Program

Saturday, June 14

9:00am-10:00am:  This is How it Began - The Role of Albert Einstein: A Lecture by Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund (King David Hotel)

10:30am-12:30pm: Two walking tours in Jerusalem marking 100 years, with a focus on sites related to the University:

Route #1

Stop 1 - Terra Sancta College – base of the University after 1948

Stop 2 – Jewish Agency, World Zionist Organization – significant sponsors and pushers for Zionist University

Stop 3- Yeshurun Synagogue, location of National and Hebrew University Library

Stop 4- Ratisbonne Monastery , location of Hebrew University Law School and Statistics Department

Walk back to the hotels via Independence Park

Route #2

Stop 1: The King David Hotel – site of the Math department

Stop 2: Safra Square – site of the Zoology Department

Stop 3: The Russian Compound, including the Consulate Building – site of the Medical and Dental Schools, laboratories, and School of Pharmacy

Stop 4: The Italian Hospital – previously the Faculty of Medicine and home of some laboratories

Return to the hotel via King David St.

1-2:30 pm: Buffet lunch at the King David Hotel

4-5:30 pm: "Future Pioneers: An Afternoon with Young Brilliant Scientists" - Showcasing the Next Generation of Innovators at the Hebrew University (King David Hotel) Panel Participants: Libby Pash, Nadav Mihov, Yonathan Schwartz, Shira Eisenstein, Noa Kuint, and Nattaf & Yadid Bar-Asher Siegal. Moderator: Niv Gronovich

8:30-11 pm: Opening event marking 100 Years of the Hebrew University - Includes A Call for Hope – a powerful photography exhibit documenting the public struggle to return the hostages taken on October 7, 2023—58 of whom remain in captivity. Created by the volunteer Photographers’ Squadron – Sayeret and presented with the Social Engagement Unit, the exhibit reflects a nation’s grief, resilience, and hope. (Entrance Plaza of the Edmond J. Safra Campus)

Sunday, June 15 

8:30-9:00 am: Executive Committee (for members only) Room C-321, The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science & Engineering, Edmond J. Safra Campus

9:15-10:45 am: University President's Plenary (The Brindell and Milton Gottlieb Auditorium, The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science & Engineering, Edmond J. Safra Campus). This session will include the election of the new president and a presentation by the rector.

11:00 am-1:15 pm: Marking 100 Years of Innovation at the Hebrew University  Featuring a guest lecture by Prof. Amir Yaron, Governor of the Bank of Israel and an interview with Eyal Waldman, Founder of Mellanox Technologies and Israel Prize Recipient (Wise Auditorium, Edmond J. Safra Campus)

The Awarding of the Annual Asper Prize (Wise Auditorium, Edmond J. Safra Campus)

1:45pm-2:45pm: Luncheon (Palm Beach Courtyard, Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences)

3:00-4:00: Inauguration of Gav-Yam Hebrew Campus (Edmond J. Safra Campus)

5:30-7:30 pm: HUJI Connect: Meet members of the University community, while enjoying a shuk-style dinner (Stanley Langendorf Plaza. Mount Scopus Campus)

7:30-10 pm: A reenactment ceremony of the historic 1925 opening of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by a special performance by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Yaron Gottfried and featuring award-winning singer Miri Mesika (The Rothberg Amphitheater, Mount Scopus Campus).

Monday, June 16 

8:30-9:30 am: The Benefactors' Breakfast (Simon and Rose Mandel Garden, Mount Scopus Campus)

9:45-11 am: Wall of Benefactors Inscription Ceremony (Nancy S. and Lawrence E. Glick Observation Plaza, Mount Scopus Campus)

11:30 am-1:00 pm: Ceremony Conferring Honorary Fellowships (Handler Auditorium (Truman Institute), Mount Scopus Campus)

1- 2:30 pm: Luncheon in Honor of the Recipients of Honorary Doctorates and the Bublick & Rothberg Prizes at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel

3-4:30 pm: Tribute to the Recipients of Honorary Doctorates and the Bublick & Rothberg Prizes (Ezequiel Liwerant-Fomento Mexico Hall, Mount Scopus Campus) Moderator: Dr. Hila Korach

6pm-8:00pm - Convocation Ceremony (The Rothberg Amphitheatre, Mount Scopus Campus) Moderators: Ofer Hadad and Dr. Hila Korach

7:45pm - Friends Associations' Events

Tuesday, June 17 

8:15-9:15am: Campaign Cabinet Meeting (for members only) - King David Hotel

11 am- 12:00 pm: Exclusive Event at the President Isaac Herzog's Residence. 

