Rehovot Academic Community Wage: Up to NIS 25,000 a Month

For days, 4,500 university teachers have been on strike for better employment terms. They claim to be underpaid and complain of a brain drain. But as happens in the public sector, the first line on their payslip has little to do with their actual pay. Some valuable benefits are omitted.

Here are the figures. Some 4,500 academic staff work at 7 universities: Tel Aviv, Bar-Ilan, Ben-Gurion, Haifa, Hebrew universities, the Weizmann Institute and the Technion. These are divided into four groups: 900 lecturers gross an average of NIS 14,000, 1,300 senior lecturers average NIS 16,000 (gross), 1,000 associate professors earn about NIS 19,000 and 1,300 full professors make a monthly salary of more than NIS 25,000. Since each rank contains elements of seniority which translate into more pay, the wages of two lecturers of the same rank may vary.

On paper, with average wages of senior academic staff earning an average of about NIS 20,000, the data is not encouraging. Although the average salary in Israel is nearly NIS 8,000, academic staff members are highly-educated (at least PhDs), and can be expected to earn more. Nevertheless, based on the average in Israel, this group is in the eighth-highest-earning bracket.

These average wages are only part of the package. Senior lecturers are entitled to just under two months' sabbatical with full pay every year, so that the annual salaries are paid for 10 months of work, raising the average to NIS 24,000. Also, senior lecturers have tenure. Among academic staff, only non-senior lecturers are not entitled to tenure.

But the jewel in the crown is the work hours. It turns out that a lecturer in Israel is in classroom for an average of just 6 hours per week (3 lectures). The rest of their time is supposed to be invested in research. This time is not monitored, and each lecturer is in fact a free agent - a hard working, motivated one will conduct many studies and publish many papers, compared to one who may chose to work at an easier pace. No one actually knows what a lecturer does in the time spent outside the classroom.

And herein also lies one of the problems: an industrious lecturer and one who is not as hard-working are paid in the same manner, so it's no wonder that industrious and talented lecturers leave the country.

Also, the university pays for overseas travel and participation in conferences. A lecturer is entitled to the amount of $3,500, a senior lecturer to $4,500, an associate professor gets $6,000 and a full professor receives more than $8,000 annually. This money is meant, as noted, to be used for overseas travel and participation in academic conferences.

Source: Tal Levy. University wage: Up to NIS 25,000 a month. Haaretz.com (25 October 2007) [FullText]

Will Prostate Cancer Experimental Therapy by Weizmann Scientists, Rehovot Biotech Firm Cure Prime Minister

Researchers based at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot have played a central role in developing a new light-sensitive drug that can lead to the complete destruction of the blood vessels connected to the prostate tumor, and thus the destruction of the tumor.

Prostate cancer hits one man out of six, with a five-year survival rate of 99% - compared to 40% or less 20 years ago. Early detection is critical, but the new drug is designed to treat even tumors discovered after they have begun to develop.

Israel21c reports that the new drug, named Tookad, is based on chlorophyll, which has a high absorption of light. Used in previously-existing photodynamic therapy (PDT), Tookad is significantly more effective than other drugs used in the past, which are based on hemoglobin pigment.

Effective Against Large Tumors

Tookad absorbs near-infra-red light, which penetrates more deeply and efficiently than other wavelengths. Using Tookad, Israel21c reports, "a single illuminated optical fiber can reach and eradicate a tumor with a diameter of up to 4 centimeters, and even larger growths can be treated by using several fibers. What this means is that the Israeli-developed drug is effective against large, solid tumors which previously had evaded the reach of other PDT drugs."

Another benefit of Tookad is that it can be flushed out of the body within two hours, reducing the need for patients to avoid sunlight for lengthy periods following treatment.

Professor Avigdor Scherz of the Weizmann Institute's Plant Sciences Department and Professor Yoram Salomon of the Biological Regulation Department invented the new photo-sensitive drug. [It is licensed to Steba Biotech, Rehovot-based Biotech Firm.

"We have proof that this treatment causes the destruction of the part of the prostate which contains the cancer," said McGill University Hospital urologist Dr. Mostafa Elhilali, who took part in trials of the new drug. The trials found that 46% of patients showed no evidence of prostate cancer after treatment with Tookad.

Source: Hillel Fendel. Prostate Treatment Advancing, Thanks to Israeli Research. IsraelNN.com (29 October 2007) [FullText]

Rehovot's Q&A: Digital Camera Repair

Question: Does anyone know of a reliable place to bring a digital camera for repair?

Answer: This question is still open, so, publish your answer using comment feature of MyRehovot

Rehovot Rosetta Genomics Completes Prevalidation Phase for First Diagnostic Product

Pre-Validation Phase Showed Encouraging Results, Product Expected to be Launched in 2008

Rosetta Genomics, Ltd., a global leader in microRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics, announced today it has successfully completed the prevalidation phase for its first diagnostic test. Using a single microRNA, the test is designed to differentiate squamous from non-squamous lung cancer with high sensitivity and specificity.

Rosetta Genomics diagnostic tests are currently undergoing validation testing at Columbia University Medical Center at its Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified laboratory. The company expects three diagnostic tests to be launched in 2008 including a test for cancer of unknown primary, lung cancer vs. mesothelioma, and the squamous vs. non-squamous lung cancer test which has recently passed the prevalidation phase.

"The results we have seen so far for our microRNA-based diagnostic tests are very encouraging," Said Amir Avniel, President and CEO of Rosetta Genomics. "Results of the prevalidation phase showed the test differentiated squamous from non-squamous lung cancer using microRNA biomarkers identified by us, with both high sensitivity and specificity. We expect the test to be available for clinical use in the first half of 08."

About microRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered, naturally occurring small RNAs that act as protein regulators and have the potential to form the basis for a new class of diagnostics and therapeutics. Since many diseases are caused by the abnormal activity of proteins, the ability to selectively regulate protein activity through microRNAs could provide the means to treat a wide range of human diseases. In addition, microRNAs have been shown to have different expression levels in certain diseased versus normal tissues. As a result, these differences potentially provide for a novel diagnostic strategy for many diseases. MicroRNAs are thought to play a key role in the differentiation of cells into specific cell types performing various functions in the body.

