Tag: Tel Aviv University

Google and Tel Aviv University Launch New AI and Data Science Research Program

Written by AUFTAU on 9 May 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Google and Tel Aviv University are continuing their ongoing collaboration and launched a new three-year program for the promotion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science research, through the TAD – Center for Artificial Intelligence & Data Science at TAU, headed by Prof. Meir Feder (from The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering) with financial support of $1M from Google. The program is focused mainly on AI research for Sustainability and for Education.

Grant Awardees and Fellowships

The launch event, held on May 1, included a ceremony to announce the grant awardees who were selected by the grant committee following a call for research proposals.

The faculty members who won the grants come from diverse fields – from the Porter School for Environmental studies at the Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Iby and Aladar Faculty of Engineering and The Jaime and Joan Constantiner School of Education

In addition, three fellowships were awarded to graduate students from underrepresented groups in the academia in the fields of AI. The winning students come from the Blavatnik School of Computer Science, the School of Zoology and the School of Education.

“In this new program, we place the focus on utilizing AI tools to advance sustainability and education. Sustainability is absolutely critical to the continued existence of humanity, while education is crucial to the health of our society. TAU excels in both of these areas, and collaboration with Google will strengthen them even further.” – Prof. Ariel Porat, Tel Aviv University President

Grant Awardees (photo: Ofra Ron Mazor)

Focus on Sustainability and Education

During the opening ceremony, TAU president, Prof. Ariel Porat, Prof. Yossi Matias, VP Engineering and Research, Google and Head of Google center in Israel, and Prof. Meir Feder, Head of TAD spoke about the program and the TAU-Google long-standing partnership:

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University, said: “Several years ago we began a fruitful collaboration with Google, led by Prof. Yossi Matias. The purpose of this partnership is to boost the contribution of AI to the improvement of human society and the world we live in. In this new program, we place the focus on utilizing AI tools to advance sustainability and education. Sustainability is absolutely critical to the continued existence of humanity, while education is crucial to the health of our society. TAU excels in both of these areas, and collaboration with Google will strengthen them even further.”

“Through our continued and expanded partnership with TAU and its Center for AI and Data Science, we hope to join together industrial and academic research to advance science and technology in these critical areas for humanity and society.” – Yossi Matias, Google

Yossi Matias, VP Engineering and Research, Google said: ”We have great opportunities to use AI to make a significant positive impact in many areas, and I’m excited about our continued investments in driving for positive change in Sustainability and Education. Through our continued and expanded partnership with TAU and its Center for AI and Data Science, we hope to join together industrial and academic research to advance science and technology in these critical areas for humanity and society.”

Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity

“We are also committed to continuing our efforts to make academia and industry more inclusive for all segments of society,” said Matias. Google started a mentoring program with ExactShe, established by Prof. Tova Milo, Dean at the Faculty of Exact Sciences at TAU, through which female Google volunteers will mentor female students from the Faculty, to create a supportive community and help them integrate into the research community and the industry.

“The collaboration with Google helps in another very important goal of the center – the support of underrepresented groups in the field of AI in academia and promote diversity and inclusive environment at the university.” – Prof. Meir Feder

Prof. Meir Feder, Head of TAD, thanked Google for the ongoing collaboration and the support in these important fields of AI research at TAU. “Both sustainability and education are topics of growing interest and AI can greatly advance these areas for the benefit of the environment and society in general. AI can help to address some of the biggest challenges such as innovate teaching and learning for all, climate change, water resources, renewable energy, biodiversity and more.”

“The collaboration with Google helps in another very important goal of the center – the support of underrepresented groups in the field of AI in academia and promote diversity and inclusive environment at the university. We are happy to join forces to promote all these important aspects.”

Joint Seminars and Meetings

As part of the long-standing partnership, TAD and Google held joint seminars in the last couple of years in the fields of AI for the Environment, and Health and AI. Led by Dr. Deborah Cohen, Senior Scientist at Google Research, and Dr. Shiri Stempler, Director of Research Collaborations at TAD, the meetings included talks by researchers from both TAU and Google who presented established results as well as work in progress and provided a platform to advance connections between academia and industry. Joint meetings will continue to be held as part of the new program as well.

