First look at designs for new Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities

March 13, 2012: Boston-based architect Michael McKinnell has been chosen to design the Hebrew University’s new Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, a gift of the Mandel Foundation and one of the largest in support of the humanities worldwide.

Hebrew University is leading Israeli institute in ranking of world’s top universities by reputation

March 15, 2012: The Times Higher Education’s ‘Top Universities by Reputation 2012’ has ranked the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 61-70 range, making it the leading Israeli institute in the rankings. According to the weekly, the rankings of universities by reputation are determined by the “overall measure of their esteem that combines data on their reputation for research and teaching.”

Scientists concoct sweet recipe for luring disease-ridden mosquitoes

March 15, 2012: Hebrew University scientists have created a method for attracting and killing mosquitoes with insecticide-spiked nectar. The attractive-toxic-sugar-bait (ATSB) was developed by Prof. Yosef Schlein and Dr. Günter Müller from the University’s Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; it harnesses the disease-­carrying pests’ propensity for sugar as a way to control the spread of malaria.

Let's all make it a bumper year for good causes, says man who gave away £30m

February 13, 2012: Executive chair of the UK-based Pears Foundation Trevor Pears discusses a new campaign that encourages people to share their passion for the causes they care about by making a public commitment to give more. Among its many philanthropic endeavors, the Pears Foundation’s Scholars Programme has enabled dozens of students from Africa and Asia to attend the Hebrew University’s world-class international graduate programmes in public health and agriculture.

Ancient Jewish scrolls found in north Afghanistan

February 3, 2012: A cache of ancient Jewish scrolls from northern Afghanistan that has only recently come to light is creating a storm among scholars who say the find could reveal an undiscovered side of medieval Jewry. For the Hebrew University's Professor Shaul Shaked, it is the first time that he can study primary source material of the Jewish community.

How to avoid a crash, in one easy step

Can car exhaust cause tornados?

January 26, 2012: A NASA-funded joint research project between Prof. Daniel Rosenfeld of the Hebrew University and colleagues at the University of Maryland has helped connect the dots further between air pollution and climate change.

Outer-space swordfight against bacteria

January 22, 2012: A solution by Prof. Avi Domb of the Hebrew University to decontaminate water for safe reuse by using a nanotechnology-based polymer has been proven a success in space. NASA astronauts, who rely on recycled water, tested a specially created simple and safe kit during the 2011 Atlantis mission.

Gala planned for American Friends of the Hebrew University

January 4, 2012: A private reception hosted by Robbi and Bruce Toll in Palm Beach served as the kick-off event for the American Friends of Hebrew University’s upcoming Scopus Award Gala dinner which will honor Roberta and Stanley Bogen.

Producer Eberts awarded Canadian Friends' Key of Knowledge

November 30, 2011: Academy Award-winning film producer Jake Eberts was presented with the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University’s Key of Knowledge Award at a capacity crowd event in Montreal where he discussed his new project — a not-for-profit film that retells the story of the ancient holy city of Jerusalem through the magic of movies.

When the profane becomes sacred

November 30, 2011: It is very rare for a work of scholarly research to offer such a fascinating reading experience, says Prof. Israel Yuval in his review of Dr. Pawel Maciejko’s book about Jacob Frank and the Frankist Movement, a winner of the Hebrew University’s 2010 Polonsky Prize for Creativity and Originality in the Humanities.

Crusader Arabic inscription yields surprise finding

November 14, 2011: An 800-year-old, rare Arabic inscription from the Crusade bearing the name of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and referring to the year 1229 has been deciphered by Professor Moshe Sharon of the Hebrew University’s Institute of Asian and African Studies and colleague Ami Shrager. To date, no other Crusader inscription in Arabic has been found in the Middle East.

Plentiful fresh water in Eilat region helped Homo sapiens to spread out from Africa

November 10, 2011: According to a new study by the Hebrew University’s Prof. Boaz Lazar and Dr. Moti Stern of the Geological Survey of Israel, fresh water sources existed in the Eilat Bay region more than 100,000 years ago and apparently helped modern man migrate across arid land in the direction of Asia and Europe.

New study offers insight on Palestinian suicide attacks

November 5, 2011: A new study shows a correlation between unemployment, tough economic conditions and the nature of suicide attacks carried out by Palestinians in recent years. According to its authors, Dr. Esteban Klor and Dr. Claude Berrebi of the Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace and Prof. Efraim Benmelech of Harvard University, their findings could have important implications for counter-terrorism policies.

Who you are

How Abbas’s UN gambit empowered Hamas

September 23, 2011: The ultimate winner of the recent US pressure on the Palestinians is likely to again be Hamas, says Efraim Halevy, head of the Hebrew University’s Shasha Center for Strategic Studies in the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government, in an article published in The New Republic.

Israeli President Shimon Peres planning to create Albert Einstein museum

September 1, 2011: Israel’s President Shimon Peres is promoting the building of a new Albert Einstein museum in Jerusalem shaped as the scientist's head. The museum will display the bequest of the theoretical physicist who left his literary estate and personal papers to the Hebrew University.

In Jerusalem, scholars trace Bible’s evolution

Faculty of Law best in Israel, among world's top 100 in annual ranking

August 4, 2011: The Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law is the best in Israel and is among the world’s top 100 law faculties, according to the QS World University Rankings annual league of the top 600 universities in the world.

Number Theory

August 1, 2011: The Hebrew University’s Elon Lindenstrauss was the first Israeli to win a Fields Medal in mathematics, bringing home a prize that marks Jewish achievement in the field.

Researchers: Most air pollution in Israel comes from Europe

June 19, 2011: Meteorological data indicates that for two-thirds of the days of the year, air currents arrive from Western and Eastern Europe, and for more than one-fifth of the year, air currents arrive from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and North Africa. Hebrew University researchers will report on their findings at this week’s President’s Conference.

Award-winning jazz vocalist Sophie Milman donates time & talents to HU convocation

June 14, 2011: Canadian jazz singer Sophie Milman will be donating her time and talents to perform at the annual Hebrew University Convocation during this year’s 74th Board of Governors meeting and at the Canadian Awards Dinner where Israeli researchers and students receive scholarships and awards donated by Canadian Friends of Hebrew University supporters.

Ministry of Education announces first sites for ‘excellence in research’

June 1, 2011: The Hebrew University is one of four sites selected to take part in the first stage of the Ministry of Education's Israeli Centers for Excellence in Research program (I-CORE) which seeks to strengthen Israel’s position as a global leader in academic research and bring back some 300 leading Israeli researchers from universities across the world.

Largest underground stream discovered

June 1, 2011: Researchers from the Cave Research Unit of the Hebrew University's Department of Geography are studying the largest underground water source ever found in Israel — it must be protected as a valuable natural phenomenon, they say.