Newsroom – Page 7 – Australian Friends of Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University Shatters Limits with Self-Repairing Glass

Written by Hilary on 26 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

TAU researchers create transparent, self-repairing adhesive glass that forms in contact with water.

Researchers from TAU have created a new type of glass with unique and even contradictory properties, such as being a strong adhesive (sticky) and incredibly transparent at the same time. The glass, which forms spontaneously when in contact with water at room temperature, could revolutionize in an array of diverse industries such as optics and electro-optics, satellite communication, remote sensing and biomedicine. The glass has been discovered by a team of researchers from Israel and the world, led by PhD student Gal Finkelstein-Zuta and Prof. Ehud Gazit from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at TAU. The research results were published last week in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.

“In our laboratory, we study bio-convergence and specifically use the wonderful properties of biology to produce innovative materials”, explains Prof. Gazit. “Among other things, we study sequences of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Amino acids and peptides have a natural tendency to connect and form ordered structures with a defined periodic arrangement, but during the research, we discovered a unique peptide that behaves differently from anything we know: it didn’t form any ordered pattern but an amorphous, disordered one, that describes glass”.

(Left to right) Gal Finkelstein-Zuta and Prof. Ehud Gazit.

Just Add Water

At the molecular level, glass is a liquid-like substance that lacks order in its molecular structure. Still, its mechanical properties are solid-like. Glass is usually manufactured by rapidly cooling molten materials and “freezing” them in this state before they are allowed to crystallize, resulting in an amorphous state that allows unique optical, chemical and mechanical properties – alongside durability, versatility, and sustainability. The researchers from TAU discovered that the aromatic peptide, which consists of a three-tyrosine sequence (YYY), forms a molecular glass spontaneously, upon evaporation of an aqueous solution, under room-temperature conditions.

“The commercial glass we all know is created by the rapid cooling of molten materials, a process called vitrification”, says Gal Finkelstein-Zuta. “The amorphous liquid-like organization should be fixed before it arranges in a more energy-efficient way as in crystals, and for that energy is required – it should be heated to high temperatures and cooled down immediately. On the other hand, the glass we discovered made of biological building blocks, forms spontaneously at room temperature, without the need for energy such as high heat or pressure. Just dissolve a powder in water – just like making Kool-Aid, and the glass will form. For example, we made lenses from our new glass. Instead of undergoing a lengthy process of grinding and polishing, we simply dripped a drop onto a surface, where we control its curvature – and hence its focus – by adjusting the solution volume alone”.

Solid peptide glass after preparation.

The properties of the innovative glass from TAU are unique in the world – and even contradict each other: it is very hard, but it can repair itself at room temperature; It is a strong adhesive, and at the same time, it is transparent in a wide spectral range, ranging from the visible light to the mid-infrared range.

An Unbreakable Marvel

“This is the first time anyone has succeeded in creating molecular glass under simple conditions”, says Prof. Gazit, “but not less important than that are the properties of the glass we created. It is a very special glass. On the one hand, it is very strong and on the other hand, very transparent – much more transparent than ordinary glass. The normal silicate glass we all know is transparent in the visible light range, the molecular glass we created is transparent deep into the infrared range. This has many uses in fields such as satellites, remote sensing, communications and optics. It is also a strong adhesive, it can glue different glasses together, and at the same time, can repair cracks that are formed in it. It is a set of properties that do not exist in any glass in the world, which has great potential in science and engineering, and we got all this from a single peptide – one little piece of protein”.

Hundreds Participated in the Tel Aviv Conference Held at TAU

Written by Hilary on 23 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

A diverse crowd gathered last week at the Tel Aviv University campus to attend the “Tel Aviv Conference – The Future of Israel”. The conference aimed to address the current state of Israeli society and explore possible ways to move it forward from as many perspectives and fields as possible. The goal was to broaden and deepen the discussion, making relevant research knowledge accessible and fostering a multidisciplinary perspective characteristic of the university’s work. It aimed to create an open dialogue with representatives from different parts of Israeli society and its leadership in all its diversity.

The conference included plenary sessions and roundtable discussions focusing on the social, political, security, and economic aspects of Israel’s future.

Panel on Israel and the Palestinians, from Left: Ohad Hemo, Dr. Michael Milshtein, Prof. Ariel Porat, Samer Sinijlawi and Ksenia Svetlova.

