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Tag: Social Sciences

Impact of the Constitutional Overhaul on National Resilience in Israel

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Rise in national resilience of coalition supporters vs. steep decline among supporters of the opposition.

A joint study by researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Tel-Hai Academic College demonstrates scientifically what we have all noted in the media, in the social networks, and in the streets: while the national resilience of coalition supporters has risen significantly over the past year (from 3.5 to 3.9 on a scale of 1-6), the opposite is true for supporters of the opposition, who exhibited a steep decline in the index of national resilience (from 3.7 in October 2022 to 3.2 in August 2023).

The study was led by Prof. Shaul Kimhi, Prof. Bruria Adini, Dr. Maya Siman-Tov, and Arielle Kaim from the Department of Emergency and Disaster Management, School of Public Health, at Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Yohanan Eshel and Dr. Hadas Marciano from the Tel-Hai College and the University of Haifa.

The researchers explain that the study is based on three surveys within the same sample of Jewish Israelis (N=785): the first a short time before the last elections (October 2022), the second in February 2023, about three and a half months after the elections, in the midst of the constitutional overhaul, and the third at the beginning of August 2023. The study examined a range of parameters related to resilience, stress, and well-being: national resilience, personal resilience, hope, morale, distress symptoms, and sense of danger. Average national resilience scores among supporters of the current coalition indicate a statistically significant rise from 3.53 in the first survey to 3.85 in the third, while supporters of the present opposition showed a significant decline from 3.66 in the first to 3.20 in the third measurement. It should be noted that in the first survey supporters of the current opposition (who were then supporters of the ruling government) reported significantly higher national resilience compared to coalition supporters.

Illustration: Comparison between coalition and opposition supporters through 3 assessments of national resilience:

In the parameter of hope for a better future, the study indicates no statistically significant change in the average score of the whole sample between the first (3.53) and second (3.52) surveys. In the third survey, however, a steep decline was observed in the overall score – down to 3.17. At the same time, findings indicate a large gap between opposition and coalition supporters: while coalition supporters maintained a relatively high level of hope in all three surveys (3.6), hope among supporters of the opposition dropped from 3.4 to 2.8 (measured on a scale of 1-5).

“The findings arouse deep concern for our ability to deal with the multitude of threats facing us and pose a danger to our existence as a healthy and cohesive society”.

The parameter of personal resilience further demonstrates the impact of the constitutional overhaul on the Israeli public. The study’s findings indicate a sharp decline in the overall score through all three surveys – from 3.9 to 3.5 (scale of 1-5). This substantial decline in personal resilience levels was observed in both groups (coalition and opposition supporters), with no significant difference throughout the three surveys. In other words, all participants reported a decrease in their personal resilience.

As to the sense of danger parameter, as expected, supporters of the opposition reported that they felt a real threat to themselves and to the state, and their apprehension was expressed in a sharp rise (from 2.3 to 2.9). Coalition supporters, on the other hand, felt much safer, and this was expressed in a decrease (from 2.6 to 2.1) on a scale of 1-5.

From their findings, the researchers conclude that since the elections of November 2022, the gap between the two groups representing Israel’s Jewish population – coalition and opposition supporters – has increased constantly. In all parameters measured in the study it is apparent that following the elections and ensuing events, supporters of the opposition reported a significant drop in resilience measures – national resilience, personal resilience, hope for a better future, and morale, coupled with a rise in distress symptoms and the sense of danger. In addition, findings indicate that following the elections, the gap between the two groups has deepened, which leads to further exacerbation of the severe political/social crisis in which Israel finds itself today.

Prof. Bruria Adini added: “Studies have shown that the national (societal) resilience index is a good predictor of a society’s capacity to withstand varied crises. The current study presents rapidly growing rifts and a continually decreasing level of resilience in Israeli society. The findings arouse deep concern for our ability to deal with the multitude of threats facing us, and pose a danger to our existence as a healthy and cohesive society”.

Stress Makes Vaccines Less Effective

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University find correlation between behavioral stress and vaccine effectiveness.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University demonstrated for the first time that there is a significant link between behavioral stress and the effectiveness of vaccines. They found that acute stress in lab models 9-12 days after vaccination increases antibody response to the vaccine by 70% compared to the unstressed control group. This, however, comes at the price of reduced antibody breadth, which results in diminished protection against the pathogen’s variants.

 

“Our study was the first to investigate the possible effects of acute stress. We found that this mental state has a dramatic impact – not only on the vaccine’s effectiveness, but also on how it works.” – Dr. Natalia Freund

 

The “Dramatic Impact” of Stress

The study was carried out in Tel Aviv University and led by Ph.D. student Noam Ben-Shalom from the lab of Dr. Natalia Freund at the Faculty of Medicine and Ph.D. student Elad Sandbank from the Neuro-immunology Lab of Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu at The School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience. The paper was published on July 6th in the leading scientific journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Dr. Freund explains: “In this study we examined, for the first time, the correlation between stress and the body’s ability to develop an immune response following vaccination. The prevailing assumption is that the effectiveness of a vaccine is determined mainly by its own quality. However, over the years, professional literature has reported influences of other factors as well, such as the age, genetics, and microbiome of the outcomes of vaccination. Our study was the first to investigate the possible effects of acute stress. We found that this mental state has a dramatic impact – not only on the vaccine’s effectiveness, but also on how it works.” 

