Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha
o Guest
Speaker: Ghadir Hani on the status and
role of Bedouin women with Project Wadi Attir
· 02:50pm Depart Hura and return to Tel Aviv
· 04:20pm Arrival at Sarona
· 04:30pm Israel - Start
Up Nation – Maniv.com Mobility
o
Guest Speaker: Mike Granoff
·
05:30pm Visit to
Sarona
o
Individual academic
meetings at Sarona
· Free
evening – Dinner on own
·
Overnight Dan Panorama Hotel, 10 Kaufmann St, Tel Aviv (t:
011-972-3-519-0190)
Wednesday,
January 2 – TEL AVIV
· 07:00am Breakfast at hotel and informal discussion
· 07:45am Bus departs to Tel Aviv University and Bar
Ilan University
· 07:50am Departures from hotel to:
o As
applicable, transfer to Holon Institute of Technology
o As
applicable, transfer to IDC Herzliya
·
08:25am Bus drop off at Tel Aviv University
·
08:30am Academic visit to Tel Aviv University
(TAU)
o
Group visit to Cymbalista
Synagogue
o
Individual academic
meetings with Tel Aviv University Faculty
·
09:00am Academic visits to Bar Ilan University,
IDC Herzliya, and
Holon Institute of Technology (as applicable)
o
Individual academic
meetings with Tel Aviv University Faculty
o
Individual academic
meetings with Bar Ilan University Faculty
o
Individual academic
meetings with Holon Institute of Technology
o
Individual academic
meetings with IDC Herzliya
·
10:30am Collections from IDC Herzliya, Holon
Institute of Technology, and Bar
Ilan University to Ramat Aviv (as
applicable)
·
11:00am Bus departs Tel Aviv University to Ramat
Aviv
·
11:10am Visit and Guided Tour of Rabin Center
·
12:45pm Depart to Jerusalem Bus departs Rabin
Center and proceeds to Tel Aviv
·
02:00pm Arrive to Jerusalem
·
Visit to the Knesset (Israel’s
Parliament)
·
Business attire including closed
shoes – passports required - proceed
thru security
o Meeting
with Likud Member of Knesset Likud MK Sharren Haskell
o Meeting
with Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Zionist Camp (Labor Party/Hatenua) Member
of Knesset Yoel Hasson
·
04:20pm Depart the Knesset. Proceed to Jerusalem Academy of Music and
Dance
·
04:30pm Program with JAMD including light buffet
o Guest
Speaker: Professor Yinam Leef, President JAMD
o Guest
Speaker: Professor Michael Klinghoffer, Vice President for Academic Affairs
o Program
by Oriental Music Division – Dr. Michael Maroun
o Dance
and creative music workshop
o Individual
academic meetings with JAMD Faculty
·
07:00pm Proceed to Dan Jerusalem Hotel
·
Free night
·
Overnight Dan Jerusalem Hotel, 32 Lehi Street, Jerusalem (t:
+972-2-533-1234)
Thursday,
January 3 – HEBREW UNIVERSITY & YAD VASHEM
·
06:30am Breakfast and discussion at hotel
·
07:00am A journalist’s perspective on the Middle East – Private Room,
Dan Jerusalem
Hotel
o
Guest Speaker: Khaled Abu Toameh,
Israeli Arab/Palestinian independent journalist
·
08:20am Departures (as applicable) from hotel to Hebrew University
Agricultural School and Weizmann Institute,
Rehovot
·
08:45am Departures from hotel to:
o
As applicable,
transfer to Hebrew University Mt Scopus campus
As applicable,
transfer to Hebrew University Mt Scopus campus
o
As applicable, transfer to Hebrew
University Givat Ram campus
o
As applicable, transfer to Hadassah
Medical School, Ein Kerem
o
As applicable, transfer to Azrieli
College
o
As applicable, transfer to Bezalel
College
o
As applicable, transfer to Sam
Spiegel Film and Television School
·
10:00am Individual meetings with HUJI Faculty (Mt
Scopus and Givat Ram)
o
Individual meetings with Weizmann
Institute Faculty
o
Individual meetings with HUJI Agricultural School Faculty
o
Individual meetings with Hadassah
Medical School, Ein Kerem, Faculty
o
Individual meetings with Bezalel
College Faculty
o
Individual meetings with Ariel
University Faculty at HUJI
o
Individual meetings
with Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television Faculty
o
Tour of Hebrew
University Mt Scopus with Faith Segal
· 11:30am
Commencement of Jerusalem multi-campus collections
· 11:35am Transfer vehicle departs Rehovot to return
to Jerusalem
· Light
sandwich lunch
·
01:00pm All
arrive at Yad Vashem International Institute for Holocaust Research
o
Guest Speaker, Holocaust Survivor and discussion
o
Guided tour
·
03:45pm Depart Yad Vashem
·
04:30pm Tour of City of David
and tunnels
·
Dinner in Talpiyot
·
Return to Dan
Jerusalem Hotel
·
Overnight Dan Jerusalem Hotel,
32 Lehi Street, Jerusalem (t: 011-972-2-533-1234)
Friday,
January 4 – JERUSALEM
·
07:30am Breakfast at hotel
·
08:00am Depart
hotel
·
08:10am Overlook at Mt Scopus
·
Tour of the Old
City
o
Jewish, Christian,
Muslim and Armenian Quarters, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Shuk
and Jaffa Gate
·
11:00am Tour of Western Wall and Tunnels
·
Dome of the Rock
(entry restricted to Muslim faith adherents only)
·
Lunch in a Pita – A
traditional on-the-go Israeli lunch in the Jewish Quarter
·
King David’s Tomb
and Room of the Last Supper
·
Return to hotel
·
As applicable, Individual
academic meetings with HUJI Faculty
·
04:08pm Lighting of Candles before Shabbat
(Sabbath) begins at sunset
·
06:00pm Shabbat dinner at hotel - private room
o
Guest Shabbat Host:
Guest Shabbat Host: Former Yesh Atid MK Dov and Mrs Dena Lipman
o
Guest: Lone
Soldier: Ilan Regenbaum
o
After dinner,
informal discussion in enclosed terrace
·
Overnight Dan Jerusalem Hotel, 32
Lehi Street, Jerusalem (t: 011-972-2-533-1234)
Saturday,
January 5 – MASADA AND DEAD SEA
·
07:00am Shabbat breakfast at hotel
·
07:45am Check out and bags on bus
·
07:50am Depart hotel
·
Brief stop at Sea Level
·
09:00am Visit to Jordan River – Qasr Al Yahud
·
09:45am Depart Jordan River
·
11:15am Arrive at Masada National Park
o
Meet JNF’s Caravan
for Democracy Student Leadership Group
o
Ascend via cable
car
o
Tour of Masada
·
01:15pm Depart Masada to Ein Bokek
·
01:30pm Arrive at Dead Sea Premier Beach
o
Lunch
o
Dead Sea experience
·
03:30pm Proceed to Be’er Sheva
·
04:45pm Arrive Be’er Sheva – view of Be’er Sheva
River Park, Promenade and site
of future Alexander Muss High School in Israel
·
05:15pm Ethiopian Experience at Ronald Lauder
Employment Center, Old City
o Guest Speaker: Naftali Aklum
o Guest Speaker: Menucha Saitowitz
·
Proceed to hotel and check in
·
As applicable, individual academic
meetings with Ben Gurion University Faculty at hotel
·
Free evening – dinner on own
·
08:00pm Invitation for pizza at Bialik 26
·
Overnight Leonardo Be’er Sheva , 4 Henrietta Szold St,
Be’er Sheva (t:011-972-8-640-5444)
Sunday,
January 6 – SDEROT AND NORTHERN NEGEV
·
06:45am Breakfast at hotel and check out
·
07:15am Check out and bags on bus
·
07:20am Depart hotel and proceed to Sderot
·
08:00am Visit and tour of JNF Sderot Indoor Recreation Center
o
Guest Speaker: Yedidya Harush
o
Guest Speaker: Michal Uziyahu
·
09:00am Academic visit to Sapir College
o
Welcome greeting by Professor Ruth
Eitan
o
PTSD – the effects of long term
trauma living on the border
o
Individual academic meetings with
Sapir College Faculty
·
10:00am Depart Sderot
·
11:00am Visit to Soda Stream
· 12:30pm Depart to
Sde Boker
·
01.30pm Arrive Sde Boker – Light lunch
·
Academic Visit to
Ben Gurion University - Zuckerberg Water Institute
o
Tour of institute
o
Individual academic
meetings with Zuckerberg Water Institute Faculty
o
Visit to Ben
Gurion’s Grave
·
Depart Sde Boker
·
03:30pm View of Machtesh Mitzpe Ramon
·
04:00pm Proceed to Kibbutz Ketura
·
05:15pm Arrive Kibbutz Ketura
·
06:00pm Academic visit to Arava Institute of
Environmental Studies (AIES)
o Greetings
and introduction by Director of Diplomacy, Cathie Granit
o
AIES Faculty David Lehrer, Dr Tareq
Abu Hamed, Academic Director and Director for Renewable Energy and Energy
Conservation, Dr Elaine Soloway, Director of the Center for Sustainable
Agriculture, and Suleiman Halassah, research for the Center of Transboundary
Water Management
·
07:30pm Dinner and review of day
·
Overnight Keren Kolot Guest House, Kibbutz Ketura (c:
011-972-53-941-9109)
Monday,
January 7 – ARAVA AND POSITIVELY ISRAEL
·
06:55am Bags on bus
·
07:00am Breakfast and discussion on Kibbutz Ketura in dining hall
o
Tour of kibbutz
· 08:00am Individual academic meetings with AIES
faculty
· Tour
of Solar off-grid Village and Methusaleh tree
· 09:10am Depart Kibbutz Ketura
· 10:15am Academic visit to Arava International
Center for Agricultural Training
(AICAT)
o Discussion
with Hanni Arnon, Director of Arava International Center for Agricultural
Training
o Introduction
to Msc Plant Biology students from Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Kenya
o Presentation
with AICAT Faculty and students
·
11:00am Continue to Vidor Center
·
11:20am Visit to Vidor Visitors Center/Research and Development Station
o
Guest speaker: Noa Zer, Regional
Council Resources Development Director
·
11:45am Academic visit to Yair
R&D Station and tour of hothouses
o
Individual meetings
with R&D Faculty
o
Sandwich lunch
·
12:30pm Depart Yair R&D and proceed to Tel Aviv
· 03:00pm Visit to
Peres Peace Center and Innovation Center
o Guest speaker: Nadav Tamir, Director of International Affairs
and former adviser to President Peres
· 04:30pm Depart to Tel
Aviv
· Walking tour of Neve Tzedek, Herzl and Rothschild Boulevard
·
06:00pm Farewell dinner – Keren and Yael at
Lilienblum
o
Guest: Titi Ayenaw
– Former Miss Israel and international model
o
Guest: Maya Lustig
– Eat With Us App
·
08:15pm Depart to Ben Gurion International Airport
with Eileen Wedeen
·
09:00pm Arrive at Ben Gurion International
Airport, accompanied by Eileen Wedeen.
