| | 07 June, 2009
| | Hebrew U. honorary doctorate recipients include Cinematheque president Van Leer, interfaith leader Desbois, Nobel Prize laureates | |
 | | Jerusalem Cinematheque president Lia Van Leer is one of the nine recipients of an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Photo: Flash 90) |
|
Charismatic Jerusalem Cinematheque president Lia Van Leer, leading proponent of Jewish-Catholic dialogue Father Patrick Desbois and Nobel laureates Prof. Bert Sakmann and Prof. Avram Hershko will be among nine distinguished figures to receive honorary doctor of philosophy degrees today, Sunday, June 7, at the opening session of the 72nd meeting of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Board of Governors.
Lia Van Leer is co-founder and president of the Jerusalem Cinematheque, founder of the Israeli Film Archive and initiator of the annual Jerusalem International Film Festival. She has made a lasting impression on the culture of film in Israel, has had a significant influence on the life of the city of Jerusalem and has reinforced its cultural fabric. For over fifty years, Van Leer has devoted herself to fostering cinema in Israel and has made a peerless contribution to the growth and success of Israeli cinema in the world today, striving to imbue pluralistic values and multiculturalism and to encourage a more open-minded and peace-loving Israeli society.
Father Patrick Desbois is an inspiring figure whose unprecedented efforts to locate the unmarked mass graves of Jews killed by the Nazis have significantly enhanced contemporary knowledge and understanding of the Shoah. Today the foremost figure in Catholic–Jewish relations in France, Father Desbois is head of the Commission for Relations with Judaism of the French Bishops Conference and the founder of the Yahad In Unum (the Hebrew and Latin for ‘together’) interfaith reconciliation organization.
Prof. Avram Hershko is a world-renowned biochemist whose research has revolutionized our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of intracellular processes. Prof. Hershko’s groundbreaking studies on cell protein degradation led to the discovery of the ubiquitin system, which gave the world of science a key to assessing the involvement of protein breakdown in pathogenesis, and encouraged the development of disease treatment and prevention. His persevering efforts earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004, together with his student and colleague Prof. Aaron Ciechanover and their American colleague Prof. Irwin Rose. This was the first Nobel Prize in the natural sciences awarded to Israeli researchers. The tremendous importance of his research is evident from the establishment of biotechnological enterprises engaged in the development of treatment for diseases caused by disruptions in protein degradation, including a drug for treatment of bone marrow cancer.
Prof. Bert Sakmann - Nobel laureate Bert Sakmann is a brilliant and highly innovative scientist who has not only brought understanding of fundamental mechanisms underlying the function of both individual nerve cells and of cortical networks involved in sensory processing but has also developed new methodologies that have revolutionized brain research. He is a dedicated and devoted friend to the Hebrew University, having served as director of the Life Science Advanced School of its Institute for Advanced Studies and as a member of several of its international academic committees.
Yoni Rechter is a prolific artist whose diverse efforts — as composer, singer, pianist, musical director, producer and arranger — constitute an unparalleled contribution to Israeli musical culture. The hundreds of musical compositions that he has created with, and for, Modern Hebrew poets and Israel’s leading songwriters have become classics of contemporary Hebrew song. His songs have become part of this country’s landscape and have reached beyond its borders too, making him a leading figure in popular Israeli music.
Prof. Carlos Alvar is a world renowned researcher of Spanish medieval literature and ancient Romance languages. His pioneering research of Romance philology, the discovery, translation and edition of texts in ancient Romance languages and Iberian literatures are widely recognized as being tremendously important both within Spain and internationally. Prof. Alvar has been a leading figure in advancing academic relations between the Hispanic world and the Jewish world and Israel.
Prof. Barry Schwartz is a scholar of international renown and a leader in the sociology of American culture and history who has revived and developed the key concept of collective memory. His pioneering work has inspired numerous scholars in diverse fields, including members of the Hebrew University, and has had a profound effect on both sociological and cultural studies. Professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, his work on the role of collective memory in Jewish civilization and in the day-to-day life of the modern State of Israel brought Barry Schwartz to Israel, where he conducted his first-ever study in the field. He has since maintained the strongest ties with the Hebrew University, collaborating often with its scholars and graduate students. Professor Schwartz was a Lady Davis Fellow at the University in 2002.
Ronald Appleby Q.C. is a highly respected lawyer, a prominent leader of the Toronto Jewish community, a governor of the Hebrew University, served as president of the Canadian Friends’ Toronto Chapter and has been its National President since 2004. A senior partner in the Toronto law firm, Robins, Appleby & Taub LLP, he is a frequent author and lecturer on legal topics and a prominent civic and philanthropic leader. He is chairman of the Baycrest Foundation, a member of the Canada-Israel Securities Limited National Executive Committee and National Advisory Board and an honorary life member of the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto.
Leona Zweig Rosenberg is a prominent leader of the Hebrew University's American Friends association, a benefactor and associate governor of the University, and co-chair of the late David L. Zemsky Chicagoland Scholarship Fund. Leona Rosenberg was awarded an honorary fellowship by the Hebrew University in 2004 and is the recipient of the American Friends’ prestigious Torch of Learning and Scopus awards.
During the ceremony, the Bublick and Rothberg Prizes will also be awarded. This year's recipients are Prof. Shlomo Avineri and Rachel Rabin Yaakov respectively. 305 students will also receive their Ph.D.s at the convocation ceremony.
|
Downloadable File: HonDocs2009(2).doc |
|
