Ph.D. Honorees

  • President of the State of Israel, Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    Israel

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Following his military service as an intelligence officer, President Rivlin studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as legal adviser, chairman, and team manager of the Beitar Jerusalem Sports Association, and was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council and of the El Al Executive Council. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Khan Theater and a member of the International Council of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He served as Chairman of the Likud Organization and Chairman of the Jerusalem Branch of the Herut Movement.

    As a member of the Likud Party, President Rivlin was first elected to the Knesset in 1988, and served seven parliamentary terms. He has also sat on various parliamentary committees, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; Constitution, Law and Justice; and Education and Culture. Appointed Minister of Communications in 2001, Rivlin sought to open up and expand the communications market in Israel and to ensure the development of advanced infrastructure. As twice-elected Speaker of the Knesset (2003-2006, 2009-2013), he worked to promote the parliament’s independence vis-à-vis the government and gained broad public recognition for his defense of Israeli democracy and his efforts to ensure the rights of minority groups.

    Rivlin was elected President of the State of Israel in 2014, winning cross-party support. He has since acted in numerous ways to safeguard Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, to firmly establish cooperation between the diverse sectors comprising Israeli society, and to ensure full equality and prosperity among all of its citizens.

    In May 2019, President Rivlin’s wife of nearly five decades, Nechama Rivlin z”l, passed away. An inspiring yet humble woman, Nechama leaves behind a legacy of supporting women and minorities and combatting intolerance and discrimination. Together they have four children and nine grandchildren. President Rivlin has been a vegetarian for ideological reasons for close to 30 years.

    Read More » about President of the State of Israel, Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    President of the State of Israel, Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin

    Israel

    Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin is the 10th and current President of the State of Israel.

    President Rivlin was born in 1939 in Jerusalem, where he resides to this day. His father, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin, was a scholar of Semitic languages who translated the Qur’an and One Thousand and One Nights into Hebrew. His family’s roots in Jerusalem date back to the early 19th century. 

    Following his military service as an intelligence officer, President Rivlin studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He served as legal adviser, chairman, and team manager of the Beitar Jerusalem Sports Association, and was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council and of the El Al Executive Council. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Khan Theater and a member of the International Council of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He served as Chairman of the Likud Organization and Chairman of the Jerusalem Branch of the Herut Movement.

    As a member of the Likud Party, President Rivlin was first elected to the Knesset in 1988, and served seven parliamentary terms. He has also sat on various parliamentary committees, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; Constitution, Law and Justice; and Education and Culture. Appointed Minister of Communications in 2001, Rivlin sought to open up and expand the communications market in Israel and to ensure the development of advanced infrastructure. As twice-elected Speaker of the Knesset (2003-2006, 2009-2013), he worked to promote the parliament’s independence vis-à-vis the government and gained broad public recognition for his defense of Israeli democracy and his efforts to ensure the rights of minority groups.

    Rivlin was elected President of the State of Israel in 2014, winning cross-party support. He has since acted in numerous ways to safeguard Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, to firmly establish cooperation between the diverse sectors comprising Israeli society, and to ensure full equality and prosperity among all of its citizens.

    In May 2019, President Rivlin’s wife of nearly five decades, Nechama Rivlin z”l, passed away. An inspiring yet humble woman, Nechama leaves behind a legacy of supporting women and minorities and combatting intolerance and discrimination. Together they have four children and nine grandchildren. President Rivlin has been a vegetarian for ideological reasons for close to 30 years.

  • Rebecca Boukhris

    Israel/France

    Rebecca Boukhris has been the Trustee and Director of the Adelis Foundation since its creation in 2006.

    The Adelis Foundation bears the combined name of André Deloro, who founded it, and of his passion: André Deloro, Israel. 

    Rebecca Boukhris began her professional career at the Edmond de Rothschild banking group, and for 36 years, thanks to her talent and dedication, she rose through the ranks to become Director of Private Banking.

    Rebecca Boukhris has been the Trustee and Director of the Adelis Foundation since its creation in 2006.

    The Adelis Foundation bears the combined name of André Deloro, who founded it, and of his passion: André Deloro, Israel. 

    Rebecca Boukhris began her professional career at the Edmond de Rothschild banking group, and for 36 years, thanks to her talent and dedication, she rose through the ranks to become Director of Private Banking.