Classical ‘Fight or Flight’ Response

Acute stress is a mental state caused by immediate threat (either real or imagined), involving the secretion of adrenaline and stimulation. In this study, Dr. Freund and her colleagues vaccinated mice with two different vaccines: the model protein Ovalbumin and a fragment of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein also used in the COVID-19 vaccine. Nine days later, just as the adaptive immunity became active and the production of antibodies began, the mice were subjected to a widely used behavioral paradigm simulating acute stress. Two and a half weeks after exposure to stress, namely 30 days after vaccination, the level of antibodies in the blood of vaccinated animals that had experienced stress was 70% higher compared to the control group. This phenomenon was observed in animals vaccinated with either type of vaccine.

At the same time, the researchers discovered that the immune system of the animals that had experienced stress was not cross reactive to variants of the protein used in the vaccine. In other words, following stress the immune system was focused entirely on the original vaccine, showing no response to proteins that were only slightly different – such as variants of concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2.

 

Dr. Natalia Freund

 

“In general, the purpose of vaccination is not only protection against a specific pathogen, but also creating a long-lasting immunological memory for protection against future mutations of that pathogen.” – Dr. Natalia Freund

 

 

“Initially, we were surprised to find out that the response to the vaccine was much more effective in animals that had experienced stress,” says Dr. Freund, “we would have assumed just the opposite – that stressful situations would have a negative impact on the immune system. Nevertheless, with both types of vaccines, we observed a stronger immune response after stress, both in the blood and in B cells (the lymphocytes that produce antibodies) derived from the spleen and lymph nodes of the immunized mice. The enhancement of the antibodies’ activity following stress was mediated by the cellular receptor that identifies adrenaline – the beta2 adrenergic receptor. When we blocked this receptor, either pharmacologically or by means of genetic engineering, the effects of stress were completely eliminated. On the other hand, to our great surprise, the breadth of the immune response generated by the vaccine was reduced by about 50% following stress. In general, the purpose of vaccination is not only protection against a specific pathogen, but also creating a long-lasting immunological memory for protection against future mutations of that pathogen. In this sense, the vaccines appeared to lose much of their effectiveness after exposure to stress.”

According to the researchers, this is in fact a classical ‘fight or flight’ response, however this time demonstrated at the molecular level. During stress, the immune system produces large quantities of antibodies and stronger antibodies, to address the immediate infection, and this large energetic investment in the here and now comes at the expense of future immunological memory.

Does It Apply to Humans?

Dr. Freund adds: “In the second part of the study we wanted to test whether humans also display the post-stress immune impairment observed in vaccinated mice. For this purpose, we cultured B cells obtained from blood of people who had contracted COVID-19 in the first wave. We then induced stress in these cultures using an adrenaline-like substance that stimulates the beta2 adrenergic receptor, that was identified by us in the first part of the study as a mediator of the response to stress in cells that produce antibodies in mice. B cells express a very high level of these receptors, but until now the receptors’ role in producing antibodies was not known. In fact, it was unclear why these cells need the ability to respond to adrenaline.”

“We discovered that just like in mice, human cells also exhibit a zero-sum game between the intensity and breadth of the immune response. When the adrenaline receptor is activated during stress, the entire immune system is stimulated, generating antibodies that are 100-fold stronger than antibodies produced in cells that had not undergone stress. But here too, the response was narrower: the diversity of antibodies was reduced by 20-100%, depending on the individual from whom the cells were taken.

 

“Stress 9 to 12 days after vaccination, at the time when B cells are generating high affinity antibodies, enhances short-term immunity and damages long-term memory.” – Dr. Natalia Freund

 

RNA sequencing of the cells in which the beta 2 adrenergic receptor was activated, compared to regular cells, indicated that the receptor’s activation caused antibody-producing cells to work at maximum capacity (by activating the PI3 kinase protein and phosphorylation of AKT) – at the expense of antibody breadth and diversity.”

“From the evolutionary perspective,” concludes Dr. Freund, “stress can be caused by different factors. We tend to think of mental stress, but physical illness also causes a form of stress. When the body contracts a virus or bacteria it experiences stress, and signals to the immune system that the top priority is getting rid of the pathogen, while investing energy in long-term immunological memory is a second priority. Therefore, stress 9 to 12 days after vaccination, at the time when B cells are generating high affinity antibodies, enhances short-term immunity and damages long-term memory.”

The Secret Sauce of Academic Growth

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Post-doc researchers propel cross-pollination of ideas around the globe.

How do universities worldwide expand academic ties, develop new research approaches, and tap into emerging ideas? One of the best ways to achieve these goals is to attract a talented and diverse group of recent PhD graduates for post-doctoral positions, which have long been considered as powerful engines for growth.

The main purpose of a post-doc is to develop the professional and academic skills of new PhDs, while providing them a “home” under the mentorship of an experienced researcher. The skills, experience and networking ties the young researchers gain at this stage can be key in helping them secure tenure-track faculty positions in the future. At the same time, the innovative ideas the researchers develop and pursue, and the academic ties they provide, position the hosting institution ahead of the curve in academic progress.