Proceed to pre checks, check in counters and security to gates
·
Overnight En route
Tuesday
January 8 – EN ROUTE
· 12:45am As applicable, departure of EL AL flight
LY1 to New York (JFK)
· 01:00am As applicable, departure of EL AL flight
LY27 to Newark (EWR)
(Please note that itinerary is subject to
change)
2018 Winter Faculty Fellowship Bios
Professor
Evangelia Bellas, Bioengineering, Temple University
Dr. Evangelia
Bellas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Temple
University. She received her B.S. in
Bioengineering from Syracuse University in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Biomedical
Engineering from Tufts University in 2012.
Prior to
joining Temple University, Dr. Bellas was a postdoctoral fellow in Biomedical
Engineering at Boston University and Bioengineering at University of
Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Chen where she developed
3D in vitro adipose tissue disease models. Before starting her Ph.D., Dr.
Bellas was at Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of
Drs. Robert Langer and Daniel Kohane, where she worked on biomaterial, drug
delivery solutions for prevention of peritoneal adhesions and controlled
release formulations for long-term pain management. Her current research
focuses on the development of fat-on-chip and (dys)functional adipose tissue
models to study how vascularization and interactions with the microenvironment
impact tissue health and function.
When Dr. Bellas
is not studying fat, she enjoys yoga, boxing, hiking, exploring new places,
visiting museums and volunteering for social impact and animal causes.
Professor Earl
Carstens, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California/Davis
Earl Carstens is a distinguished professor of neurobiology,
physiology and behavior at the University of California, Davis. His main research interests focus on the
neurobiology of itch and how itch and pain interact. He currently serves as President of the
International Forum for the Study of Itch, an organization of clinicians and
basic scientists dedicated to better understanding and treating itch. He supervises an active research laboratory
with numerous collaborations within and outside the US.
Professor Ruben
Michael Ceballos, Biology, University of Arkansas
Dr. Ruben Michael Ceballos is a
faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences in the J. William
Fulbright College of Arts and Science at the University of Arkansas. He completed hisbachelor’s degree in Physics
and Mathematics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and a master’s
degree in Neuroscience from the University of Alabama at
Birmingham.
Dr. Ceballos completed a PhD in
Microbiology and Biochemistry at the University of Montana. His lab is generally focused on virus-host
interactions in double-stranded DNA virus systems. From human herpesviruses that may disrupt
normal neural function leading to seizure and epilepsy to extremophilic
archaeal systems and cyanophage systems that may provide insights into the role
of DNA viruses in key evolutionary transitions, the lab works at multiple
scales. In addition, to interactions
within specific virus-host systems and viral ecology, the lab is also involved
in developing useful biotechnologies from extremophile protein systems. Currently, he serves as a research advisor to
two post-doctoral scholars, six PhD students, three master’s students, and
several undergraduate honors students.
Dr. Ceballos maintains multiple international research and student
training collaborations in both Southeast Asia (i.e., Malaysia, Vietnam, and
Thailand) as well as in Latin America.
Over the past decade, Dr. Ceballos’ research has been funded primarily
through NASA and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Prof Luis René Contreras-Sapien, Industrial, Manufact and Systems Engineering, University of Texas
El Paso
He is been an Associate Professor
since 2006 in Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering Department at
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is been serving as the
Undergraduate Program Director since 2010. Dr.
Contreras Sapien served as Interim Chair of the department in the academic year
2013-2014. Previously he served as the Graduate Program Director from 2005 to
2010. Before joining UTEP he served as President, Dean, & Chair in several
Mexican universities. He has more than 30 years of academic experience in US
and Mexico.
Dr.
Contreras Sapien’s teaching and research interests include Ergonomics,
Occupational Safety & Health, Facilities Planning, and Statistics. He has
taught different engineering courses at undergraduate and graduate levels in
those areas. In the classroom, his
teaching methods emphasize problem-based and active hands-on based learning. Dr. Contreras Sapien has published
education and research results to refereed journal and conference publications. He is a senior member of the Institute of
Industrial and Systems Engineers. He has secured education and research grants
from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Army
Research Labs, Society of Manufacturing Engineering Foundation, and others.
Professor Thomas
Dempster, Algae Technology, Arizona State University
Professor Dmitriy
Dikin, Mechanical Engineering, Temple University
Dr. Dikin's work in a research lab
is his passion and hobby. He devotes himself to his work entirely and is
extremely detail-oriented with the goal of achieving maximum outcome. He is focused and diligent in all affairs and
expects the same from others. Together with his wife Olena he nurtured two
children, Anna and Andrey, in the same way. Now he enjoys doing any activity
with his three grandchildren. And he is very proud of them all. Dr. Dikin is also passionate about teaching,
focusing on understanding the concepts and approaches, instead of rote
memorization. Although introverted by nature, he is very approachable, and
always glad to help others. Apart from
this, Dmitriy likes to work in the garden growing berries and vegetables, and
doing everything himself around the house. He likes going on for bike rides,
cross-country skiing, and traveling.
Professor Jennifer
Foo, Finance, Stetson University
Professor
Srinagesh Gavirneni, Operations Management, Cornell University
Nagesh Gavirneni is a professor of operations management in the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. His research interests are in the areas of supply chain management, inventory control, production scheduling, simulation and optimization. He is now using these models and methodologies to solve problems in healthcare, agriculture and humanitarian logistics in developing countries. Previously, he was an assistant professor in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, the chief algorithm design engineer of SmartOps, a Software Architect at Maxager Technology, Inc. and a research scientist with Schlumberger. He has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT-Madras, a Master’s degree from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.
Professor Babu
George, Business Management, Fort Hays State University
Professor Bradley
Greger, Bioengineering, Arizona State University
His research uses
micro-scale medical devices for performing electrophysiological recordings
from, and electrical stimulation of, the nervous system. He is using these
devices to understand how the nervous system processes information, as well as
how these medical devices effect their treatment of pathology. The improved
understanding of treatment mechanisms and neural function can be translated
into novel medical devices for the restoration of lost sensory and motor
function, and potentially treatments for pathology of higher order human
functions. Dr. Greger interested in three main projects: Cortical vision prosthesis, Dexterous &
communication prostheses and Adaptive control of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Professor
Juan Hinestroza, Fiber Science and Apparel Design, Cornell University
Professor Hinestroza works on understanding fundamental phenomena at the nanoscale that are of relevance to Fiber and Polymer Science. Hinestroza has received over 8.1 MM USD in research funding (Federal and State agencies as well as Industrial Consortiums) for his pioneering work in exploring new pathways for creating multifunctional fibers via manipulation of nanoscale phenomena.Pro fessor Hinestroza has been the recipient of a myriad of awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the J.D. Watson Young Investigator Award from NYSTAR and the Educator of the Year Award from the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers as well as Humanitarian Award from the National Textile Center. Professor Hinestroza has delivered invited lectures worldwide at Universities and Research Centers over 45 countries.
Professor Hinestroza’s scientific work has been featured in Nature Nanotechnology, MRS Bulletin, Materials Today, C&E News, National Geographic, ASEE Prism as well as mainstream media outlets such as CNN, Wired, TechReview, The Guardian, Popular Science, ABC News, NYTimes, Reuters, PBS, NPR and BBC. In addition to his scientific endeavors, Professor Hinestroza and his research group are actively involved in community outreach activities aimed at increasing the number of members from underrepresented minority groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as well as engaging senior citizens in collaborative and inter-generational learning experiences.
Professor Lekelia
Jenkins, Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
Kiki’s research interests center on the rigorous, empirical study of the process of conservation in order to
distill conservation theory and codify best practices, specifically exploring marine
conservation, bycatch, fisheries, conservation technology, tidal energy, invention,
technology transfer, and diffusion of innovations. Her research includes field
sites along the southeast and west coasts of the United States, along Gulf of
Mexico, in Ecuador, and in Costa Rica. Kiki is currently expanding her research
into role of science dance in science education, science communication, and
social change. Her pastimes include watching and participating in all forms of
dance, mentoring, reading, traveling, eating good food while enjoying a nice view,
writing poetry, costuming, imagining the possibilities, loving her friends and
family, and loving her life.