Israel’s Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai said earlier at the conference: “The police in a democratic country must be free, with absolutely no politics. It must remain autonomous. Free of any political bias, one way or another. This is the only way to guarantee police independence”.

commissioner Yaakov Shabtai.

Hostages’ Families Call for Action

No eye in sight remained dry when Shir Siegel, whose mother Aviva was released from Hamas captivity while her father Keith is still helled in Gaza, Ella Ben Ami, whose mother Raz was released from captivity while her father Ohad is still a hostage, and Nofar Buchshtab, whose brother Yagev is still helled in Gaza, took the stage for a special interview on the fight to free the hostages.

The three young women shared their difficult feelings about their treatment by decision-makers and the dilemmas and challenges they and their families face daily for almost nine months now.

Shira Siegel: “I look at you; there are professors and lawyers and lecturers and people with a lot of experience here, and I want to ask each of you, if I could, what have you done to bring my father home, what do you plan to do to bring the hostages home? And do you, like many of the people of Israel, feel that you don’t have enough power or influence or don’t know enough?”

from Left: Shir Siegel, Ella Ben-Ami, Nofar Buchshtab and Yoav Limor.

“I’m worried for Jews in Germany and in Europe. The fact that there’s so much bullying and harassment. You don’t fight antisemitic bullies with laws alone”- German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Rüdiger Seibert.

He continues, “I don’t see all of Europe and Germany following Spain and Ireland in their recognition of a Palestinian State. We believe that a sustainable solution should be in the form of a peace agreement based on two states, with all security arrangements, because first of all the principle of Israel’s security should be preserved”.

Ambassador Steffen Rüdiger Seibert.

State Comptroller of Israel Matanyahu Englman spoke: “We were prepared with transcripts of conversations that I believe all Israeli citizens want to know about, particularly talks between the Prime Minister and the military secretary. This is essential information for understanding the events of October 7th. The Prime Minister’s Office has instructed us, in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, not to pursue this further, but we cannot ignore our duty”.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman.

National Unity leader Benny Gantz: “The majority of parties should agree that even during the election period, we will support any progress towards the return of the hostages”.

Prof. Porat shaking hands with Benny Gantz.

The event was sponsored by the Kadar Foundation for Culture, Art, and Science, and by Avraham Kadar.

Talking Dugri at Tel Aviv University

Written by Hilary on 19 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

In Israel, the word ‘dugri‘ is known to Jews and Arabs alike and means talking straight. Now, two Tel Aviv University (TAU) professors — one Arab, the other Jewish — have come together to offer a course called Dugri to help students grapple with the hard truths and trauma related to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis today.

“This is a war with many, many thousands of people getting killed and you can’t just ask students not to talk and express their feelings — that is the worst mistake,” says Youssef Masharawi, a professor from the Department of Physical Therapy who also chairs TAU’s Steering Committee for Arab Integration.

Masharawi teaches the Dugri course alongside Uriel Abulof, a professor from the Department of Political Science. Both Masharawi and Abulof have previously helped run courses related to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, but this time they knew they would have to approach things differently and so they took dugri as their inspiration, including the “Let’s Talk Straight” video that went viral during the May 2021 violence.

“We’re not patching up the animosities, we’re not patching up the harsh realities,” says Abulof.

“It’s all about the sort of frankness and openness Jews and Arabs are capable of and turning that into a foundation for a respectful and substantial conversation.” — Prof. Abulof.

About the Dugri Course

Rather than teach a traditional course over several weeks, Abulof and Masharawi opted for an intensive approach where sessions would be run from 10:00 to 18:00, giving students more time for deeper conversation. The for-credit course takes place over three separate days across June and July, with periods for reflection and academic assignments between classes.

Masharawi (right) and Abulof (center) with the Dugri class.

There are approximately 20 students in the class — half Arab and half Jewish — and they come from diverse academic disciplines and from around the region, including the Gaza area.

To help facilitate the course, Masharawi and Abulof have put into place several house rules. For instance, students may reference anything said during the course at any time, but they must not name the person who said it — this mutual pact allows students to feel safer expressing their opinions and less afraid to say the wrong thing.

Other house rules include fairness, honesty and self-discipline, as well as mutual respect and listening. These priorities promote inclusion and allow for more critical thinking:

“Even if others don’t accept what a student is saying, they still have to stop and listen.” — Prof. Masharawi.