The Jewish Wars?

Written by AUFTAU on 7 May 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Last week, Tel Aviv University held an international emergency conference in collaboration with Brandeis University and the World Zionist Organization, under the title: ‘The Jewish Wars?’. The participants, including leading public and academic figures from Israel and the Diaspora, addressed the issues of Israel-Diaspora relations and the future of Jewish identity in light of the escalating crisis in the relations between Israel and world Jewry.

Conference Objectives

According to its organizers, the conference is a first step in a comprehensive academic and research effort to assist in the formulation of a new social contract for the Jewish nation – inside the state of Israel and between Israel and the Diaspora.

Healing the Growing Rift and Redefining Jewish Identity

A range of burning questions were discussed, such as:

The growing rift between Jewish communities and movements in Israel and worldwide – can it be healed and how?
Who is a Jew and who gets to decide this?
Israel and the Jewish Diaspora in the wake of the judicial overhaul
The changing nature of Jewish faith and identity in the 21st century
What can Israel learn from the Diaspora at this time?

The conference was led by two notable researchers from Tel Aviv University: former MK Prof. Yossi Shain, previously Head of The School of Political Science, and Dr. Yoav Fromer, Head of The Center for US Studies.

Partnership between TAU and Brandeis University

The conference is the first initiative of a new partnership between two major academic institutions: Tel Aviv University and Brandeis University – the world’s largest and most important liberal Jewish university, which, like Israel, is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary.

Prominent Participants and Opening Messages

The conference opened with welcoming messages from the President of Israel Isaac Herzog (recorded), TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat, and the President of Brandeis University Prof. Ronald D. Liebowitz.

Prominent participants included: Tova Dorfman, President of the World Zionist Organization; Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, a leader of liberal French Jewry; Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem; Prof. Rabbi Yehudah Mirsky and Prof. Leonard Saxe of Brandeis University; and other leading scholars.

WATCH: Jewish leaders from Israel and the Diaspora convened under the title: “The Jewish Wars?”

Crisis Will Shape Future of the Jewish Nation

“Israel is currently in the midst of one of the greatest crises in its history – a crisis that will impact the entire Jewish nation and shape its future,” proclaimed Prof. Yossi Shain.

“Throughout our history, Jewish wars have always been a time of great distress for our people, and this is also true today. We ask ourselves with deep concern: where is our nation headed?” – Prof. Yossi Shain

“Throughout our history, Jewish wars have always been a time of great distress for our people, and this is also true today. We ask ourselves with deep concern: where is our nation headed?”

“Long ago, at a moment of grave danger to the Jewish people, Queen Esther said to Mordechai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews’ (Esther 4, 16). Today we also understand that to heal the rifts and find a solution we must gather all the Jews.”

“In this spirit and believing that academia must play a key role in this comprehensive effort, we have chosen to strengthen the ties between Tel Aviv University – which represents the new Israeli spirit – and Brandeis University, the world’s leading Jewish university, named after the first Jewish Justice in the US Supreme Court. This partnership, launched with the blessing of Israel’s President and supported by the Presidents of both universities, is meant to contribute to the formulation of a new social contract between Israel and world Jewry, with an emphasis on the largest and most influential community, the Jews of the US.”

“Diaspora Jewry, contending with a rise in antisemitism and a deterioration in Israel’s standing worldwide, is very worried about the nationalist and religious character of the present Israeli government.” Dr. Yoav Fromer

Understanding Reasons for Crisis, Looking for Solutions

“The relations between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora, especially the Jews living in democratic and liberal Western countries, are currently in deep crisis,” warned Dr. Yoav Fromer. “We are no longer talking about specific issues, as important as they may be, like the Jewish Ancestry Amendment to the Law of Return, or the Women of the Wall.”

“We’re not there anymore.”