Professor Michael
Kern, Environmental Public Policy, Washington State University
Michael is an Associate Professor at Washington State University
(WSU) Extension; Affiliate Associate Professor at the UW Evans School; and
Director of the WSU-UW William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a joint effort of WSU
Extension and the UW Evans School that fosters durable, effective and
collaboration solutions to public policy challenges in the State of Washington
and Pacific Northwest. Michael is responsible for faculty, staff and advisory
board development and management; project development, oversight and strategic
advice; organizational development and strategic planning; fund raising and
communications; scholarship; and other tasks. Michael's research interests
relate to how best to use the tools of Alternative Dispute Resolution
(developed for fields such as international diplomacy, management/labor
relations, divorce and family mediation, out-of-court legal settlement, etc.)
to resolve complex, multiparty public policy challenges that resist resolution
via traditional legislative, executive and judicial processes. A particular
focus is the unique role universities can play as a trusted, neutral forum for
such collaborative governance processes, providing teaching, research and
practice expertise.
Michael has over 25 years of experience helping diverse groups
reach common ground on public policy issues. Most of this work has been on
natural resources issues (such as large-scale environmental clean-up,
transboundary water and watershed management, land use and growth management
planning, salmon and other species restoration, natural disaster recovery and
resilience, etc.), but he has worked on a range of other issues (such as health
policy, outdoor recreation, transportation, economic and community
development).Prior to joining the Ruckelshaus Center, he was a Senior Associate
at Triangle Associates Inc. in Seattle, providing facilitation, mediation,
public involvement, strategic planning, project management and other services.
He has also provided these services at nonprofit and academic institutions for the
North Cascades Initiative, Hatchery Reform Project, Hanford Openness Workshops
and other projects. In his free time, Michael plays racquetball, hikes,
backpacks, reads and spends time with his wife and two children. He is a
long-suffering fan and season ticket holder of the Seattle Mariners baseball
team.
Professor Willard Kesling, Music, University of Florida
For the
past sixteen years Dr. Kesling has served as the Director of Choral Activities
at the University of Florida as well as the Director of the Gainesville Master
Chorale and Philharmonic Orchestra.
Over the past forty-one years his college choirs have received
international attention and were featured in the Opening Ceremonies of the Salt
Lake Winter Paralympics televised internationally on NBC.
In recognition of his achievements Dr. Kesling was awarded The Congressional Order of Merit by the
Congress of the United States of America in September 2003 and the Ronald Reagan Gold Medal in November
2004. In March 2006, Professor Kesling
was awarded the Congressional Medal of
Distinction for his contributions to the cultural life of the citizenry. On
October 12, 2013 Dr. In November 2017 Dr. Kesling received the Distinguished Alumni Award from his
undergraduate university and International Educator of the Year for the College
of the Arts at the University of Florida.
Professor
Rao Mylavarapu, Soil and Water Sciences, University of Florida
I am currently working as Professor in Soil & Water
Sciences Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) at the
University of Florida and have been here since 1998. I have progressed through
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor ranks since. I am also an Affiliate
Professor in the School of Natural Resources, IFAS since 2007. In my current
position, I also officiate as the Director of the IFAS Analytical Services
Laboratories, providing high quality analytical services to researchers and
extension clients, statewide. Previously, I have worked as an Assistant Soil
Physicist/Assistant Chemist in the nationally coordinated programs on soil
physics and Grapes at APAU in India for 4 years, Visiting Scientist in Soil
& Environmental Chemistry Labs, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD, USA for 2 years
and Soils Specialist at Clemson University, SC, USA for 2.5 years.
My research work focuses on
nutrient supply in agricultural production systems for agronomic and
environmental sustainability. Our research program addresses critical nutrient
management issues such as crop nutrient requirements, soil and tissue testing,
nutrient related environmental concerns and interdependence with water
management. We conduct studies on soil-test correlation/calibration,
nutrients-soil-water management for optimization of nutrient uptake and efficiency.
We develop and execute complementary progressive and highly visible educational
programs in the area of nutrient sustainability targeted to the public and
private sectors and to the agricultural, urban, and environmental communities.
This program emphasizes environmentally responsible nutrient management in the
production of major agronomic and horticultural crops produced in Florida, in
the southeastern USA and at international locations.
Professor Carrie
Perlman, Biomedical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology
Dr. Perlman is currently an associate professor in Biomedical
Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology.
She directs the Stevens BME Ph.D. program, runs a National Institutes of
Health-funded laboratory and serves on an NIH grant review study section. Dr. Perlman devised the first means of
determining surface tension in flooded alveoli in situ in the lungs. With this methodology, she and her group have
challenged longstanding assumptions regarding the cause of elevated surface
tension in pulmonary edema. And they
have discovered a new property for two existing compounds – the ability to
lower surface tension in the lungs. They
are testing the compounds for the ability to reduce ventilation injury of
edematous lungs.
Professor Heidi
Powell, Art Education, University of Florida
Dr. Heidi Powell is an
artist and scholar of Native American (Lenni Lenape) and Norwegian descent, and
currently a Director/Assistant Professor in the College of the Arts at the
University of Florida. As part of her practice she explores cultural
positioning in arts pedagogy and practice. Her most recent publications are
titled “Becoming a curator of memories: Memorializing memory as place in art
making for art education” is in Revitalizing History (Vernon Press)
and Alfombras (IJETA).
Her creative work focuses
on indigenous and isolated histories and their relationship to contemporary
society as landscape. Foundational to her creative work is the notion of
“story” which re-emphasizes the conflictual and the consensual in society,
constructing and de-constructing daily identity where the personal, collective,
and cultural converge. She says, “for me, art making is a way of adding
original dialogue and new ideas, to artistic narratives of knowledge that
demonstrate how individual truth, imagination, and experience work together.”
Professor Ashley
Randall, Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Arizona State University
Dr. Ashley K. Randall, PhD is an Associate Professor in
Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Arizona State University, U.S.A. She
obtained her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development in 2012 from the
University of Arizona and received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2007 to conduct
research in Switzerland. Her research expertise includes couples’ stress and
interpersonal emotion regulation, and implications for individual and
relational well-being. Dr. Randall is an active member of the American
Psychological Association and the International Association for Relationship
Research, and serves on the editorial board for Emotion, the Journal of
Counseling Psychology, the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, and
The Counseling Psychologist.
Professor Leon
Reznik, Computer Science, Rochester Institute of Technology
Dr.
Reznik’s research concentrates on study and development of intelligent
computing systems for control, power engineering and computer networks, sensor
networks and systems as well as cybersecurity. His current research interests
include intelligent data analytics, neural networks and machine learning; data
quality and security evaluation and assurance; intelligent intrusion detection
in cyber-physical systems; cognitive sensor networks and systems as well as
computer science and security education.
His
life and career development story represents a good illustration of his
abilities. He likes to travel and to learn new cultures and environments. He
moved from Russia to Australia, and then to USA and was redirecting his career
path from industry research to academia, from adjunct and part time teaching to
professorship. He transferred from electrical and electronic engineering to
computer engineering and then to computer science and computing security
departments. Also, he likes to swim in any pool of water ranging from a small
house hole to the ocean. He enjoys his research and most of other things his
life offers.
Professor Kenan
Song, Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University
Professor Calvin
Stewart, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas/El Paso
Professor Naomi
Yavneh Klos, Honors, Loyola University/New Orleans
The founding chair of the Council of Undergraduate Research’s Arts
and Humanities division, the founding director of the Office of Undergraduate
Research and former Associate Dean of the Honors College at the University of
South Florida, Dr. Yavneh Klos is committed to high impact practices that
contribute to retention and graduation, and is an innovator in interdisciplinary
and community-engaged curricular development.
In addition to publications regarding honors, undergraduate research,
and the pedagogy of justice (including, most recently, the lead essay for the
2018 JNCHC forum on “Honors and
Social Justice,”) she is a frequent presenter at conferences such as AACU, the
European Honors Conference and the quadrennial Jesuit Justice Conference, on
whose board she serves.
An alumna of Hunter Elementary and High School in
New York City, she completed her undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature
cum laude at Princeton University, where she was elected to Phi Beta
Kappa, and subsequently completed masters and doctoral degrees in Comparative
Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to her research in honors and
social justice pedagogy, she has published and presented extensively on issues
of gender and spirituality in early modern Italy. For the past two summers, she has
collaborated with Hanze University for Applied Sciences and Westerbork Transit
Camp, both in the Netherlands, on an honors summer institute on holocaust
memory.
Mirela Iodi
Carstens, Researcher in Carstens Lab, University of California Davis
Oleana Dikina, Computer Science, IBM
Mrs. Olena Dikina received her MS degree in Engineering
Physics from the Kharkov State Polytechnic University, Ukraine with summa cum
laude in 1982. Since then, Mrs. Dikina continues her study by attending
advanced training courses, coaching seminars and internet online classes, such
as MIT course Analytics Edge, IBM and DAMA professional society advanced data
modeling and big data classes.
The focus of Mrs. Dikina’s 25+ year career in
data and business analysis is in understanding data meaning, creating valuable data assets, and
exploring data usage. Olena was Lead Data Analyst & Data Modeler on
numerous IBM projects for major financial institutions, government agencies and
clients from other industries, and worked on a wide variety of agile projects
with primary focus on data analysis and database design. Mrs. Dikina is a
promoter of leading data modeling practices and Data Management Body of
Knowledge (DMBOK) recommendations. She led the team effort to update IBM Data
Modeling Leading Practices (DMLP) document to reflect recently developed data
modeling design patterns including a Data Lake Design Pattern. Her contribution
into creation of consistent processes for data movements on large projects has
helped IBM successfully deliver high client value. . She now supports the design of various
forms of data repositories, including metadata repositories, data lakes and
data sets for statistical analysis.