“There’s really a lot of effort to let people talk calmly and very honestly,” says Masharawi.

Three Intensive Days and Three Aspects of the Crisis

Each class is made up of several different sessions and organized around a unique theme pertaining to the crisis. For the first class on June 10, the theme was truth. Each student brought two news items with them: one they considered to be true and another they considered to be disinformation. Students also had to write up an academic rationale for each choice.

Abulof and Masharawi (center) were joined on the first day of the Dugri course by two special guests: Adv. Reda Jaber, director of the Aman Center (right) and Rabbi Moshe Turgman (left).

The course furthermore began with a facilitated session where each student stood face-to-face and answered icebreaker questions with one another in a rotating line. “The face-to-face encounter, this is so hugely important,” says Abulof.

“I think throughout the day, we were able to sort of re-enact a more intellectual and emotional face-to-face encounter. We all at least tried to see the other person and be in line with dugri.” — Prof. Abulof.

The second and third classes will be dedicated to the themes of trust and art, respectfully. “So much of the trust has gone away. You can’t sit in the same class, Arab and Jew, and not trust each other … trust needs to be the basis,” says Masharawi.

The Hope Behind Dugri

For both Masharawi and Abulof, there’s never been a more critical time to be holding this course. “There are good reasons to be truly worried,” reflects Abulof.

“But it is precisely in those moments that are the hardest, when the animosity is so high … if in those moments you can actually manage to see the individual human being before you, well that is a remarkable feat.” — Prof Abulof.

When it comes to this task, both emphasize that academia bears a responsibility in bringing about change.

“If, as a university, we aren’t able to discuss things here, then no other platform will be able to do this.” — Prof. Masharawi.

“This is the platform, and this is the place where this should be happening,” says Masharawi.

At the same time, offering Dugri as a pilot course this year is only the beginning. “It’s a fateful time for us, and Tel Aviv University and other Israeli universities have a responsibility to cultivate much more of this sort of dialogue. I think we should exit the ivory tower as soon as we possibly can and really go into the community centers, the synagogues, the mosques and even the barber shops,” says Abulof.

Masharawi also envisions offering the course globally: “There’s a lot of hatred everywhere, because people no longer listen to each other,” he says.

“I would love to work together with universities around the world and do an international course where we let people talk and seek answers without all the fear.” — Prof. Masharawi.

Report from the Campus Battlegrounds

Written by Hilary on 18 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitism has emerged as a pressing and increasingly pervasive issue on college campuses across the United States. What once may have been sporadic incidents or isolated sentiments has now coalesced into a disturbing trend marked by widespread and heated expressions of hatred and discrimination toward Jewish students and faculty.

This resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric and actions challenges the very foundation of academic discourse and community cohesion. Many Israeli researchers studying and working on American campuses feel the need to speak out. We asked three Tel Aviv University graduates currently doing postdoctoral studies at elite US universities to share their personal experiences.

Dr. Shai Zilberzwige-Tal
Post-doc at MIT, Boston

Shai earned her PhD from TAU’s Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, she is the recipient of the TAU Argentinean Friends PhD Fellowship.

I began my post-doc at MIT in September 2022. Having adapted to the constant threats in Israel, my move to America initially felt like a respite. However, the events of October 7th sharply turned that around. The shattered sense of security post-October made being Jewish and Israeli feel like having a target on my back. The hesitation to enter the lab, spending over an hour gathering the courage to leave my car, became a stark reality. During the October 7th weekend, only two close friends from the lab expressed concern, highlighting a surprising lack of broader support.

MIT’s failure to condemn the actions of October 7th deviated from their past practices during similar conflicts. The attempts of the University administration to stay neutral felt like betrayal. Demonstrations calling for the genocide of Jews created an atmosphere of fear and vulnerability on campus, threatening the essence of our academic community and challenging my belonging to an institution I considered home for the past year. This feeling became palpable when my son asked if he, too, was Jewish. I often think about his question—how innocent but also how fraught.

During this period, I discovered that sharing my personal story as an Israeli and as someone who served in the IDF as a paramedic both in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank became the most effective means of providing insight to others. I encountered surprising questions, like whether we are all white or if there are redheads in Israel. Yet, I recognized it as my mission to educate.