    It was in the course of her work that in 1990 she met André Deloro, a Jew from Egypt. He had arrived in France in 1950, graduated with distinction from one of the largest schools of engineering, and prospered in the construction sector. Rebecca Boukhris soon made an impression on him with her aptitudes, and André Deloro asked her to join him in managing his wealth. Over the years, she became his right-hand woman. And together, guided by the same Zionist vision, they accomplished the creation of the Adelis Foundation.

    When André Deloro died in 2012, she complied with his final wishes by putting aside her professional banking work and devoting herself exclusively to the concerns of the Foundation.
    Rebecca Boukhris shares André Deloro’s determined focus on reinforcing Israel’s security and ensuring the future of the Jewish people, with an emphasis on education, scientific research, and medical excellence, both for the country’s economic growth and for the welfare of humanity.
    They were both convinced that scientific progress is what will make possible a change in the way people live their lives.

    And so, dedicating her future to the Foundation, she made aliyah — immigration to Israel — in 2014 with her husband Sidney Boukhris.

    Her expertise in financial operations enabled Rebecca Boukhris to organize the Foundation’s activities with the strictness of a proper investment fund. Thus while the Foundation, of course, supports many scientific research projects, it goes beyond mere subsidies, maintaining a long-term relationship with the research labs by meticulously tracking the development of each project that it finances.

    In specific, the Foundation is active in bringing different universities together to promote joint projects that will accelerate research. In doing so, the Foundation has established important partnerships among Israeli institutions, notably a brain research collaboration between the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

    Over the years, the Adelis Foundation has become one of the chief partners of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Important grants, and considerable labor, have gone into the creation of the André Deloro Institute for Space and Optics Research, the André Deloro Research School of Physical Science, the André Deloro Prize for Scientific Research, the forthcoming André Deloro Building for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, and funds for research in Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.

    Rebecca Boukhris was born in Casablanca in 1956. Her family moved to Paris in 1964, and there she studied economics. She and her husband have two children, Nataniel and Michael.

    Read More » about Rebecca Boukhris

    Rebecca Boukhris

    Israel/France

    Rebecca Boukhris has been the Trustee and Director of the Adelis Foundation since its creation in 2006.

    The Adelis Foundation bears the combined name of André Deloro, who founded it, and of his passion: André Deloro, Israel. 

    Rebecca Boukhris began her professional career at the Edmond de Rothschild banking group, and for 36 years, thanks to her talent and dedication, she rose through the ranks to become Director of Private Banking.

    It was in the course of her work that in 1990 she met André Deloro, a Jew from Egypt. He had arrived in France in 1950, graduated with distinction from one of the largest schools of engineering, and prospered in the construction sector. Rebecca Boukhris soon made an impression on him with her aptitudes, and André Deloro asked her to join him in managing his wealth. Over the years, she became his right-hand woman. And together, guided by the same Zionist vision, they accomplished the creation of the Adelis Foundation.

    When André Deloro died in 2012, she complied with his final wishes by putting aside her professional banking work and devoting herself exclusively to the concerns of the Foundation.
    Rebecca Boukhris shares André Deloro’s determined focus on reinforcing Israel’s security and ensuring the future of the Jewish people, with an emphasis on education, scientific research, and medical excellence, both for the country’s economic growth and for the welfare of humanity.
    They were both convinced that scientific progress is what will make possible a change in the way people live their lives.

    And so, dedicating her future to the Foundation, she made aliyah — immigration to Israel — in 2014 with her husband Sidney Boukhris.

    Her expertise in financial operations enabled Rebecca Boukhris to organize the Foundation’s activities with the strictness of a proper investment fund. Thus while the Foundation, of course, supports many scientific research projects, it goes beyond mere subsidies, maintaining a long-term relationship with the research labs by meticulously tracking the development of each project that it finances.

    In specific, the Foundation is active in bringing different universities together to promote joint projects that will accelerate research. In doing so, the Foundation has established important partnerships among Israeli institutions, notably a brain research collaboration between the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

    Over the years, the Adelis Foundation has become one of the chief partners of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Important grants, and considerable labor, have gone into the creation of the André Deloro Institute for Space and Optics Research, the André Deloro Research School of Physical Science, the André Deloro Prize for Scientific Research, the forthcoming André Deloro Building for Advanced and Intelligent Materials, and funds for research in Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndrome, and multiple sclerosis.

    Rebecca Boukhris was born in Casablanca in 1956. Her family moved to Paris in 1964, and there she studied economics. She and her husband have two children, Nataniel and Michael.

  • Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    United States

    A world-renowned particle physicist, Prof. Jonathan M. Dorfan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1947. He earned his BSc in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969, and his PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of California, Irvine in 1976.

    A world-renowned particle physicist, Prof. Jonathan M. Dorfan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1947. He earned his BSc in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969, and his PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of California, Irvine in 1976.

    Prof. Dorfan spent the first three decades of his career at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC, today the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), where he led the design and construction of the B-factory accelerator complex, helped bring together its associated 10-nation BaBar collaboration, and coordinated the construction of the BaBar detector. The discovery by Babar of CP Violation in the b quark system was cited by the Nobel Committee as the primary experimental evidence in support of the theoretical work of Profs. Kobayashi and Maskawa, which earned them the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. Appointed SLAC’s director in 1999, Prof. Dorfan guided its transition from a single-purpose research center to a multi-program laboratory. Under Prof. Dorfan’s leadership, SLAC also led the development of the main instrument for NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and secured the world’s first X-ray free-electron laser. Anticipating the growing importance of astrophysics, he initiated the creation of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC).

    In 2010, Prof. Dorfan was named president of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), an emerging world-class academic entity in Japan. During his tenure, he turned the vision of the founder of the Okinawa Institute into reality and launched a campaign to double the University, bringing it to include 100 faculty-led research groups and 300 graduate students by 2023.

    As a researcher, Prof. Dorfan’s interests encompass experimental particle physics, the fundamental makeup of matter, accelerator design and construction, and accelerator-based cancer therapy using protons and heavy ions. His long list of accolades includes honorary doctorates from the University of Cape Town and Technische Universität Dresden, as well as the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. He is a Fellow of both the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society. 
    Prof. Dorfan has served on numerous advisory bodies, including as a member of the International Committee for Future Accelerators, the Board of Directors of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Corporation and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich.  At present, Prof. Dorfan is a member of the Advisory Board of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science and IST Austria’s ISTScholar Advisory Board. 

    A longtime friend of the Weizmann Institute, and a valued colleague and mentor to its scientists, Prof. Dorfan has served on the Institute’s International Board and its Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee (SAAC) since 2004. He co-chaired SAAC for nine consecutive years, from 2009-2018, a role he faithfully fulfilled, greatly contributing to the Institute's scientific work.

    Jonathan and his wife Renée have two adult children, Nicole and Rachel, and four grandchildren.

    Read More » about Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    Prof. Jonathan Dorfan

    United States

    A world-renowned particle physicist, Prof. Jonathan M. Dorfan was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1947. He earned his BSc in physics and applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town in 1969, and his PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of California, Irvine in 1976.

    Prof. Dorfan spent the first three decades of his career at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC, today the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory), where he led the design and construction of the B-factory accelerator complex, helped bring together its associated 10-nation BaBar collaboration, and coordinated the construction of the BaBar detector. The discovery by Babar of CP Violation in the b quark system was cited by the Nobel Committee as the primary experimental evidence in support of the theoretical work of Profs. Kobayashi and Maskawa, which earned them the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics. Appointed SLAC’s director in 1999, Prof. Dorfan guided its transition from a single-purpose research center to a multi-program laboratory. Under Prof. Dorfan’s leadership, SLAC also led the development of the main instrument for NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and secured the world’s first X-ray free-electron laser. Anticipating the growing importance of astrophysics, he initiated the creation of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC).

    In 2010, Prof. Dorfan was named president of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), an emerging world-class academic entity in Japan. During his tenure, he turned the vision of the founder of the Okinawa Institute into reality and launched a campaign to double the University, bringing it to include 100 faculty-led research groups and 300 graduate students by 2023.

    As a researcher, Prof. Dorfan’s interests encompass experimental particle physics, the fundamental makeup of matter, accelerator design and construction, and accelerator-based cancer therapy using protons and heavy ions. His long list of accolades includes honorary doctorates from the University of Cape Town and Technische Universität Dresden, as well as the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. He is a Fellow of both the American Association of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society. 
    Prof. Dorfan has served on numerous advisory bodies, including as a member of the International Committee for Future Accelerators, the Board of Directors of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Corporation and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich.  At present, Prof. Dorfan is a member of the Advisory Board of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science and IST Austria’s ISTScholar Advisory Board. 

    A longtime friend of the Weizmann Institute, and a valued colleague and mentor to its scientists, Prof. Dorfan has served on the Institute’s International Board and its Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee (SAAC) since 2004. He co-chaired SAAC for nine consecutive years, from 2009-2018, a role he faithfully fulfilled, greatly contributing to the Institute's scientific work.

