List Reads
Like Page Out
of Who's Who

-

By LUCIEN MEYSELS
(Editor's Note: The writer
W
of this article, an Israeli
=
attached to the Hebrew Uni-
E-1
versity's administrative staff,
is doing graduate work at
kft
cm
the University of Wisconsin.)
”
"How is it that a small uni-
ei.'
cq
• versity like yours manages to
• attract some of the world's
scientists and schol-
a leading
• ars?" an American visitor re-
• cently asked on being shown
around the Hebrew University
ets of Jerusalem.
"It can't be the money," he
:5
added, "and even though you
are building a very fine new
campus, your facilities don't
compare with my alma mater,"
referring to a famous New Eng-
land university.
Going back to the essential
point of the visitor's remarks,
it certainly is not money that
DR. BERNHARD ZONDEK, professor of gynecology and
brings leading scholars to Jeru-
salem, or for that matter the obstetrics at the Hebrew University medical school, is shown
at work in his laboratory. In 1951, he received a doctorate
physical facilities, although it
is a fact that on the new from the University of Turin "in recognition of exceptional
campus only the best is good merits in the field of medical science." It was the first such
degree conferred in 550 years.
enough. However, it is certainly
true that the academic staff
list of the Hebrew University tive offers from universities (=treat deal of reluctance, that
reads like a page out of the and hospitals the world over to he is the originator of the
Encyclopedia of Learning.
make his home in Jerusalem, "Racah Coefficient W," an in-
Let us just leaf through where at the time, even the ternationally accepted term in
this at random. There is, for University's_ Medical • School the world of science.
instance,, the name of Prof.
Sharing Prof. Racah's aver-
of' blueprints only.
Bernhard Zondek. You don't existed- -
sion for publicity is the head of
One
,
of
Professor
Zondek's
have to be a scientist to have
the University's parasitology de-
heard his name—particularly next door neighbors in Jeru- partment, Prof. Saul Adler, fa-
salem
is
Italia
n-born
Prof.
the ladies—as the originator
mous for his work in the
of the Aschheim Zondek Guilio Racah, head of the Uni- control of leishmaniasis, who
versity's
physics
department
Pregnancy Test. His interna-
was recently appointed a Fel-
tional reputation had been and the world's "last word" in low of Britain's Royal Society.
the
field
of
atom
spectroscopy.
well established long before
Still working in the neighbor-
As professors of theoretic phy-
he came to Palestine.
hood of the Arab Legionnaires
Yet, when the Nazi advent sics, and a man more interested on the Old City Wall and feel-
to power in Germany caused in pure than applied science, ing no worse for it, is Prof. Leo
him to leave the country, he he is naturally shy of publicity a Picard, who heads the Univer-
turned down much more lucra- and will admit only, with

DR. ERNST D. BERGMANN, professor of organic chem-
istry (center) is shown with associates in his laboratory at
Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr. Bergmann also is chair-
man of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission and director of
the scientific department of the Ministry of Defense.

sity's famous team of geolo-
gists. As a matter of fact, he
is not in Jerusalem right now.
At the request of the United
Nations, the university agreed
to "lend" him to the govern-
ment of Greece to act as
adviser on ground water. re-
sources.
Another noted Hebrew Uni-
versity scientist, cur r e n t 1 y
abroad, is Prof. Israel Reichert
of the faculty of agriculture, a
plant pathologist and authority
on citrus virus diseases. He
was recently asked by the Medi-
terranean Citrus Growers As-
sociation to conduct an investi-
gation into these diseases over
the entire area.