“Diaspora Jewry, contending with a rise in antisemitism and a deterioration in Israel’s standing worldwide, is very worried about the nationalist and religious character of the present Israeli government. In addition, many are deeply concerned about the question of ‘Who is a Jew?’ and who has the right to decide this. This is especially critical for American Jews, who belong, for the most part, to Reform or Conservative Judaism. For them this is not merely a theoretical issue: it touches upon the daily lives of many who see themselves as Jews and raise Jewish families, after undergoing conversion that is not Orthodox, and is therefore not recognized in Israel.”

“We Israelis, on our part, must never forget that our ties with our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora are critical for us: they are our greatest allies, offering us generous financial support and defending Israel’s interests in their lands. In this conference we tried to understand the reasons for this deep crisis and began to look for solutions.”

Tel Aviv University Celebrates Long Tradition of Academic Collaboration With Mexico

Written by AUFTAU on 4 May 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

As Israel and Mexico mark 70 years of diplomatic relations, Tel Aviv University (TAU) is hosting its own “Mexico International Week” on campus between May 8-10, in celebration of its longstanding academic relations with Mexican academic institutions.

“During Mexico International Week we celebrate the strong academic relationship between our countries while also promoting understanding.” – Maureen Adiri Meyer

Decades-long Tradition of Academic Collaboration

“We’ve been collaborating with and welcoming students and scholars from Mexico for decades,” says Maureen Adiri Meyer, Director of The Lowy International School at TAU. “During Mexico International Week we celebrate the strong academic relationship between our countries while also promoting understanding .”

The first joint publication between TAU and a Mexican academic institution was published in 1970, and the first academic agreement was signed between TAU and a Mexican university, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, as far back as in 1980.

Today, there are several initiatives supporting academic exchange between the two countries, including a new potential partnership with the Guanajuato state government that would allow local students to attend TAU international programs for free, as well as the Peisach Scholarship Fund for Latin American and Brazilian students.

The Mexico building on TAU campus

“I hope Mexico International Week will spark a curiosity in the participants, prompting them to look beyond the most common images – the food, the beaches and the tequila.” – Paul Frankel

Did you know that TAU has a building named after its collaboration partner? The Mexico Building, which in part houses the Faculty of Arts, was built all the way back in 1964. Donated by members of the Jewish community in Mexico and designed by architects Dan Eitan and Yitzhak Ishar, the building won the Rockach Prize for Architecture.

Legend has it that the building was designed in one night, and the word “Mexico” was scribbled on the architectural sketch. The unofficial reference eventually became the official name of the building, which can be found right in the center of campus.

More than Tacos and Sombreros

During Mexico International Week, participants will get a closer look at the warm and dynamic culture of Mexico, through introductions to traditional food; drinks and dance; lectures on cultural identity and history; discussions on Mexico-Israel relations and more.

The Mexican Embassy will also take part in the festivities, with their own booth on the first day of the event.

Paul Frankel, an MA student with TAU’s Security & Diplomacy program, will be hosting a discussion on Mexican identity and cultural heritage (complete with Mexican sangria!). For Paul, the week of events is an opportunity to build connections between the two countries and peoples, share knowledge and dispel stereotypes: “It has been an incessant curiosity of mine to learn in depth about Mexico,” says Frankel, an Israeli who was born in Mexico and has been working in Mexican museums for several years. “I hope Mexico International Week will spark a curiosity in the participants, prompting them to look beyond the most common images – the food, the beaches and the tequila. While we’re very proud of these elements, there is just so much more to Mexico.”

Andrea Garza (photo: Rafael Ben-Menashe, Tel Aviv University)

“If you compare Tel Avivians with Mexico City residents, people are always cheerful. They love to party, embrace the balagan [/chaos] – and there is the same colorful environment.” – Andrea Garza

Mexico, Israel and the Sabra

Of course, there are many broader connections between Mexico and Israel. Take the sabra, for instance – Israel’s iconic national symbol. Did you know that the famous prickly fruit with the sweet center also happens to be a national symbol in Mexico, appearing on its flag? In fact, the plant was likely first domesticated in Mexico approximately 8,000 years ago and only later made its way to Israel.