Recognizing the importance of supporting post-doc researchers’ foundations and private donors have created fellowship programs offering sponsored positions in various disciplines and creating a pool of talented young scientists and thinkers at the world’s top universities.

Tapping into the Expertise Network

Dr. Joshua Barrow is a post-doc scholar supported by the binational US-Israel Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program. He holds a joint appointment at Tel Aviv University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working at the intersection of nuclear and particle physics research.

 

Dr. Joshua Barrow hooking up cables for a new experiment at the MicroBooNE data acquisition subsystem

“In the field of particle physics specifically, collaborative work proves absolutely necessary. The experiments we build to study the most fundamental properties of matter—our colliders, accelerators, and detectors—are gigantic machines that require a team effort deep with cooperative knowledge. We bounce ideas off a lot of people and expertise is distributed throughout our large networks,” he says.

 

“Meeting other like-minded people allows us to fast-track the development of ideas and cross-pollinate them across disciplines.” – Dr. Joshua Barrow 

 

Originally from Tennessee, Barrow “caught the research bug” in college, when he decided that physics was the optimal discipline that combined “philosophy, logic, and the ultimate question of how things work in the universe.” He works with Prof. Or Hen at MIT and with Dr. Adi Ashkenazi at Tel Aviv University’s Raymond & Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy. “These professors were interested in working together. I aligned with both of their research interests and provided a bridge between principal investigators in both countries,” he explains.

Barrow, who started his Zuckerman Fellowship in the fall of 2021, met the 2021 cohort of Zuckerman Scholars in Israel from other fields and universities. “Meeting other like-minded people allows us to fast-track the development of ideas and cross-pollinate them across disciplines,” he muses.

Barrow, who hopes to continue working at national laboratories or as a university professor, plans to continue collaborations with TAU into the future, wherever he lands professionally. “The problems we’re trying to solve at TAU are interesting, and the undergraduate students are very bright.”

Discovering the Local Perspective

Post-doctoral exchange is no less vital in social science than in hard sciences. Dr. Lior Birger [featured on the article’s main image] is a Bloomfield post-doc researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Bob Shapell School of Social Work. She researches best practices in working with displaced populations, refugees, and asylum seekers. As part of her PhD research, Birger conducted fieldwork in Germany, where she initiated contact with the Alice Salomon University (ASH) School of Social Work in Berlin. Thanks to this connection and the support from the German-Israeli Future Forum, Birger and her colleague at the Bob Shapell School, Dr. Nora Korin-Langer later created two joint courses in migration between ASH and TAU.

 

“The post-doc is a critical phase for all scholars, but for women, especially. Women and mothers face more intense challenges that require additional flexibility and compromises.” Dr. Lior Birger

 

“Our students, both graduate, and undergrads, Jews and Arabs, get to learn about forced migration and meet displaced populations on the ground in both countries, which helps broaden their horizons and grasp the problem as a global issue, while providing different perspectives on the challenges of social exclusion and marginalization,” Birger says. The courses include a two-day preparation in Tel Aviv and then a week in Berlin.

In September 2022, Birger started another post-doc position in Sussex, UK. “The post-doc is a critical phase for all scholars, but for women, especially. Women and mothers face more intense challenges that require additional flexibility and compromises,” she says. “Programs providing post-doc fellowships alleviate some of the financial burdens on young researchers and allow them to develop independently – providing flexibility and much-needed support at this challenging stage,” she concludes.  

Nurturing Ties

Prof. Ralf Metzler, the current Chair for Theoretical Physics at the University of Potsdam, Germany, arrived in Israel in 1998 for his post-doc at Tel Aviv University after connecting with TAU chemistry professor Joseph Klafter after a seminar.

“Post-doc positions prevent you from steaming in your own juice. The best post-docs are the ones where you get really different perspectives, both in science and society,” he says.

 

“The best post-docs are the ones where you get really different perspectives, both in science and society.” Prof. Ralf Metzler

 

Metzler spent two and a half years at TAU, where he met some of his “best friends in science,” and he continues his collaboration with Israeli scientists today, and even hopes to come back to Israel to work sometime.

“I’ve become an advocate for Israel—I love the place,” he says. Metzler transfers his admiration of Israel to his students, many of whom come from countries such as China and Iran. “I hope that they go back changed, in a way,” he concludes.

 

Prof. Ralf Metzler (left) and Prof. Joseph Klafter

Moving Forward

Boosting the number of post-doctoral positions on campus has been one of Tel Aviv University’s organizational priorities. The number of post-doc fellows at TAU has risen 25% over the last five years to 477 fellows in 2022. 

“In contrast to science in the US and Europe, Israeli science traditionally relied on Ph.D. students and not on post-docs,” explains Prof. Yossi Yovel, the head of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and senior lecturer at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, who is always on the lookout for strong post-docs.

“In the past few years, however, we are observing a change in this pattern with more and more Israeli and international candidates looking to do their post-doc fellowship in Israel. The value and contribution of a strong post-doc can be instrumental in propelling progress at TAU, and in Israel, in general,” he adds. 