Olena balances her busy work schedule with wide spectrum of
cultural activities with her husband Dmitriy.
Olena’s passions are history and any outdoor activity. Mrs. Dikina
supports local organizations that work on preserving nature in all its forms
and beauty.
Professor Daisy
Fan, Computational Science and Engineering, Cornell University
Fan is the recipient of the Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial
Advising Award (2016), the Douglas Whitney '61 Excellence in Teaching Award
(2011), the Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Award (2008), and the
Cornell Society of Engineers Achievement Award (2004). Fan obtained her Ph.D.
in civil and environmental engineering at Cornell University (2002). She was a
research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
(IIASA) in Austria (1995).
Professor
Stanley Yavneh Klos, Honors, Loyola University New Orleans and Idaho State University
He currently
serves as the President of the Historic.us
Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to challenging the public
to view history through the lens of primary source exhibits. In real
estate, Stan acquired RE/MAX
of Pennsylvania n/w, increasing its yearly commission revenues from
$240,000 to $36 million. He has acquired, preserved and saved 32 historically
significant properties in five states. His paleontology company, Dinosaur
Safaris, Inc., has yielded numerous fossil holdings that include a the world’s
most complete Stegosaurus and Camarasaurus, which are on exhibit, respectively,
at the London National History Museum and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Japan. Stan has
brought this expertise into the classroom by teaching for University Honors and
the College of Business at numerous Universities.
Stan’s education includes a BA in
American Studies, BS in Zoology, MA in Rhetorical Theory & Historic Public Address
and an "ABD" in Mass Communications and Marketing. He attended,
respectively, St. Peter’s College, Idaho State University and The Pennsylvania
State University.
Nicole Meath,
Administrator/Nurse Practitioner, LaserAway/Valeant Pharmaceuticals
Erica Wright, Art
and Media Teacher, Las Vegas Public Schools
Ms. Wright teaches at Green Valley High School in Henderson,
Nevada. Green Valley is part of the Clark County School District which is the 5th
largest school district in the US. After building a four-year program for
Photography covering both film and digital processes, Ms. Wright recently moved
back to Studio Art. She currently oversees the Fine Arts Department and teaches
Ceramics, Art, and Design Crafts. With 200 students per day, in a school of
more than 3000 students, she relishes the opportunities to positively affect
lives on a daily basis.
Ms. Wright operates with the belief that every single person
needs some sort of creative energy in their life, and has the potential to
“make.” It is her passion to provide opportunities for people to experience the
arts and art-making.
APPENDIX
A: Program
Component Background Information
Friday, December 28
·
Fureidis
Fureidis is a town situated on the coastal plain with
approximately 10,000 predominantly Arab residents.
·
Daliat
El-Carmel
Sitting high on the slopes of Mt Carmel, this Druze town has
an exceptionally unique character. It is a colorful town that offers wonderful
hospitality with a smile and is also very interesting. The Druze is an ethnic
group that split off from Islam in Egypt about 1,000 years ago. According to
the Druze, their religion is the renewal of an ancient faith that became a
secret known only to the group’s sages. Daliat El-Carmel was founded in the
17th century by Druze from Mt. Lebanon.
Saturday, December 29
·
Tiran Attia
Lt. Col. (Res.) Tiran Attia serves as Director of Special in
Uniform, an innovative program that aims to integrate young people with autism
and other disabilities into the IDF and, in turn, into Israeli society. After
their service, Special in Uniform helps usher its graduates toward a
self-sufficient life, through employment or other meaningful societal
involvement, once they are discharged from the army.
Over the course of his distinguished 28-year career in the Israel Defense Forces, Lt. Col. Attia commanded a tank, the IDF's Technology and Logistics Forces training program, and the Sar-El program for army volunteers from around the world.
Sunday, December 30
·
Tel Hai
College
Tel-Hai
College is the leading public academic college in Israel and an engine of
change for the educational, economic and social development of the Upper
Galilee. Since becoming an independent academic institution in 1996, Tel-Hai's
innovative curriculum, diverse student life and pluralistic atmosphere, and growing
reputation for academic excellence have attracted students from across the
country to join in building our unique community of learning, and gained the
attention of scholars and researchers around the world. Tel-Hai strives for the
best where it is needed most - doing our utmost to serve the people of the
northern periphery of Israel and tap into the region's extraordinary potential.
We believe we can see the future from here, and that we are building it every
day in both the classroom and the community. We invite you to explore that work
with us by learning more about our courses, our faculty and our wonderful
students, as well as our passion to make the Galilee a place where more Tel-Hai
graduates - and more Israelis - will want to live, work and make their home.
·
Fassouta
Village
Fassouta is a local council on the
northwestern slopes of Mount Meron in the Northern District of Israel, south of the Lebanese border. In
2017 it had a population of 3,098, nearly all of whom are Israeli Arab Christians.
Fassouta is a village, built of
stone, situated on ridge, with gardens of figs, olives, and arable land. There
are two cisterns in the village, and a good spring near.
·
Galilee
Medical Center
Galilee Medical Center is a hospital located in the coastal city
of Nahariya and is the second largest hospital in
northern Israel (after Rambam
Hospital in Haifa). It was
established in 1956.
The hospital located on the outskirts of Nahariya, three
kilometers from the city center, serving half a million residents of the western
Galilee, from Karmiel to the
coast.
Since its modest beginning as a small maternity
hospital, The WGH has grown into a 651-bed facility. The emergency room
receives about 400 people every day and the number of hospitalizations is about
60,000 a year. Approximately 420 physicians practice in this government owned
hospital, while the total number of employees is about 2200. The hospital staff
is a reflection of the
Multi-ethnic demography of the Western Galilee;
consisting of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and others. In 2007, the Western
Galilee Hospital was the first to appoint an Arab Israeli, Dr. Masad Barhoum,
as its director.
·
Dr. Eyal Sela
Dr. Eyal Sela, Director of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery,
joined Galilee Medical Center’s administration in 2013. Since then Dr. Sela and
his inspiring staff have been leaders in the medical revolution sweeping the
Western Galilee by providing new and innovative services to the residents of
Israel’s northern periphery.
As Head of the Ear, Nose, Throat, and Head and Neck (ENT) Student
Program, Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Dr. Sela is
leading the training of Israel’s newest ENT practitioners. Formerly a lecturer
at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Medical School in Haifa,
Israel (the "Technion"), Dr. Sela was recognized for his excellence
in teaching for three consecutive academic years as an outstanding lecturer at
Bar-Ilan University and the Technion.
Dr. Sela graduated medical school at the Technion in 1997 followed
by a residency at the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa. Moreover, he completed a
two-year Fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery at
Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, in Montreal, Canada during 2010 –
2012. Prior to his Fellowship, he was an ENT Specialist on the full time staff
in the Otolaryngology Department at Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, Israel from
2006 – 2010. Additionally, he served as a Facial Cosmetic Consultant and
Surgeon, for Clalit Aesthetics during 2009 and 2010.
Dr. Sela has published numerous studies and presented at many
national and international conferences. As the Head of the department of ENT,
Dr. Sela is leading vast prospective and retrospective academic research along
with his senior and junior staff, and engaging medical students at the
cutting-edge of medicine for new treatment modalities.
Dr. Sela also acts as a key speaker for visitors and media outlets
wishing to understand the treatment of victims of Syrian violence as head of
one of the main departments caring for many of the more than 2,000 patients who
have escaped Syrian violence to seek care at Galilee Medical Center since March
2013. Dr. Sela received wide attention for his presentation to the
International Federation of Head and Neck Oncological Surgeons 5th World
Congress & American Head and Neck Society in July 2015, highlighting some
of the Department’s more unique trauma cases to arise from the care of Syrian
patients. Dr. Sela is a shining beacon for Galilee Medical Center’s driving
focus, “Adam l’Adam, Adam” meaning a "Person should relate to another
person as a human being" or “People to People” medicine.
·
Dr. Masoud
Barhoum
Dr. Masoud
Barhoum was born in Shefaram, Israel, to Arab Christian parents who emphasized
the human values of moral integrity. Dr. Barhoum is married to Dr. Marie
Barhoum, a pediatric endocrinologist, and they are the parents of 3 daughters.
Dr. Barhoum began his medical studies in 1979 at Rappaport Faculty of
Medicine, Technion Institute of Technology, and in 1985 completed his
internship at Rambam Medical Center, Haifa. He was an internal medicine
resident from 1986-1990, but chose to transfer to family medicine, partially in
order to take upon himself an equal part of the tasks at home, including
child-rearing.
In 1990, Dr. Barhoum and his family took up residence in Kibbutz Ramat
Hashofet for the next 10 years, living as an integral part of the kibbutz
family, while completing his residency in family medicine and receiving a
Master's Degree in Public Health Administration from Haifa University. In the
latter years of the 1990's, Dr. Barhoum was appointed director of the Clalit
HMO’s Home Care System in Haifa and the Western Galilee, followed by director
of its northern region Home Hospitalization Unit.
Monday,
December 31
·
Bahá’i Temple
and Gardens
Haifa is the international headquarters for the Bahá’í Faith, which began amidst persecution
in Persia in the mid-19th century. They believe in the unity of all religions
and believe that messengers of God like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad have been
sent at different times in history with doctrines varying to fit changing
social needs, but bringing substantially the same message.
The beautiful
gardens were originally planned
by Shoghi Effendi, the late Guardian of the Faith, and they have recently
undergone a massive redesign aimed at putting them on the world's horticultural
map.
