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UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA'S LATEST NEWS
GIVING NEWS
University of Haifa announces largest gift in its history from longstanding friend and supporter Elie Horn

UofH announced today that it has received the largest gift in the University's history – a $120 million commitment from Mr. Elie Horn. The gift will be used to establish two new scholarship funds: the first, “Ahavat Olam” ('eternal love'), will support students pursuing in-depth studies in Jewish religion, heritage and history; while the second scholarship fund will provide need-based financial assistance to deserving female students. Mr. Elie Horn, Brazilian-Jewish philanthropist and businessman and longstanding friend and supporter of the University, received an honorary doctorate at the recent Board of Governors Meeting in recognition of his lifetime dedication to the Jewish community in South America, his support of Israel and its people, and generosity and friendship to the University of Haifa.

“Helping young women and men achieve their full potential is a privilege I take great pride in. I am pleased to partner with the University of Haifa in narrowing gaps and promoting social change and women's empowerment.” – Elie Horn, Founding Partner and Chairman of Cyrela Brazil Realty

“The world is facing profound technological, economic, health and social challenges. For higher education to meet these challenges successfully, we must continue to excel at both research and education, and create avenues for social mobility. These new scholarships will make higher education more accessible to a broader group of students who might otherwise have chosen not to pursue academic studies due to financial reasons.” – President Ron Robin

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UofH participates in first academic delegation to Bahrain since the Abraham Accords

Representatives from the University of Haifa recently joined a delegation of Israeli universities to Bahrain, at the invitation of the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Israeli Embassy. The delegation met with a number of high-level officials from Bahrain's higher education system to discuss opportunities for research collaborations and faculty and student exchange programs. Prof. Yuval Ben-Bassat (Head of the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies) and department colleague Prof. Fruma Zachs represented UofH on the academic delegation.
Students from the Kayma Center for Impact Entrepreneurship take part in the global social entrepreneurship competition

Students enrolled in University of Haifa's Kayma Executive Education Center for social Innovation and Impact Entrepreneurship were the only Israeli team to compete in the "Map the System" – a global competition consisting of over 950 teams from 21 countries run by Oxford's Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Inbal Kelly-Karmi, Limor Fromer-Livna and Liat Tzairi (Department of Gerontology) reached the final round of the competition where they presented their project on employment opportunities for senior citizens.  
RESEARCH IN THE NEWS
MARINE: Deep-sea wonderland in Israel is declared a Hope Spot – first discovered by UofH and partners

A white species of black coral photographed at the Palmahim Slide. | Credit: University of Haifa and Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research

In July, the Palmahim Slide (also called a Disturbance) became the first Israeli location designated as a "Hope Spot” by Mission Blue, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle’s organization dedicated to exploring and protecting significant marine areas (>>MORE in Israel 21c). The Palmahim Slide is a biodiversity hotspot where Blackmouth catsharks breed and Bluefin tuna spawn, according to international studies led in the past decade by Prof. Yizhaq Makovsky (Applied Marine Exploration Lab). A recent underwater expedition led by Makovsky discovered the largest concentration of deep-sea shark eggs ever found (>>Read More).  Dr. Earle was a 2019 recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa.
NATURAL SCIENCES: Scientists identify new "killer cells" and cell death mechanisms in stem cells

A new study led by Profs. Hila Toledano and Estee Kurant (Department of Human Biology) found that throughout the cellular differentiation process in fruit flies, phagocytic cells consume and destroy healthy living cells. Phagocytes are immune cells that play a critical role in both the early and late stages of immune responses. Their main role is to ingest and destroy microbes and cellular debris in tissues. Prof. Toledano explains, "The more we know about the mechanisms of cell death, the better we understand how to cope with various diseases, particularly cancer.” The research was published in Science Advances.
MARINE: The jellyfish swarm off Israel's coast is worse than ever this year, due to climate change and pollution

According to marine ecologist Prof. Dror Angel (Department of Maritime Civilizations) while it is natural for Israel to experience jellyfish blooms in the hot summer months, this particular swarm is unusually intense. Climate change and a long, cold and wet winter may be responsible. "The sea gets washed with nutrients during heavy rainfall," explains Prof. Angel. "As a result, jellyfish have more food to feed on, like algae and plankton.” A growing jellyfish population may have a potentially damaging effect on the food web, and negatively impact fisheries and desalination plants.

University of Haifa among Israel's top Law Schools
100% of UofH law graduates sitting for their first bar exam passed successfully and achieved high marks.
University of Haifa | Division of the Presidency and External Relations
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