Reducing discussions about the war into slogans led to a lack of fact-checking and contextual understanding. It seemed that people accepted the information at face value. Even colleagues who offered support didn’t want to do so publicly, because supporting Israel was equated with endorsing colonialism and genocide. Yet some of my colleagues’ willingness to ask questions, learn and understand, left a lasting impression and served as a testament to the power of genuine curiosity and empathy.

Tensions escalated further when an unauthorized encampment was established on MIT’s lawn. By neglecting to delineate what is unacceptable behavior on campus, MIT has inadvertently allowed Israeli and Jewish individuals to become targets for pro-terror groups masquerading as pro-Palestinian activists. These groups have even gone so far as to send threatening emails to MIT faculty associated with Israel or grants linked to the Israeli Defense Force.

About this time, I faced a dilemma when applying for a fellowship, unsure whether to disclose my involvement in the Jewish and Israeli community, fearing it could jeopardize my chances. This internal conflict underscores the discomfort many of us feel in navigating these complex dynamics on campus.

Despite all the complexity of the situation, we refused to remain silent. Organizing a support rally in the greater Boston area within three days of the encampment demonstrated our resilience and determination. The outpouring of support following the rally reaffirmed that our efforts are not in vain, inspiring us to continue fighting for our rights and dignity on campus and beyond.

Dr. Ziv Ben-Zion
Post-doc at Yale University, Connecticut

Ziv holds a PhD from the Sagol School of Neuroscience. He is the recipient of travel grants from the SagolSchool and Adams Super-Center for Brain Studies.

I’ve been fighting antisemitism even before October 7th. When I arrived at Yale in the summer of 2021, I encountered a biased one-sided statement titled “Resource on Palestine” published by the Yale Postdoctoral Association (YPA). Working with fellow Israeli postdocs, it took us over a year of navigating challenges to publish a comprehensive counter-response, providing a more balanced perspective of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Since October 7, antisemitism has increased. My research field happens to be in PTSD, so it was natural that I would mention the October 7th events in a recent talk at an international conference about trauma & stress in LA. I spoke from the bottom of my heart about the most horrifying trauma that happened in Israel’s history less than a month earlier. A trauma that somehow almost no one cared to mention or talk about at that event. An ongoing trauma that prevented almost all Israeli participants from arriving at the conference that year. And yet, after several complaints about me, I was summoned for a hearing with the conference organizers about not including the topic in the abstract of my speech and using difficult language without a proper “trigger” disclaimer.

Back on campus, I lobbied and fought for an additional two months until I was able to publish an opinion piece “Free Palestine from Hamas” in the Yale Daily News.

After seeing how much antisemitism there is in US academia, I’m definitely not going to stay here—I plan on coming back to work in Israel’s academic institutions.

Dr. Zohar Arnon
Post-doc at Columbia University, New York

Zohar has a PhD from TAU’s Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research. He is the recipient of the Marian Gertner Institute for Medical Nanosystems Research Excellence Award and the Joan& Jaime Constantiner Travel Fellowship.

I’ve been in Columbia since April 2021 . Before October 7th, it was pretty great to walk around. It’s a very serene, beautiful place. I loved walking on campus with my dog because it has nice lawns and a lot of dogs come to play sometimes.

The days after October 7th were very different. The earliest protests against Israel came long before the ground operation in Gaza began and the hate in the eyes of the protestors was intense and immediate. It was clear that those are anti-Israel protests, and not pro-Palestinian.

Signs of the hostages we put up were torn down in a matter of hours.

People started wearing keffiyehs on campus. They were making a statement and it was making me feel unsafe walking around campus.

I don’t understand how people decide to side with a fanatic religious terror organization and not with another western democracy that is obviously doing much more to uphold the standards of civil society, warfare and humanity… I just don’t get it. Boils my blood.

My future plans are to stay in academia, specifically at Tel Aviv University. Current events didn’t change this one bit. If anything, they made me want to come back home even more.

This article first appeared in Tel Aviv University’s 2024 Annual Report

Tel Aviv University Ranks First in Israel in the Prestigious QS Ranking for the Year 2025

Written by Hilary on 16 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University’s impressive achievement as it takes the top spot among Israeli universities in the prestigious QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) rankings for 2025, is noteworthy. It’s the only Israeli university to have risen in the rankings from last year, now standing at 209th place globally, up from 215th last year.