The Bahá’í gardens are now a geometric cascade of
hanging gardens and terraces down to Ben Gurion Boulevard -a gift of visual
pleasure to the city that gave the Baha'i religion its home and headquarters.
·
Technion –
Israel’s Institute of Technology
After some years of intense pioneering activities, with which
Prof. Albert Einstein's deep
involvement, the Technion opened its doors in 1924, becoming Israel’s first
modern university.
The developing
state created new demands on the veteran university. To meet these needs,
Technion launched a variety of ambitious projects, including the establishment
of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in 1949, which laid the
foundation for Israel’s successful aerospace industries and Air Force.
Recognizing the growing trend in interdisciplinary activity,
Technion established several new departments, including Biomedical Engineering,
Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, and the Solid State Institute. Throughout the upheaval and change, Technion
remained at the forefront of the nation's activities – from producing
technologies for guaranteeing Israel's future security, to planning cooperative
regional research projects in subjects such as desalination and nuclear energy.
The Technion's world-wide reputation for excellence has been strengthened
through intensified research in various fields spanning from nuclear power
options for Israel to a new program in marine engineering, and pioneer work in
the field of industrial robotics. In 1998, Technion successfully launched the
"Gurwin TechSat II" microsatellite, making Technion one of five
universities with a student program that designs, builds, and launches its own
satellite.
·
Haifa
University
The campus of
the University of Haifa spreads along the Carmel Mountain ridge southeast of the city of Haifa and is
surrounded by the Carmel National Park. The University was established in 1963
under the joint auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Haifa
Municipality. In 1972, it gained academic accreditation as a separate
institution from the Council for Higher Education.
The
University of Haifa is the most pluralistic institution of higher education in
Israel: sons and daughters of both veteran cities and development towns,
kibbutzim and moshavim, new immigrants, Jews, Arabs, and Druze, IDF officers
and security personnel—all sitting together on the bench of knowledge in an
atmosphere of coexistence, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The University considers the link-up between academic excellence
and social responsibility as its flagship, and service to the community as one
of its important goals.
There are over 17,000 students studying towards a degree (B.A.,
M.A., or Ph.D.). The University offers six Faculties: Humanities, Social
Sciences, Sciences and Science Education, Law, Social Welfare and Health
Studies, and Education and five Schools: Business Administration.
·
Adverifai
AdVerif.ai is an
artificial intelligence company providing content verification
solutions for advertisers, publishers and ad networks.
Their mission is to
keep users safe from spam, malicious software, inappropriate and
deceiving content.
Its founder is a machine
learning expert specializing in advertising technologies and semantic text
analysis. Adverif.ai’s leverages the full range of AI technologies. With our
proprietary FakeRank algorithm, we are at the cutting edge of fake news
detection. Using this technology we empower human reviewers to scale the
moderation process and improve its accuracy, keeping users safe and
brands’ reputation pristine.
Tuesday, January 1
·
Ben Gurion
University
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was established with the aim to
spearhead the development of the
Negev, a desert area comprising more than sixty percent of the country. The
University was inspired by the vision of Israel's first Prime Minister David
Ben-Gurion, who believed that the future of the country lay in this region.
Today, Ben-Gurion University is a major center for teaching and
research, with over 17,000 students enrolled in the faculties of Engineering
Sciences, Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences,
the Guilford Glazer School of Business and Management and the Kreitman School
of Advanced Graduate Studies.
Ben-Gurion University is a world leader in arid zone research,
offering its expertise to many
developing countries. Its world-famous Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School
has become a model for community-oriented and global medicine. In keeping with
its mandate, it plays a key role in promoting industry, agriculture and
education in the Negev. Its students are known for their activities in the
community, and thousands of them take part in special tutoring projects.
·
Professor
Limor Aharonson-Daniel
Prof. Limor Aharonson-Daniel, Vice-Rector for
International Academic Affairs is the founding director of the PREPARED Center
for Emergency Response Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Limor
has a B.Sc in Statistics from Tel-Aviv University and a PhD in Community Medicine
from The University of Hong Kong. She joined BGU in 2008 after being the deputy
director of The Israel National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine
Research. In 2009 she opened and headed the Master’s program in Emergency
Preparedness and Response (Dept. of Emergency Medicine). She then became head
of the department of Emergency Medicine (2011-2016).
Limor is an expert in injury epidemiology. Apart
from her contribution to international classification of injury, several of her
studies resulted in innovative approaches and instruments to facilitate
practically oriented studies of disasters and emergency situations. Among these
are the Barell Matrix and the Conjoint Community Resiliency Assessment Measure
(CCRAM). Limor has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and authored
several book chapters both on Injury Research Methods and on Disaster
Preparedness Assessment.
As Vice Rector for International Academic Affairs
and head of BGU International, Limor strives to increase the number of courses
and programs taught in English at BGU, and to increase student and staff
academic mobility and exchange.
·
Project Wadi
Attir
Located near
the Bedouin town of Hura, Project Wadi Attir seeks to develop and demonstrate a
model for sustainable, community-based agricultural enterprise, adapted to a
desert environment.
It is
designed to combine Bedouin aspirations, values and experience with
sustainability principles, modern day science and cutting edge technologies.
The project was initiated in order to showcase a breakthrough approach to
environmentally-sound sustainable development. It will make a real difference
locally and will serve as a model for arid regions in other parts of the world.
·
Ghadir Hani
Director, Public Relations, Project Wadi Attir and Organizer,
Department of Economic Development, Arab-Jewish Center for Equality,
Empowerment and Cooperation, Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and
Development
·
Sarona
Sarona was a German Templer colony established in Ottoman Palestine in 1871. Sarona is now a neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel. It was one
of the earliest modern villages established by Europeans in Ottoman Palestine.
In July 1941, the British Mandate authorities deported 188 residents of Sarona,
who were considered hard-core Nazi sympathizers
Wednesday, January 2
·
The
Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya (IDC)
IDC Herzliya
was established in 1994 by Prof. Uriel Reichman, as the first private
institution of higher education in Israel. Now in its second decade of activity,
its schools and research institutes have won renown internationally.
Since its
establishment, IDC Herzliya has been an academic avant-garde. As such, its
faculty takes part in the fascinating process that is reshaping Israel. They
deal with constitutional and governmental reconstruction, economic growth,
reevaluation of Israel’s strategy/policies of foreign relations, as well as Israel’s
social and moral agenda.
IDC Herzliya
is unique in its educational methods, which are based on an interdisciplinary
approach, teaching of information technology and global markets. IDC combines
theory with real world experience and provides its students with proficiencies.
Its basic outlook, which is rooted in the twin concepts of individual freedom
and responsibility, emphasizes student’s entrepreneurship and leadership
alongside commitment to community service.
·
Tel Aviv
University
Located in
Israel's cultural, financial and industrial heartland, Tel Aviv University is
the largest university in Israel and the biggest Jewish university in the
world. It is a major center of teaching and research, comprising nine
faculties, 106 departments, and 90 research institutes. Its origins go back to
1956, when three small education units - The Tel Aviv School of Law and Economics,
an Institute of Natural Sciences, and an Institute of Jewish Studies - joined
together to form the University of Tel Aviv. In addition to its basic functions
of research and teaching, Tel Aviv University contributes its expertise to the
welfare of society at large; plays a part in all aspects of national life; and
addresses regional and international issues.
Faculty
members serve in the Knesset and government agencies, and in professional
organizations and public bodies. Students are encouraged to tutor disadvantaged
children, volunteer services to the elderly, and aid the community through a
range of social involvement programs, such as the wide-scale Price-Brodie
Initiative in Jaffa.
Middle
Eastern history, strategic studies, and the search for peace are central
concerns for Tel Aviv University researchers. The Institute for Diplomacy and
Regional Cooperation, founded by the Peres Center for Peace, the Armand Hammer
Fund for Economic Cooperation in the Middle East, the Moshe Dayan Center for
Middle Eastern and African History, the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies,
the Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research and the Morris E. Curiel Center
for International Studies are respected sources of information for government
and private institutions, the press and the public.
·
Bar Ilan
University
Bar Ilan
University is the second largest university in Israel, with a student
population of approximately 24,500 at the main campus in Ramat Gan, and at the
four regional colleges operating under its auspices – in the Jordan Valley, in
Safed, in the western Galilee and in Ashkelon.
The
university regards the sacred principles of Judaism as the manifestation of the
Jewish people's uniqueness, in accordance with the principles defined upon its
establishment. The university's basic roles include supporting the safeguarding
of these principles out of love and with the purpose of training and producing
scholars, researchers and men of science knowledgeable in the Torah and imbued
with the original Jewish spirit and love of one's brethren.
Aiming to
excel in research, in recent years Bar-Ilan University has placed major
emphasis on expanding its research activities and advanced studies, by
substantially increasing the number of research students via Presidential and
other scholarships. The university has also developed unique interdisciplinary
study programs and has intensified research and instruction in fields that are
at the forefront of sciences, such as computational biology, biotechnology,
nanotechnology and more.
The 24,500
students registered at the university and its colleges, hailing from diverse
cultural and religious backgrounds, study together harmoniously in classrooms,
laboratories and libraries, and thus Bar-Ilan University contributes to
tolerance and coexistence between religious and secular, and Arab and Jewish
students.
·
The Rabin
Center
The Yitzhak Rabin Center is the national institute
established by the Knesset in 1997 that advances the legacy of the late Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a path-breaking, visionary leader whose life was
cut short by his assassination.
