Some events worth checking out during Tel Aviv Pride 2022.

Israel’s first MRI brain database launched to prevent brain disease.

In a festive ceremony during the 2022 Board of Governors meeting, TAU inaugurated the Strauss Neuroplasticity Brain Bank—Israel’s first MRI brain database, poised to become the largest in the Middle East. Data gathered and analyzed through the Brain Bank will be used for discovering new early signs and risk factors of the disease, thus becoming a crucial national scientific and health resource. 

Inaugurated at TAU’s Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, the Brain Bank is the result of a generous and far-sighted contribution of longtime TAU supporters the Strauss family. In 2005, the family pioneered the Strauss Center for Computational Neuroimaging, which has since become a major hub of interdisciplinary research, serving over 20 different research teams from across campus ranging from biomedical research to behavioral change and evolutionary studies. Along with the Center, the family also dedicated the Guillermina Reis de Strauss Periodicals Floor at the Gitter-Smolarz Library and donated student scholarships for many years. 

At the ceremony, TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat said that TAU Governor Guillermo Strauss is continuing the giving legacy initiated in 1990 by his late father Alfredo Frederico Strauss, who was a TAU Governor, and his mother Lotte. “The combination of the Strauss family’s support, together with the expertise of TAU scientists will put TAU and Israel at the forefront of brain science and help to eventually prevent brain disease completely,” concluded Porat. 

Over the next five years, TAU neuroimaging experts will scan the brains of up to 5,000 healthy volunteers and then analyze the data using unique, patented techniques.

“The Strauss Brain Bank will harness the power of big data and translate the findings gathered at the database into earlier targeted treatments or lifestyle recommendations to prevent brain disease,” said Prof. Yaniv Assaf, the Bain Bank’s Founding Director and head of TAU’s Strauss Center for Computational Neuroimaging.  

“This project will boost Israel’s standing and competitiveness in the global scientific arena and usher in a new era of neuroscience worldwide, promoting open ‘citizen‘ science and data-sharing,” he added.  

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Dafna Meitar-Nechmad, Chairwoman of the Board of Governors, Guillermo Strauss, Prof. Abdussalam Azem, Dean of the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Polly Deutsch, President of the Argentinian Friends of TAU, TAU Governors, faculty, and students.  

International program will equip future business leaders with academic and practical experience at Tel Aviv’s innovation hub.

TAU’s Ramniceanu Prize goes to tahini manufacturer and philanthropist Julia Zaher.

In an especially moving ceremony during Tel Aviv University’s 2022 Board of Governors meeting, Israeli Arab businesswoman Julia Zaher was honored for her entrepreneurship and civic leadership role with the Hugo Ramniceanu Prize for Economics.

Zaher is CEO of Al-Arz Tahini in Nazareth. She took a local product and turned it into a global brand sold in 18 countries, including by Amazon in the US. Zaher is the rare female CEO in the Israeli business arena, and she is the only woman in Israel to lead a major Arab-owned company. She also has a long history of philanthropic donations aimed at improving the lives of her fellow Israeli-Arabs—especially women, disabled people, and the LGBT community.

More to the point, Zaher braved controversy to give a voice to weaker segments of the population who were not being heard within Arab society in Israel.

Shared Values

“Mrs. Zaher’s social consciousness aligns with the priorities and values of TAU,” said Prof. Ariel Porat, TAU President, at the ceremony. “We understand, like Mrs. Zaher, that for a country to have a healthy and prosperous economy, you need to have an equitable and inclusive society where everyone is valued, and where every young person’s potential is nurtured.

“Through the Ramniceanu Prize, you are continuing to promote a thriving and socially responsible State of Israel,” Prof. Porat told Zohar.

Always Philanthropic

In her acceptance speech, Zaher, who donated her prize money to a nursing studies scholarship at TAU for an Arab Israeli student, said that her career had been about fighting for the things she cared about. As a young widow and mother of two, she took over her late husband’s tahini factory. Once her business was going well, Zaher felt a responsibility to “take care of the less fortunate.”

