People In The Economy / Cellia Shani

–

President Shimon Peres and Barbara Streisand

–

Oh , Barbara

Barbara Streisand, legendary American actress, singer, producer, philanthropist and activist will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson, president of the Hebrew University, said that the award is in recognition for her human rights work and dedication to Israel and the Jewish people and her passionate concern for equality and opportunity for people of every gender and background. The ceremony will take place on Monday, June 17, during the 76th Hebrew University International Board of Governors meeting..
Ms. Streisand has been long admired for her civic activism and philanthropic leadership. During 2011, Ms. Streisand appeared in a programs on behalf of the welfare of soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. The event raised 12 million dollars and brought attention to a vital cause.

Ms. Streisand has already earned five of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious awards: the Grammy, Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe. She has also been honored by the Directors Guild of America and received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton , making her an icon of American culture and an international favorite.

Barbara Streisand will perform in The opening evening of the Presidential Conference which will celebrate President Peres’ 90th birthday.

–

Peres daughter Tzvia Walden in his hometown

–

Shimon Peres’ 90th birthday

Israeli President Shimon Peres’ 90th birthday celebrations began last week in his hometown of Vishnyeva, Belarus as a kick-off in celebrating his 90th birthday on August 2. The ceremonies were held in the presence of his eldest daughter Tzvia, and were part of the Limmud FSU Festival, which is being held in Belarus.
“Shimon Peres, a Nobel Laureate, is probably the most well-known and prominent individual to ever be born in Vishnyeva, and it brings the town a lot of honor, ” said Chaim Chesler, Co-Founder of Limmud FSU.

–

Len Blavatnik

–

Leonid Blavatnik will be granted an honorary doctorate

Leonid Blavatnik will be granted an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University on June 6th. The Senate of Tel Aviv University is granting this honorary doctorate to Lavatnik to highlight particularly ” his deep commitment to Israel, both as an investor and philanthropist, and the active role he plays in promoting excellence in higher education and research at leading academic institutions in Israel and around the world, including Harvard University, Oxford University and the New York Academy of Sciences. ”

Mr. Blavatnik is a trustee of Tel Aviv University and of the Academy of Sciences of New York, and a member of the Harvard Committee on University Resources. An active philanthropist, Mr. Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation have been generous supporters of numerous leading cultural and charity institutions including The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Prince’s Trust. He is also a Trustee of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

–

 Michael Sofaer and his wife Denizya/ photo Yael Havush

–

UCLA wins  Barton M. Biggs Award

Twelve leading business schools from around the world, and from Israel, took part in SICC 2013, the annual ” Sofaer International Case-study Competition ” at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Management on May 22nd.
The competing teams were required to prepare a strategic analysis of the dilemmas sometimes facing an Israeli company operating in international markets. The subject of this year’s competition was Caesarstone, a manufacturer engineered quartz slabs for kitchens, as well as other interior surfaces for households and commercial buildings. Caesarstone (CSTE) is traded on NASDAQ with a market cap of around US$ 968 million.
The three finalist teams were Cambridge; Yale School Of Management and UCLA, and the winning team was UCLA which received the $10, 000 Barton M. Biggs Award, which was presented by Michael Sofaer on behalf of the Sofaer family, the donors of the award and the competition. The international team of judges was chaired by Yair Seroussi, who is the Chairman of Bank Hapoalim.

–

Alfred Baer

–

“Mr. Alfred J. Bär will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, in honor of his decades-long dedication to the Technion; in appreciation for his pioneering leadership role in the Swiss Technion Society, and in gratitude for his lifelong devotion and generosity to Israel, the Technion, and the Jewish people.

A leading philanthropist, Mr. Bär, who was born in Zurich, altruism has been expressed through his personal generosity to his local Liberal Jewish community (to which he donated a Torah Scroll), to the Technion (at which he established the Marion and Alfred Bär Chair in Engineering), and to a wide variety of Israel-based organizations,

He founded the Swiss Technion Society in 1981 and served as its president for nearly 30 years. He is an heir of the Julius Bär banking family (Julius Baer Group Ltd which is a leading Swiss private bank), and he has made the Swiss Technion Society a family affair.