    Jonathan and his wife Renée have two adult children, Nicole and Rachel, and four grandchildren.

  • Mario Fleck

    Brazil

    Mr. Mario Fleck is a distinguished member of Brazil’s business community and a philanthropist of insight and vision. He holds a bachelor degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. After joining the Brazilian branch of Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting companies, in 1976, he went on to serve in multiple roles in the company over the next 28 years, including as the Country Managing Partner for Brazil, and also served as a member of several international committees.

    Mr. Mario Fleck is a distinguished member of Brazil’s business community and a philanthropist of insight and vision. He holds a bachelor degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. After joining the Brazilian branch of Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting companies, in 1976, he went on to serve in multiple roles in the company over the next 28 years, including as the Country Managing Partner for Brazil, and also served as a member of several international committees.

    Mr. Fleck later joined Rio Bravo Investments, one of the top independent asset management companies in the Brazilian financial market, where he served as CEO until the company’s acquisition by a Chinese conglomerate. As part of his activities during those years, Mr. Fleck served at various Boards of Directors of private and public Brazilian companies.

    Guided by a passionate commitment to his community, Mr. Fleck’s activities have long extended well beyond the demanding duties of his career. He collaborates with several non-profit organizations such as Parceiros da Educação, through which the private sector strives to improve the quality of public education. He has also filled key leadership positions in AME Campos (a community organization in the city of Campos do Jordão), the Fundação Getulio Vargas Business School, the Max Nordau College in Rio de Janeiro, the Aleph Jewish School in São Paulo, and the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, and has served on the boards of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. And as Vice Chair of the Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI).
    A leading member of Brazil’s Jewish community, Mr. Fleck presided over the Jewish Federation of São Paulo from 2011 to 2015 and is currently President of its Board. Today he also serves as President of CIP - Congregação Israelita Paulista, the largest non-orthodox synagogue of São Paulo, and is Vice President of the Brazil-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Internationally, Mr. Fleck chairs the American Jewish Committee’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs.

    Mario is also a highly esteemed and active member of the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board, working tirelessly and successfully on behalf of the Institute to develop a growing network of friends in Brazil. As President of the Brazilian Friends of the Weizmann Institute, he spearheaded the Latin American Committee’s effort to raise funds for the Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank in the Moross Integrated Cancer Center, to which he has also given generously.

    He is married to Angela Brandão, and has two children, Michel and Debora, and three grandchildren, Gabriel, Laila and Thomas.

    Read More » about Mario Fleck

    Mario Fleck

    Brazil

    Mr. Mario Fleck is a distinguished member of Brazil’s business community and a philanthropist of insight and vision. He holds a bachelor degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. After joining the Brazilian branch of Accenture, one of the world’s largest consulting companies, in 1976, he went on to serve in multiple roles in the company over the next 28 years, including as the Country Managing Partner for Brazil, and also served as a member of several international committees.

    Mr. Fleck later joined Rio Bravo Investments, one of the top independent asset management companies in the Brazilian financial market, where he served as CEO until the company’s acquisition by a Chinese conglomerate. As part of his activities during those years, Mr. Fleck served at various Boards of Directors of private and public Brazilian companies.

    Guided by a passionate commitment to his community, Mr. Fleck’s activities have long extended well beyond the demanding duties of his career. He collaborates with several non-profit organizations such as Parceiros da Educação, through which the private sector strives to improve the quality of public education. He has also filled key leadership positions in AME Campos (a community organization in the city of Campos do Jordão), the Fundação Getulio Vargas Business School, the Max Nordau College in Rio de Janeiro, the Aleph Jewish School in São Paulo, and the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, and has served on the boards of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. And as Vice Chair of the Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI).
    A leading member of Brazil’s Jewish community, Mr. Fleck presided over the Jewish Federation of São Paulo from 2011 to 2015 and is currently President of its Board. Today he also serves as President of CIP - Congregação Israelita Paulista, the largest non-orthodox synagogue of São Paulo, and is Vice President of the Brazil-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Internationally, Mr. Fleck chairs the American Jewish Committee’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs.

    Mario is also a highly esteemed and active member of the Weizmann Institute’s Executive Board, working tirelessly and successfully on behalf of the Institute to develop a growing network of friends in Brazil. As President of the Brazilian Friends of the Weizmann Institute, he spearheaded the Latin American Committee’s effort to raise funds for the Weizmann-Brazil Tumor Bank in the Moross Integrated Cancer Center, to which he has also given generously.