“We really are kind of connected,” shares Andrea Garza, a Mexican anthropology MA student who is also involved in running TAU’s Mexico International Week. “If you compare Tel Avivians with Mexico City residents, people are always cheerful. They love to party, embrace the balagan [/chaos] – and there is the same colorful environment.”

Tel Aviv University’s Mexico International Week is open for everyone who would like to join. Learn more and register here.

TAU-Mexico: 5 Facts

150 international students over the past decade
1970 marks the first joint publication between TAU and the Mexican Institute
1 building at TAU named after its collaboration partner, “The Mexico Building”
50+ years for the Mexican friends of Tel Aviv University Association
383 joint publications were co-published by TAU and Mexican universities

Jack Ma joins Tel Aviv University as Visiting Professor

Written by AUFTAU on 27 April 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Tel Aviv University Halts Studies to Mark Israel’s Memorial Day

Written by AUFTAU on 25 April 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Israel will mark this year’s Memorial Day beginning this evening (Monday night) when a siren will sound across the country. According to tradition, Tel Aviv University organized a university-wide break in studies for its Yom Hazikaron Memorial Ceremony which was held on campus this afternoon. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of students, University staff and faculty members.

“Even when wars are fought far from the civilian home front, the feeling is always that we are all participating in the war.” – Prof. Ariel Porat

“We Are All Participating in the War”

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University, opened the ceremony with a recognition of both the personal and national pain of loss caused by war and terror attacks. “Even when wars are fought far from the civilian home front, the feeling is always that we are all participating in the war…parents, children, siblings and relatives – they all take part in it.”

Prof. Ariel Porat

“Many of us have strong personal memories from wars, accompanied by worries on the one hand, and for most of us, a sense of relief once everything was seemingly over. But there are those who do not get to enjoy any sense of relief. Those who pay the ultimate price. For them, the end of the war only marks the beginning of their pain. They are then faced with the worst of all: the loss of a loved one.”

“In addition to personal bereavement, which is without a doubt the most horrendous of all, we also mourn collectively.”

“One day each year, the bereaved families let everyone else join them. One day a year, the bereaved families allow their fellow citizens to feel that they too are the bereaved.” – Eyal Magini

Eyal Magini

One Day Each Year

Eyal Magini, father of Eytam Magini and Tal Morad, sister of Tomer Morad, two TAU students who were murdered in last year’s terror attack in the heart of Tel Aviv, fondly remembered their loved ones in speeches and expressed the difficulty of the past year without them.

Eyal Magini spoke warmly about his son Eytam, who was abruptly taken from him. He described how the lives of the Magini family were changed forever, as they were left with the pain of knowing that Eytam would never return. Despite this, Eyal finds some comfort on this day, when he says: “One day a year, the bereaved families let their fellow citizens share in their pain and feel that they too are the bereaved. On Memorial Day, everyone wants to try to offer the bereaved families some relief by carrying some of their pain, even throughout the rest of the year. “

Miri Kadmiel

“Each of us have the privilege to do what we can for a better future for Israel and our future generations, for a good, decent, and solidary society.” – Miri Kadmiel

Also speaking at the event was Miri Kadmiel, Chairwoman of the Tel Aviv branch of Yad Lebanim, the organization delegated by Israel to commemorate the memory of fallen Israeli soldiers and to support bereaved families. As a bereaved mother herself, she emphasized the important task of Tel Aviv University’s “talented and highly capable young people to continue to shape the future State of Israel,” saying that “we find ourselves in a very complex and challenging period, with many concerns and apprehensions. Each of us has the privilege to do what we can for a better future for Israel and our future generations, to work towards a society based on mutual respect and solidarity.”

Also speaking at the event were Daniel Zilber, Chairwoman of TAU’s Student Union and event moderator Itzik Ziat. Music by Tel Aviv University’s The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and sign language translation by Iris Ben Moshe were also featured.

Haredi Jews – The Main Target of Antisemitic Assaults

Written by AUFTAU on 17 April 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023, The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University published its 22nd annual Antisemitism Worldwide Report in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Attacking The Most Vulnerable

According to the Report, visibly identifiable Jews, particularly Haredi Jews, are the main victims of antisemitic assaults in the West, including beatings, being spit on, and having objects thrown at them.

