Karen Simpson-Radomski
Sara Gottlieb
The Event
Mo Lidsky
Mary Litwin
Randy Masters
Leora Roth
Shirelle Segal
Hinda Silber
Randal Slavens
Judy Nathan Bronfman
Adam Cooper
Evan Cooperman
Sherry Firestone
Steve Gardner
Perri Kirshenblatt
Dena Libman
Einstein Gala Committee
Einstein Gala Chairs
Special Guest & Moderator
Anderson Cooper
Journalist, Author, CNN Anchor
Anderson Cooper is the anchor of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°, a nightly newscast that goes beyond the headlines – keeping politicians and policy makers honest with in-depth reporting and investigations. The show airs weeknights at 8:00pm ET on CNN. Since the start of his career in 1992, Cooper has covered nearly all major news events around the world, often reporting from the scene.
Special Guest
Bob Weir
Founding Member of the Grateful Dead
As dedicated musicians, Albert Einstein and Bob Weir’s passion for musical exploration fueled their extraordinary accomplishments in both art and science.
The Einstein Gala – a part of the larger Canadian Einstein Legacy Project – is also pleased to announce the participation of Bob Weir. Weir was a founding member of the Grateful Dead and is currently on a nationwide tour with Dead & Company, the band he formed in 2015 along with Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann and with John Mayer. For Albert Einstein, insight did not come from logic or mathematics. Rather, it came from intuition and inspiration like it does for many artists. In fact, Einstein said that the theory of relativity occurred to him by intuition, and that music was the driving force behind that intuition. Linking physics and mathematics to the art of music was critical to Einstein – and to inspire the genius amongst our next Einsteins, Bob Weir will be providing a thought-provoking discussion followed by a performance.
Photo credit – Jay Blakesberg
Special Guest
Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson
President, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Menahem Ben-Sasson, a Hebrew University alumnus, has been President of the University since June 2009. Before assuming this role, he served as a Member of the Knesset and was Chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Prof. Ben-Sasson was University Rector from 1997 to 2001 and previously Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. Prof.
Ben-Sasson is a scholar in the Department of the History of the Jewish People. His research focuses on the heritage of oriental Jewry and he enjoys an international reputation in this field. He has written some forty books and scholarly articles on a range of subjects, including Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands; the Relationship between Religion and Economics; and Law and Spirituality as Sources of Authority in Medieval Oriental Society. Professor Ben-Sasson has been a visiting lecturer at leading US institutions, including Yeshiva University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as an editor and as a member of the editorial boards of a range of scholarly publications and is the recipient of several awards, including the Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Prize for Jewish History and the Feher Prize for the Study of Jewish Heritage.
Our Distinguished Panelists
The Einstein Gala will feature four distinguished panelists; each evoking a different aspect of Albert Einstein and his contributions to humanity.
To honor their extraordinary contributions and accomplishments, each of our panelists will receive The Jake Eberts Key of Knowledge Award. Inspired by Hebrew University founders Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud and re-named in honour of its first recipient, the late Academy Award winning producer Jake Eberts, The Key of Knowledge Award recognizes leaders and visionaries who have bettered society through the dissemination of knowledge, innovation and personal example.
HUMANITARIANISM
INNOVATION
The Azrieli Foundation
Shuki Levy
Dr. Naomi Azrieli
Chair and CEO
Music Composer, Television Writer, Director and
Co-Founder of Saban Entertainment
TECHNOLOGY
SCIENCE
Jeff Martin
Apotex Inc.
Founder & CEO of Tribal Planet,
and Co-Chair, Einstein Legacy Project
Dr. Barry Sherman
Chairman
Our Sponsors
Our sponsors help support the Future Einsteins of the world.