    He is married to Angela Brandão, and has two children, Michel and Debora, and three grandchildren, Gabriel, Laila and Thomas.

  • Alex Levac

    Israel

    Over the course of his internationally acclaimed photojournalistic career, spanning four decades, Mr. Alex Levac has created thousands of still frames that subtly juxtapose humanity and reality with humor and compassion. He has an eye for the absurd, the surprising, the terrifying, and the hilarious, as well as creative frictions and tensions. His work highlights the engaging power and informative value of photography, emerging from the seemingly banal details of everyday life.

    Over the course of his internationally acclaimed photojournalistic career, spanning four decades, Mr. Alex Levac has created thousands of still frames that subtly juxtapose humanity and reality with humor and compassion. He has an eye for the absurd, the surprising, the terrifying, and the hilarious, as well as creative frictions and tensions. His work highlights the engaging power and informative value of photography, emerging from the seemingly banal details of everyday life.

    Born in Tel Aviv in 1944, Mr. Levac received his first camera from his father at a young age, and developed his photos in a makeshift lab in his parents’ bathroom. He went on to study philosophy and psychology at Tel Aviv University (graduating in 1968) and photography at the London College of Printing (1971). 

    His career has led him on journeys through the Amazon rain forest, as well as urban centers in Brazil, the United States, and Europe. His encounters with diverse populations, often living in conditions of poverty and overcrowding, sharpened his realization that his camera lens should be pointed at people, not nature. 

    Mr. Levac returned to Israel in 1982, and subsequently became a staff photographer for the daily newspaper Hadashot until it closed in 1993. Since then, he has served as a staff photographer for Haaretz, where he also publishes a weekly column featuring an original, penetrating, offbeat, or humorous photo, reflecting the eccentricities and contradictions of Israeli life.

    The exceptional images he has generated over his career have had a lasting impact on Israeli society, by deviating from the traditional role of photojournalism of capturing reality, and instead focusing on shaping it. One of his most famous pictures – taken in 1984, during what has become known as the “Bus 300 affair” – raised serious questions regarding government accountability, and eventually led to increased public awareness of security practices and an improvement in working procedures within the Israeli security system. 

    Mr. Levac’s work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Israel and overseas, as well as in several books. He is the recipient of the 2005 Israel Prize for Photography, the Rita Poretzky Award of Photography from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Prize for Photography, and the Israel Museum’s Enrique Kavlin Lifetime Achievement Award for Photography.

    Mr. Levac has been a champion of the right to creative expression and freedom of speech throughout his career. With his thousands of photos, he has pieced together a collage of Israeli society, presenting both its strengths and its imperfections.

    Read More » about Alex Levac

    Alex Levac

    Israel

    Over the course of his internationally acclaimed photojournalistic career, spanning four decades, Mr. Alex Levac has created thousands of still frames that subtly juxtapose humanity and reality with humor and compassion. He has an eye for the absurd, the surprising, the terrifying, and the hilarious, as well as creative frictions and tensions. His work highlights the engaging power and informative value of photography, emerging from the seemingly banal details of everyday life.

    Born in Tel Aviv in 1944, Mr. Levac received his first camera from his father at a young age, and developed his photos in a makeshift lab in his parents’ bathroom. He went on to study philosophy and psychology at Tel Aviv University (graduating in 1968) and photography at the London College of Printing (1971). 

    His career has led him on journeys through the Amazon rain forest, as well as urban centers in Brazil, the United States, and Europe. His encounters with diverse populations, often living in conditions of poverty and overcrowding, sharpened his realization that his camera lens should be pointed at people, not nature. 

    Mr. Levac returned to Israel in 1982, and subsequently became a staff photographer for the daily newspaper Hadashot until it closed in 1993. Since then, he has served as a staff photographer for Haaretz, where he also publishes a weekly column featuring an original, penetrating, offbeat, or humorous photo, reflecting the eccentricities and contradictions of Israeli life.

    The exceptional images he has generated over his career have had a lasting impact on Israeli society, by deviating from the traditional role of photojournalism of capturing reality, and instead focusing on shaping it. One of his most famous pictures – taken in 1984, during what has become known as the “Bus 300 affair” – raised serious questions regarding government accountability, and eventually led to increased public awareness of security practices and an improvement in working procedures within the Israeli security system. 

