Tel Dor: A 4,000 year old coastal city and port, excavated on land and underwater. | Credit: Skyview Ltd.

University of Haifa and the Technion are launching a joint archaeology research fund that will encourage scientific collaborations between faculty members, and offer scholarships for doctoral and postdoctoral students at both institutes. The signing comes on the heels of UofH establishing the School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures (SAMC), which will revolutionize archaeological research in Israel through a vigorous commitment to interdisciplinary research and emerging technologies. Rector Gur Alroey, Prof. Israel Finkelstein (Head, SAMC) and the School's department heads were joined by Prof. Oded Rabinovitch (Senior Executive Vice President, Technion) and additional academic leaders from the Technion at the signing ceremony.

University of Haifa is leveraging the friendly diplomatic relations between Israel and Gulf States to cultivate academic ties with countries in the region. On the first academic visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Uriel Simonsohn (Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies) met with senior members of the administration at the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, to pave the way for the signing of an MOU between the two institutes. Dr. Simonsohn is head of the newly launched Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies (HLRS), an academic initiative designed to foster dialogue between religious leaders and scholars in Israel and around the globe. The US Wayfarer Foundation is providing partial funding for HLRS's activities.

Credit: Prof. Guy Bar-Oz

As a response to global warming, it is of vital importance to expand our search for authentic local ancient breeds that were cultivated and bred for centuries in dry arid areas. Using advanced DNA testing, Prof. Guy Bar-Oz (School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures) and his team matched 1,500 year-old Byzantine grape seeds discovered in the Negev desert to endemic heritage cultivars growing in the region. "This exciting find provides a unique story of winemaking in arid environments," notes Bar-Oz. The European Research Council Proof of Concept grant will enable the researchers to plant a five-acre educational vineyard to recreate this authentic lost grape variety in the Negev Highlands. "The goal of the project is to develop multidisciplinary research and educational programs that recreate ancient human inventions that have been lost through time." His research in the Negev has been generously funded by the Israel Science Foundation and a previous European Research Council grant over the past several years.

Prof. Eldar Haber (Faculty of Law) was nominated for Israel's prestigious Globes magazine's "40 Under 40" Promising Leadership Team for 2022. An expert in cyber law and technology, he was appointed professor by the University at the age of 38. "In an age of rapid technological change, wiretapping and smartphone monitoring pose serious privacy concerns, and raise issues related to the protection of individual rights and freedoms," notes Haber. "If we don't act swiftly and efficiently with appropriate regulations, these issues will become even more complicated." Prof. Eldar is a member of the Haifa Center for Law & Technology and the Center for Cyber Law & Policy, and his publications are frequently cited in academic papers, governmental reports, the media and US Federal courts.

Credit: Getty Images

A study led by Prof. Manfred Green (School of Public Health) found that women were twice as likely to report side effects following the Pfizer vaccinations for the Coronavirus. “We don’t know what mechanism is involved, but it may be related to differences in the immune system or in the perception of the side effects in women and men," explains Green. "For instance, women's immune system is more sensitive to foreign antigens than men's.” The research shows that women are twice as likely to experience the side effects of vaccination as men in almost all reported cases. The results of the study, published in the journal Vaccines, highlight the need for gender-specific reporting of side effects.

(l-r) Barry Shrage and Dahnie Brandes.

ASUH CEO Lisa Silverman and staff are welcoming two new colleagues as part of the organization's strategic growth plan which will focus on strengthening community engagement efforts in the United States. Known for his tireless support of Jewish education during his leadership of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP) for over 30 years, Barry Shrage is working on deepening ASUH’s relationships among current and prospective supporters, especially in New England.  He is deeply committed to promoting the University’s vital role in educating and supporting Israel’s underserved populations, as well as its unique programs studying Jewish identity, like the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies. Dahnie Brandes, who will be in charge of expanding ASUH’s fundraising and community-building initiatives in the Western region, is passionate about advancing Israel’s diverse community and marine research. His career in education led him into nonprofit management, first as Area Director at AIPAC, then as Director of Advancement at an environmental group focused on water policy in Southern California.