“The common ground of everything I do both in business and philanthropy is love, of nurturing others body and soul,” Zaher said.

Dr. Monique Barel, TAU Governor and daughter of the late Hugo Ramniceanu, noted several similarities between the Prize’s namesake and Zaher. “[Like my father] you were incredibly brave, as even when suffering from the great loss of your husband, you decided to take over the company he had created, while you were trained as a mathematics teacher and not an entrepreneur. You succeeded in paying off the debts of the company and even upgraded the manufacturing process.”

The ceremony concluded with the awarding of the Hugo and Valerie Ramniceanu Scholarships in Economics, by their son Gerald, to three TAU students, Ido Tel Tzur, Eden Cohen and Nathan Cohen Itay.

Musician Sefi Asfouri opened the ceremony with a moving performance, which enraptured the audience.

Featured image: From left: François Heilbronn, President of TAU’s French Friends Association, Monique Barel, Julia Zaher and TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat. Credit: Ofer Amram

Argentinean Friends of TAU award Life Sciences fellowships in honor of Honorary Doctor and Governor Miriam Smolar.

Tel Aviv University has always cherished the longstanding partnership between the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and TAU’s Argentinean Friends Association. The partnership, which extends over two decades, helped the Faculty blossom into one of the world’s leading biological research institutions, with more than 100 laboratories and over 500 graduate students.  

This year, at the Board of Governors meeting, Argentinean governors and friends finally met again with researchers and students from the Life Sciences.  The gathering honored loyal TAU Honorary Doctor, Governor and friend Miriam Smolarz, who turned 102 in April, by awarding scholarships in her name to four outstanding Life Sciences graduate students.  

“This has been a tough year for us, a year in which happiness and sadness were intertwined,” said Prof. Marcelo Ehrlich, the Faculty’s Vice Dean, referring to the passing of TAU Honorary Doctor Adolfo Smolarz, Miriam’s husband, a few months earlier.   

Prof. Abdussalam Azem, Dean of the Faculty, reflected on the Smolarz family’s and Argentinian Friends’ contribution to the Faculty throughout the years. “To be the best, we need to attract the best students. We do so with the help of our friends, who make sure that our Faculty stays among the top in the world, both in research and in facilities,” he said.   

Polly Deutsch, President of the Argentinian Friends of TAU, and Governor Aida Smolarz, Miriam and Adolfo’s daughter, presented the honorary scholarships. “This country and this University – you make us proud,” Deutsch said to the recipients.  

The Fellowships were awarded to Noam Harel, Shahar Dubiner, Shai Zilberzwige -Tal, and Edo Kon for their research in RNA viruses, climate change, cell-on-chip platforms, mRNA vaccines and cancer therapeutics respectively.   

Featured image: From left: Prof. Marcelo Ehrlich, Aida Smolarz, Noam Harel, Edo Kon, Shahar Dubiner, Shai Zilberzwige-Tal, Polly Deutsch and Prof. Azem. (Photo: Yael Tzur)

TAU medical student Batya Sonnenfeld follows in the footsteps of late Prof. Dina Lev, as the inaugural recipient of memorial scholarship.

Since high school, TAU medical student Batya Sonnenfeld knew she wanted to pursue a medical career. Having grown up in the Chabad ultra-Orthodox education system in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Malachi, though, her choices seemed limited.  

“I felt there weren’t many options when I finished high school,” she says. While most ultra-Orthodox institutions do not include a curriculum of core subjects such as math and science needed for academic studies, the Chabad system does and Batya excelled at them. Still, at that point, she was only comfortable with gender-segregated institutions.  

A short time later, she enrolled in an undergraduate optometry program at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem for ultra-Orthodox women. “Before I even finished my optometry studies, I knew I wanted to learn more about medicine.”    

However, she wasn’t sure she would be able to realize her medical aspirations as academia’s top medical programs seemed extremely challenging to get into and unfamiliar from her upbringing in the ultra-Orthodox education system. 