Another scientist, whose work
is mainly "out of town," is
the university's vice-presideht,
Prof. Michael Evenari, a botan-
ist engaged chiefly in efforts to
reclaim the Negev desert for
agricultural purposes who, by
the way, is as apt with a heavy
.45 on his desert trips as with
a plant sapling.
It is perhaps less surprising
that the University—in view of
the essential learned char-
acteristics of the Jewish people
—should have a top-class fac-
ulty of humanities and par-
ticularly an outstanding Insti-
tute of Jewish Studies.
In the University's chem-
Until recently, the Institute
istry laboratories the visitor was headed by Professor Ger-
may have met Prof. Ernst D. shorn Scholem, the leading au-
Bergmann, who in addition thority in the field of Jewish
-to his university post, serves mysticism . and kabbala.
A late member of the Insti-
as c h. a i.r m a n • of Israel's
Atomic Energy Commission tute was Professor Umberto
,and as head of the "hush- C a s s u t o, the famous Bible
scholar and author of the Jeru-
salem Bible, the first edition of
the Holy Scriptures to be print-
ed in the Holy City.
British
Now on the retired list, but
resents Israel on the General broke. She joined the
a
sergeant.
Army;
soon
she
was
still very much around, are
Assembly's committee con-
When the war ended, Mrs. Profs. Martin Buber, the emi-
cerned with these matters. Dr.
Ginor's expertise is in econom- Shoham went to Europe, where nent social-philosopher who
ics, and she exercises her tal- she took an active part in the really needs no introduction;
ents in the Assembly's economic rescue of displaced persons and Hugo B e r gman the Phil-
in helping organize their emi- osopher; Joseph Klausner,
'
the
committee.
Both these ladies have gration to Israel. When Israel historian and pioneer Zionist;
many things in common. Not independence was achieved, and Harry Tur-Sinai (Torczy-
the least of the similarities she went to North Africa to ner), who translated and de-.
is this: Both are intensely investigate on the spot the sit- ciphered the famolis Lachis-
proud of the state they repre- uation facing North African Letters, the importance of
sent here, intensely conscious Jews who had started a wave which ranks with the Dead Sea
of the fact that their state of immigration to Israel. Is- Scrolls.
In a country with a history
deserves the very best — in rael's Ministry of Foreign Af-
understanding, in knowing fairs called her to a responsible like Israel's, it is only natural
how to get along with other post in 1950. In 1955, she joined that special attention should be
paid to archeology. The univer-
delegates, in knowing when the delegation here.
In 1943, a lovely young sity president, Prof. Benjamin
and how to gain friends, in-
economic
researcher
went
to
Mazar, is himself an archeologist
fluence people .. . and fight
work for the Jewish Agency's who brought to light the magni-
enemies when the hostility of
economic
department
in
Tel
ficent Jewish necropolis of Beth
others calls for quick defense.
Her name was Fanny Shearim in Galilee.
Delegations here are accus- Aviv.
Dulberg.
When
Israel
state-
One of his associates is
tomed to dealing with brilliant hood was achieved, in 1948,
Dr. Yigael Yadin who is per-
women as members of the Is- the newly-created Embassy
haps better known as one of
rael representation. Outstand-
Israel's most brilliant gen-
ing, among these, of course, is in Washington needed an
attache.
erals in the War of Inde-
Foreign Minister Mrs. Golda economic
Dr. Dulberg—the name now pendence. Dr. Yadin gave up
Meir.
For a number of years, Mrs. Hebraized to Ginor—was ap- his military career to work
Zena Harman represented Is- pointed to that job. In 1951- at the university and to fol-
1952, the Israel bonds organiza- low in the footsteps of his
rael in the social, cultural and tion
needed the services of a father, the late Prof. Eliezer
humanitarian committee a n d
economist who knew L. Sukenik, the first man
the executive .board of the ranking
United Nations Chil d r e n's and understood the science of to realize the significance of
Fund; Mrs. Harman is still a economics in general, and the the Dead Sea scrolls.
member of UNICEF's board, needs and potentials of Israel
This list of names could be
attending meetings here at in particular. Preparing the continued almost ad infinitum.
prospectus
for
the
Israel
Bond
least twice a year—and she still
But we still haven't replied to
holds the second most impor- Organization was the same Dr. our visitor's original question
Ginor.
tant post in UNICEF, chairman
men—and wo-
Then came work as economic as to why these
of the organization's program
men—are in Jerusalem.
adviser
to
the
Bank
of
Israel;
The answer is, of course, that
committee.
Since Mrs. Harman's return lecturing on economics at the they find a degree of satisfac-
School
of
Law
and
Economics
to Israel, her post in the social,
tion in working in Jerusalem
cultural and humanitarian com- of the University of Tel Aviv; which cannot be measured in
doing
the
same
work
at
the
mittee has been filled with
terms of money. At the Hebrew
great credit to Israel by Mrs. University of Jerusalem's Fac- University they are serving not
ulty
of
Agriculture.
Israel's
Shoham.
only the State of Israel but the
Educated at the Haifa Reali economic quarterly, "Harivoan entire Jewish people, and their
School and at London Univer- Lekalkalh," frequently runs ar- success brings pride and joy,
sity—where she specialized in ticles by this same authority. credit and prestige to all Jews,
Middle Eastern affairs and in In short — there is no doubt wherever they may dwell, and
Arabic studies — she was in that Dr. Ginor is, indeed, a to humanity in general.
England when World War II bright light in Israel.

Israel's Women at United Nations Bring Sparkle to World Affairs

By SAUL CARSON

(JTA Correspondent at UN)

(Copyright, 1957, JTA, Inc.)
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y.—
Here, in the United Nations, as

trusted members of the Israel
delegation, we have two women
in whom all friends of Israel
may take pride. To look at
them, to watch them • at their
work, to observe their devo-
tion to their tasks and their
high competence—it's a pleas-
ure.

One, Mrs. Tamar Shoham-
Sharon, is a second generation
"sabra," a native of the Israel
soil whose parents were na-
tives. The other, Dr. Fanny
Ginor, is . a European intellec-
tual — born in Poland, raised
and educated in Germany, with
a PhD in economics and phi-
losophy from the University of
Basel, Switzerland.
Mrs. Shoham's specialty is
social, cultural and humani-
tarian affairs, in which she rep-

Mrs. Eban Wins 'Imo,' Award

Mrs. Abba Eban, wife of Israel's ambassador to the United
States, receives the "Ima" or "Mother" Award of Youth Aliyah,
at Hadassah's national convention. The award was presented
by Mrs. A. P. Schoolman (left), national Youth Aliyah
chairman of Hadassah. Looking on at right is Dr. Miriam K.
Freund, national president of Hadassah. The award was given
to Mrs. Eban in recognition of her efforts in behalf of Youth
Aliyah.

hush" Scientific Division of
the Ministry of Defense.