The QS ranking is one of the leading indicators globally for evaluating academic institutions. Each year, it assesses around 1,500 of the world’s best universities, ranking them based on criteria such as teaching and research quality, citations, peer surveys, graduate employability, internationalization, and more. The ranking relies on approximately 17.5 million academic research papers and around 240,000 interviews with academics and employers.

Increased international collaborations

Among the metrics reflecting Tel Aviv University’s advancements this year, a 5% increase in international collaborations stands out compared to the previous year. Additionally, the sustainability category saw a notable rise of 39 places in the global ranking. Moreover, the university distinguishes itself in citation metrics, securing the 20th position worldwide.

Following Tel Aviv University, which leads among the six Israeli universities ranked in the index, are the Hebrew University and the Technion, ranking second and third, respectively.

The Israeli universities ranking

The full world ranking

Tel Aviv Conference: “The Future of Israel”

Written by Hilary on 16 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

June 19^th, 2024, Smolarz Auditorium, Tel Aviv University

The surprise attack on October 7th marked one of Israel’s toughest wars. This crisis has deeply impacted every aspect of citizens’ lives. How can we address internal divisions and global challenges as we move forward? The Tel Aviv Conference: Israel’s Future aims to tackle these questions, bringing together diverse perspectives to chart a path forward for Israeli society.

The “Tel Aviv Conference: Israel’s Future” is an initiative by TAU aimed to deeply discus these critical issues during these challenging times. Emphasizing where Israeli society stands today and what can be done to propel it forward, the conference seeks to expand and deepen the dialogue, drawing on relevant research and the multidisciplinary perspective characteristic of the university’s work. It aims to foster an open discussion involving representatives from various sectors of Israeli society and its leadership. The conference will include plenary sessions and roundtable discussions focusing on social, political, security, and economic aspects crucial to Israel’s future.

Join us for a conference that will host decision-makers, security experts, policy and international relations specialists, researchers, and cultural and intellectual figures in special interviews, lectures, panels, and discussions: President of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Ariel Porat, Israel’s Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, Former general and leader of Israel’s National Unity party Benny Gantz, the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of the State of Israel Matanyahu Englman, German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Rüdiger Seibert, CEO of Facebook (Meta) Israel Adi Soffer Teeni, former IDF deputy chief of staff and newly elected Labor Party leader Yair Golan, Chairman of the Ra’am party Dr. Mansour Abbas, Former Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israel Defense Forces Aharon Ze’evi Farkash & Former Commander of the Israel National Defense College and Military Academies Yossi Baidatz.

*The conference will be held in Hebrew.

**The number of places is limited and entry requires prior registration.

Why Did Early Humans Prefer to Hunt Near Water Sources?

Written by Hilary on 16 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Elephant Hunting and Stone Quarries in the Paleolithic Era

Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have uncovered the mystery surrounding extensive Paleolithic stone quarrying and tool-making sites: Why did Homo erectus repeatedly revisit the very same locations for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer lies in the migration routes of elephants, which they hunted and dismembered using flint tools crafted at these quarrying sites.

The research was led by Dr. Meir Finkel and Prof. Ran Barkai of Tel Aviv University’s Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures. The study was published in the journal Archaeologies.

Prof. Ran Barkai.

Prof. Ran Barkai explains: “Ancient humans required three things: water, food, and stone. While water and food are necessities for all creatures, humans relied on stone tools to hunt and butcher animals, as they lacked the sharp claws or fangs of other predators. The question is, why do we find rock outcrops that were used for the production of flint tools, surrounded by thousands of stone tools, and next to them rock outcrops containing flint that was not used for the production of tools? A study of indigenous groups that lived until recently, with some still alive today, shows that hunter-gatherers attribute great importance to the source of the stone — the quarry itself — imbuing it with potency and sanctity, and hence also spiritual worship. People have been making pilgrimages to such sites for generations upon generations, leaving offerings at the rock outcrop, while adjacent outcrops, equally suitable for stone tool production, remain untouched. We sought to understand why; what is special about these sites?”

How did elephant migration routes affect prehistoric quarry locations?