Source: TAU Review

Tel Aviv University Honors Nine Remarkable Individuals with Honorary Degrees

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

The recipients were honoured for their profound impact on the world in an extraordinary ceremony at the University’s 2023 Board of Governor’s Meeting.

In a festive ceremony held during the 2023 Board of Governors Meeting, Tel Aviv University awarded honorary degrees to 9 individuals, all of whom have had an exceptionally positive impact on the world. The honorary degrees were awarded by the Chairwoman of TAU’s Board of Governors, Dafna Meitar-Nechmad, President Prof. Ariel Porat and Rector Prof. Mark Steif.

 

Recipients include Morris Kahn, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of SpaceIL, who received the honour in recognition of his expansive philanthropic giving to causes including education, biomedical research, youth leadership, space exploration and the marine environment, as well as his commitment to Israeli science, as demonstrated through his generous support of diverse university- and hospital-based projects, including the 3D Cancer Printing Initiative at Tel Aviv University.

 

Other honorary degree recipients included Nobel Prize laureate Olga Tokarczuk, writer, activist and public intellectual, in recognition of her accomplishments as a world-renowned author and social activist, and her courageous efforts to secure Polish national recognition of crimes committed against Jews during the Second World War, as well as against refugees in the present day; Prof. Barbara Engelking, historian of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust, who was honoured in recognition of her pioneering contribution to Holocaust scholarship and her courageous determination to counter Holocaust distortion and expose the complexities of Polish-Jewish relations during the Second World War, regardless of personal cost.

 

Tamir Gilat was honoured for his heartfelt willingness, in his role as Chairman of the Israel Cancer Research Fund, to volunteer his time toward providing compassionate support to thousands of cancer sufferers and their families over the years; Sandra & Vlad Shmunis, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, received an honorary degree in recognition of their philanthropic spirit in supporting diverse important causes in Israel and the US through their family foundation, including Jewish values, young entrepreneurs, cancer research and Biblical archaeology.

 

WATCH: Highlights from the Honorary Degrees Conferment Ceremony, TAU’s Board of Governors Meeting 2023:

 

An honorary degree was also bestowed on Atallah Mansour in recognition of his immense contribution to civil, cultural, and democratic discourse in Israel over almost seven decades as a highly respected author and journalist; and on Prof. Antoine Compagnon, professor of French and comparative literature, College de France and Columbia University, who was honoured for his solidarity with the State of Israel during trying times, often in the face of public adversity.

 

Prof. Nicholas A. Peppas, chemical and biomedical engineer at the University of Texas at Austin, was awarded an honorary doctorate for his immeasurable influence as a leader and pacesetter in the fields of drug delivery, biomaterials and bio-nanotechnology over almost 50 years, as well as his interdisciplinary research approach, which blends molecular and cellular biology with materials engineering to produce next-generation biomedical systems and devices. Fellow scientist Prof. Pavel A. Pevzner, a computational biologist at University of California San Diego, was honoured for his standing as a world authority in computational biology and bioinformatics and his distinctive research approach that combines theoretical insights with the development of tools and practical applications for tackling real-world biological questions.

 

Finally, the George S. Wise Medal, the University’s highest honour, was awarded to Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies of Singapore, in recognition of his extraordinary public service record as an esteemed statesman and international economic leader.

 

Congratulations to all the recipients! Your accomplishments inspire us and make the world a better place.

Drug-Free Alternative for People with Social Anxiety

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Technology-driven treatment found to be as effective as psychiatric medications.

A new clinical trial conducted at Tel Aviv University has demonstrated an effective technology-driven alternative to psychiatric medications for people with social anxiety. The groundbreaking study found that Gaze-Contingent Music Reward Therapy (GC-MART) is as effective in treating social anxiety disorder as drugs from the SSRI family. The innovative treatment developed at TAU relieved the symptoms of about 50% of the study participants. The researchers hope that this therapy will soon be available as an effective alternative to psychiatric medications.

Affecting 4-12% of the Population

The study was led by Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, Director of the Adler Center for Child Development and Psychopathology, and of the Center for Traumatic Stress and Resilience at Tel Aviv University, together with research students Gal Arad and Omer Azriel from The School of Psychological Sciences at the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University Other collaborators included the NIH, the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) and Sheba Medical Centers, and Prof. Amit Lazarov of TAU. The paper was published in the prestigious American Journal of Psychiatry.

 

“About 4-12% of the population will develop social anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives. Quite often, people with this disorder avoid social situations – at a heavy interpersonal, professional, and economic price.” Prof. Yair Bar-Haim

 

Prof. Bar-Haim explains that “about 4-12% of the population will develop social anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives. Quite often, people with this disorder avoid social situations – at a heavy interpersonal, professional, and economic price. At present, psychiatry and psychology offer sufferers two types of treatment: SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs, such as Cipralex, and CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). CBT requires 12-20 sessions with a qualified clinical psychologist, in which symptoms are relieved through gradual exposure to the cause of anxiety. Thus, while effective, CBT is a complex treatment necessitating the presence of a highly skilled therapist and requiring patients to face their deepest fears, a requirement that often leads to treatment dropout.

