Formation | 1925 |
---|---|
Founder | Felix M. Warburg |
President | Pamela Nadler Emmerich [1] |
Website | afhu |
Formerly called | American Advisory Committee (1925–1931) |
American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) is a non-profit organization headquartered in New York City which promotes and supports the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. American businessman and philanthropist Felix M. Warburg founded AFHU in June 1925 and served as its first chairman. The organization was originally named the "American Advisory Committee" but changed its name to what it is currently known as in 1931. [2]
The primary mission of AFHU is to provide fundraising, leadership, and stateside presence for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. [3]
AFHU operates with a board of directors, regional offices throughout the U.S., and a national office overseeing its operations. [3]
AFHU features notable personalities from various fields at events such as gala dinners, lectures, and seminars. These events serve as platforms for fundraising, networking, and driving awareness for Hebrew University among American audiences. In addition, AFHU organizes missions to Israel and visits to the campuses of Hebrew University. [3]
AFHU's highest honor is its Scopus Award, bestowed upon individuals for their humanitarianism and commitment to Israel and the Jewish people. Recipients have included Frank Sinatra (1976), [4] [5] Barbra Streisand (1984), [6] [7] Steven Spielberg (1986), [8] and Larry King (1994). [9]
In December 2008, AFHU launched its inaugural Einstein Award. Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates was the first recipient. [10] [11] In 2018, author and professor Walter Isaacson won the award. [12] For over 50 years, AFHU has presented the annual George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award to members of the legal community in recognition of outstanding leadership, professional achievement and commitment to civic and social causes. [13]
Since 2017, AFHU has organized its annual NEXUS: Israel conference to highlight the country's high-tech advances and culture of innovation. Presenters have included academics Daniel Kahneman and Roger D. Kornberg, author Malcolm Gladwell, and ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall. [14] [15]
Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz was an Israeli Chabad Chasidic rabbi, teacher, philosopher, social critic, author, translator and publisher.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened in April 1925. It is the second-oldest Israeli university, having been founded 30 years before the establishment of the State of Israel but six years after the older Technion university. The HUJI has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest library for Jewish studies—the National Library of Israel—is located on its Edmond J. Safra campus in the Givat Ram neighbourhood of Jerusalem.
Mordecai Ardon was an Israeli painter.
Mount Scopus is a mountain in northeast Jerusalem.
Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jewish volunteer women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organizations, with nearly 300,000 members in the United States. Hadassah fundraises for community programs and health initiatives in Israel, including the Hadassah Medical Organization, two leading research hospitals in Jerusalem. In the US, the organization advocates on behalf of women's rights, religious autonomy and US–Israel diplomacy. In Israel, Hadassah supports health education and research, women's initiatives, schools and programs for underprivileged youth.
Robert Hilton Smith was an American builder-developer and philanthropist. After taking over his father's real estate development business, Smith developed much of the Crystal City neighborhood, just south of Washington, D.C.
The World Union of Jewish Students is the international, pluralistic, non-partisan umbrella organisation of independent Jewish student groups in 38 countries.
Hadassah Medical Center is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, as well as schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacology affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its declared mission is to extend a "hand to all, without regard for race, religion or ethnic origin."
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) is an organization established in 1981 dedicated to the men and women serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), wounded veterans, and the families of fallen soldiers. Headquartered in New York City, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates fifteen regional offices in the United States and Panama.
Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5716, passed by the Knesset in January 1956, granting the organization a unique fundraising status. It is a registered corporation of the State of Israel.
The Solomon Bublick Award is an award made by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to a person who has made an important contribution to the advancement and development of the State of Israel. The first award was made in 1949.
The Hebrew University bombing, also called the Hebrew University massacre, was carried out by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 31 July 2002 in a cafeteria at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The attack killed 9 people, including 5 U.S. students, and injured about 100. It was carried out by an East Jerusalem-based Hamas cell whose members are serving multiple life sentences in Israeli prisons for that attack and others. The attack, which sparked a celebration in Gaza City, was condemned by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and several countries.
The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive is dedicated to the preservation and research of Jewish documentary films. The archive is jointly administered by the Abraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Central Zionist Archives of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).
Astrith Baltsan is an Israeli concert pianist and musicologist, known for her Beethoven interpretation and her unique concert style reaching out for larger audiences worldwide.
The Genesis Prize is a $1 million annual prize awarded to Jewish people who have achieved significant professional success, in recognition of their accomplishments, contributions to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values.
Frank Sinatra was a strong supporter and activist for Jewish causes in the United States and Israel. According to Santopietro, Sinatra was a "lifelong sympathizer with Jewish causes". Sinatra participated in Hollywood protests and productions supporting Jews during the Holocaust and the formation of the State of Israel. He actively fund-raised for Israel Bonds, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and helped establish two intercultural centers in Israel which bear his name. Due to his support of Israel, his recordings and films were banned by the Arab League and by Lebanon.
Albert Einstein Archives refers to an archive on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel housing the personal papers of 20th century physicist Albert Einstein.
Bernard Cherrick (1914–1988) was a British-Israeli rabbi and academic administrator. He served as the vice-president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He brought many Hollywood celebrities to fundraisers on campus and was nicknamed "Mr. Hebrew University".
Harvey L. Silbert (1912–2002) was an American real estate and entertainment lawyer, casino executive and philanthropist. He represented celebrities and studio executives. He was a real estate investor in Westwood, Los Angeles, and a director of casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a major donor to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he brought Hollywood celebrities for fundraisers.
The Einstein Institute of Mathematics is a centre for scientific research in mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, founded in 1925 with the opening of the university. A leading research institute, the institute's faculty has included recipients of the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Wolf Prize, and Israel Prize.