The Center presents Yitzhak Rabin’s remarkable life and
tragic death, pivotal elements of the history of Israel, whose impact must not
be ignored or forgotten lest risk the recurrence of such shattering events. The
Center’s mission is to ensure that the vital lessons from this story are
actively remembered and used to shape an Israeli society and leadership
dedicated to open dialogue, democratic value, Zionism and social cohesion.
·
Member of
Knesset Sharren Haskel
Sharren Haskel is an Israeli member of the Knesset for Likud. She is the
youngest member of Likud and the second youngest member of the 20th Knesset.
Haskel lived
in Australia and volunteered at WIRES, an organization that rescue wild
animals, treat them and release them back into the wild. She is active on environmental
and animal rights issues, with a particular focus on water pollution coming out
of areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Haskel has
been labeled the most active and influential Member of Knesset for civil
freedom, individual rights and economic freedom in Israel for 2016. In May 2016
MK Haskel was recognized by the "Jewish Journal" the United States as
a leader of new generation of woman in politics, mainly for her extensive work
around the world to defend Israel’s policy and government
.
·
Member of
Knesset Yoel Hasson
Yoel Hasson was born in 1973 (5733),
in Tel-Aviv. He was discharged from the IDF as staff sergeant, and he holds a
BA in Government and Public Policy from the Interdisciplinary Center in
Herzliya.
Between 1998 and 2001, Hasson served as head of the national leadership of the Beitar Youth Movement and from 2001–2003 served as chairman of the Council of Youth Movements in Israel. From 2001–2005, Hasson served as advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Inquiries, and in 2006, he was elected president of the 35th Zionist Congress.
Hasson was elected for his maiden term to the 17th Knesset on the Kadima list; he served as chairman of the coalition, chairman of the Kadima group and group whip. MK Hasson was a member of the House Committee; Finance Committee; Economic Affairs Committee; Education, Culture and Sports Committee; Committee for the Second Authority for Television and Radio; among others. He also established the Knesset Lobby for the Protection of Animals and chaired the Lobby for the Advancement of Young People in Israel and the Lobby for the Encouragement of Aliya from the West. Hasson was member of the Lobby for Israel and Global Ethics, the Lobby for Druze and Circassian Communities in Israel, the Lobby for Closing Social Gaps, and the Jerusalem Lobby.
Hasson was elected to the 18th Knesset on the Kadima slate serving as Chair of the State Control Committee and a member of the Economic Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on International Security, Relations, and Trade. He also founded the Lobby for Promoting the Two-State Solution and Separation Between Israel and the Palestinians and chaired the Lobby for Job Integration in the Haredi Community, the Lobby for the Encouragement of Aliya from the West, the Lobby for Water Security and the Lobby for Public Housing, among others.
In advance of the elections to the 19th Knesset, Hasson joined the Hatenua party headed by Tzipi Livni, but he was not elected to the Knesset.
Hasson was elected to the 20th Knesset as a member of the Zionist Union, a union of the Hatenua and Labor parties. He serves as Deputy Speaker, Israel's parliamentary representative in the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe), and Israel’s representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. MK Hasson is a member of the House Committee and the Science and Technology Committee and is an alternate member of the Finance Committee. He also serves as chair of the Lobby for the Advancement of the Start-up in Israel and the Lobby for Living in Security and is a member of the Lobby for the Negev, the Lobby for Small and Medium Sized Businesses in Israel, the Lobby for Local Government, the Tourism Lobby – Tourism as a National Priority, the Blue and White Lobby, the Lobby for Strengthening the Jewish World, the Lobby for the War Against Road Accidents, and other Lobbies. Hasson also serves as alternate chairman of the Zionist Union parliamentary group and is co-chair of the Israel–Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group (in conjunction with MK Dr. Anat Berko).
Between 1998 and 2001, Hasson served as head of the national leadership of the Beitar Youth Movement and from 2001–2003 served as chairman of the Council of Youth Movements in Israel. From 2001–2005, Hasson served as advisor to the Prime Minister on Public Inquiries, and in 2006, he was elected president of the 35th Zionist Congress.
Hasson was elected for his maiden term to the 17th Knesset on the Kadima list; he served as chairman of the coalition, chairman of the Kadima group and group whip. MK Hasson was a member of the House Committee; Finance Committee; Economic Affairs Committee; Education, Culture and Sports Committee; Committee for the Second Authority for Television and Radio; among others. He also established the Knesset Lobby for the Protection of Animals and chaired the Lobby for the Advancement of Young People in Israel and the Lobby for the Encouragement of Aliya from the West. Hasson was member of the Lobby for Israel and Global Ethics, the Lobby for Druze and Circassian Communities in Israel, the Lobby for Closing Social Gaps, and the Jerusalem Lobby.
Hasson was elected to the 18th Knesset on the Kadima slate serving as Chair of the State Control Committee and a member of the Economic Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on International Security, Relations, and Trade. He also founded the Lobby for Promoting the Two-State Solution and Separation Between Israel and the Palestinians and chaired the Lobby for Job Integration in the Haredi Community, the Lobby for the Encouragement of Aliya from the West, the Lobby for Water Security and the Lobby for Public Housing, among others.
In advance of the elections to the 19th Knesset, Hasson joined the Hatenua party headed by Tzipi Livni, but he was not elected to the Knesset.
Hasson was elected to the 20th Knesset as a member of the Zionist Union, a union of the Hatenua and Labor parties. He serves as Deputy Speaker, Israel's parliamentary representative in the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe), and Israel’s representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. MK Hasson is a member of the House Committee and the Science and Technology Committee and is an alternate member of the Finance Committee. He also serves as chair of the Lobby for the Advancement of the Start-up in Israel and the Lobby for Living in Security and is a member of the Lobby for the Negev, the Lobby for Small and Medium Sized Businesses in Israel, the Lobby for Local Government, the Tourism Lobby – Tourism as a National Priority, the Blue and White Lobby, the Lobby for Strengthening the Jewish World, the Lobby for the War Against Road Accidents, and other Lobbies. Hasson also serves as alternate chairman of the Zionist Union parliamentary group and is co-chair of the Israel–Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group (in conjunction with MK Dr. Anat Berko).
·
Jerusalem
Academy of Music and Dance
The Jerusalem Academy of Music and
Dance, founded
in 1958 as the Rubin Academy of Music, is located on the
Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The academy is an independent institution recognized by the Council
for Higher Education in Israel, but also collaborates with the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem. The school has Faculties of the Performing Arts, Composition,
Conducting and Music Education, Dance, Movement and Movement Notation.
The Academy High School is also situated in Givat Ram, adjacent to
the Academy's main building. Founded in the late 1960s, the curriculum combines
general studies with specialization in music and dance.
The Conservatory offers individual and group instruction in music
and dance for students from the age of five.
Students attend special workshops and master classes taught by the
Academy’s senior lecturers, and perform as soloists and in ensembles in Israel
and overseas. Over 700 students are
currently studying at the Conservatory.
·
Professor
Yinam Leef
Professor Leef is the President
of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
He teaches music theory and composition. Professor Leef completed his studies at the
Jerusalem Academy of Music and continued to study his Doctorate in
composition at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. He also
participated as a Fellow in the summer sessions of the Composers Conference in
Vermont, Yale at Norfolk and Tanglewood.
He was commissioned by prestigious organizations such as the Fromm
Music Foundation at Harvard, the Fels Fund and Philadelphia Chamber Music
Society. His works have been recorded and broadcasted by radio stations across
the world and released on CD’s.
Leef is a Professor of Composition and was Dean of Faculty of
Composition, Conducting and Music Education at the Jerusalem Academy of
Music and Dance, where he has taught since 1985.
Thursday, January 3
·
Khaled Abu
Toameh
Khaled Abu Toameh is the West Bank and Gaza correspondent for The
Jerusalem Post and U.S. News and World Report. He previously served as a senior
writer for the Jerusalem Report, and was a correspondent for Al-Fajr. He has
produced several documentaries on the Palestinians for the BBC and many other
networks, including ones that exposed the connection between Arafat and
payments to the armed wing of Fatah and the financial corruption within the
Palestinian Authority.
Mr. Abu Toameh was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarem in 1963
to an Israeli Arab father and a Palestinian Arab mother from the West Bank.
AbuToameh received his BA in English Literature from the Hebrew University.
·
Hebrew
University
The dream of
establishing a "University of the Jewish People" in the Land of
Israel formed an integral part of the early Zionist vision. With the acquisition of the Gray Hill estate
atop Mount Scopus, and the laying of the cornerstone for the university-to-be
in 1918, the realization of the dream was on its way. Seven years later, on
April 1, 1925, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was opened.
Today, HUJI
researchers figure at the forefront of international science - from
biotechnology and computer science to astrophysics and cancer research, from
microbiology to solar energy and genetic engineering, as well as the
humanities, including Jewish studies, social sciences and law.
Nearly 40% of all civilian scientific research in Israel is conducted at the Hebrew
University. The University is home to 100
subject-related and interdisciplinary research centers.
Thirty percent of all doctoral candidates in Israel are enrolled at HUJI.
Sixteen percent of all the research conducted at the University finds application
in high-tech industry.
More than
24,000 students are enrolled at the University, including 12,000
undergraduates, 7600 master's degree students, 2,600 doctoral candidates, and
1000 at the Rothberg School for Overseas Students.
·
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem,
Israel’s national Holocaust museum, presents a profoundly Jewish memorial of
the Shoah. You will listen to survivors’
testimonies, view personal possessions belonging to victims and examine
state-of-the-art displays aimed at preserving the story of each of the six
million victims. From its dramatic
structure designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Sadie – which cuts through
the mountain in the form of a spike – to its powerful exhibits, such as the
labyrinthine Valley of the Communities.