The Report examines dozens of assaults reported in New York (the city that recorded the most assaults in the United States), in London (which saw the largest number of attacks in Europe), and several other cities. The comparative study suggests physical attacks on Jews tend to occur in a small number of areas in major urban centers, usually on the street or on public transportation rather than near or in synagogues or Jewish establishments. Most attacks appear not to be premeditated.

“Our research indicates that effective policing, indictments, and educational campaigns in a small number of urban areas in various Western countries can lead to a significant reduction in the number of violent antisemitic attacks.” – Prof. Uriya Shavit

Haredi Jews are the main victims not only because they are easily identifiable as Jews, but also because they are perceived as vulnerable and unlikely to fight back. While the attacks examined in the Report are legally defined as antisemitic hate crimes, the motivations of the perpetrators are not easy to discern and could be driven by a deeply held antisemitism, hatred for Israel, bullying, or a combination of the three.

Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, says “our research indicates that effective policing, indictments, and educational campaigns in a small number of urban areas in various Western countries can lead to a significant reduction in the number of violent antisemitic attacks. The fight against antisemitism must include more practical, measurable, and transparent objectives and fewer declarations and cries of ‘Gevald!’.”

Dr. Carl Yonker, Senior Researcher at the Center, who led the research on the nature of the antisemitic attacks, notes: “It was very disturbing to discover during fieldwork in London that some Haredim regard antisemitism as the inescapable fate of Jews in the diaspora, sometimes even blaming members of their own communities for the situation.”

WATCH: The Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide 2022: Haredi Jews – Main Target of Antisemitic Assaults

“Normalization of Crazy Conspirations” in the U.S.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL): “The data contained in this survey is very troubling. It is alarming to see the significant increase in antisemitic incidents and trends across the US and in several other countries.”

“Equally concerning is that unlike in 2021, there were no specific events which can be linked to a rise in antisemitism, which speaks to the deeply seated nature of Jew Hatred around the world. We are proud to partner with Tel Aviv University on this important annual report which will be used to educate governments and civil society and help push back against antisemitic trends.”

According to the Annual Report, 2022 saw a sharp rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States and other countries, alongside a decline in several countries. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the United States, compared to 2,717 in 2021 – a record year in its own right. The NYPD registered 261 hate crimes against Jews compared to 214 in 2021, the LAPD recorded 86 in 2022 compared to 79 in 2021, and the Chicago Police 38 in 2022 compared to 8 in 2021.

The authors of the Report point to a disturbing trend of the ‘normalization of crazy conspirations’ in public discourse in America. The spreading of antisemitic propaganda by white supremacists in the United States almost tripled compared to 2021, reaching a total of 852 incidents.

Does the Current Wave Run Deeper?

A rise in recorded antisemitic incidents compared to 2021 was also found in several other Western countries, including Belgium, Hungary, Italy, and Australia. In Belgium, 17 antisemitic attacks were recorded in 2022 compared to only 3 in 2021 – the highest number since seven attacks were recorded in 2016.

On the other hand, other countries, including Germany, Austria, France, the UK, Canada, and Argentina, saw a decline in the number of antisemitic incidents compared to 2021. In Germany, 2,649 ‘political crimes with an antisemitic background’ were documented, less than the record of 3,028 reached in 2021, but still significantly higher than the figures for 2020 and 2019. In France, 436 incidents were documented compared to 589 in 2021, 339 in 2020, and 687 in 2019.

Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker noted that the record numbers registered in 2021 were attributed to the social tensions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reactions to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, “Guardian of the Walls.”

“In 2022 it was demonstrated once again that antisemitism does not require any real Jewish presence or direct rivalry with Israel in order to find supporters.” – Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2022

The data for 2022 alarmingly suggest that the roots of the current wave of antisemitism probably run deeper, especially in the United States.

They point to three intertwining factors:

Intensified social and cultural tensions
Rise of radicalism, both right- and left-wing, at the expense of the political center
Proliferation of ‘echo chambers’ on social media, where conspiracy theories spread as if they were undeniable truths (“A reality in which big companies make big money by spreading big lies must be rectified,” cautions Prof. Shavit.)