About Rosetta Genomics

Rosetta Genomics is a leader in the development of microRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Founded in 2000, the company's integrative research platform combining bioinformatics and state-of-the-art laboratory processes has led to the discovery of hundreds of biologically validated novel human microRNAs. Building on its strong IP position and strategic alliances with leading biotechnology companies, Rosetta Genomics is working to develop a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic products based on microRNAs. The company's primary focus is in the development of microRNA-based products to diagnose and treat different forms of cancer and other diseases

Source: Rosetta Genomics Completes Prevalidation Phase for First Diagnostic Product. Money.CNN.com PRNewswire-FirstCall (30 October 2007) [FullText and Forward-Looking Statement]

Rehovot women cannot remain silent about the ultra-Orthodox injustice done to her

Last week 15 kindergarten teachers suddenly appeared at the office of the Education Ministry ombudswoman. Their excitement was obvious as they handed her a sheaf of papers: the Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court decision barring the Agudat Yisrael nursery school network from firing them. Chairs were brought in from other rooms, and finally they told their story, the story of the women who created the first ultra-Orthodox labor union.

For this group of teachers, who represent many others, the court decision was a victory in their difficult four-year battle. While it is still too early to declare it a complete victory, it is certainly an important achievement. The Labor Court issued its decision about two weeks ago, in response to the network's request to dismiss six veteran kindergarten teachers and cut the salaries of six others. Judge Neta Roth wrote in her decision that dismissing older teachers because they earn more is unacceptable age discrimination, especially when "nothing was done to ensure their social rights after their retirement," as the ruling states.

The decision will undoubtedly affect the terms of employment of all 500 teachers in the network, which started sending dismissal letters to all teachers with more than 25 years of seniority four years ago. Many of them threw in the towel and left, but others, including the 12 teachers whose case brought about the present decision, sued the network in the Labor Court. They have worked since then by virtue of a court order, for minimum wage and with no social benefits.
Advertisement

A shattered taboo

The ultra-Orthodox educational network, which runs 360 kindergartens all over Israel, is part of the "recognized and unofficial" state educational network. It is almost fully funded by the state. Its managers constantly point to the network's severe financial deficit, as if that were an excuse to dismiss and exploit employees. Yosef Bienenfeld, the director of the network, argued last week that due to the deficit, which an Education Ministry report attributes to mismanagement, the ministry required the network to launch a recovery program. "In order to save the network, some people who will be hurt, but what can be done?" he says.

Judge Roth accepted the teachers' argument that the Education Ministry did not specifically obligate the network to dismiss veteran employees. "Agreeing to the request means tossing the appellants out on the street, leaving them with nothing after dozens of years of work," the judge wrote.

Bienenfeld already has said that the network plans to appeal the decision, but the teachers celebrated their victory with a large meal. After all, they have come a long way. In 2003, after they were dismissed, a large group of kindergarten teachers approached various rabbis, asking their permission to turn to civil courts. The community's leading authority, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Shteinman, let them do so. They later contacted a young, secular lawyer, Anat Shani, who agreed to work pro bono. In 2003, they obtained an order from the National Labor Court that preserved their jobs for another four years. Finally, in June 2007, their fight climaxed with the formation of their union.

The kindergarten teachers shattered a taboo in ultra-Orthodox society - fighting for one's rights. These women are all their families' sole wage earners, some are widows, and others are single parents. All have large families and worked devotedly for many years, when suddenly they were faced with the threat of dismissal, as if the rug were being pulled out from underneath them. Creating the labor union was a real fight for survival.

The initiative came from a group of several dozen kindergarten teachers who were determined to influence the decisions made under the recovery program. After they realized that the Agudat Yisrael's teachers union - where they had no representation whatsoever, as women and as kindergarten teachers - did not intend to help them, they decided to take action. The network argued in court that it is not halakhically acceptable for women to be elected and to represent workers, and therefore it is ignoring the organization. But the kindergarten teachers obtained rabbinic permission to form their union, and within a few weeks, more than 100 kindergarten teachers, both young and old, had joined their ranks.

The kindergarten teachers claim that the network persecutes those who want to join the union. Several teachers joined and later recanted, after they said that they, or daughters of theirs employed by the network, were threatened with pink slips.

Bienenfeld denies that teachers were pressured for joining the union, which "as far as I'm concerned, does not exist anyway." And yet, the Labor Court did indeed recognize the union as a representative organization (at least temporarily) and asked the Education Ministry and the network to include it in meetings on the recovery plan. One of the kindergarten teachers' demands, as presented at one of these meetings, was that they decide which teachers would leave as part of the recovery plan, and that departing teachers receive compensation totaling 150 percent of their salaries. The union says there are enough teachers interested in retiring with such reasonable terms.

Ministry waverings

It is not easy for a religious woman such as Yehudit Klein, the scion of a rabbinic family from the small Krachniev Hasidic sect, based in Rehovot, to lead a social campaign. But Klein, who becomes short of breath every time she begins talking about the injustice done to her, says she cannot remain silent any longer. Now 47, she has been working as a kindergarten teacher for the network since age 19. After her marriage, she moved to Be'er Sheva, where she opened her first kindergarten with the mission of bringing the weak population there closer to Judaism.

One might object to Klein's ultra-Orthodox worldview and her advocacy for the Agudat Yisrael movement, but when it comes to the network, she is undoubtedly an efficient and dedicated worker. She and her husband ran the kindergarten as a business, and sent its profits to the network. They handled registration themselves, and purchased the toys and equipment with their own money. The network's role was limited to transferring the budget from the Education Ministry.

Twenty years ago, her rebbe asked her to set up kindergartens for their Hasidic sect. She moved to Rehovot, where she opened kindergartens in the city's Hasidic neighborhoods. But starting 10 years ago, she says, the network hinted to her that it wanted to dismiss her.

"They spilled my blood with regular threats of dismissal, random salary cuts and inhumane treatment. It's abuse. This is not a matter only of a livelihood, but a blow to my professional dignity. I invested many years of work. I really tore myself apart when the kids were young, and thanks to me the kindergarten always thrived. And now that I'm older, they toss me out?"

Simha Bussi, a veteran kindergarten teacher and Klein's partner in leading the fight, is a mother of five children, including one who has Down Syndrome and hearing difficulties. Her kindergarten is located in Moshav Tslafon, near Beit Shemesh, where she lives. Bussi first took on the establishment in order to mainstream her son, a battle she won. With time, she learned to fight and hold her ground, she says. Bussi says she is in dire financial straits, and cannot buy food or clothing. This stems from her salary cut and dismissal, she says. "It's impossible to live this way, in financial anxiety," she says.