“Because CBT is demanding, expensive, and not readily accessible, many patients turn to medication. However, psychiatric drugs like Cipralex have their own drawbacks: first, some patients prefer not to use psychiatric drugs; second, entire populations, such as young children, pregnant women, and individuals with specific diseases, cannot take SSRI drugs; and third, in some cases the drug has certain side effects.”

 

The research team (left to right): Prof. Yair Bar-Haim Gal Arad and Omer Azriel

Simple and Patient-friendly

Now, researchers from TAU have developed a third option, which is easy-to-use, quick and simple, and apparently no less effective than psychiatric drugs. Moreover, since the treatment is highly patient-friendly, a much lower dropout rate may be expected.

In the clinical trial, 105 Israeli adults with social anxiety disorder were assigned into three groups: one group was treated with SSRI drugs, in this case Cipralex; a second group was treated with GC-MART; and a control group. After ten 30-minute training sessions, about 50% of the patients provided with the new therapy demonstrated significant improvement in their symptoms – a result similar to the outcome reported for patients who took Cipralex.

 

“With efficacy similar to that of an existing first line drug treatment, the new treatment does not require the patient to take medications regularly. The new treatment is simple and patient friendly.” Prof. Yair Bar-Haim

 

“The therapy we developed is based on eye-tracking combined with a musical reward,” explains Prof. Bar-Haim. “The patients choose the music they would like to hear – Israeli, classical, hip hop, etc., and is shown a simulation of a crowd on a computer screen. Usually, individuals with social anxiety disorder tend to dwell on scowling or threatening facial expressions, quickly picking them out and unable to look away. Consequently, they often interpret the crowd or social situations as hostile, negative, or critical. People without social anxiety disorder, on the other hand, prefer to focus on positive or neutral faces in a crowd. In the new therapy, the music chosen by the patient provides positive feedback for a normal focus of attention on facial expressions in the crowd presented on the screen. Gradually, through training, patients’ biased attention is normalized, and symptoms recede. All participants in our trial underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment both before and after the treatment and were also asked to report on the symptoms and their severity. Results indicated that the new treatment significantly reduced symptoms of social anxiety, with an efficacy that is similar to that of SSRI drugs.”

“Our findings are encouraging for both therapists and patients. With efficacy similar to that of an existing first line drug treatment, the new treatment does not require the patient to take medications regularly. The new treatment is simple and patient friendly. It does not necessitate the prolonged intervention of a highly skilled psychologist, but rather interaction with social images on a screen, and therefore potentially offers accessible, effective, and convenient treatment for social anxiety disorder,” concludes Prof. Bar-Haim.

Breaking Glass Ceilings

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Alumni News, Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University alumna, Israela Tadela Baruch, launches project to empower Israeli women of Ethiopian descent.

“We are here to reach the forums where significant decisions are made that affect our daily lives and those of our children.”

This is an excerpt from a Facebook post from November 2nd 2022 that launched the “Tzahai” project (“light beam” in Amharic), initiated by Israela Tadela Baruch, an MA graduate in Public Policy at Tel Aviv University’s Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, who also has experience in communications and from the social sector. 

A New Direction

“As a mother of a toddler and with another one on the way, and after seven years of working in the field of communication, I encountered adversity where I least expected them: from women at a managerial level. That made me realize that if I want to succeed, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. I decided to take an independent path and pursue my passion for meaningful public engagement in a field close to my heart.”

 

 “I wanted a new direction – for us to be able to connect, not as women seeking help, but from a place of strength and power.”  Israela Tadela Baruch

 

Israela took part in an accelerator for social entrepreneurship through the World Zionist Organization and won an ‘outstanding enterprise’ grant. “I wanted to create a program to develop leadership skills among women from the Ethiopian community,” she explains. “That would equip them with the tools they need in order to enter Israeli politics and contribute to decision making. To add more nuance to Israel’s political landscape. I know women who have what it takes to execute public action, be it on local or national level.”

A group photo from the Tzahai group’s second meeting, where the women engaged in a fascinating discussion about politics, regime and social boundaries with political science expert, Dr. Hani Zubida (photo: from Tzahai’s Facebook page)

Israela mapped out all the existing organizations for Ethiopian women and found that they all dealt in the field of welfare. “I wanted a new direction – for us to be able to connect, not as women seeking help, but from a place of strength and power.”

Breaking Glass Ceilings

Prof. Itai Sened, the Dean of TAU’s Faculty of Social Sciences recognized the potential of Israela’s project, and encouraged her. She used connections she made in previous workplaces and managed to form a very diverse group, which included women at different stages of their professional lives from all over Israel.

Practically all of the women she gathered were full-time working mothers. They still found time to meet once every two weeks for Israela’s leadership program.

 

Women attending the program (photo: from Tzahai’s Facebook page)

“I wanted the women to meet a wide variety of influential and inspiring individuals, both women and men. This could help them expand their public activities and enable them to create impactful women’s networks of their own – and new social initiatives for the [Ethiopian] community. It was important for me to equip them with skills such as building arguments and public speaking. “

The program covered a wide array of topics: politics and gender; ethnicity; economic status; feminism; introduction to local government and social networks. The list also included a storytelling workshop and meetings with Ethiopians from Israeli media.