Reviewing the situation in Russia, the Report notes troubling antisemitic remarks by officials and intellectuals close to the Putin administration, as well as the cynical distortion of the memory of the Holocaust by the regime. This raises concerns that Russian Jews might become scapegoats for the regime’s military failures in Ukraine. “Fascists are never reliable allies for religious minorities or in the fight for human rights,” notes the Report.

Two of the in-depth essays included in the Report discuss the extreme antisemitic propaganda espoused by the Houthis in Yemen, and two small antisemitic parties that won seats in the upper house of the Japanese Parliament. “In 2022 it was demonstrated once again that antisemitism does not require any real Jewish presence or direct rivalry with Israel in order to find supporters,” notes the Report.

Other essays describe the failed coup of an antisemitic group in Germany, white Christian nationalist antisemitism in the United States, antisemitic tendencies in the Hebrew Israelite movement in the United States, and legal controversies in America regarding hate speech and the First Amendment.

“Soul-searching is required in Israel as well,” says the Head of the Center, Prof. Uriya Shavit. “In recent months, several Jewish Members of Knesset have made chilling racist remarks that would have immediately terminated their careers in any other Western democracy. It is sad that this needs to be said on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, but Jewish racism is no better than any other kind of racism. It must be condemned, banned, and eradicated.”

Read the full report here >>

Three TAU Professors Awarded Israel Prize 2023

Written by AUFTAU on 4 April 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Declaration of the Tel Aviv University Senate Regarding the Violation of Israeli Democracy

Written by AUFTAU on 7 March 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Issued on March 1st, 2023

Since its founding, Tel Aviv University has upheld the core principles of academic excellence, improving Israeli society, and nurturing critical and creative thinking. We, the members of the Tel Aviv University Senate, are committed to the foundational values of the State of Israel as they were put forth in the Declaration of Independence, including fostering the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants, adhering to the foundations of freedom, justice, and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel, ensuring the complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex, and guaranteeing freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture. Like other leading academic institutions around the world, the academic community at Tel Aviv University is committed to freedom of thought and expression, recognizing that these principles are the necessary conditions for research, academic thought, innovation, and scientific achievements.

In the past weeks it has become increasingly clear that these foundational values have been put in real and immediate danger by the accelerating legislative moves led by the current government coalition. The violations should concern every Israeli citizen who aspires to live in a free and democratic society. We are adamantly opposed to any and all steps that would change the very basis of Israel’s system of governance.

The legislative measures led by the coalition go against the opinions and positions expressed by thousands of experts in Israel and worldwide, including Nobel Prize laureates, legal scholars, economists, and public intellectuals, who have stated in clear and unequivocal terms the dangers that will result from such legislation, and the real damages that Israel will likely suffer due to the legislative measures and their attending processes.

We are deeply concerned as well that these unprecedented attacks on the judicial branch are not the endpoint, but rather the preface to violations of other institutions including civil service, free media, and academia. The legislative proposal to displace control over the National Library, which has long rested with academic experts, to the rule of political appointees, is an explicit example of inappropriate political intervention in academia, that threatens both autonomy in academic content, and research independence crucial to academic freedom. The essential tasks of academia cannot, and must not, be conducted under political control.

We call upon the government of Israel and the Knesset to halt legislation that fundamentally alters the democratic system of governance in Israel. We call upon the government of Israel to heed the voices of mass protests coming from all parts of the country and all sectors of Israeli society, and not to promote the destructive processes that are currently taking place. We call upon the government to stop legislation intended to fundamentally harm the autonomy of the legal system and to bring to a halt the dangerous trends of the past few weeks, which subvert the values of democracy, exclude populations and minorities, and lead the State of Israel into a disastrous abyss.

We are determined to struggle to preserve and protect the essential character of the State of Israel, for the autonomy of the legal system, and for the freedom of expression and research, and to take all action necessary, using all tools at our disposal permitted by law, to protect Israeli democracy and the rights of minorities.

