May 26, 2011: This week the 22 participants in the Palm Beach Mission 2011, which is being led by American Friends of Hebrew University leaders Stanley and Roberta Bogen, have travelled throughout Israel, met with a wide range of Israel’s leaders, notably President Shimon Peres, and had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Hebrew University’s cutting-edge research and its leading scholars.

On their arrival in Israel, the group was greeted by Hebrew University Vice-President for External Relations Carmi Gillon at a cocktail reception. A highlight was the group’s meeting with Israel’s President Shimon Peres, with addresses by Peres, Hebrew University President Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson and Stanley Bogen. The group is also scheduled to meet with Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni.

With a busy tour itinerary that includes Israel’s North, Masada and the Dead Sea, the Palm Beach Mission is also taking in visits to three of the University’s campuses. Mission participants have met with Prof. Aharon Friedman, Dean of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment and former Hebrew University rector Prof. Haim D. Rabinowitch at the Rehovot campus, and are scheduled to visit the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) at the Edmond J. Safra Campus and the Mount Scopus campus next week. The group is also scheduled to take a jeep trip in the Golan Heights area with Major General (res.) Daniel Rothschild as their guide. While in the North, they will also be addressed by the head of the University’s Shasha Center for Strategic Studies and former head of the Mossad Efraim Halevy.

The eight-day mission to Israel, which began on May 23, was preceded by three days in Rome, which included a formal dinner with Israel’s ambassador to Italy.