It seems that the chronic lack of jobs that characterizes the ultra-Orthodox sector gave Klein and Bussi's employers the impression that they could dismiss unwanted employees and hire new ones without a problem. After the regional labor court's decision and the judges' statement that the Education Ministry should supervise the kindergarten network, the kindergarten teachers began looking to the ministry, hoping it would assume responsibility for them. Ministry officials even have said off the record that they support the kindergarten teachers in their struggle.

But the teachers have had to drop even this distant hope. Several days ago, it came out that the ministry told the National Labor Court that it would conduct negotiations on a recovery plan only with the network, and not with the employees, and that it would not intervene in the network's decision to cut salaries to the minimum wage.

Despite their disappointment over the Education Ministry's response, Yehudit Klein says she and her friends intend to continue fighting for inclusion in the negotiations over their terms of employment.

Source: Tamar Rotem. Rehovot Ultra-Orthodox women, unite! Haaretz.com (25 October 2007) [FullText]

Sukkot 2007 in Rehovot: The Tale of the Etrog and the Horse

"The etrog (citron) is the most prestigious of the four species used in the Sukkot rituals. It is with good reason that people are particular about its perfection, swaddle it and keep it safe in a silver box. Former prime minister Ariel Sharon was an etrog at the time of the disengagement, although his etrog was faulty at both the stem end and the stamen. And the body of the entire etrog was covered with blots that could not be ignored.

There is no politician who would not lust to be an etrog - to suddenly become an etrog. Which of them would not want to step into Sharon's shoes as he traipsed delicately to the four species market?

There are obvious reasons for the lust for etrog status. First of all, the etrog bears fruit, unlike the myrtle or the willow, which mourns its barrenness. Secondly, the etrog has flavor and fragrance - both learning and wisdom - as well as good deeds, whereas the palm has flavor but no fragrance, the myrtle has fragrance but no flavor and the willow has neither flavor nor fragrance.

Thirdly, it is customary to hold the palm frond together with the branches of myrtle and willow in the right hand, while the etrog is carried alone, an only child, in the left hand. Is only the left able to legitimize the illegitimate? There are theories like that. And they are being developed nowadays, too.

The book of commentaries Yalkut Shimoni holds that "those who bear fruit will have need of those who do not bear fruit, and those who do not bear fruit will have need of those who bear fruit. And none of them performs his obligation until they are all aggregated into one." There is more than a hint here about the commandment of national consensus and even the necessity of a unity government before disaster strikes - and it is always possible to make disasters happen sooner if one only tries. And anyone who is left by himself on the outside will hasten to be gathered in, lest his separatism cause him to sin via a slip of the tongue.

Can everyone who wants to be an etrog also be one? Is everyone capable of successfully undergoing the transformations of absolution and forgiveness? The task is possible, but not at all simple. Although most of the candidates do keep a splendid silver box somewhere at home, if not a golden box, nevertheless their future is not safe in the box. Improvements in the public opinion polls are liable to turn out to have been mere passing shadows, and soothsayers have already forecast how their glory faded away in five weeks of war. Public opinion is a sea of shifting sands on which one dare not build; at most, one can build a sukkah (temporary dwelling) there. And that is indeed how they are erecting the new tabernacle of peace - so that it will last for a short while, until the first rain.

Experts on citrus fruit are familiar with various methods of growing them, and the citrus experts recommend a method of their own that transforms even rotten apples into splendid citrons: When the rot comes, you rise up from the place of ashes and turn to the work of grafting. The experts say that nothing is easier than grafting a citron onto a lemon or a quince or a bitter orange. Most rabbinical authorities rule that it is prohibited to recite the blessing on a grafted etrog, but a politician, even if he has been declared nonkosher, is still an etrog: It suffices for him to bomb unknown sites far away and wrap himself in seven transparent veils of silence.

There is a tale of a certain Hasid who, as the holiday of Sukkot approached, traveled to the big city in order to buy a fine etrog with money that he had been saving for a whole year. On his way to the city, he saw a Jew weeping because his horse had died and he had lost his way of earning a living. The Hasid did not hesitate; he gave the man all of his savings to buy another horse. When he returned home, he said: "Every Jew will recite the blessing over an etrog this year, but I will recite the blessing on a horse."

Many horses died here this past year, yet in the new year, they are continuing to gallop along the trail of etrog rinds. And we are continuing to bet on them with what is left of our savings."

Source: Yossi Sarid. The tale of the etrog and the horse. Haaretz.com (26 September 2007) [FullText]

Rehovot's HiTech: Doing Business in Israel

US companies will find Israel's business environment very similar to the U.S. It is a very a professional business environment and westernized. Most U.S. businesspersons have commented that they feel very comfortable doing business in Israel. Business appointments can be made on fairly short notice, but punctuality is desired. It is a general rule that Israelis arrive well prepared for meetings and are very direct. You should be prepared to present business cards in English or in English and Hebrew are recommended. Previously, it was very expensive and often difficult to have business cards made on a short notice in Israel. It is often better to have photocopied card than no cards at all. E-mail addresses and websites are useful in Israel and should be included with your contact information. English is widely spoken in the business community and in government offices, but knowing and using a few words in Hebrew, especially introductory phrases and greetings can be very useful. Also, Israelis are familiar with the fact that most U.S. business people dress more formally for meetings. However, U.S. businesspersons will find business dress in both the private sector and government offices to be much less formal, especially during the summer months.

Source: Andrea Zvonicek, Jim Miwa. Country Market Report Israel: Market Opportunities in Biotechnology 2003. California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency Office of Export Development

Rehovot Fire Department Crues on Attack: Big Orange Plantation Rescued

Rehovot.tv clip 1 :


Rehovot.tv video clip 2:




Rehovot.tv video clip 3: rescue operation begins

Rehovot.tv video clip 4:

Rehovot.tv video clip 5:

Rehovot.org Clip 6:

Rehovot.tv video clip 7:

Big Orange Plantation, Ahuzot Hanassi, Weizmann Institute Under Wildfire Attack Threat

Rehovot.tv video clip 1



Rehovot.tv video clip 2



Rehovot.tv video clip 3

Rehovot.tv video clip 4

Rehovot People Q&A: PC Repair Place

Question: Does any one know of a place in Rehovot, or even better in Mazkeret
Batya, where I can have a DVD installed into my computer. The old DVD player died, and I do not know how to install a new one...

Answer 1: I have used Magabyte on Achad Haam and was very happy with their service. There is another place called Chidushim B'Machshevim on Menucha V'Nachala. We have bought some small items from them and can't say anything 1st hand about their repairs. Call 144 to find their telephone numbers.