    Mr. Levac’s work has been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Israel and overseas, as well as in several books. He is the recipient of the 2005 Israel Prize for Photography, the Rita Poretzky Award of Photography from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Prize for Photography, and the Israel Museum’s Enrique Kavlin Lifetime Achievement Award for Photography.

    Mr. Levac has been a champion of the right to creative expression and freedom of speech throughout his career. With his thousands of photos, he has pieced together a collage of Israeli society, presenting both its strengths and its imperfections.

  • Prof. Raphael Mechoulam

    Israel

    Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, Professor Emeritus of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Drug Research, is globally acknowledged as the father of cannabinoid research. His pioneering work has proven to be of central importance in pharmacology, physiology, and medicine.

    Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, Professor Emeritus of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Drug Research, is globally acknowledged as the father of cannabinoid research. His pioneering work has proven to be of central importance in pharmacology, physiology, and medicine.

    Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1930, he survived wartime Europe and immigrated to Israel in 1949. Prof. Mechoulam studied biochemistry, receiving his MSc from the Hebrew University in 1952 and his PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1958. After completing postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller Institute (today Rockefeller University) in New York, he established his independent research group at the Weizmann Institute in 1960 and, six years later, moved to the Hebrew University, where he would later serve as Rector from 1979 to 1982.

    Prof. Mechoulam’s research focuses on the chemistry of natural substances, their biological function, and the development of new potential drugs. He is best known for developing the chemistry, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry of cannabinoid compounds of plant origin. In 1964, while at the Weizmann Institute, he reported the isolation and structure elucidation of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Prof. Mechoulam subsequently identified the endogenous cannabinoid substances in the brain, which operate a previously unknown biochemical system—the endocannabinoid system. 

    These substances, the most well-known of which is called anandamide, are involved in a large number of biochemical processes and their function, or dysfunctions, and have been implicated in a long list of diseases. In collaboration with researchers in Israel and abroad, Prof. Mechoulam was instrumental in elucidating the importance of plant cannabinoids and endocannabinoids in many physiological processes and pathological conditions, including neuroprotection, sleep, pain management, trauma, vasodilation, cancer, inflammation, bone formation, learning, and memory. These studies have resulted in the expanding use of medicinal cannabis, as well as the development and study of various medical derivatives for a variety of conditions.

    Prof. Mechoulam’s research achievements have earned him numerous accolades, including the Israel Prize in Exact Sciences, the Rothschild Prize in Chemical Sciences and Physical Sciences, the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Lifetime Achievement Award, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the EMET prize in Exact Sciences. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and holds honorary doctorates from various universities in Europe, the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Israel. He has authored some 440 papers, which have been cited some 51,000 times.

    Prof. Mechoulam is married and has three children.

    Read More » about Prof. Raphael Mechoulam

    Prof. Raphael Mechoulam

    Israel

    Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, Professor Emeritus of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Drug Research, is globally acknowledged as the father of cannabinoid research. His pioneering work has proven to be of central importance in pharmacology, physiology, and medicine.

    Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1930, he survived wartime Europe and immigrated to Israel in 1949. Prof. Mechoulam studied biochemistry, receiving his MSc from the Hebrew University in 1952 and his PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1958. After completing postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller Institute (today Rockefeller University) in New York, he established his independent research group at the Weizmann Institute in 1960 and, six years later, moved to the Hebrew University, where he would later serve as Rector from 1979 to 1982.

    Prof. Mechoulam’s research focuses on the chemistry of natural substances, their biological function, and the development of new potential drugs. He is best known for developing the chemistry, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry of cannabinoid compounds of plant origin. In 1964, while at the Weizmann Institute, he reported the isolation and structure elucidation of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant. Prof. Mechoulam subsequently identified the endogenous cannabinoid substances in the brain, which operate a previously unknown biochemical system—the endocannabinoid system. 

    These substances, the most well-known of which is called anandamide, are involved in a large number of biochemical processes and their function, or dysfunctions, and have been implicated in a long list of diseases. In collaboration with researchers in Israel and abroad, Prof. Mechoulam was instrumental in elucidating the importance of plant cannabinoids and endocannabinoids in many physiological processes and pathological conditions, including neuroprotection, sleep, pain management, trauma, vasodilation, cancer, inflammation, bone formation, learning, and memory. These studies have resulted in the expanding use of medicinal cannabis, as well as the development and study of various medical derivatives for a variety of conditions.