Travelling exhibition displayed for the first time in Israel

Written by AUFTAU on 24 February 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

The Rosenberg – The German Federal Ministry of Justice in the Shadow of the Nazi Past.

In 2012, the German Federal Ministry of Justice tasked an independent academic commission with investigating the Ministry’s national-socialist past during the early years of the newly founded Federal Republic of Germany. The commission was given unrestricted access to the Ministry‘s files. In 2016/17, the commission published its concluding report in a book titled “The Rosenburg Files” (following World War II the Ministry’s offices were in the Rosenburg Castle in Bonn), which generated considerable interest among the German public and was widely covered in the media.

The results were also made available to a wider audience through an illuminating and memorable travelling exhibition, now being displayed for the first time in Israel.

Ministry of Justice Faces Up to its Past

The findings of the report cast a dark shadow on the first decades in the history of the Federal Ministry of Justice. Numerous members of the Ministry‘s executive staff had been involved in the power apparatus of the “Third Reich”: Of the 170 lawyers who held senior positions in the Ministry between 1949-1973, 90 had been members of the Nazi Party and 34 of the SA [short for ‘Sturmabteilung’ in German, the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party). This had far-reaching consequences with regard to the Federal Republic’s dealing with the aftermath of Nazism: Nazi laws were corrected only in a superficial manner, there was ongoing discrimination against former victims, and the prosecution of Nazi criminals was thwarted.

From the Rosenburg Exhibition at Tel Aviv University

Today, the German Federal Ministry of Justice is facing up to its history: The report from 2016/17 did not mark the end of the Rosenburg Project – the results have since been made available to a wider audience with an illuminating and memorable travelling exhibition, which seeks to raise awareness among a large audience of the historical injustice that took place post World War II at the hands of the Ministry itself. The exhibition, which seeks to shine light on what was previously in the shadows, has already been displayed in Germany, Poland and the USA and is now being displayed for the first time in Israel, coordinated by Minerva Center for Human Rights at Tel Aviv University.

The exhibition opening for “The Rosenburg – The Federal Ministry of Justice in the Shadow of the Nazi Past” took place at The Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University on February 20, 2023, in the presence of Dr. Marco Buschmann, German Federal Minister of Justice. Greetings were held by Prof. Yishai Blank, Dean, Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Yoram Danziger, Justice (ret.) of the Supreme Court of Israel. The introductory lecture was held by Prof. Roni Stauber, Director of the Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University.

Visit the Exhibition

Visit the exhibition at the University’s Buchmann Faculty of Law & the David J. Light Law Library in the Trubowicz Building from February 20th, 2023 through May 14th, 2023.

Featured image: From the exhibition opening. Left to right: Steffen Seibert, German Ambassador to Israel, Prof. Yishai Blank, Dean Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University, Prof. Mark Shtaif Rector of Tel Aviv University & Dr. Marco Buschmann, German Federal Minister of Justice (Photo: Yael Zur, Tel Aviv University)(Photo Credit: TAU)

Dan David Prize Announces 2023 Winners

Written by AUFTAU on 23 February 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

The Dan David Prize, the largest history prize in the world, today announced its 2023 winners – nine emerging scholars and practitioners, whose work illuminates the past in bold and creative ways. Each of the winners – who work in Kenya, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, Canada and the United States – will receive $300,000 (USD) in recognition of their achievements and to support their future endeavors.

“Our winners represent the new generation of historians,” said Ariel David, board member of the Prize and son of the founder. “They are changing our understanding of the past by asking new questions, targeting under-researched topics and using innovative methods. Many of the winners we are recognizing today are still in the early stages of their careers, but they have already challenged how we think about history. Understanding the past, in all its complexity, is critical to illuminating the present and confronting the challenges of the future.”