For nearly 20 years, Prof. Barkai and his colleagues have been researching flint quarrying and tool-making sites in the Upper Galilee. These sites are characterized by large nodules of flint convenient for crafting and are located within walking distance of the major Paleolithic sites of the Hula Valley — Gesher Benot Ya’akov and Ma’ayan Baruch. These sites boast thousands of quarrying and extraction localities where, until half a million years ago, in the Lower Paleolithic period, prehistoric humans fashioned tools and left offerings, despite the presence of flint in other geological formations in various places. Because elephants were the primary dietary component for these early humans, the Tel Aviv University researchers cross-referenced the database of the sites’ distribution with the database of the elephants’ migration routes and discovered that the flint quarrying and knapping sites were situated in rock outcrops near the elephants’ migration paths.

“An elephant consumes 400 liters of water a day on average, and that’s why it has fixed movement paths,” says Dr. Finkel. “These are animals that rely on a daily supply of water, and therefore on water sources — the banks of lakes, rivers and streams. In many instances, we discover elephant hunting and processing sites at “necessary crossings” — where a stream or river passes through a steep mountain pass, or when a path along a lakeshore is limited to the space between the shore and a mountain range. At the same time, given the absence of available means of preservation and the presence of predatory animals in the area, the window of opportunity for a group of hunter-gatherers to exhaust their elephant prey was limited. Therefore, it was imperative to prepare suitable cutting tools in large quantities in advance and nearby. For this reason, we find quarrying and knapping sites in the Upper Galilee located a short distance from elephant butchering sites, which are positioned along the elephants’ movement paths.”

Quarries and flint piles in the Galilee (Photo: Meir Finkel).

Subsequently, the researchers sought to apply an adapted model from the one they developed in Israel to several sites from the Lower Paleolithic period in Asia, Europe and Africa, where such a “triad” exists. These included both sites where the hunted animals were elephants or mammoths, as well as later sites where other animals, such as hippos, camels, and horses, were the prey.

“It appears that the Paleolithic holy trinity holds true universally: Wherever there was water, there were elephants, and wherever there were elephants, humans had to find suitable rock outcrops to quarry stone and make tools in order to hunt and butcher their favorite megaherbivores”, says Prof. Barkai.

“It was a tradition: For hundreds of thousands of years, the elephants wandered along the same route, while humans produced stone tools nearby. Ultimately, those elephants became extinct, and the world changed forever” – Prof. Barkai.

Main Tel Aviv University Stays Committed to Furthering Internationalization

Written by Hilary on 10 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

From May 28 to 31, Tel Aviv University (TAU) participated in NAFSA 2024, held in New Orleans, the USA. Representing TAU were Sharon Ziv Kafri, Director of International Development; Konstantin Platonov, Director of Asia Engagement; and Roy Robinson, Director of the North American TAU Office. They joined other Israeli universities at the Study in Israel booth, showcasing the institution’s commitment to fostering global partnerships and international collaboration.

Strengthening Global Connections

NAFSA, the world’s largest association dedicated to international education, provided an ideal platform for TAU to engage with current and potential partners. TAU has been a regular participant in NAFSA for many years, and this year’s participation was particularly crucial.

“It was important for TAU to be there to continue the conversation with partners and to build new partnerships. The role of academia now more than ever is to be a bridge between countries,” — Sharon Ziv Kafri, Director of International Development

Ziv Kafri also highlighted the importance of face-to-face interactions during such times: “People really want to know how we are and what is happening at university. Being in the same location allows us to get to know our partners, network, and form new partnerships.”

Engaging with Partners Across the Globe

The TAU delegation met with existing partners from various countries, including Korea, Japan, China, India, Spain, Italy, France, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, and the USA. These meetings were pivotal in discussing the future of these partnerships and exploring ways to elevate them to the next level.

Konstantin Platonov and Sharon Ziv Kafri with representatives from Osnabrueck University in Germany

Additionally, TAU seized the opportunity to initiate conversations with universities it has not yet partnered with. These initial discussions aimed to identify mutual areas of interest and potential collaboration.

As Konstantin Platonov comments, “We managed to build some very prospective connections and negotiate several new exchange programs with the Republic of Korea and Japan.”

We are happy that our Asian partners are highly supportive and committed to strengthening relations with Israel.” — Konstantin Platonov, Director of Asia Engagement

Highlight Events and Discussions

NAFSA 2024 featured several events that the TAU delegation took part in. These included, for instance, the Symposium on Leadership: Reinventing Internationalization, which focused on adapting new approaches to internationalization to institutional contexts and beyond, Monash University Lunch, which addressed the current challenges of internationalization, and a Science Po Breakfast, where participants discussed managing large-scale exchange programs and Science Po’s international strategy across its campuses.