She followed her heart and forged a journey that eventually led her to Tel Aviv University. Today, she is a second-year medical student and the inaugural recipient of the Dina Lev Scholarship, named for late TAU professor and alumna Prof. Dina Lev, who was a leading breast cancer surgeon and researcher.  

Relentless Pursuit  

Sonnenfeld, the youngest of 12 children, married her husband shortly after earning her optometry degree. “At that point in my life, I felt more stable and mature,” she recalls.  

It was then that she began exploring top university medical programs and came across TAU. The four-year accelerated MD track at one of Israel’s top-ranked medical schools appealed to her. She thought it might be a long shot considering the extremely competitive nature of Israeli medical schools, even among students who aren’t from the ultra-Orthodox education system and come with all the advantages and preparations. Determined, Sonnenfeld decided to apply. 

“Then I became pregnant and thought that was the end of my medical dreams,” she says.  

With encouragement from her husband and parents, she completed the prerequisite courses she needed for enrollment and stayed in the running.  

“The day I was accepted to TAU was one of the happiest days of my life,” she beams. “I still have my acceptance letter hanging on my refrigerator. Every time I walk by, it reminds me of what I’m capable of.” 

By the time she began her studies, Sonnenfeld had her first child and soon thereafter she gave birth to her second son. 

“When I was accepted to TAU, my husband was serving in the IDF with an 800-shekel (approximately $240) salary per month,” she said. Therefore, she continued working to provide for her family and pay for tuition until she received the scholarship. 

Perpetuating a Legacy 

“The Dina Lev Scholarship gave me space to really focus on my studies, otherwise it would have been extremely difficult to raise children alongside demanding studies and a full-time job,” said Sonnenfeld. She had applied for a scholarship through the Office of the Dean of Students. 

Moreover, Sonnenfeld was astonished when she learned she had received the scholarship in Dina Lev’s name.  

“By chance, I had read an article about her just a few days before and was so fascinated and inspired by her,” she explains. Sonnenfeld says she was extremely moved when she discovered a Facebook page dedicated to Lev. There, her former patients write touching testimonials about her impact as a compassionate and skilled doctor. 

“Each one of them felt like they were her only patient,” said Sonnenfeld. “As a Chabad member and religious Jew, I believe everything happens for a reason; there’s no coincidence. I feel I have a special duty to honor her legacy.” 

Lev was a professor at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Director of the Breast Health Center at Assuta Hospital in Ashdod at the time of her untimely death in 2020 at age 55. She graduated from TAU’s medical program before launching a career that led her to become a top surgeon in Israel. Her father, Reuben Ben-Arie, who lives in US, established the scholarship fund through the American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) to honor her memory. He explains that he chose TAU because it was his daughter’s intellectual home. 

“Dina would want a woman to follow in her footsteps,” he says. “It’s not easy to have a family and study medicine. To follow that path shows Batya has a passion for it.” 

Sonnenfeld has yet to choose a medical specialty, but she is interested in gynecology and is eager to begin clinical rotations next year at TAU-affiliated hospitals.   

“My hope for the future is to be the type of doctor that Prof. Dina Lev was, who touches the lives of patients with compassion even during some of the most difficult times in their lives,” she says.   

Win-Win Situation 

With two young kids, Sonnenfeld acknowledges that it was challenging to begin her degree at TAU. However, support from the medical faculty helped her ease into the academic rigors in a way that complemented her personal needs.  

“I got a parking spot, extra time for tests, and a very nice nursing room at the medical faculty that I could use,” she explains. Furthermore, she is particularly grateful for the tight-knit social support and hospital shadowing through the course Medical Education and Communication (“Chibuki” in Hebrew) led by Dr. Mirit Lahav. 

“TAU gave me a true chance to follow my dream,” she enthuses. 

Sonnenfeld sees considerable benefits to the growing access of academia for the ultra-Orthodox community. She is among the over 150 students in Trailblazers: The Program for Integrating the Ultra-Orthodox into Tel Aviv University. “Co-ed studying was a concern going into my studies as I had never experienced it before and thought I might be stereotyped, but I felt very accepted,” she says. “There is consideration and respect for my beliefs.” 