Featuring a panel discussion: Knowledge in Action: The Role of Academia Locally and Globally
With panelists Gail Asper, Prof. Sara Cohen, Dr. Renana Keydar, Prof. Mona Khoury, and Sheryl Schwartz
Moderated by Ambassador Yossi Gal

12:30 - 1:30 pm: Lunch (The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute)

2:00 - 3:30 pm: Creative Minds & Intelligent Machines: Artificial Intelligence, Art, & Global Diplomacy in the Digital Age: Panel discussion with Prof. Haim Sompolinsky (Brain Prize for his pioneering contributions to computational and theoretical neuroscience), Michal Rovner (Israeli contemporary artist), and Amb. Daniel C. Kurtzer (Former United States Ambassador to Israel). Moderated by: Prof. Yehuda Neumark | Head, Authority for Research Students - Experimental Sciences (Van Leer Auditorium)

8:00-11 pm: Gala Event at the Tower of David, including an artistic display marking 100 years of Hebrew University

Friday, June 13

6:45-7:30 - Kabbalat Shabbat (Rooftop, The Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem)

7:45-10:30 pm: Friday Night Dinner (The Waldorf Astoria Ballroom)

Wednesday, June 18

8:15-9:45 am - Wall of Life Inscription Ceremony ( Mount Scopus Campus)

10:00 am - Departure to Rehovot

11:00-12:45pm - Academic Achievements Award Ceremony and the awarding of: The Kaye Innovation Award, The Polonsky Prize, The Klachky Prize, The Andre Cohen Deloro Award, and The Prusiner-Abramsky Research Award (Ariowitsch Auditorium)

1:00–4:00 PM - HUJI Market: Supporting the South & North

(Includes buffet lunch throughout)

Immerse yourself in a lively marketplace of ideas, discovery, and community impact. Short talks, live demos, and interactive exhibits reveal how Hebrew University research is powering sustainable food, resilient agriculture, and post-war recovery across Israel’s South and North.

Featured Lectures

• Dr. Shira Bukchin-Peles — The Human Factor of Food Security: From Insight to Impact
  How psychology, behavior, and community engagement turn global food-system challenges into actionable solutions.
• Prof. Efrat Yagil-Kelmer — Mikey, the Military Working Dog Who Beat the Odds
  A tale of courage and care: Mikey, a Malinois gravely wounded in Gaza, makes a remarkable recovery at HU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and is adopted by her devoted handler.
• Prof. Berta Sivan — From Genes to Aquaculture
  Cutting-edge genetic tools that are reshaping sustainable fish farming and strengthening global food supplies.
• Prof. Ofra Benny — Bio-convergence Approaches for Lab-Made Animal Tissues
  Where biology meets engineering to create ethical, sustainable meat alternatives and novel biomedical materials.

Interactive Exhibits & Demonstrations

• Bridging Communities: Bee Discovery with Ofakim High School
  High-school scientists join the B. Triwaks Bee Research Center to study pollinator behavior, cognition, and ecology.
• Sustainable Bites: Student Innovations from Waste to Table
  Undergraduates transform food-industry waste into tasty, resource-efficient products guided by circular-economy principles.
• Let Food Be Thy Medicine
  Prof. Alexander Vainstein’s molecular-breeding technology spawns nutrient-rich peppers and lettuce—and the ag-tech start-up CapsiBreed LTD.
• Cultivating the Future: Local Sesame from Field to Fork
  The Peleg Lab and Maxsum introduce high-yield, machine-harvestable sesame lines, bringing Israel-grown tahini and oil to market.
• From Cells to Steaks
  Live demo: growing muscle and fat tissues in the lab for sustainable, animal-free meat.
• From Crisis to Comeback: HUBS Aid
  140 students and 50 alumni mentors craft recovery plans for 90 border-zone businesses—an award-winning model of wartime resilience.
• Adapting to Nutritional Change - How pancreatic β- and α-cells sense fasting and feeding, what happens when they fail (diabetes), and how chemical tools advance therapies using stem-cell-derived β-cells.
• Harnessing Evolution for Non-GMO Microbes
  This lab uses natural evolution to engineer beneficial microbes—creating starter cultures for plant-based dairy, targeted probiotics for metabolic health, and insights into the microbiome’s role in lactose intolerance.

4:00 - 5:45 pm - Dedication of The Sheldon Lavin Center for Safe, Secure, and Sustainable Food Systems - dedication followed by cocktails

6:00 pm - Returning to Jerusalem

Thursday, June 19 

9:00 - 10:15 am - Dedication Ceremonies - Mount Scopus (including the inscriptions on the Founders Wall, Legacy Tree and Wall for Endowed Chairs) (Litwinsky Senate Hall, Mount Scopus)

10:30-11:15am - Unveiling Ceremony of the new Recognition Wall for the Tradition of Innovation Campaign (Mount Scopus Campus)

11:30 - 12:30pm - Recognition Ceremony for Professor Haim Sompolinsky for winning the prestigious Brain Prize (Litwinsky Senate Hall, Mount Scopus Campus)

1:00 - 2:30 pm - Lunch at Dan Jerusalem Hotel

3:00 - 4:00 pm - Dedication Ceremony: Newly Renovated 6th Floor – Social Sciences & Business Buildings 

4:30 - 5:30 pm - Marking 50 years of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies – (Wise Auditorium, Edmond J. Safra Campus)

5:30 -8:00 pm -  Open Day with groups of alumni from all faculties (Edmond J. Safra Campus)

8:00-11pm - Mega Alumni Event featuring a special concert by Hatikva 6 with Avraham Tal (The National & University Sports Stadium in honor of Charles Grosberg (Cosell Athletic Stadium), Edmond J. Safra Campus)