Soon the group will be heading to the Knesset, where they will meet with Pnina Tamano-Shata, another graduate from TAU’s Department of Public Policy, the Chair of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality.

 

“When my own two girls grow up, I would like female integration into political and social life to be a given. Today, for women in general and Ethiopian women in Israel in particular, it is hard to aspire to become politicians. I would like to change that.”  Israela Tadela Baruch

 

A Beam of Light

14 women participated in the first instalment, which took place in the University’s Social Sciences’ Naftali building. “We chose to call this program Tzahai, or ‘Beam of Light’ in Amharic,” says Israela. “When my own two girls grow up, I would like female integration into political and social life to be a given. Today, for women in general and Ethiopian women in Israel in particular, it is hard to aspire to become politicians. I would like to change that.”  

The second instalment of the Tzahai program will begin in October 2023. “There is no doubt that all the elections in the last five years and the lack of a stable government have resulted in some women realizing that they should be at the forefront. I can proudly say that a number of women from the pilot plan to run for local elections in 2023, using the skillset and network they’ve acquired,” says Israela.

She says that the education she received at Tel Aviv University contributed a lot to the project: “I participated in Dr. Yossi Boles’ elective course ‘Social Entrepreneurs in the Public Sector’, where I learned valuable insights. I also met women from different fields of interest who broadened my horizons. The icing on the cake is Prof. Itai Sened who supported, accompanied, advised – and most importantly believed in me.”

Israela’s message to social entrepreneurs who want to realize their ideas: “Don’t hesitate, believe in your idea, and do not wait for the right time to realize your dreams because that time is already yesterday.

 

“We are here to reach the forums where significant decisions are made that affect our daily lives and those of our children.” (photo: from Tzahai’s Facebook page)

Want to learn more?

Email: [email protected]

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Five Tel Aviv University Researchers Win Prestigious ERC Grants

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

The purpose of the grant is to enable researchers to fulfill their research goals, build research teams and promote fruitful collaborations.

The European Research Council (ERC) recently announced the winners of its 2022 call for research grants for mid-career researchers, and Tel Aviv University won five of these grants. The highly coveted grants enable promising researchers to achieve their research goals, promote fruitful collaborations and build competent research teams. 

From Across TAU Campus

“We are very proud of our researchers, and happy about their success. It is exciting to see that Israel in general, and Tel Aviv University in particular, continue to be at the forefront of global science. I am especially happy and excited to see a growing representation of researchers from the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences,” says Prof. Dan Peer, Tel Aviv University’s Vice President for Research and Development and Head of the Laboratory for Nanomedicine.

The following researchers were awarded ERC grants for their groundbreaking research:

Prof. Yemini researches the interactions between local and global processes in the education system. She explores how young people from different backgrounds in different countries understand and apply global citizenship.

Prof. Schonberg heads the Minerva Center for Human Intelligence in Immersive, Augmented and Mixed Realities and the TAU XR Center. In his laboratory, he investigates mental functions and the neural basis of human decision-making processes. For this purpose, he uses MRI methods, eye movement tracking, various physiological indices, and methods from the computational learning field. He also investigates human decision-making through the construction of virtual reality environments that enable full functionality and are monitored at the highest possible level.

Prof. Limor Landsman from the Cell and Developmental Biology Department researches the function of beta cells, cells that regulate insulin production, crucial for blood sugar control and for the prevention of diabetes. Her team studies how beta-cell function and mass are established and maintained in healthy individuals and why they are lost in instances of diabetes. To this end, they research the crosstalk between beta-cells andother cells in their microenvironment. 

Dr. Weiss is a cultural anthropologist who studies how people navigate moral dilemmas they encounter in their daily lives. She also researches liberalism and its alternatives, especially in the contexts of religious and ethnic coexistence. Through her research, Dr. Weiss explores how different groups in the world find ways to overcome differences and bridge the gaps between them.

Hila Shamir, a Professor of Law at Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Law, teaches and researches Employment, Labor, Immigration, and Welfare Law with a focus on issues of human trafficking, gender equality, informal work, and the law of global value chains. Prof. Shamir is a second time ERC grant winner. As part of her first ERC grant, she established the research group TraffLab: Labor Perspective to Human Trafficking. 

In her current research, Shamir examines efforts to promote workers’ rights in global supply and production chains. Her groundbreaking research looks towards various efforts to strengthen the collective power of workers in different parts of the world, to learn how a collective labor law can be developed to counterbalance to the growing power of corporations in the global economy.

Featured image: Winners of the ERC grant for 2023 (from left to right): Prof. Tom Schonberg, Prof. Limor Landsman, Prof. Miri Yemini, Prof. Hila Shamir and Dr. Erica Weiss 

Do You Have a Rightist or a Leftist Brain?

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Political orientation can be predicted by measuring brain activation while watching campaign-ads.

A first-of-its-kind study scanned the brains of dozens of politically involved participants while they watched campaign-ads and speeches by parties from both ends of the political spectrum, just before one of the last rounds of elections. The participants, half right-wing and half left-wing, were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a method that measures brain activation. Surprisingly, political-dependent differences in the brain response emerged already in early brain regions, such as regions involved in vision and hearing, and in fact the response in these regions was enough to predict an individual’s political views.