Established in 2016 with two students, Trailblazers combines academic studies with educational, psychological, and social support services to ease student entry into secular academia. 

“I think it’s a win-win situation,” she says. “There are tons of talented potential students, many of whom are women, and a lot of will in the community to go out and learn.” 

featured image: TAU medical student Batya Sonnenfeld

Twenty PhD students to continue breakthrough research for anti-degenerative drugs.

TAU’s Prajs-Drimmer Institute for the Development of Anti-Degenerative Drugs awarded 20 graduate fellowships to students on May 15, during TAU’s Board of Governors meeting. The fellowships were established to bolster the quality of research in the field of anti-degenerative drugs and attract top talent to the University.

The Prajs-Drimmer Institute was founded in 2008 by the families of Sruel Prajs and Norma Drimmer from Berlin, longtime TAU supporters, to promote research for the development of drugs which treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, ALS, and Alzheimer’s as well as cancer.

“The fellowships we award today will nurture a new generation of scientists to lead and shape the field in the coming years,” said Prof. Ariel Porat, TAU President. “Degenerative diseases are a terrible plague that affect much of humanity, and we hope this research will soon lead to real-life results.”

TAU Honorary Doctor Sruel Prajs and his sister, TAU Governor Norma Drimmer, boosted their support for the Institute in 2018 and now, in 2022.

“We’re very happy to contribute to this important topic at TAU. My parents have instilled in my brother and I the values of giving back to society—tzedaka. I’m glad that my children are following in that tradition,” said Norma Drimmer before awarding the fellowships.

Drimmer’s daughter Deborah Fischler and her husband Neil also contributed a doctoral fellowship to the Faculty of Life Sciences.

“The support is the oxygen for the research at our Institute. The recent extension of the support expanded our possibilities to providing fellowships, helping us attract the best and brightest minds,” said Prof. Ronit Pinkas-Kramarski, Director of the Institute.

Norma Drimmer and Prof. Ronit Pinkas-Kramarski with fellowship recipients

The gifts enabled the Institute to accelerate the pace of research and discovery, enhance its scientific standing and promote interdisciplinary collaboration between life sciences and medicine.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Prof. Abdussalam Azem, Dean of the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Prof. Karen Avraham, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the Institute’s academic committee members, Governors and friends from TAU’s German and Canadian Friends Associations, researchers, fellowship recipients and TAU students.

Featured image: From left: TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat, TAU Governor Norma Drimmer and TAU Vice President Amos Elad (Photo: Israel Hadari)

Endowment to support innovative research in transplant medicine.

TAU inaugurated the Closner Family Chair for Next Generation Organ and Tissue Implants on May 16 during its 2022 Board of Governors meeting. Headed by Prof. Tal Dvir, the Chair will boost TAU’s capacity to pioneer replacement organs and tissues that reduce the need for organ donations and the risk of transplant rejection.

Prof. Dan Peer, TAU Vice President for Research and Development, welcomed Dvir in his new capacity and thanked the Toronto-based Closner family for its support. “Our next-generation organ and tissue transplantation lab, headed by Prof. Dvir, will offer hope to millions of people waiting on transplant lists worldwide,” Peer said.

Dvir is also head of the Sagol Center for Regenerative Biotechnology and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at TAU.

The inauguration took place in the presence of Neil Closner, the Chair benefactor, Prof. Abdussalam Azem, Dean of the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Stephen Adler, head of the Canadian Friends of TAU (Ontario and Western Canada), Peer, Dvir, and Governors and friends of the University.

“The Chair will advance TAU’s standing in the international scientific community,” said Closner, who experienced the complex field first-hand, when his mother underwent double-lung transplant surgery a few years ago. “And I hope to see great things coming from it.”

Following the ceremony, Closner toured the lab facilities accompanied by Dvir and other researchers, who showcased their latest experiments. The Dvir lab recently made international headlines with a breakthrough development of 3D spinal cord implants.

Featured image: From left: Stephen J. Adler, Neil Closner and Prof. Tal Dvir (Photo: Ofer Amram)