The tour of Yad
Vashem will be a special experience which will both allow you to explore the
museum in a more independent manner
·
City of David
The story of the City of David, known in Hebrew as Ir David, began
over 3,000 years ago, when King David left the city of Hebron for a small
hilltop city known as Jerusalem, establishing it as the unified capital of the
tribes of Israel.
Years later, David's son, King Solomon, built the First Temple
next to the City of David on top of
Mount Moriah, the site of the binding of Isaac, and with it, this hilltop
became one of the most important sites in the world.
Today, the story of the City of David continues. Deep underground, the City of David is revealing some of the most exciting archeological finds of the ancient world. While above ground, the city is a vibrant center of activity with a visitor's center that welcomes visitors for an exciting tour to the site where much of the Bible was written.
Today, the story of the City of David continues. Deep underground, the City of David is revealing some of the most exciting archeological finds of the ancient world. While above ground, the city is a vibrant center of activity with a visitor's center that welcomes visitors for an exciting tour to the site where much of the Bible was written.
Friday, January 4
·
The Old City
The Old City in Jerusalem,
is a 0.9 square kilometers (0.35 sq. mi) walled area within the
modern city of Jerusalem. Until 1860, when the Jewish neighborhood, Mishkenot
Sha’ananim, was established, this area constituted the entire city of
Jerusalem. The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance:
the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims.
Traditionally, the Old City has been divided into four quarters,
although the current designations were
introduced only in the 19th century.
Today, the Old City is roughly divided into the Muslim Quarter, the
Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. Following the
1948 Arab-Israeli War, the Old City was occupied by Jordan and the Jewish
residents were evicted. Today, Israel controls the entire area, which it
considers as part of its national capital. In 2010, Jerusalem's oldest fragment
of writings was found outside of the Old City's walls.
·
Western Wall
and Tunnels
The Western Wall in the midst of the Old City in Jerusalem is the
section of the Western supporting wall
of the Temple Mount which has remained intact since the destruction of the
Second Jerusalem Temple (70 C.E.). It became the most sacred spot in Jewish
religious and national consciousness and tradition by virtue of its proximity
to the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple, from which, according
to numerous sources, the Divine Presence never departed. It became a center of
mourning over the destruction of the Temple and Israel's exile, on the one
hand, and of religious - in 20th century also national - communion with the memory
of Israel's former glory and the hope for its restoration, on the other.
The Western Wall Tunnel is an
underground tunnel exposing the full length of the Western Wall. The tunnel is
adjacent to the Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem,
Israel. While the open-air portion of the Western Wall is approximately
60 meters (200 ft.) long, the majority of its original length is
hidden underground. The tunnel allows access to an additional 485 meters
(1,591 ft.) of the wall.
·
Shabbat
Six days a week, we compete with the natural world, building,
subduing and struggling to overcome. On
Shabbat, we experience a rest from this effort – it becomes a time for the
spirit to rejuvenate, study, reconnect with family, friends and, just as
important as oneself.
Shabbat offers the Jews a powerful spiritual opportunity to
develop as individuals and as a nation.
On the Sabbath, when we cease our daily activities, we allow our soul to
dominate and perhaps, ascend to a higher spiritual plane. In a sense, each Sabbath is a chance for each
individual to bring about the kabalistic
principle of tikunolam, the mending
of the universe. Shabbat is often
referred to as the Shabbat Kallah,
the Sabbath bride, a theme found throughout the traditional night prayers. Sixteenth century mystics of Safed created
the Friday evening service, called in Hebrew, Kabalat Shabbat, which means Welcoming the Sabbath
·
MK Dov Lipman
Dov, born in Washington D.C., served as a member of Knesset
(2013-2015) with the Yesh Atid party. Lipman was the first American-born member
in nearly 30 years. During this time he served on several committees including
the Finance Committee, The Immigration Committee, the Absorption and Dispora
Affairs Committee, the Knesset House Committee, and the special committee for
the legislation drafting the ultra-Orthodox into military and national service.
Lipman earned his Master’s in Education at John Hopkins University, and is an
ordained Rabbi.
·
Lone Soldiers
In the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a lone soldier is defined as a serviceman or woman
without immediate family in Israel. Lone soldiers serve in regular units and
receive various forms of support from the IDF, Israeli government ministries
and other organizations.
Their exact number fluctuates over time, but is
consistently in the thousands; the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in April 2012 that there were
an "estimated 5,000". About
40% of them serve in combat units.
According to an IDF spokeswoman, 8,217 personnel born outside Israel enlisted
between 2009 and August 2012. The most represented countries of origin were
Russia and the United States, with 1,685 and 1,661 recruits respectively.
Saturday, January 5
·
Masada
Masada (Hebrew for fortress), is situated atop an isolated rock
cliff at the western end of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. It is
a place of gaunt and majestic beauty.
Some 75 years after Herod’s death, at the beginning of the Revolt
of the Jews against the Romans in 66
CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the
fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by
zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem. With Masada as their
base, they raided and harassed the Romans for two years. Then, in 73CE, the
Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion,
auxiliary units and thousands of Jewish prisoners-of-war. The Romans
established camps at the base, laid siege to it and built a circumvallation
wall. They then constructed a rampart of
thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth against the western approaches of
the fortress. In the spring of 74 CE, they moved a battering ram up the ramp
and breached the wall of the fortress.
The defenders, approx. 1,000 men, women and children, led by
Eleazar ben Yair, decided to burn the
fortress and end their own lives, rather than be taken alive. They cast lots to
choose 10 men to kill the remainder. They then chose the one man who would kill
the survivors. That last Jew then killed himself.
The heroic story of Masada and its dramatic end attracted many
explorers to the Judean desert in attempts to locate the remains of the
fortress. To the Israelis, Masada symbolizes the determination of the Jewish
people to be free in its own land.
·
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, roughly 1,300 feet (400
meters) below sea level. It is 34 miles (55 km.) long and varies between 11
miles (18 km.) and 2 miles (3 km.) in width. The Sea is 1,400 feet (430 m.)
deep. This unique sea is fed by the Jordan River. There is no outflow; and the
exceptionally high rate of evaporation (high temperatures, low humidity)
produces large quantities of raw chemicals. These are extracted and exported
throughout the world for use in medicine, agriculture and industry.
The Dead Sea is actually shrinking. The southern end is now fed by
a canal maintained by the Dead Sea Works, a company that converts the Sea's raw
materials, particularly phosphates, into commercial products
·
Naftali Aklum
Naftali Aklum was born in Ethiopia in 1979. The following year, in
1980, Aklum’s parents were among the first groups to make Aliya to Israel via
Sudan in what later became known as “Operation Moses.” Aklum is the youngest of
twelve brothers and sisters, his late brother Ferede Aklum was the first
Ethiopian Jew to make the journey to Jerusalem via Sudan, with Ferede then
setting the stage for others to follow: after reaching Sudan in 1978, the
letter Ferede wrote requesting assistance to make Aliya found its way to
Menachem Begin, who then set in motion the remarkable, secret operation in
which North America Jewry played such a vital role. In his footsteps,
literally, over 8,000 – off 12,000 successfully reached Jerusalem after 2,500
years of yearning
Aklum was raised and educated in Beersheba. In the army he served
as a firefighter. Afkum graduated from Ben Gurion University in 2008 with a
concentration in politics, government, history and Middle Eastern Studies.
Aklum participated in a number of delegations, including a 1996
visit to the United States with the Anti-Defamation League, and in 2002, he
spent a year with “Israel at Heart,” sharing the story of Israel and Ethiopian
Jewry. Aklum volunteers to help children in the city of Beersheba through its
Council for the Well-Being of Children, and he served as a mentor to other
Ethiopian-Israeli academics to assist them in their job placement efforts
Since 2010, Aklum have played a critical role in ENP’s SPACE
(School Performance and Community Empowerment) Scholastic Assistance Program.
In his capacity as Director of Educational Programs. He is responsible for the
emotional and social well-being of 150 7th through 12th
graders and oversees 15 teachers who provide intensive scholastic assistance to
ENP participants.
Through Naftali’s work over the years, thousands of children have
been inspired and motivated to succeed, knowing they have a mentor, a friend
and a big brother who will do everything in his power to help them succeed.
Sunday,
January 6
·
Sderot Indoor
Playground
In 10 short
months Jewish National Fund (JNF) did what no one thought could be done – built
the largest secure indoor recreation center for the children of Sderot.
Over the past few years, the Israeli communities on the border
with Gaza have endured continual Kassam rocket attacks. These attacks are
untargeted, but some have hit residences and schools, killing 11 citizens and
hurting hundreds more. The city of Sderot, located on the border with Gaza, has
been hardest hit — its children growing up in the shadow of violence, fear, and
uncertainty.
To directly impact the lives of the children of Sderot and provide
them with the chance to simply be kids, Jewish National Fund embarked on a
massive project: building the largest indoor playground in Israel in Sderot.
The all-inclusive Indoor Recreational Center opened on March 10, 2009 to
provide Sderot’s youth, (and also its senior citizens), with a place to have
fun, connect with friends, enjoy stimulating classes, and be children, beyond
the conflict. A place to feel strong and
free, away from their daily helplessness and anxiety and parents can have peace
of mind knowing that their children are playing and learning in an environment
that is safe and secure.
·
Yedidyah
Harush
Yedidya Harush is the community representative for Israeli residents
living on the Gaza-Egypt border in the Halutza region, which was
established after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip (Gush Katif) in 2005.
Growing up there, Yedidya was recruited to play basketball in the New York
Yeshiva league, in a joint effort to help the children and young adults of Gush
Katif evacuees lead a normal life while their families and homes were in
distress.