“It’s a great way to interact with people who do similar jobs and to build personal connections, which is very important.” — Sharon Ziv Kafri.

One of the important takeaways highlighted the value of building strong ties between an international office and a research authority, as they can propel internationalization efforts.

TAU representatives also attended events with Notre Dame University, Baden-Wurtenberg universities, and the State University of New York (SUNY). These gatherings were invaluable for sharing knowledge and experiences in the field of university internationalization.

Community and Collaboration

In addition to academic and professional engagements, TAU sponsored a Jewish community gathering in collaboration with other Israeli universities. This event fostered a sense of community and shared purpose among the participants, leading to the establishment of new connections.

Israeli delegation at the Study in Israel booth at NAFSA

Platonov elaborates: “We met a representative of a prestigious Japanese university who joined the gathering because her partner is Jewish. We quickly identified several gravity points and agreed to explore institutional cooperation and student exchange.”

Looking Forward

TAU’s presence at NAFSA 2024 underscored its dedication to global engagement and academic collaboration. As the university navigates current events and challenges, such platforms remain instrumental in sustaining and expanding its international presence. TAU continues to embody the spirit of academic diplomacy, building bridges and forging partnerships that transcend borders.

Faculty of Exact Sciences Symposium: Exact Sciences: Igniting Tomorrow’s Innovations

Written by Hilary on 9 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Last week, Tel Aviv University hosted the symposium, “Exact Sciences: Igniting Tomorrow’s Innovations,” attracting a packed audience. The event explored the pivotal role of TAU’s Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences in shaping the foundational pillars of science and technology to address 21st-century challenges.

In his opening remarks, TAU Rector Prof. Mark Shtaif emphasized the profound impact of scientific advances on society and technology.

Exact Sciences Dean Prof. Tova Milo presented the Faculty, emphasizing its remarkable standing and its commitment to excellence. She acknowledged the challenging times for students and faculty during wartime and the accelerating international academic boycott of Israel. Prof. Milo highlighted the paramount importance of both internal and external support for students and researchers to maintain a semblance of normalcy and resilience, for the sake of Israel’s future.

Eyal Waldman, recipient of the 2024 Israel Prize for Entrepreneurship and special guest speaker, shared insights during an interview with Prof. Michal Feldman from the Blavatnik School of Computer Science. Waldman expressed immense pride in receiving the award, attributing it to the collective efforts of thousands who have worked alongside him. Waldman emphasized the critical role of innovation and entrepreneurship in bolstering Israel’s economy, highlighting high-tech exports’ significant contribution. Waldman also spoke about the role of AI in our lives, noting that AI is penetrating all aspects of our existence and making technology increasingly indispensable. He discussed the need for developing smarter, faster, and more intelligent hardware to support future applications. Additionally, Waldman underscored the importance of using secure and reliable data for machine learning, as well as the obligation to prevent manipulation of AI decisions for personal benefits.

The symposium included TED talks by leading faculty members, delving into technological and scientific challenges in their respective fields. Topics ranged from “Statistics in the Age of AI” by Prof. Saharon Rosset, School of Mathematical Sciences, and “AI in 2024: What’s Current and What’s Next?” by Prof. Lior Wolf, Blavatnik School of Computer Science, to “Mobility of the Future: Challenges and New Capabilities” by Dr. Bat-hen Nahmias-Biran, Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences & School of Social and Policy Studies; “Quantum Materials” by Prof. Moshe Ben Shalom, School of Physics and Astronomy; and an overview of the latest research from the School of Chemistry by Prof. Yuval Ebenstein.

Bearing Witness from the Eye of a Hurricane

Written by Hilary on 9 June 2024. Posted in Newsroom.

Whether one thinks about October 7, about the ongoing war, or about the global rise in antisemitism, it’s hard not to feel in the middle of a hurricane, as Eden Golan so bravely and beautifully sang. But what does it mean to be in the middle of this tragic hurricane? And how can we bear witness to it all?