Answer 2: I highly recommend Chidush B'machshavim on the corner of Menucha V'nachalaand Binyamin. I have used them for years both for computer purchases and repairs.

Comment 1: While I can not rule out Chidush B'machshavim (on the corner of Menucha V'nachalaand Binyamin is good for repairs), I personally found they try to sell outdated parts with a new computer system.

Rehovot People Q&A: PC Repair Place

Question: Does any one know of a place in Rehovot, or even better in Mazkeret
Batya, where I can have a DVD installed into my computer. The old DVD player died, and I do not know how to install a new one...

Answer: I have used Magabyte on Achad Haam and was very happy with their service. There is another place called Chidushim B'Machshevim on Menucha V'Nachala. We have bought some small items from them and can't say anything 1st hand about their repairs. Call 144 to find their telephone numbers.

Microbes hold the key to turning paper cellulose waste into fuel, Rehovot Scientist says

...Cellulose, the tough plant molecule found in paper and plant products such as lawn clippings, is one of the most abundant components in landfills.

About 35 percent of landfill waste is paper, making it the single-largest contributor to landfills, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Add to that lawn and garden trimmings and vegetable leftovers, and that makes up most of the volume occupied by landfills. Collectively, these cellulose-containing materials are known as "biomass."

Scientists think they can unlock the power of cellulose and turn it into fuel. The secret to doing so, they say, lies in the few microbes that can digest cellulose, such as those living in the guts of termites. They contain special enzymes that, if assembled in the right way, hold great promise for breaking apart one of nature's most durable organic molecules. The challenge lies in taming these enzymes to human needs, and making them cheaply in sufficient quantities.

Cellulose is nothing more than a long chain of sugar molecules. Sugar contains energy. So if cellulose could be turned into sugar, it would become a vast new source of fuel. Sugar could fuel bacteria-powered cells or be fermented into ethanol. Such "cellulosic ethanol" would represent a new source of ethanol to replace gasoline. Cellulosic ethanol is now in experimental production.

Large-scale use of cellulose as an energy source has proven impractical until now. Traditional chemical methods break up cellulose by treating it with acids and high temperatures. That's proven too expensive to produce wholesale ethanol.

Cellulose is durable

The chemical bonds that hold cellulose together are very strong, making the molecule extremely stable, said Edward A. Bayer, a researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Bayer gave a talk on strategies for using cellulose at last week's Genome, Medicine and the Environment conference in San Diego.

Cellulose can last for thousands of years. The oldest living things are bristlecone pines, most of which are made up of dead wood. The most ancient of these hardy survivors are nearly 4,800 years old.

Even in a landfill, cellulose retains its nearly impervious nature. In his talk, Bayer showed slides from excavations of a landfill at Tel Aviv. Its cellulose-containing products included a newspaper still legible after 50 years, corncobs and even a seven-year-old head of lettuce.

"Even organic material or food is relatively stable in a landfill," Bayer said. "What gets in there (stays) more or less forever."

That's the kind of durability mankind is up against in turning cellulose into a nonpolluting fuel, Bayer said.

"We have to kind of trick nature do to something it doesn't want to do for our purposes," Bayer said.

The hope of Bayer and other scientists in the field rests on genetically re-engineering naturally occurring enzymes that cut cellulose into smaller molecules that can be digested.

These enzymes come in two classes. One is the "cellusome," a ball of enzymes produced by certain anaerobic bacteria in very small quantities. These are very efficient in breaking down cellulose. Some fungi and aerobic bacteria produce a different class of cellulose-degrading enzymes in large quantities, but these enzymes are far less efficient.

Either class of enzymes would work, he said.

"The bottleneck is economical production of the enzymes," Bayer said. "However, if fuel prices continue to go up, we won't have to do much in the future."

Laboratory experiments with modified cellusomes in Bayer's team and among other scientists have increased these enzymes' efficiency, Bayer said. They've tested straw and switchgrass, a rising star among ethanol sources, among other materials.

Genes for making these cellusomes could be incorporated into bacteria or yeast that would ferment such materials. Another possibility is to genetically engineer plants such as switchgrass to make these cellulose-degrading enzymes...

Source: Bradley J. Fikes. Microbes hold the key to turning waste into fuel. NCTimes.com (14 October 2007) [FullText]

Rehovot HiTech Opportunities: Israeli Investment in Foreign Products

Israel's medical equipment market continues to present significant opportunities to U.S. exporters. [In 2003] the market was estimated at $520 million annually with over three-quarters of this market represented by foreign imports. The U.S. industry holds a strong position, accounting for over 50% of total imports. Israel's mandatory National Health Insurance (NHI) provides a basic package of health services to all Israeli citizens regardless of age or medical condition. The NHI defines a comprehensive list of medical services to which each citizen is entitled. Thedemand for high-end medical equipment and supplies have been growing due to the advances in medical practices and the constant addition of new procedures to the NHI. The medical equipment market is considered stable with an annual growth of 4%. U.S. companies with find good opportunities in diagnostic equipment, reagents and kits, computerized health care systems, imaging systems, cardiology equipment, and various disposable products in Israel's medical equipment and supply market.

Some Basic NHI Health Services and Related Equipment

Clotting
Drugs
Dental Applications
Stem Cell Research
Genome Research
Vaccinations
Medical Diagnostic Equipment
Preventative Medicine
Surgery and Transplants
Obstetrics and Fertility
Injuries Caused by Violence
Treatment of Chronic Diseases
Medical Diagnosis and Treatment

Public and private research and development expenditure on a wide range of projects has increased yearly reaching over $500 million in 2002. Sales of laboratory scientific instruments have risen in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. With a number of on-going and proposed high-tech investment projects and a strong line of pharmaceuticals, advanced electronic products/components, information appliances and telecommunications products, the demand for laboratory scientific instruments will be further stimulated. The market for imported laboratory scientific instruments, such as glassware and plastic ware, spectrometers, chromatographs, and electrophoresis instruments, estimated at over $200 million annually. This demand will continue to grow as theGovernment of Israel continues to actively promote industrial upgrading and emphasizes the need for increased research and development over the next five years. In addition to the equipment identified above, the U.S. Department of Commerce (U.S.DOC) previously suggested that the best sales prospects for U.S. firms in the laboratory & scientific instruments sector include:

Laboratory automation technologies
Associated HPLC software
Thermal analysis equipment
Low-priced consumables
High performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC)

Furthermore, the U.S. DOC states that U.S. exporters of integrated workstations with the ability to automate a wide variety of tests have a distinct advantage in this market.