The 2023 winners are listed below:

	Prof. Saheed Aderinto from Florida International University uses unusual lenses such as sexuality, guns, animals and music to reexamine colonial identity and subjecthood in modern Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria (photo: JC Photography, Miami).
	Prof. Ana Antic from the University of Copenhagen is a social and cultural historian whose research focuses on the relationship between politics, violence and psychiatry in twentieth century Europe, as well as the decolonisation of psychiatric practices and concepts (photo: Zarko Ivetic).
	Karma Ben Johanan, a senior lecturer from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, looks at the relationships between different religious traditions, most recently working on how the Catholic Church responded to Jews after the reconciliation attempts of Vatican II, and how orthodox Jewish thinkers have responded to the same developments (photo: Avigail Piperno-Beer)
	Asst. Prof. Elise Burton from University of Toronto is a historian of science, race and nationalism in the modern Middle East, focusing on the history of genetics, physical anthropology, evolutionary biology and biomedicine (photo: courtesy of Elise Burton).
	Prof. Adam Clulow from University of Texas at Austin is a global historian who reassesses power relations between Europe and East Asia, and uses video games and VR to make history accessible to both students and the wider public (photo: courtesy of Adam Clulow).
	Asst. Prof. Krista Goff from University of Miami uses oral history and everyday sources to understand the experiences of understudied ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union, especially those not recognized as nationalities by the state (photo: Courtesy of Krista Goff).
	Prof. Stephanie Jones-Rogers explores women’s social, economic and legal relationships to enslaved people and to the slave trade in the trans-Atlantic world (photo: Lily Cummings McCubbin).
	Asst. Prof. Anita Radini from University College, Dublin, is an “archaeologist of dirt” who analyzes the tiny remains of dust that collect in dental plaque, and uses them to learn about the work lives and environments of people in the past (photo: courtesty of Anita Radini).
	Chao Tayiana Maina is a public historian who uses digital technologies (she is the founder of African Digital Heritage) to capture and preserve previously hidden or suppressed historical narratives in Kenya, enabling communities to engage with their cultural heritage (photo: Lyra Aoko).

“We all share a past. We all shape the future”

“Insights about the past should circulate through every part of every community,” said Prof. Aviad Kleinberg, historian and Dan David Prize board member. “We all share a past. We all shape the future. Knowledge of the past – historical, not mythological – belongs to everyone. A culture that does not understand its past is like an individual with acute amnesia. Amnesia makes one bear the past’s consequences without awareness of it and without the power to escape it.”

The winners were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted by colleagues, institutions and the general public in an open nomination process. The finalists were chosen by a global committee of experts that changes annually. This year’s committee members were affiliated with a range of institutions including the universities of Cambridge, Paris, Pennsylvania and Seville. A full list of the 2023 committee is available here.

The Dan David Prize, endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University, was first established in 2001 by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Dan David, to reward innovative and interdisciplinary work that contributed to humanity. In 2021, the Prize was relaunched with a focus on historical research, honoring the founder’s passion for history and archaeology. Today, the Prize rewards emerging scholars, aiming to help both academics and public historians fulfill their potential at a time when support for the humanities is dwindling.

The nine 2023 winners will be honored at the Dan David Prize Award Ceremony in Tel Aviv in May.

About the Dan David Prize

The Dan David Prize is the largest history prize in the world. Dan David, the founder of the Prize, believed that knowledge of the past enriches us and helps us grapple with the challenges of the present, and is a foundation for reimagining our collective future. At a time of diminishing support for the humanities, the Prize celebrates the next generation of outstanding historians, archaeologists, curators and digital humanists. Each year, up to nine researchers are awarded $300,000 each in recognition of their achievements and to support their future endeavors.

To learn more about Dan David, the Prize and the 2023 winners, visit www.dandavidprize.org.

Tag: Tel Aviv University

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Victoria

New South Wales

Western Australia

Tag: Tel Aviv University

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Tel Aviv University’s Mexico International Week is open for everyone who would like to join. Learn more and register here.

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Prof. Yoram Dinstein, Prof. Emanuel Peled and Prof. Avital Gasith are all recipients of the prestigious award.

The 2023 Award Recipients:

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Visit the Exhibition

Nine emerging historians, archaeologists, curators and digital humanists will each receive $300,000 USD, in recognition of their breakthrough achievements in the study of the past.

The 2023 winners are listed below:

“We all share a past. We all shape the future”

About the Dan David Prize

Victoria

New South Wales

Western Australia