Last year, during Operation Protective Edge, when repeated
rocket attacks struck southern Israel, Yedidya’s reserve elite
IDF unit and Halutza’s residents helped secure the local border
and protect the country.
Yedidya is inspired to make Ben Gurion's dream in the Negev a reality.
The community faces many challenges in this remote area, and building a medical
center is a high priority
·
Michal Uziyahu
Michal Uziyahu was the Israel shlichah (emissary) to the Jewish
community in Colorado between 2011-2015. Michal’s role was to build connections
between Israel and Denver/ Boulder, promote travel to Israel, provide
educational programming, and serve as an expert resource on Israeli history and
culture.
Living on a Moshav located on the border of the Gaza strip, Michal and her husband, Amir, have raised their three young children, often in harm’s way of missile attacks. Michal was born and raised in the Negev (the southern desert). After serving two years in the Israeli Army, Michal returned to the Negev, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from Ben Gurion University.
As the Israel Shlichah, Michal provided assistance in educational programming to schools, synagogues, and other community organizations. Michal also worked with young adults interested in travel to Israel through Birthright, Masa, and other trips. Today, Michal is the Executive Assistant to Mayor Gadi Yarkoni, Eshkol Region.
Living on a Moshav located on the border of the Gaza strip, Michal and her husband, Amir, have raised their three young children, often in harm’s way of missile attacks. Michal was born and raised in the Negev (the southern desert). After serving two years in the Israeli Army, Michal returned to the Negev, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from Ben Gurion University.
As the Israel Shlichah, Michal provided assistance in educational programming to schools, synagogues, and other community organizations. Michal also worked with young adults interested in travel to Israel through Birthright, Masa, and other trips. Today, Michal is the Executive Assistant to Mayor Gadi Yarkoni, Eshkol Region.
·
Sapir College
Sapir College
is located in the northern Negev. The beautifully landscaped campus is composed
of dozens of buildings, in the rural setting of the surrounding kibbutzim.
Among members of Sapir’s teaching faculty are outstanding
lecturers from Israel’s leading universities.
Over 8,000 students, from Israel and overseas, are currently attending
Sapir. Many of the Israeli students are from the Galilee, central Israel and, of
course, from the south. They are offered a wide range of applied study tracks
that assure graduates quick inclusion in the job market and admission to
post-graduate degrees in universities in Israel and elsewhere.
·
SodaStream
SodaStream International Ltd. is an Israeli drinks company best known as the maker of the
consumer home carbonation product of the same name. The device, like a soda syphon, carbonates
water by adding carbon dioxide from a pressurized cylinder to create soda water
(or carbonated water) to drink. The company also sells more than 100 types of
concentrated syrups and flavorings to make carbonated drinks.
The company, recently bought by Pepsi Cola, was founded in 1903 in
England. It went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange in November 2010.
SodaStream is located in the industrial park of Rahat, a Bedouin town near
Be’er Sheva. Until 2015 its principal manufacturing facility was located in the
Mishor Adumim Industrial Park, in the West Bank, creating controversy and a boycott
campaign. The boycott campaign resulted in the closing of the SodaStream
factory in Ma’ale Adumim in October 2015, with more than 500 Palestinian
workers losing their jobs.
·
Kibbutz
Ketura
Ketura was founded by a small group of young North Americans,
graduates of the Young Judaea Year-In-Israel Course, at the close of the Yom
Kippur War in November 1973. The first years of the kibbutz's existence were
marked by great difficulties and frustrations, leading many of the founders to
leave. In time, the core group of these who remained were joined by other Young
Judaeans, a variety of immigrants, and graduates of the Israeli Scout movement.
As Ketura grew, a more stable lifestyle was created, and the members began
raising families in this, their new home. Today, Ketura has grown to be the
second largest settlement in the region, with 140 members and candidates and
over 147 children. One-third of the members are native Israelis; the majority
of the immigrants come from English-speaking countries, with a smaller number
from Europe and the former USSR.
·
Arava
Institute
The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) is the
premier
environmental education and research program in the Middle East,
preparing future Jewish and Arab leaders to cooperatively solve the region's
environmental challenges.
Affiliated with Ben-Gurion University, AIES’s academic programs,
research, and international cooperation initiatives cover environmental
concerns and challenges.
Students at AIES study a range of environmental issues from a
trans-boundary and interdisciplinary perspective while learning peace-building
and leadership skills. With a student body comprised of Jordanians,
Palestinians, Israelis, and students from around the world, the Arava Institute
for Environmental Studies offers students a unique opportunity to study and
live together for an extended period of time; building networks and developing
understanding that will enable future cooperative work and activism in the
Middle East and beyond.
Here, the idea that nature knows no political borders is more than
a belief. It is a fact, a curriculum,
and a way of life.
·
Cathie Granit
Cathie immigrated to Israel from New
Zealand. She currently holds the
position of Director of Diplomacy at the Arava Institute of Environmental
Studies. Cathie lives on Kibbutz Ketura
with her husband and children.
·
Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed
Dr. Abu Hamed from East Jerusalem holds a
Bachelor and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Gazi University
(Turkey), and a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from Ankara University (Turkey),
and has completed two terms of postdoctoral research at the Environmental
Science and Energy Research Department of the Weizman Institute (Israel), and
the University of Minnesota’s Mechanical Engineering Department Solar Energy
Lab.
In 2008, he established the Center for Renewable
Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC) at the Arava Institute. He left the
Institute in 2013 to become the Israeli Ministry of Science’s Deputy Chief
Scientist, and later the Acting Chief Scientist, the highest ranking
Palestinian in the Israeli government. He returned to the Arava Institute in 2016
as Director of CREEC and Academic Director.
·
Dr. Elaine M. Solowey
Dr. Solowey was born in 1953. She has
studied commercial horticulture, desert
agriculture, land reclamation, and tree surgery. She received her BSc
from the University of California-Davis, her MSc from Penn State University,
and her PhD from Weber State University.
A member of Kibbutz Ketura since 1975 she
has planted and managed orchards, introduced new crops, and founded the Center
for Sustainable Agriculture at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.
In 2005, she notoriously cultivated a date tree from a biblical age-seed found
in the excavations of Masada. Dr.
Solowey has been teaching students at the Arava Institute since 1996, and she
continues to work on the cultivation and domestication of rare medicinal
plants.
·
Suleiman Halasah Acting
Associate Director, Center for Trans-Boundary Water Management
Suleiman Halasah is an electrical engineer with a BSc. from the
University of Jordan, and a MSc. from Ben Gurion University. After completing
his first degree, Suleiman worked as a research assistant for the Department of
Computer Engineering at the University of Jordan. He also served as a control
engineer for the Jordan Valley Authority in the Jordanian Ministry of Water and
Irrigation. In this position, he was responsible for the SCADA System in the
Southern Ghors Irrigation Project.
While working on his M Sc., Suleiman continued his professional
work in the field of renewable energy, water and the environment. Suleiman
became a cofounder of Global Sun Partners, a renewable energy company that
works on building solar energy PV power plants in several countries in the
world. Suleiman has served as a panel member on the topic of water security and
climate change at the UN Department of Public Information/ NGO Conference in
New York in 2007. In the same year, he was invited to speak at the First
International Conference on Sustainable Energy as a Catalyst for Regional
Development at the Eilat/Eilot Regional Council. Suleiman established
Integrated GREEN Solutions (i.GREENs) which aims to improve the environmental
awareness and introduce green solutions in Jordan and the Middle East.
Monday, January 7
·
Arava International Center for Agricultural Training (AICAT)
Located in Sapir, the regional service center for Central Arava,
AICAT aims to establish itself as the national and international leading
authority in sophisticated arid lands agricultural studies and training and is
a central platform for global collaborations in the agriculture arena. AICAT
provides not only an invaluable contribution to developing countries and their
students who attend it, but also provides additional workplaces for residents
and extra working hands to the local agricultural industry. Under a single
roof, with a multitude of cultures and shared human attributes, students
receive professional agricultural training and live a unique experience that
enables them to discover their capabilities and the means for fulfilling their
potential. Over the years the Center has received students from various Asian
countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos,
Philippines, India, Ethiopia, Southern Sudan, Jordan and Tibet. As the number
of participating countries increases and the center becomes the global hub for
agricultural training, the student population will more than triple over the
next five years bringing the need for a larger campus.
·
Hanni Arnon
Hanni Arnon is the founder and director of AICAT. AICAT was established in 1994. Hanni has lived on Moshav Idan since 1986.
·
Vidor Center
The Vidor Center introduces you to the Arava in all its variety,
covering topics such as the region's uniquely advanced agriculture alongside
its water and soil challenges, the history of the Arava communities, geology,
aquaculture, the local fascinating colorful crops and much more.
·
Noa Zer
Born and raised in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, Noa
Zer moved to Moshav Paran in the Central Arava in April 2011 and heads the
Resource Development Department at the Central Arava Regional Council, where
she is responsible for fundraising as well as foreign affairs and connections
to Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Zer is married to a second-generation
farmer from Paran and together they are starting their second agricultural season
as pepper growers. She is also writing her Master’s thesis for the department
of public policy at Tel Aviv University.
·
Peres Peace Center
Founded in 1996 by the late Ninth President of Israel and Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, Shimon Peres, the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
aims to realize his vision for a prosperous
Israel within a peaceful Middle East. The Peres Center is
Israel’s leading non-profit, non-political, non-governmental organization
focused on developing and implementing innovative and cutting-edge peace
building programs in Innovation,
Peace Education, Medicine, Business, and Environment, reaching
tens of thousands of participants over the last 20 years.
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