For the Table of "Israel Market of Laboratory and Scientific Instruments", that provides the numbers (for years 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002) of Total Market Size, Total Local Production, Total Exports, Total Imports, and Imports from the U.S, please see the original document, or request it from MyRehovot via email.

More than 150 commercial companies are engaged in biotechnology in Israel, with many products already being produced and marketed throughout the world while hundreds more are in the pipeline. Some of these companies have already become internationally known players in the biotech field, including Biotechnology General, Hazera, Interpharm, Orgenics, Pharmos, QBI, Compugen, and Teva.

Sales of biotechnology products in 2001 were approximately $800 million, mainly from therapeutics, agricultural applications, and diagnostics, with most of the revenue resulting from export. A forecast published by Ernst & Young Israel indicated that the products currently under development have the potential of generating annual sales of US$3 to 4 billion by the year 2008.

Israeli developments in the biotech industry include therapeutic drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, ophthalmic products, and human growth hormone. Other therapeutic products in various stages of development address the treatment of diabetes, various cancers, epilepsy, stroke, scleroderma, lung and liver fibrosis, as well as Alzheimer's disease and central nervous system (CNS) injuries. A number of firms, including start-ups, have developed simple-to-operate mass-market diagnostic tools. Other technologies currently being developed include: drug delivery techniques, bio-electronics and biosensors for human diagnosis, high throughput screening, computerized technologies for understanding life processes, more effective natural methods for environmental clean-up, bionutraceutical natural health foods, and genomics.

Promising Outlook and the lack of Funding

Early-stage biotechnology co-development agreements with U.S. companies present an opportunity. Despite the growth in Israel's life science sector, early stage biotechcompanies, especially therapeutics companies, face limited funding opportunities. Furthermore, these companies, however technologically sound, face infrastructure and severe management constraints. However, future co-development opportunities with U.S. counterparts could provide the leverage to streamline academic researchinto marketable therapies. A tremendous proliferation of innovation, strong scientific personnel, and intellectual property make Israel the ideal place for strategic collaboration opportunities.

Source: Andrea Zvonicek, Jim Miwa. Country Market Report Israel: Market Opportunities in Biotechnology 2003. California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency Office of Export Development

The Central Bureau of Statistics Data Reveal Rehovot is An Expensive City

The Central Bureau of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey for 2006 shows that expenditure was highest in Rishon Lezion, with an average housing spending of NIS 13,076 per month. Bat Yam had the lowest average housing spending, at NIS 8,251. The survey covered Israel's 14 largest cities with more than 100,000 residents. Tel Aviv had the highest spending per capita (NIS 5,737 per month), and Bnei Brak had the lowest (NIS 2,035 per month). Tel Aviv had the second highest average housing spending (NIS 12,456), followed by Rehovot (NIS 11,742); Beersheva (NIS 11,249) and Ramat Gan (NIS 11,330).

The survey also found that Ashkelon had the highest proportion of home ownership at 80.5% of all households, while Tel Aviv had the highest proportion of rentals, at 45.7% of all households in the city. Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, and Ashdod have the largest average apartment size, at 3.8 rooms per apartment. Bnei Brak has the smallest average apartment size, at three rooms per apartment. Bnei Brak also has the highest density, with an average of 4.3 persons per apartment. (“Rishon Lezion Families Spend Most in Israel,” Central Bureau of Statistics, September 6, 2007).

Does Official Rehovot Harass Parents of Elementary School?

Mr. Forer, Rehovot Mayor
Mr. Knebel, Rehovot Vice-Mayor
Mr. Markovich, Educaltional Affairs
Mr. Louis Bar-Nir, City Council Member
Rehovot Mall, Bilu St.
Rehovot

7 October 2007

Dear Mr. Forer, Mr. Markovich, Mr. Bar-Nir, Dr. Knebel,

We would like to clarify the matter of teacher assistant hiring for Rehovot elementary school pupils, especially because there is a notion that hiring such staff is directed by the Municipality.

In some classes parents feel their are harassed when requested/forced to pay by local (particular class) members of the parents committees. When concerning parents ask about the lack of local class parents' conference to approve hiring a teacher assistant, local committee members say there is no need for such event, because having a teacher assistant for 1st and 2nd graders is directed by a decision of the City Council.

Therefore we have the following concerns demanding your clarification. We feel confident your timely response will make My Rehovot publication on this matter rich and information (not rumors) based.

We send the copy of this open letter to a list of those interested in Rehovot news, so, they could also add to the clarification on the matter of interest for thousands of Rehovot parents.

Please note that everyone can post his/her comments using a commentary form of this letter. Also one can send his/her comments to us via email, so, we could post it at MyRehovot.

My Rehovot questions are:

1. Is there a true decision by City Council that makes it obligatory for Rehovot elementary school pupils to have teacher assistant.

2. If not what is the legislation of the Municipality/City Council on this issue.

3. In case the issue of having teaching assistant is not a Municipality affair, who is responsible for the decision to have such assistant?

4. Why 1st and 2nd graders?

5. Why there is no official advanced invoice by municipality to pay for a teacher assistant?

6. We interpret the parents committee reference to municipality (with regard to teacher assistant) with no invoice as a trick by municipality, so, that the payment becomes "a sort of voluntary". We recall the other instance for similar pattern of behavior of a municipality-school tandem benefiting third party: earlier municipality program for swimming class for beginners (at Weisgaland, officials that were seen often in the Mayors Office hall), even for those who previously had swimming sports for a number of years. Any comments?

7. Why parents have pay to Havayot for a class teacher assistant?

8. In case having assistant is ordered by Municipality/City Council and payments are made to Havayot, what are the financial and administrative interrelation of these two organizations on the issue?

9. Where a sum of 780 NIS and 33 NIS/hour come from?

10. Why parents have to pay for teacher assistant starting October 1, despite the fact first holiday week of October is lost due to Sukkot vacation, so the fact is the teacher assistant did not work 1st week of October 2007?

11. Why in a particular Rehovot elementary school directorate does not insist on having teacher assistant for 1st graders... and refers to the lack of budget in dealing with municipality on this issue?

12. Therefore what is a school budget burden with regard to teaching assistant? Is it equal for all schools in Rehovot?

13. What are the mucupality panalties for parent refusion to pay?

14. Can a school apply penalties for children in case their parents refuse to pay.

15. What municipality does to protect financial inequity of children/parents.

16. Is there any school- or municipality-sponsored program to support ones inability to pay for a teacher assistant?

Why Does Success Smell Sweet in Rehovot?