We are thankful of their vision and commitment to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Nancy Pencer and David & Stacey Cynamon
Ralph and Roz Halbert and Family
- Michael & Batsheva Halbert
- Daniel & Gail Halbert
- Perri & Elliot Kirshenblatt
Stephen Auten
Richard Ruzich
Andrew Alul
Jack and Pat Kay
Judy Nathan Bronfman and Howard Bernick
The DH Gales Family Charitable Foundation of Toronto
Bryna and Fred Steiner
Silver Sponsors
M. Paul and Judith Bloom
Media Sponsor
Magazine Sponsor
Bronze Sponsors
Sydney and Florence Cooper Foundation
The Kimel Family
Morland Brown and Nathan & Glennie Lindenberg and Family
The Metrick Family
Harry Radomski and Karen Simpson-Radomski
Allan and Hinda Silber
Silverberg and Slavens Families
The Linda Frum and Howard Sokolowski Charitable Foundation
The Waks Family
/ Darren and Sara Gottlieb
/ Evan Cooperman
/ Alaa Tannous
Chai Sponsors
Wendy and Elliott Eisen
Judith and Frank Wilson
Patron Sponsors
Sherry and Jay Firestone and Family
Julia and Henry Koschitzky
Mary and Fred Litwin
Sharon Herman and Leslie & Darren Richmond
Frieda and Larry Torkin
Carole and Bernie Zucker
Supporting Future Einsteins
SCIENCE
TECHNOLOGY
Dr. Maayan Salton
Dr. Nir Bar-Gill
Dr. Salton has recently joined the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine and Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Having completed her doctorate at Tel Aviv University, Dr. Salton is returning to Israel after concluding a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Center for Cancer Research in Bethesda, Maryland. In her lab at the Hebrew University, Maayan plans to build on her NIH experience in the area of epigenetic regulation relating to the potential for new cancer therapies, and is “very enthusiastic about IMRIC’s interdisciplinary environment which will allow her the opportunity of collaborating with a wide range of faculty members, including those studying human genetics and epigenetics, diabetes and regulation of gene expression.”
Dr. Bar-Gill’s research is making new breakthroughs in quantum science and interdisciplinary applications. His research will lead to profound advancements in a wide array of technological devices such as computers, nano-scale devices and MRIs.
After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, Dr. Bar-Gill joined the Hebrew University in July 2013 as a joint appointment between the Department of Applied Physics in the Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Science’s Department of Physics. A grandson of Holocaust survivors and with experience working in Israeli industry as well as academia, Nir was especially excited to return to Israel. He hopes to follow in the steps of previous generations by doing his “best to give back, to contribute to Israel’s scientific progress, education, and industry.”
INNOVATION
HUMANITARIANISM
Dr. Nadav Kashtan
Dr. Dafna Tener
Dr. Kashtan joined the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology in 2015, after a postdoctoral position at MIT. He sees his work at the Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment as having “major importance for the futures of our children and subsequent generations”. His goal is to develop a sustainable agriculture that will have a less toxic effect on the environment and will ensure adequate food sources for the world’s rapidly growing population. In his new lab, Dr. Kashtan and his multidisciplinary team are studying the microbial communities that live on plants.
Dr. Kashtan did his undergraduate degree in computer science at Tel Aviv University, and his graduate degrees — a master’s in computational biology and a doctorate in systems biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Dr. Kashtan has successfully combined his interest in ecology and the evolution of natural systems with his solid background in mathematics and computer science. “I am really happy to be part of the Hebrew University, and in particular the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment. I see it as being the most natural ‘home’ for me and for the subject of my research.”
Dr. Tener’s research is driven by the desire to better the lives of victims of childhood sexual abuse. Her research projects, some of which are taboo topics, include studies of on-line sexual abuse of children, mothers as sexual abusers, and the mitigating effects of medical clowning during medical examination of sexually abused children.
Dr. Tener joined the Hebrew University’s Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare in July 2013 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes against Children Research Center and Social Work Department. She views her research and her teaching future social work professionals as her mission. Dafna’s goal is “to enable abused children as well as adults who were victims of abuse in their childhood to make their voices heard.”
2016 represents a unique moment in world history.
One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein created his Theory of Relativity, changing the world with the power of one man’s intellect and vision.
To celebrate this milestone, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem which Einstein founded and bequeathed his estate to have embarked on The Einstein Legacy Project. A global project whose goal is to empower, nurture and support the world’s next Einstein’s while giving a voice to the greatest innovators, thought leaders and minds of our day.
The Einstein Gala is an integral part of this global initiative. Hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the evening will shed light on the stories of four remarkable visionaries and innovators and bring their wisdom and unique insight into full view.
The Canadian Einstein Legacy Project has partnered with Tribal Planet and the Citizen Science platform, which is being unveiled for the first time in North America at this year’s gala. Through the power of the Citizen Science platform, this collaboration launches the new home of Finding the Next Einstein, because we believe that the world needs not just one – but millions – of Einsteins.
Learn more about The Einstein Legacy Project.
EMPOWERING THE WORLD'S NEXT EINSTEINS
