The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The view from Mount Scopus 😍

Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom.

Yesterday, we welcomed the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Kęstutis Budrys, to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During his visit, Minister Budrys delivered an insightful address on global security challenges, highlighting the interconnected security of Europe and the Levant.

In his address, Minister Budrys noted: "In the second half of 2022, when Iran began supplying military drones and instructors to Russia, the dynamics of the war in Ukraine changed. Today, Russia has become an important hub for Iranian drone production. Lithuania's actions to strengthen security in Europe contribute to security in the Levant, and Israel's actions in the Levant strengthen security in Europe."

He also met with university leadership to discuss expanding academic cooperation between Lithuanian and Israeli higher education institutions.

Our sincere thanks to H.E. Kęstutis Budrys for his visit and commitment to advancing international academic collaboration.

Congratulations to the 318 doctoral graduates of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who officially received their degrees! Women made up 52.5% of this year’s cohort, with notable representation in fields including medicine (around 80%) and business administration (around 75%). These new doctors come from all parts of Israeli society and across the world, united by their remarkable determination, dedication, and academic excellence.

Among these notable graduates is Habtom Mehari Ghebrezghiabher, who received his doctorate in sociology. After fleeing the dictatorship in Eritrea, surviving imprisonment and deportation in East Africa, and crossing the desert to Israel on foot in 2007, Habtom balanced hard agricultural labor with an unwavering determination to pursue his studies. Entering his joint doctoral program on human rights in times of crisis as an asylum seeker, he navigated years of severe legal uncertainty regarding his family's status before finally being granted legal status in Israel. Guided by his supervisor, Prof. Yael Barda, Habtom’s doctoral dissertation combined critical sociological inquiry with his own lived experience to explore how authoritarian regimes continue to monitor and control diaspora communities across national borders. Today, as a married father of four and an active advocate for the Eritrean community, he brings a profound and unique academic perspective to geopolitics and migration.

We are proud of all of you and look forward to seeing your future achievements.

Learn more. Link in the comments.

Photo credit: David Salem

Our HUJI Alumni of the Month series highlights the incredible achievements of our international alumni community. This month, we're proud to feature Michel Gordon, FRM, a Hebrew University alumnus who has spent more than two decades documenting Jewish communities across the Islamic world through travel, photography, and independent research.

Financial risk manager by day and Middle East historian by night, HUJI alumnus Michel Gordon leads a busy life. Since graduating with an MA in Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies from the Rothberg International School, his proudest accomplishment is the publication of his third book, Life and Legacy: A Window into Jewish Heritage Across the Middle East, which explores the history and culture of Jewish Life Across the Islamic World.

For more than two decades, Michel has documented Jewish communities throughout the Islamic world through travel, photography, and independent research, preserving stories that are often overlooked in contemporary discussions of the Middle East.

Beyond his professional career, Michel teaches courses on the Middle East, Jewish communities in Islamic civilizations, and the modern history of Israel, engaging students and broader audiences interested in Jewish history and the Middle East.

Michel remembers the atmosphere on HUJI’s Mount Scopus campus with deep fondness. Surrounded by trees, the Botanical Garden, and the unique sounds of Jerusalem, from the rustling wind to the evening call to prayer, he found the campus to be a place of both tranquility and inspiration.

His advice to future students is simple: "Seek understanding before judgment. The most interesting stories are often found where different worlds meet."

Connect with Michel on LinkedIn to learn more about his work preserving Jewish heritage across the Middle East: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-gordon-frm-4b521814/

A historic milestone in precision medicine has just been reached, marking a world-first for infant neurological care.

An eight-month-old infant suffering from a severe, drug-resistant genetic epilepsy became the first patient in the world to receive a groundbreaking gene replacement therapy delivered directly to the brain. Administered at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, the treatment has left the child stable with no recurrence of the severe seizures.

This world-first achievement builds upon more than a decade of foundational research led by Prof. Rami Aqeilan at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Learn more! Link in the comments.

הפקולטה לרפואה האוניברסיטה העברית Faculty of Medicine

The University of Illinois System and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have awarded a total of $200,000 to four new interdisciplinary research teams!

Marking the fifth round of this joint research and innovation seed grant program, these funds are fueling projects focused on AI and its applications for the sciences. The research ranges from using AI agents to develop virtual cells to using sensory signals to improve human-AI interaction.

Congratulations to the co-principal investigators and their teams at HUJI, UIUC, and UIC!

Click here to read more: https://tinyurl.com/y66ev6f4

Congratulations to Yael Arad, Chairwoman of the Israeli Olympic Committee, IOC member, and Israel's first Olympic medalist, on receiving the Chaim Herzog Award for Outstanding Contribution to the State of Israel.

Presented by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in cooperation with the Yad Chaim Herzog Association, the award recognizes individuals whose leadership and achievements have made a lasting impact on Israeli society.

A member of the Hebrew University's Board of Governors, Yael Arad continues to inspire through her commitment to excellence, public service, and advancing Israeli sport.

Click here to read the full story: https://international.huji.ac.il/news/hebrew-university-presents-chaim-herzog-award-yael-arad

Israeli innovation continues to make a global impact.🌏

Congratulations to Prof. Yaakov Nahmias of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Prof. Tal Dvir of Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Hossam Haick of the Technion on being named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the academy’s highest professional distinction.

We are especially proud to celebrate Prof. Nahmias, Director of the Grass Center for Bioengineering at the Hebrew University, whose groundbreaking work in bioengineering and organ-on-chip technologies is advancing drug development, precision medicine, and human disease modeling.

The link to read the full story is in the comments.

Did you know coral reefs actively set the daily schedule for microscopic life in the ocean? 🌊

A recent study led by Dr. Herdís G. R. Steinsdóttir and Dr. Miguel J. Frada from our Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, alongside Dr. Derya Akkaynak, reveals that reefs are far from passive. By tracking microbes hour by hour, the team found that reef waters undergo dramatic shifts from midnight predator peaks to midday surges in coral partners.

These consistent daily pulses could serve as a new way to monitor reef health in a changing climate. On World Oceans Day, we celebrate the vital research conducted at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat.

Dive into the full study: https://international.huji.ac.il/news/coral-reef%E2%80%99s-daily-pulse-reshapes-microbes-surrounding-water