"A rose is a rose is a rose, but what makes some smells alluring and others disgusting? Is there something in a substance's chemistry that can predict how we will like its smell? Now scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and the University of California at Berkeley have found that the pleasantness of an odor can indeed be predicted from its molecular structure.

Until now, there was no known physical factor that could explain how our brains sense odors. The new study, led by Prof. Noam Sobel of the institute's neurobiology department, constitutes a first step in understanding the physical laws that underlie smell. Their research was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

To identify the general principles by which our sense of smell is organized, the researchers started with a database of 160 odors that had been ranked by 150 perfume experts according to a set of 146 characteristics (such as sweetish, smoky and musty). These data were then analyzed with a statistical program that examined the variances in perception. The scientists found that the data fell along an axis they called the "pleasantness rating" of the odors - running from "sweet" and "flowery" at one end to "rancid" and "sickening" at the other. The same distribution along this axis, they discovered to their surprise, closely describes the variation in chemical and physical properties from one substance to another. The researchers theorized that they could build a model to predict, from the molecular structure of a substance, how its smell would be perceived.

To doublecheck, Sobel and his team tested how experimental subjects assessed 50 odors they had never smelled before. They found that the ratings fit closely with the ranking shown by their model. In other words, they were able to predict the level of pleasantness quite well, even for unfamiliar smells. They noted that, although such preferences are commonly supposed to be culturally learned, the responses of Americans, Israeli Jews and and Israeli Arabs all fit the predictions."

Source: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich. New Worlds: Why does success smell sweet? JPost.com (29 Sep 2007) [FullText]

Rehovot Science Financing: The Philanthropy of Future

A man who takes 'trust' seriously

by Marianne Costantinou

Think "philanthropy" or "foundation" and there's this image of stuffy do-gooders cloistered in wood-paneled offices going over stacks of grant proposals until finally, weeks and even months later, they might, just might, deign to eke out a check to a fraction of the needy applicants.

Then there's the Bill Somerville definition of philanthropy: trust. Which means that if he finds a person or charity doing good work, he'll just write them a check - often within 24 hours.

No grant proposals. No paperwork. Sometimes they don't even have to ask.

And rather than wait around his office, a computer his umbilical cord to the outside world, he spends most of his time on the road, scouring the Bay Area, dropping in unannounced on nonprofit leaders he's heard about to see if they're worthy of trust -- and some money. He's such an anti-bureaucrat that he doesn't even have a computer in his Oakland office.

"My motto is: 'Find someone you trust and fund them,' '' he says, talking as fast as he's driving as he speeds down the highway to the Peninsula, where he plans to visit a half-dozen charities and schools. "We do paperless giving. You don't have to put people through a grinder. If you have trust, why all this substantiation?

"We're looking for people with good ideas. I think ideas are what we need in this world. I'm not a gambler. I am a risk-taker. I say, 'If it sounds reasonable, then it's worth a try.' ''

Somerville, 72, is the head of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, which he started in 1990 after spending nearly 30 years in the nonprofit world, often stymied by the slow-moving machinery of bigger organizations and bureaucracies. His foundation, in a restored Victorian in Preservation Park in downtown Oakland, has only one other full-time employee and a couple of part- timers. Funded by the huge Packard Foundation, corporations and even little old ladies, Somerville gives out about $4 million a year, usually in $500 to $10,000 grants. Overhead is about $250,000 a year, he says, including his $150, 000 salary.

A tall trim man with the inexhaustible energy of one of his grandkids, Somerville is often told he resembles the late comic Red Skelton. His most remarkable feature is the pair of blue eyes beneath his bushy brows: deep-set and so pale they almost seem to emit a light of their own.

He is a man of little ego who would much rather talk about the philosophy of giving than his own life. He does admit that he lives in North Berkeley in the same house he grew up in, attended UC Berkeley as a poli-sci major, got a master's degree there in criminology and now co-teaches a class on philanthropy at Stanford. His wife of 47 years was his high school sweetheart, and one of their two sons is Frank Somerville, the Channel 2 morning news anchor. And, oh, he and his wife have chickens in their backyard whose eggs he likes to share with some of his nonprofit leaders. And, no, he never plans to retire: He loves his job, and there's still so much work left to do.

Somerville could have gotten rich by joining his family's printing business, but in the 1960s, in part caught up with the ideals of the era, he decided to go into nonprofits. One of his first jobs was as a minority recruiter for the UC system in the earliest days of the university's diversity drive.

Though Somerville is a one-man United Way who has affected the lives of hundreds if not thousands over the years, he says he's far prouder of the people in the trenches who are doing the work.

It's not his money, he says over and over again. And he gets irritated at the notion that he's a do-gooder, or, shudder, Santa Claus.

"I'm not giving presents,'' he says. "I'm investing in outstanding people and ideas. ...

"I feel philanthropy should answer to a higher calling,'' he says. "The philanthropic dollar is a magic dollar. It should be doing spectacular things, magical things.''

One popular project is the fax-a-grant program, where teachers in the Bay Area need only fax him a request for up to $500 to pay for any classroom supplies or programs that the schools can't provide.

He sends $200 to the caregivers of relatives with long-term illnesses, like Alzheimer's Disease or cancer, to hire someone for the day so they can go do something for themselves, like golf or a massage.

At Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Somerville was so impressed with the energy of the principal that he gave her a $10,000 discretionary grant to be used however she deemed fit. He also pays the salary for an office assistant.

He has set up similar discretionary funds for juvenile court judges to pay for things that kids need, from eyeglasses to tutoring to birthday gifts. . .. And helped fund a one-room schoolhouse for at-risk kids. ... And paid for a community garden so the poor can grow their own vegetables and fruit. ... And bought a truck so a free lunch program can go pick up ingredients at a food bank. ... And on and on and on and on.

"Even a small amount of money can make a major impact,'' Somerville says.

Quoting a Rudyard Kipling poem about a castle builder, he says he's just a bricklayer in the castle of life.

"I hope I'm a bricklayer,'' he says. "I hope things are better for my presence. I think we all have an obligation to see if the world can be a better place for our presence.''