Great Minds Think Alike

The study was led by Noa Katabi, a research student in the lab of Dr. Yaara Yeshurun in The School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

During the study, participants watched video-clips, including a neutral (in terms of political characteristics) video-clip and different political campaign-ads and political speeches by politicians from both blocs, Right and Left. The researchers were surprised to discover widespread partisanship-dependent brain activation and synchronization when Right-wing individuals watched the videos of their political bloc, or when Left-wing individuals watched the videos of left-wing politician.

Interestingly, the researchers found that such partisanship-dependent differences in brain synchronization was not limited to “higher” areas of the brain, associated with interpretation and abstract thinking, as was previously found. Rather, these differences occurred already in regions responsible for sight, hearing and even touch.

 

“This is the first study to show political-dependent brain activity in early sensory and motor areas, and it can be said that at the most basic brain level, rightists and leftists in Israel literally (and not just metaphorically) don’t see and hear the same things.” Dr. Yaara Yeshurun

 

Dr. Yaara Yeshurun

Rightists and Leftists Experience Things Differently

“The research clearly showed that the more the subjects were politically aligned with a certain group, the more their brain response was synchronized, including in motor and somatosensory areas, that is, those areas of the brain that are active when we move or feel things with our senses,” explains Dr. Yeshurun. “In fact, just by the brain’s response in these primary sensory areas we could tell if a certain individual was left or wight wing. Intriguingly, it was not necessary to examine the activity in ‘higher’ brain areas – areas that are involved in understanding why a certain character did something, or what that character thinks and feels – to predict participants’ political views, it could even be done by examining an area of the brain that is responsible for seeing or hearing.”

The researchers think that this surprising finding is due to the fact that the participants they chose were politically involved, and also due to the timing of the experiment – a few weeks before the elections, when the political atmosphere in Israel was very present and emotional.

“This is the first study to show political-dependent brain activity in early sensory and motor areas, and it can be said that at the most basic brain level, rightists and leftists in Israel literally (and not just metaphorically) don’t see and hear the same things. I think that if we try to understand how people who hold opposite political views to ours experience the world, we might be able to conduct a slightly more effective public discussion that can hopefully attenuate the current political polarization,” adds Dr. Yeshurun.

 

Right or left? “If we try to understand how people who hold opposite political views to ours experience the world, we might be able to conduct a slightly more effective public discussion (…)”

New Exhibition at the Wiener Library Features “Jews out!” – a Children’s Board Game from Nazi Germany

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Players need to quickly collect six ‘Jew hats’ from Jewish areas in the city, and bring them to one of the roundup spots.

On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a new exhibition at the Wiener Library for the Study of the Nazi Era and the Holocaust at Tel Aviv University features the appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” (Juden Raus!), manufactured in Nazi Germany by an obscure company called Guenther and Co. at the end of 1938, probably following the events of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom).

 

“‘Jews Out!’ is clearly the outcome of years of blatant incitement and antisemitism which prevailed in German society in the 1930’s – so much so that someone got the idea that driving out the Jews was a suitable theme for a children’s game.” Prof. Emeritus José Brunner

 

Game With an Evil Twist

Prof. Emeritus José Brunner, the Academic Director, and Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Wiener Library, explains that the game resembles an innocuous game that at the time was popular in Germany, but with an evil twist: Players are tasked with quickly collecting six ‘Jew hats’ from Jewish residential and commercial areas in the city, and bringing them to one of the roundup spots. The first player to do so wins the game.

One of the captions on the board reads: “Go to Palestine!” (Auf nach Palästina!).

“‘Jews Out!’ is clearly the outcome of years of blatant incitement and antisemitism which prevailed in German society in the 1930’s – so much so that someone got the idea that driving out the Jews was a suitable theme for a children’s game,” notes Prof. Brunner.

“However, the game was considered an exception even at the time. Most children played games that taught them the story of the Nazi party, when it was established and how it had developed, while this game expressly teaches children to deport Jews,” he says, and explains that while some facts concerning the game’s history are in dispute, we know that it was distributed by a food merchant named Rudolf Fabricius.

WATCH: The appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” from Nazi Germany

 

“In the 1930’s children in German schools and preschools, who received their education from the Nazi party, played many games that encouraged them to identify with the party’s institutions.” Prof. Dina Porat

 

German Children’s Education in the 1930s

Prof. Dina Porat from the Department of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University adds: “In the 1930’s children in German schools and preschools, who received their education from the Nazi party, played many games that encouraged them to identify with the party’s institutions.”

“The game on display at the exhibition should be seen in the overall context of study materials in Nazi schools and preschools, such as a special edition of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion for children, or the scary children’s book Poisonous Mushroom. During WWII and the Holocaust, those who had received such an education from an early age could be clearly distinguished from older generations educated in a different Germany.”

 

The appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” (Juden Raus!)

‘Cleansing’ Germany of Jews – No ‘Game of Chance’

And yet, Prof. Brunner adds that though the game is clearly antisemitic, and even uses the Nazi slogan ‘Jews out!’, it was not well-received by the Nazi establishment.

