A recent expedition off Israel's coast found hundreds of small sharks and thousands of shark eggs. | Courtesy of University of Haifa, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Ben-Gurion University and Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat joint project.

"Unprecedented discoveries led by UofH scientists could transform our understanding of climate change and global sustainability," according to the latest "Editor's Pick" in Forbes Magazine. The magazine article featured high-profile studies underway at the Charney School of Marine Sciences, including the discovery of the largest concentration of small sharks and shark eggs ever found off the coast of Israel and participation in the CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) Project (More on UofH's role in the CETI Project in the 2021 President's Report) These and many other marine research projects, aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, focus on the conservation and sustainable use of our oceans and seas.  The author of the article, Jacob Kamaras, is managing editor of the San Diego Jewish World.

In his recent visit to Israel, Germany President Steinmeier met with President Ron Robin and Dr. Susanne Wasum-Rainer, German Ambassador to Israel. They discussed topics of mutual interest, including the University's commitment to promoting social mobility, the impact of COVID-19 on intercultural encounters on campus and national and regional challenges facing the new Israeli government.

University of Haifa recently hosted a delegation from the German Max Planck Society, led by Prof. Dr. Ulman Lindenberger, Director and Scientific Member at Max Planck Institute for Human Development, and Dr. Lou Bohlen, Head of Office at the Minerva Foundation. Members of the delegation discussed ways in which the two institutes could collaborate in the fields of neuroscience and behavior. The participants met with faculty members of The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (headed by Prof. Simone Shamay-Tsoory), which fosters cross-campus collaboration among faculty members in psychology, neuroscience, education, and learning disabilities.

"University of Haifa mourns the tragic losses caused by the floods in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium and prays for a speedy recovery. Our universities must play a leading role in tackling climate change - which has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time."

– Prof. Ron Robin, President

President Ron Robin (left) presents Mr. Isaac Dabah with a token of appreciation to Delta Galil Industries for its continued support of student scholarships, at a recent campus visit coordinated by the Israeli Friends.

University of Haifa is bestowing the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Honoris Causa, upon Mr. Isaac M. Dabah, leading businessman, philanthropist and dedicated friend of the University and its students. Mr. Dabah is staunch friend of the State of Israel and a firm believer in the power of higher education as an agent of change and social justice. The conferment ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 4th, 2021. A conversation with Mr. Dabah, hosted by Dana Weiss, Chief Political Analyst & Anchor of the Saturday News and Channel 12 News, will follow the academic ceremony.

Soraya Sarah Nazarian, with her sculpture, Legacy, situated at the entrance to the campus. Legacy embodies the spirit of the Nazarian Family Foundation, which values thesharing of knowledge and the pursuit of education as catalysts for positive change.   

University of Haifa was delighted to welcome Mrs. Soraya Nazarian, a long standing friend and supporter of the University. Mrs. Nazarian met with President Ron Robin and toured the Hecht Museum with director Dr. Eran Arie, who provided an overview of the museum's exciting expansion plans. She was accompanied by Israeli artist Orit Hofshi, and Dana Glikman Dotan, COO of the IMA Foundation. The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation is dedicated to supporting educational programs in a variety of institutions in Israel and the US. The Foundation has generously supported student scholarships at the University, as well as enabled the expansion of the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library. The visit was coordinated by the American Friends of the University of Haifa.

The generous donation will support talented students enrolled in the International Master’s Program in Holocaust Studies who demonstrate financial need. Renia Perel and her sister Henia survived the Holocaust using false Ukrainian birth certificates, and immigrated to Canada in 1948. The gift, in memory of Renia (née Sperber) Perel, her husband Moshe Aaron Perel, and her daughter, Freda Sharon Perel, is made possible through the Canadian Friends of Haifa University. 

Dr. Salman Zarka, director of the Ziv Medical Center in Safed and a senior lecturer at the University's School of Public Health, is set to lead Israel's coronavirus response efforts. "The coronavirus pandemic is a complicated subject that touches on national security," noted Dr. Zarka in a statement. "We have to take into account all the considerations and broad implications of dealing with the virus.” Dr. Zarka serves on the government's COVID-19 advisory panel and is an internationally renowned expert in public and military medicine. He founded and commanded the field hospital on the Golan Heights that treated casualties from the Syrian Civil War. Dr. Zarka earned a master's degree in political science and national security from University of Haifa. Full story in the Times of Israel.

A new study reveals an alarming year-over-year spike in anti-Semitic tropes, images and rhetoric on TikTok. "TikTok caters primarily to young, impressionable and naive audiences. We need to take very seriously the impact that bad-faith actors is having on young consumers of social media," noted Prof. (Emeritus) Gabriel Weimann (Department of Communication). Conducted over a four-month period in conjunction with Natalie Masri (International Institute for Counter Terrorism), the study further found a 41-percent rise in anti-Semitic postings and a more than 1,375-percent climb in usernames with anti-Semitic titles, such as @holocaustwasgood and @eviljews.

 MORE in i24News and the Jerusalem Post 

The study, led by scientists from the Leon H. Charney School of Marine, revealed that pollutants such as copper, phosphorus, and zinc are still present in amounts much higher than expected ten years after fish cages were removed from the Gulf of Eilat.  "There are proponents for restoring commercial fish farming systems to the Eilat Bay area, but they should consider that such a move will have significant long-term repercussions," cautions the study's first author, Dr. Shai Oron (postdoctoral fellow at the Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences and the Eilat Inter-University Institute).

Water scarcity is becoming a critical environmental issue worldwide.  The Asia Pacific Desk, in collaboration with the University of Haifa's Friends Association in Taiwan, held a fascinating discussion with experts from UofH and the National Taiwan University (NTU) about water shortage challenges in Israel and Taiwan. More than 80 participants from across Israel and Asia tuned in to hear Dr. David Katz (Department of Geography and Environmental Studies) and Prof. Hong-Yuan Lee, former Minister of Taiwan Interior and NTU faculty. The panelists discussed how their countries are coping with increasing water consumption, environmental concerns and their impact on water supplies, technology advances to conserve water, and political and institutional challenges of operating a water economy.  Mr. CY Huang, President of the Friends Association in Taiwan, moderated the webinar.