Source: Marianne Costantinou. A man who takes 'trust' seriously. SFChronucle.com Page E1 (4 May 2004) [FullText]

International Bee Killer Found in Rehovot

"A virus identified at The Hebrew University Agriculture Faculty in Rehovot is the prime suspect in the death of bees and the dwindling of bee colonies by "colony collapse disorder" in various parts of the world including Israel. Virology Prof. Ilan Sela, who discovered the virus (dubbed the Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus) published his findings in the online edition of Science.

Until then, beekeepers had blamed environmental factors such as cellphone transmissions, climate change and genetically modified crops. A drop of 70-90% in the bee population has been reported in parts of the US, Brazil, Central America, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Portugal in the past few years. Deaths of honeybees in the US led to the country importing them from Australia in 2004. However, the virus has been found in some Australian bees as well, even though the collapse of colonies there has not been as massive as in the US.

Statistical analyses showed that a colony infected with the virus was 65 times more likely to experience colony collapse disorder than one without it. To try to find whether the virus was the cause, researchers are preparing a new series of tests in which isolated bee colonies would purposely be infected with the virus to see the effects. Even though the connection has not yet been proven, Sela hopes that within a few years, it will be possible to save the bees by developing varieties that are immune to the virus.

Ironically, over a month ago a group of Israeli bee experts went to the US to study the reasons for the mysterious reduction in that country's bee population. Yoram Paz, director of an Emek Hefer beehive company, said there were already worrying signs that the problem had begun to reduce honey and fruit production here. Bees are needed not only to make honey but also for pollination of avocado, almond, cherry, apricot, plum, apple, pear and mango trees; without bees, the production of fruit would be severely hampered, Paz said. "

Source: Judy Siegel-Itzkovich. JPost.com (29 Sep 2007) [FullText]

Rehovot's Biotech Painful Ride Back

Dr. Elkan Gamzu, CEO of drug development company Pharmos, tells "Globes" why he believes his laboratories in Rehovot could still change the face of pain relief.

It's hard to forget what happened at Pharmos Corp. (Nasdaq: PARS), the Rehovot-based drug discovery and development company, at the end of 2004. That was the watershed for the company, the point at which it became a write-off as far as the capital market was concerned. That winter, the company waited for the results of the Phase III clinical trial for Dexabinol, the drug it developed for treatment of head injuries. It was an event the company had been preparing for since the 1990s. The drug had a billion dollar potential market, but it was dead in the water when the unambiguous result was announced: utter failure. From a value of $350 million, Pharmos slumped to its current value of around $25 million.

So much for the past. In the present, Pharmos has undergone substantial change, and it is now once again packaged as a start-up, with a drug under development. The company bought Vela, which is developing the drug Dextofisopam for treating irritable bowel syndrome. And in March, Dr. Haim Aviv was replaced as chairman and CEO by Dr. Elkan Gamzu.

Gamzu had been a director of the company since 2000, and he well remembers the Dexabinol debacle. "It was a great disappointment, of course, " he told "Globes" in his first interview as CEO. "I've worked in the industry for many years, 35 to be precise, and I've been through many similar experiences. You have to understand that most substances that reach clinical trials fail, and I can recall very promising cases that failed at Phase III. It's very disappointing, and it was also very surprising in our case, because the results had been very positive. It was a very difficult period. We suffered, but we came through."

Globes: That failure belongs to the past. Do you believe that a blockbuster drug can come out of Pharmos?

Gamzu: I certainly think so. We have several promising directions. I'll put it this way: I wouldn't have taken on this job, especially at my age, if I didn't think that something very serious could emerge from Pharmos, including blockbuster drugs. We're doing very good work, excellent research, and we'll also be delighted to succeed, to help patients, and perhaps to make money as well."

Gamzu is British born. He spent most of his childhood in Scotland. He now lives in the US. He is married to a South African, Zelda, and has two children (a daughter aged 40 and a son aged 35), and four grandchildren. His daughter and her three children live in Israel, his son in the US.

In 1962, Gamzu came to Israel, and called it aliya (immigration). In Jerusalem he met his wife, and completed a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology at the Hebrew University. His Hebrew, he explains, is a legacy of that period, although he also learned Hebrew at heder (after-school classes), as part of his observant upbringing in the Diaspora. In 1967, a month after the Six Day War ended, he left Israel to study in the US. "I thought that I would return to Israel, that I had really immigrated to the country. Even after my second and third degrees I thought that. But what happened was that I found interesting work, and, as often happens, I never went back."

Gamzu took his MA and PhD degrees in experimental and physiological psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In his doctoral thesis, he tried to understand human behavior via the use of drugs. When he finished his doctorate, he joined Hoffmann-La Roche, and began his career. From the pharmacology department of that company he went to Warner-Lambert, where he was clinical trials manager and directed the development of epilepsy treatment Neurontin, a drug with sales of over $1 billion, which passed to Pfizer when the latter bought Warner-Lambert. He then joined Cambridge Neuroscience as CEO, and later set up a consulting firm, taking on management roles for short periods to help companies on specific matters. In that role he was vice president of project management leadership at pharmaceuticals company Millennium and acting CEO of Israeli company XTL, and also head of clinical research at Hypnion.

He has been on the Pharmos board since 2000. "I got to know Haim Aviv beforehand, when I was CEO of Cambridge Neuroscience," says Gamzu by way of explanation. "We were in similar fields -- drugs for the central nervous system and we met several times at conferences. In 2000, after I was no longer connected to a company, and on the other hand wanted some connection with Israel and thought there were interesting things there, Aviv approached me to become a director. At the beginning of 2007, when changes were carried out at the company, including on the board, Haim and the other directors approached me to ask whether I would be prepared to replace Haim as CEO. I was chairman of the company's scientific-technical committee, and I was very impressed by the company’s potential and the drugs it had under development. I had seen a lot of substances that had been discovered that had a high probability of becoming drugs, and so I agreed to take on the job. I was very enthusiastic."

The changes in the company to which Gamzu refers include the appointment of a new activist board member, Lloyd Miller III, who openly opposed the company's moves. He alleged that that the price it paid for Vela was excessive, and then went on to bring the price down. He joined the Pharmos board, together with three other new members, all representatives of Vela's shareholders. "Haim had been talking about a move like this for some years," Gamzu explains. "It was decided that the switch would be made at this point in time, once there was a new board in place, and in effect, a new company as well." Gamzu undertook to spend 25% of his time in Israel, and so far he has been here eight times this year.

Aviv is also a shareholder and more identified with the firm than anyone else. Does he let you work? Is he an active chairman?

