The University of Haifa community mourns the passing of Prof. Yehuda Hayuth, the University's eighth and longest serving President (1995-2004). Prof. Hayuth was a distinguished academic who was devoted to the University and the State of Israel. He graduated from the University of Haifa with a bachelor's degree and earned a graduate degree at Hebrew University, followed by a PhD from the University of Washington. In the 1970s, he joined the University of Haifa's Department of Geography and went on to hold several senior positions before becoming President. Under his leadership, the University flourished and witnessed tremendous growth including the establishment of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and construction projects such as the Rabin Complex, the Hecht Arts Center, the Education and Science building complex, the student dormitories, and the sports center. May his memory be a blessing.

The Faculty of Law’s annual conference, considered one of the most influential events in the legal field, featured President Isaac Herzog, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, former Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein. The conference received extensive media coverage in Israel for highlighting timely and contentious topics, ranging from law enforcement policies and the incarceration crisis to the procedure for appointing judges, and whether Israel’s constitutional democracy is in crisis.

COVERAGE OF THE EVENT IN THE MEDIA: 

AG WARNS BILLS EXPEDITED BY INCOMING GOVERNMENT STRESS MAJORITY RULE WITHOUT PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS

Students from the 9th cohort of the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies at the University of Haifa.

In a special Jerusalem Post article marking the 10^th anniversary of the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies, Program head Prof. Barak-Gorodetsky (Department of Israel Studies), explains the "goal of the Program is to give students a complex academic understanding of the Israeli-American Jewish relationship critical for this point in history where tensions are high between the two communities." The Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies was established by Rector Gur Alroey with the encouragement and support of Jay and Shira Ruderman through the Ruderman Family Foundation. Today, there are over 250 graduates and 12 doctoral students. Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, noted that the Program's alumni are, “a positive force in Israeli society." READ FULL INTERVIEW

Participants at University of Haifa's first Interfaith Conference.

Over 50 academics from Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, Turkey, Albania, Greece, England, Ireland, and Germany gathered in Haifa to discuss how religion can be a vehicle for social and civic changes. "At the event, religious leaders from around the globe participated in important conversations surrounding social justice, environmental sustainability and gender equality," noted Dr. Uriel Simonsohn (Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies) who heads the laboratory. The Haifa Laboratory for Religious Studies seeks to create a community of scholars to lead impactful change through dialogue between religious leaderships from local and international religious communities and institutions. READ MORE

The E-Lijah Lab, headed by Dr. Moshe Lavee (Department of Jewish History), will participate in the Israeli-led project that is using digital imaging and machine learning to decipher thousands of manuscripts. "The project is a wonderful opportunity to bring to light the experience we have gained at the E-Lijah Laboratory over the last five years in manuscript accessibility and geospatial analysis of Jewish history," explains Dr. Lavee. The Midrash Project is the first ERC Synergy grant for Jewish studies, as well as for computational manuscripts.  READ MORE

Integrative Pain Laboratory headed by Dr. Pavel Goldstein.

An initiative spearheaded by the Integrative Pain Laboratory, headed by Dr. Pavel Goldstein (School of Public Health), is offering a free eight-week therapeutic course aimed at helping Ukrainians cope with chronic pain resulting from physical and mental trauma. "Pain is an automatic hazard warning system from our brain - telling us that something is wrong," explains Dr. Goldstein. "But in many cases of chronic pain, the system often gives a false alarm. In chronic pain, our brain reorganizes and may learn to trigger pain even without any physical reason." A reduction in pain and improvement in mental health conditions have been reported by participants in the course. READ MORE

Cotton fibers from Tel Tsaf. | Credit: Scientific team at Tel Tsaf

The discovery made by an international team led by Prof. Danny Rosenberg (School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures) was unearthed at Tel Tsaf, a late Neolithic village site in northern Israel. Researchers employed microbotanical analysis in the detection of blue, pink, purple, green, and brown/black cotton fibers. Since cotton does not grow naturally in this arid region, authors of the study suggest that the fabric had been imported, possibly from as far away as the Indus Valley Civilization (South Asia). "The findings at Tel Tsaf attest to the importance of the site as an ancient trading center," explained Prof. Rosenberg. Other major finds unearthed at Tel Tsaf in recent years include the oldest copper object ever discovered in the Middle East, a clay model of a grain silo, and a stamped seal. The joint study, which included researchers from Stanford, the Landsmuseum in Hanover and others, was published in Frontiers in Plant Sciences. READ MORE

Academic institutions in Israel have responded to the new coalition government's legislative initiatives that may overturn Israeli laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. A recent statement by the University of Haifa statement warns that the legislative initiatives discriminate against and exclude populations in Israeli society, foster rancor towards the LGBT community, and raise tensions in society.
READ THE UNIVERSITY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT
FULL STORY IN NEWS 8 CHANNEL

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