    Prof. Mechoulam’s research achievements have earned him numerous accolades, including the Israel Prize in Exact Sciences, the Rothschild Prize in Chemical Sciences and Physical Sciences, the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Lifetime Achievement Award, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Lifetime Achievement Award, and the EMET prize in Exact Sciences. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and holds honorary doctorates from various universities in Europe, the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Israel. He has authored some 440 papers, which have been cited some 51,000 times.

    Prof. Mechoulam is married and has three children.

  • Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum

    United States

    A public philosopher of extraordinary scope, Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum’s prolific intellectual contributions range from ancient Greek and Roman philosophy to philosophy of education, philosophy of development economics, and philosophy of law. She has addressed such issues as emotions, distributive justice, and human rights, and has yielded findings and insights at the abstract level of cognition, which she has shown to make a material difference in the most important issues of our political and personal lives.

    A public philosopher of extraordinary scope, Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum’s prolific intellectual contributions range from ancient Greek and Roman philosophy to philosophy of education, philosophy of development economics, and philosophy of law. She has addressed such issues as emotions, distributive justice, and human rights, and has yielded findings and insights at the abstract level of cognition, which she has shown to make a material difference in the most important issues of our political and personal lives.

    Born in New York City, Prof. Nussbaum earned a BA from New York University, and an MA and PhD in classical philology from Harvard University. She currently serves as the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Department of Philosophy and the Law School.

    Among her many achievements, she is well known for the development of a political philosophy focused on human capabilities. She worked alongside Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen to create the Capabilities Approach, a measure of global welfare that provided an alternative to older concepts of development (increasing GDP per capita), with human capabilities – what a nation’s individuals are actually able to be and do – at its center. Prof. Nussbaum advocated a new concept – that normative justice should focus on the development of certain specified capabilities – and injected new insights into the discussion of human welfare policy and assistance for developing countries.

    She also has written extensively on human emotions and their role in politics, law, and society. Her writing, invariably elegant and engaging, transcends the boundaries of academic discourse, winning over audiences around the world. Prof. Nussbaum’s oeuvre includes 24 books, and she has garnered numerous prizes, including, in recent years, the Inamori Ethics Prize, awarded by the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University to international leaders who improve the condition of mankind; the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy – the most prestigious award offered in fields not eligible for a Nobel Prize; and the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.

    Prof. Nussbaum has received honorary degrees from 61 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, including the University of Haifa in 2002 and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2017. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected 1988), and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy and of the Academy of Finland.

    Read More » about Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum

    Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum

    United States

    A public philosopher of extraordinary scope, Prof. Martha C. Nussbaum’s prolific intellectual contributions range from ancient Greek and Roman philosophy to philosophy of education, philosophy of development economics, and philosophy of law. She has addressed such issues as emotions, distributive justice, and human rights, and has yielded findings and insights at the abstract level of cognition, which she has shown to make a material difference in the most important issues of our political and personal lives.

    Born in New York City, Prof. Nussbaum earned a BA from New York University, and an MA and PhD in classical philology from Harvard University. She currently serves as the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Department of Philosophy and the Law School.

    Among her many achievements, she is well known for the development of a political philosophy focused on human capabilities. She worked alongside Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen to create the Capabilities Approach, a measure of global welfare that provided an alternative to older concepts of development (increasing GDP per capita), with human capabilities – what a nation’s individuals are actually able to be and do – at its center. Prof. Nussbaum advocated a new concept – that normative justice should focus on the development of certain specified capabilities – and injected new insights into the discussion of human welfare policy and assistance for developing countries.

    She also has written extensively on human emotions and their role in politics, law, and society. Her writing, invariably elegant and engaging, transcends the boundaries of academic discourse, winning over audiences around the world. Prof. Nussbaum’s oeuvre includes 24 books, and she has garnered numerous prizes, including, in recent years, the Inamori Ethics Prize, awarded by the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University to international leaders who improve the condition of mankind; the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy – the most prestigious award offered in fields not eligible for a Nobel Prize; and the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.

    Prof. Nussbaum has received honorary degrees from 61 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, including the University of Haifa in 2002 and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2017. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected 1988), and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy and of the Academy of Finland.

  • Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

    Israel

    Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz is a teacher, philosopher, and spiritual mentor, who was hailed by Time magazine as a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.”

    Born in Jerusalem in 1937 to secular parents, he studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the Hebrew University, in addition to rabbinical studies. After graduating, he established several experimental schools, and, at the age of 23, became Israel’s youngest school principal.

    Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz is a teacher, philosopher, and spiritual mentor, who was hailed by Time magazine as a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.”

    Born in Jerusalem in 1937 to secular parents, he studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the Hebrew University, in addition to rabbinical studies. After graduating, he established several experimental schools, and, at the age of 23, became Israel’s youngest school principal.

    In 1965, Rabbi Steinsaltz embarked on a lifelong mission to make the Talmud accessible to all. A written compilation of centuries of Judaism’s oral wisdom and its central text of law, ethics, customs, and history, the Talmud was transcribed in the traditional Vilna format, and is a stream of unpunctuated Aramaic, unreadable to nonexperts. Rabbi Steinsaltz translated this language of the Talmud into Hebrew sentences, adding vowels, diagrams and illustrations, explanations and introductions, biographical profiles of the sages, extensive supplementary notes, and detailed indices. In 2012, he completed his monumental, 45-volume translation of the Babylonian Talmud into modern Hebrew – and oversaw its subsequent translation into five other languages. 

    Beyond deciphering and compiling this dauntingly complex text, Rabbi Steinsaltz is a prolific author in his own right, who has written some 80 books and hundreds of articles addressing Jewish knowledge, mysticism, sociology, philosophy, historical biography, and culture, and has produced original commentaries on the entirety of the Jewish biblical canon. Since 2010, he has been working to publish a series of large projects, including a modern translation and interpretation of the entire canon of Jewish texts (Bible, Mishnah, Gemara, and Tanya), as well as a translation of the Talmud and the Bible into English.

    Continuing his work as a teacher and mentor, Rabbi Steinsaltz established a network of schools and educational institutions in Israel and the former Soviet Union. He has served as scholar-in-residence at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. 

    Rabbi Steinsaltz’s endeavors have garnered him admiration and praise throughout Israel and around the world. He has received multiple awards and honors, including the 1988 Israel Prize for Jewish Studies, the President and Prime Minister’s Award in memory of Zalman Shazar (2002), Israel’s inaugural President’s Medal of Distinction (2012), the National Jewish Book Award (2012), and the French Order of Arts and Literature. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from numerous universities in Israel and the United States.

    Rabbi Steinsaltz and his wife have three children and 18 grandchildren.

    Read More » about Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

    Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

    Israel

    Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz is a teacher, philosopher, and spiritual mentor, who was hailed by Time magazine as a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.”

    Born in Jerusalem in 1937 to secular parents, he studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry at the Hebrew University, in addition to rabbinical studies. After graduating, he established several experimental schools, and, at the age of 23, became Israel’s youngest school principal.

    In 1965, Rabbi Steinsaltz embarked on a lifelong mission to make the Talmud accessible to all. A written compilation of centuries of Judaism’s oral wisdom and its central text of law, ethics, customs, and history, the Talmud was transcribed in the traditional Vilna format, and is a stream of unpunctuated Aramaic, unreadable to nonexperts. Rabbi Steinsaltz translated this language of the Talmud into Hebrew sentences, adding vowels, diagrams and illustrations, explanations and introductions, biographical profiles of the sages, extensive supplementary notes, and detailed indices. In 2012, he completed his monumental, 45-volume translation of the Babylonian Talmud into modern Hebrew – and oversaw its subsequent translation into five other languages. 

    Beyond deciphering and compiling this dauntingly complex text, Rabbi Steinsaltz is a prolific author in his own right, who has written some 80 books and hundreds of articles addressing Jewish knowledge, mysticism, sociology, philosophy, historical biography, and culture, and has produced original commentaries on the entirety of the Jewish biblical canon. Since 2010, he has been working to publish a series of large projects, including a modern translation and interpretation of the entire canon of Jewish texts (Bible, Mishnah, Gemara, and Tanya), as well as a translation of the Talmud and the Bible into English.

    Continuing his work as a teacher and mentor, Rabbi Steinsaltz established a network of schools and educational institutions in Israel and the former Soviet Union. He has served as scholar-in-residence at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. 

    Rabbi Steinsaltz’s endeavors have garnered him admiration and praise throughout Israel and around the world. He has received multiple awards and honors, including the 1988 Israel Prize for Jewish Studies, the President and Prime Minister’s Award in memory of Zalman Shazar (2002), Israel’s inaugural President’s Medal of Distinction (2012), the National Jewish Book Award (2012), and the French Order of Arts and Literature. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from numerous universities in Israel and the United States.

    Rabbi Steinsaltz and his wife have three children and 18 grandchildren.