"Haim is very active in board matters and related decisions, but he does not play a role in management. When I took my up post, I thought that he would find it a bit difficult to make the separation and, in effect, relinquish management of the company. But he committed himself to accepting the change, and I thank him for actually going through with it as well."

The potential pipeline

So what are the promising trends that Gamzu claims Pharmos is moving toward? The company is currently working on drugs that focus primarily on treatment of the central nervous system, specifically, the treatment of pain, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. Its most advanced drug is Dextofisopam for the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which began Phase IIb clinical trials in June this year. The results of the trials will be published at the end of 2009 - 18 months after they commenced - and, according to Gamzu, Pharmos will need $15 million to finance them.

Pharmos estimates that 10-15% of the US population, 36 million people, suffer from IBS, and that this complaint accounts for almost half of all consultations with gastroenterologists. Novartis also has a drug for IBS called Zelnorm, with annual sales of more than $500 million, but earlier this year it had to temporarily recall the product and has just released it back onto the market with an added warning that it could cause diarrhea.

Aside from this, the company's core proprietary technology platform focuses on discovery and development of synthetic cannabinoid compounds. These are divided into two groups. The first are CB2 receptor-selective (CB2-selective) agonists, which are found in the immune system, so the company therefore believes that they can be used to produce analgesic drugs. One example is Cannabinor, Pharmos's drug for pain relief which is currently in Phase II clinical trials. The other group consists of factors that do not bond with cannabinoid receptors, that is to say, they have the potential to act as antagonists, and could therefore be developed as anti-inflammatory or nerve protection drugs.

Cannabinor looked promising at one point, but it transpired recently that it is not as promising as was thought. "We think it will be unable to treat pain, because it has to be administered intraveneously," says Gamzu. "But we have made substantial progress with our chemistry, and we feel that CB2 is a more promising direction, and stands a good chance of being produced as a drug. Here too, our focus, at this stage, is on pain, and the product is currently undergoing preclinical trials." Aside from synthetic cannabinoids, Pharmos has a platform called NanoEmulsion, a cream drug delivery system formulated with the non steroidal anti inflammatory drug diclofenac, which is being studied as a treatment for pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and is now in Phase IIa trials.

This potential sounds impressive on paper, but obviously, it's all still theoretical. The market is skeptical, and has virtually avoided pricing any of the new developments. Gamzu apparently feels that the market also finds it difficult to understand the failures that could be in the offing. "It depends how you define the market," he says. "I assume that the professionals are aware of everything, but some investors are not familiar with the entire background. We have an ongoing dialogue with the capital market, principally big investors. I don't have any real way today of reaching small retail investors, but we're not looking for investors like these right now in any case. We are approached occasionally, but for the time being we're not devoting a lot of time to this until we reach a decision on the company's future financing needs."

Can you understand their reluctance?

"Maybe, but I don't have much opportunity these days to talk to investors. What is more important for us is to take the necessary action to keep the company operating, move forward with future programs, and unlock value for investors. I believe we can unlock value. Incidentally, the expectations for Dexabaninol were unrealistic because people in Israel viewed its progress as a given. This is simply not the right approach, and it characterizes the entire industry."

So according to you, the stock is underpriced.

"Yes, the share value is unsatisfactory. Dextofisopam alone is worth a lot of money. I am at loss to explain the market's behavior, and it should be remembered that our trading volumes are low. That said, I don't want to make any predictions. If I knew what caused share prices to go up and down, I would be sitting on the beach doing it myself rather than working as a CEO."

In a recent letter shareholders, Gamzu wrote that the company was looking at ways of raising additional finance on top of the $17.2 million it currently has in cash. "The money we have is insufficient," says Gamzu, "and we'll need to find additional sources in order to move our program forward. The money we have will last until the middle of next year, so we'll need to raise funds before then. There are a number of ways we can achieve this, and one of them is by reaching a collaboration agreement with another company on one of our programs."

Is there anything concrete?

"We're negotiating with a number of companies, but we can't really make promises. Until such time as we see the money in the bank, we will not have finalized anything. As regards Dextofisopam, we could try and reach agreement on it and receive payment upfront, with our partner company bearing the costs and sharing the profit with us. This would reduce our immediate need for funding. We could also move forward programs that are at an earlier stage, such as CB2, although we haven't yet reached clinical trials here, so we won't make much money on it."

So what will be the next big thing at Pharmos?

"It's hard to tell, but we need to be in a position where we can invest money and develop all areas."

In the spirit of the new year, if you could have whatever you dream of, What would it be?

"I would like to see us reach an agreement on Dextofisopam with one company or another, that would enable us to keep all our programs going until the results of the Phase II trials are released. I hope also, that our laboratories in Rehovot deliver success in more than just one area, and that we can join forces with a global company which will support part of our trials and R&D activity. This is what I dream of, and this is what I aim to realize."

Source: Gitit Pincas. Pharmos's painful ride back. Globes (30 September 2007) [FullText]

"Green Campus" status for Hebrew University’s Rehovot Faculty

The campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at Rehovot has been declared a “Green Campus” by a steering committee of the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. “Green Campus” is a joint project of the ministry and Israel’s institutions of higher education.

The Rehovot campus houses the University’s Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences.

According to Elhanan Hacohen, vice-president and director-general of the Hebrew University, “We are proud that our Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences — the only such faculty in Israel — has been so honored. The faculty is training the next generation of modern agricultural professionals, emphasizing environmental quality. In this area, as in others, the Hebrew University has striven to be the country’s leading institution.”

Environmental quality is an integral part of academic course work at the Faculty, and there is even an academic specialty in this for students with a special interest. The Faculty distinguishes itself in stressing the subject of environmental quality among both students and staff, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, thereby serving as an exemplar for other institutions of higher learning in Israel.

Among the factors taken into consideration in choosing the Rehovot campus for the honor were intelligent use of resources, prevention of pollution, and in reduction in the use of energy and water resources and the operation of private vehicles. On the proactive side were noted the promotion of the use of electric vehicles on campus, recycling of paper and the collection of dead batteries.

It was also pointed out that care has been taken to reduce pollution in the faculty’s laboratories, chicken coops and animal pens. Also noted were the student initiative in planting an organic garden, the recycling of organic waste, and the use of solar extermination processes.

The “Green Campus” certificate will be granted to the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in a ceremony to be held at the beginning of November in the framework of an exhibition on environmental quality, with the participation of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Council of Higher Education.

Source: ‘Green Campus’ status for Hebrew University’s Rehovot Faculty. HUNews (25 Sept 2007) [FullText]