Events

The second meeting in a new series – dialogues with researchers who have written essays on various aspects of illusion in their fields of research, as appeared in the 2026 edition of ‘Poetry of Science’, a periodical published once a year concurrently with the Weizmann Institute’s annual Ofer Lider prize for encouraging creative writing among scientists award ceremony. The editor of ‘Poetry of Science’ is Idan Barir, a translator of poetry and prose from Portuguese, Arabic, English, and Turkish.

“The neural networks involved in positive expectations, those that incite a sense of hope, satisfaction, and motivation, are not limited to the mental realm. They influence the entire body, activate the immune system, and stimulate healing processes. Placebos, in this sense, serve as a portal to understanding the power of the brain to shape a physiological reality – how thought or faith can stimulate actual biological mechanisms.” (Prof. Asya Rolls)

The placebo effect is a phenomenon in which a patient receives a sham treatment, but the brain and the immune system are stimulated into performing an actual healing process. 

Prof. Asya Rolls in a dialogue with Idan Barir, on the potential of understanding the relationship between body and soul, the extent to which physical reality can be based on illusions created in the brain, and the role of faith and hope in the healing process.
Prof. Asya Rolls – Researcher at the School for Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics at Tel Aviv University’s Life Sciences Faculty.

Sponsored by the Berginsky Center for the Interface between Science and Humanities
 

Schedule:
16/2 Travels to the Past as Deceptive Illusion, with Prof. Avner Wishnitzer
16/3 The Placebo Effect, with Prof. Asya Rolls
18/5 The Psychedelic Renaissance, with Prof. Shaul Lev-Ran

 

Modern jazz is fused with Latin influences and local sounds in this performance. The Ari Erev Trio creates an intimate yet dynamic space into which each musician brings their distinct voice, and together they build a rich, cohesive, and exciting sound. Improvisations are interwoven with intelligent and flowing compositions, and onstage communication brings each moment vividly to life -- sparking the imagination and leaving the audience with a sense of a delicate musical and spiritual journey.

Ari Erev – Piano
Philippe Gottlieb – Drums
Tal Feder – Double bass
Series curator: Matan Jakov
Doors open: 20:30 | Show starts: 21:00
Duration: approx. 75 minutes

The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history - millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, “hungry for independence”, broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels. Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever. 
What led to that first groundbreaking show 150 years ago? Who were the maverick personalities that wielded their brushes in such a radical and provocative way? The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874. See the show that changed everything on the big screen.

The Impressionists, once scorned and penniless, revolutionized art with their 1874 exhibition, which took place outside official channels. This film explores the passion and rebellion behind their groundbreaking work, told through the words of artists, the press, and the people of Paris, 150 years ago. Experience the exhibition that changed everything.

Director: Ali Ray

United Kingdom 2025 | 90 min. | English | Hebrew subtitles