For answers to these complicated questions, we turn to two experts from Tel Aviv University’s (TAU’s) international MFA Degree in Documentary Cinema. In the coming academic year, they will be teaching new courses touching on the relationship between documentary filmmaking and conflict. Notably, the MFA’s courses are continually updated based on the most pressing issues of our time.

Tami Liberman

Tami Liberman, a lecturer in the English-speaking documentary cinema MFA program, leads a workshop called “Ethnographic Film in Past and Present Conflicts.”

What role can documentary filmmaking play during a time of war and conflict?

In the ethnographic film workshop taught in our program, film is discussed from an anthropological perspective, as a medium that excels in providing experiential knowledge rather than analytical knowledge. Meaning, it can allow us to sense the experience of another person, at times even from the other side of a conflict we take part in.

Film can restore humanity or be a reminder of humanism in times when people are most aggressively dehumanized. Moreover, it’s a great platform for the promotion of critical thinking.

Can a documentary film made during a time of conflict ever truly be objective? Why or why not?

Objectivity is a complex and problematized expectation from documentary film at any time. I feel that the central issue in times of conflict is that of ethics: how do we get our information? In what kind of predicament are we finding our protagonists and how does that affect their consent? And when documenting a violent conflict, what can and cannot be shown on screen, and how do we document suffering?

What’s a lesson we can learn from a previous documentary about conflict or war?

In the 2019 film Midnight Traveler, which is a self-documentation of a family’s escape from Afghanistan and their experience as asylum seekers in Europe, there is a moment that the young daughter of the family suddenly disappears.

Her father, Hassan Fazili, the director of the film, describes in a monologue accompanied by a sombre shot of the moon in a dark sky, the harrowing moments of searching.

He describes how, when he was looking through the bushes, a flash of thought rushed through his mind: “What a scene you’re in. This will be the best scene in the film. Maybe you should turn on the camera.”

Another glimpse of a thought follows in which, for a few seconds, he imagines finding his daughter Zahra’s body with the camera on. “How much I hated myself for that,” he says as the shot tilts down from the moon into complete darkness, “I hated cinema.” Then he adds “Zahra was found” and the film cuts from the black screen to a shot of Zahra laughing. This scene to me is such a sincere, humble and compelling lesson in documentary filmmaking, both in content and form.

I share the scene with students in my class with the hope that they not only remember the power of turning the camera on, but also the power of turning it off.

What stories need to be told right now?

I’m not sure that it’s for me to say. I can’t envision all the stories that are out there in the world waiting to be told, especially with a genre too wonderfully reliant on reality to be fully premeditated.

What’s important is that they are told and that people’s subjective experiences continue to be represented, especially in the face of attempts to control and censor such representations.

Dan Arav

Dan Arav teaches a seminar in TAU’s international documentary cinema MFA program called “Docu-trauma: War and Memory in Israeli Documentary Cinema.”

What role can documentary filmmaking play during a time of war and conflict?

Documentary filmmaking is usually done from a certain time perspective. And yet, in the face of a long-lasting war, and certainly in the face of an ongoing conflict, documentary cinema has several roles.

Being based on the personal vision of its creators, documentary cinema must provide a personal and interpretive position in relation to the harsh reality, while placing that reality in an additional and even different context than the one mediated by the central mechanisms of consciousness in society: the government, the education system and mass media channels.

Can a documentary film made during a time of conflict ever truly be objective? Why or why not?

Documentary cinema in general, and during war in particular, must give up the pretense of being objective.

It must strive for truth and integrity, and at the same time illuminate the reality in a personal way: one that seeks to illuminate the story of the conflict from a surprising, unfamiliar and sometimes even challenging angle.

What’s a lesson we can learn from a previous documentary about conflict or war?

It is difficult to pinpoint a lesson that can be learned in real time. As has been said, documentary cinema usually offers an opportunity for the revelation of reality and the creation of a new consciousness in relation to the past.

The documentary Censored Voices, for example, returns to the Six Day War 50 years after its occurrence and reveals an alternative discourse – a discourse that took place in real time on the margins. This discourse was censored due to its incompatibility with the prevailing discourse at that time. A film of this type, which deals with a distant and forgotten war, may, perhaps, promote an alternative way of thinking also in relation to conflicts closer in time.

What stories need to be told right now?

The stories that need to be told today are, in my opinion, personal stories, stories that go beyond the rut of consciousness dictated from above. Stories that provide a broad perspective about reality and develop critical thinking.

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