An article published on December 29, 1938, in the SS weekly Das Schwarze Korps severely criticized the game, claiming that it was disrespectful to the German policy of cleansing Germany of Jews, because it presented systematic hard work as a game of chance, while in fact the cleansing was a methodical, thoroughly considered plan.

Nor was the game welcomed by the German public – the sales were evidently quite low. Despite the game was an economic failure, it nevertheless goes to support the idea that where racial hatred reigns, there will be entrepreneurs who will try to profit from it. 

Tel Aviv University received the game in the 1970s together with the entire Wiener archive from London, containing tens of thousands of documents from the Nazi period. The game immediately caught the attention of the Library’s directors, and over the years it was displayed from time to time to the Library’s visitors, mostly academic researchers. To their knowledge, the game displayed at the Wiener Library is one of very few remaining originals.

The Library’s collection also includes the SS weekly Das Schwarze Korps where the criticism of the game was published.

The Wiener Library team (from left to right): Dr. Laure-Line Yehuda, Prof. José Brunner and Michal Fisher

Common Medications May Reduce Risk of Metastases after Colon and Rectal Cancer

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Existing drugs to prevent anxiety, stress reactions and inflammation reduced the risk of the spread of cancer metastases after surgery to remove a colon tumor by tens of percent.

Although surgery to remove primary tumors is the mainstay of all cancer treatments, the risk of metastases after tumor removal is estimated at 35% among colon cancer patients, with higher risk in patients with more advance stages of the disease. However, a short, simple, and safe drug treatment developed at Tel Aviv University reduced the risk of the spread of cancer metastases after surgery to remove the primary tumor – according to the first clinical study of its kind conducted among 34 colon cancer patients operated on at Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center.

The research was led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and School of Psychological Sciences at the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences and Prof. Oded Zamora of TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and its results were published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology. At the same time, an overview of the theory and principles underlying the research was published in Nature Review Cancer.

“The stress during the waiting period for surgery, the stress and inflammation reactions that the body produces during the surgery itself and the physical recovery period, and finally the following anxiety of cancer recurring – all have an adverse effect on the body’s ability to fight metastatic processes,” explains Prof. Ben-Eliyahu. “These mental and physiological conditions create stress-inflammatory responses, which cause ample release of hormones from the prostaglandin and catecholamine families. These hormones suppress anti-metastatic immune activity, and thus encourage the development of metastases.”

“In addition, these hormones directly help the cancer cells that remain in the body even after surgery: due to exposure to these hormones, the cancerous tissue becomes more aggressive and metastatic. The good news is that we know how to treat both stress and inflammation using off-the-shelf medications.”

 

“This is a short, cheap drug treatment with no significant side effects. We deliberately sought the safest and cheapest drugs capable of lowering the body’s stress-inflammatory response to surgery, in order to save lives.” Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu

 

Significant and Encouraging Results

The researchers from Tel Aviv University gave 34 colon cancer patients two safe drugs that are available in every pharmacy: propranolol (Darlin), used to lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety, and etodolac (Etopan), used to prevent pain and inflammation.

Sixteen randomly chosen patients took the medication for 20 days – from five days before to two weeks after surgery at the Sheba Medical Center. The other 18 patients received placebo drugs (control group). Five years later, nine of the 18 patients who received the placebo (50%) developed cancer metastases, compared to two of the 16 patients who took Darlin and Etofen (12.5%).

“Although at five years after the operation, the statistical significance is clear, we need to conduct larger clinical studies,” says Prof. Ben-Eliyahu. “Our treatment reduced markers of metastasis in the tumor tissue and reduced the chances of cancer recurrence. This is a short, cheap drug treatment with no significant side effects. We deliberately sought the safest and cheapest drugs capable of lowering the body’s stress-inflammatory response to surgery, in order to save lives.”

“It sounds too good to be true, but similar results in breast cancer tissue were obtained in a study we conducted in 2017. Due to the small number of subjects in both studies, it is impossible to accurately estimate the magnitude of the beneficial effect, but the effects are statistically significant, meaning that they are not accidental.”

 

“We seek to save lives without financial gain, and we have received financial support from several Israeli and international sources, but these are insufficient for large clinical studies.” Prof. Shamgar  Ben-Eliyahu

 

Saving Lives Without Financial Gain

According to Prof. Ben-Eliyahu, part of the medical establishment distrusts the effects of stress-inflammatory reactions, particularly those resulting from psychological factors such as waiting for surgery or fear of the disease spreading. Another problem concerns the financing of clinical studies.

“One should bear in mind that the pharmaceutical companies have no financial incentive to support such studies. Our medicines are not patented; they are safe, cheap, and administered in a short treatment lasting just a few days. The drug companies look for patents on expensive drugs and prefer that the patient be dependent on the drug for the rest of their life.”

“Unfortunately, the major science foundations in Israel do not fund clinical research on drugs, assuming that the drug companies will fund them. We seek to save lives without financial gain, and we have received financial support from several Israeli and international sources, but these are insufficient for large clinical studies. I hope that funding will be found for a large-scale clinical study that we have now embarked on, with the intention of recruiting hundreds of colon and rectal cancer patients in Israel, because without such research – we will not be able to convince the medical establishment of the treatment’s effectiveness.”

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