Author: AUFTAU

Five Tel Aviv University Researchers Win Prestigious ERC Grants

Written by AUFTAU on 7 February 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

The European Research Council (ERC) recently announced the winners of its 2022 call for research grants for mid-career researchers, and Tel Aviv University won five of these grants. The highly coveted grants enable promising researchers to achieve their research goals, promote fruitful collaborations and build competent research teams.

From Across TAU Campus

“We are very proud of our researchers, and happy about their success. It is exciting to see that Israel in general, and Tel Aviv University in particular, continue to be at the forefront of global science. I am especially happy and excited to see a growing representation of researchers from the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences,” says Prof. Dan Peer, Tel Aviv University’s Vice President for Research and Development and Head of the Laboratory for Nanomedicine.

The following researchers were awarded ERC grants for their groundbreaking research:

Prof. Miri Yemini | School of Education | The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities

Prof. Yemini researches the interactions between local and global processes in the education system. She explores how young people from different backgrounds in different countries understand and apply global citizenship.

Prof. Tom Schonberg | The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience

Prof. Schonberg heads the Minerva Center for Human Intelligence in Immersive, Augmented and Mixed Realities and the TAU XR Center. In his laboratory, he investigates mental functions and the neural basis of human decision-making processes. For this purpose, he uses MRI methods, eye movement tracking, various physiological indices, and methods from the computational learning field. He also investigates human decision-making through the construction of virtual reality environments that enable full functionality and are monitored at the highest possible level.

Prof. Limor Landsman | Sackler Faculty of Medicine

Prof. Limor Landsman from the Cell and Developmental Biology Department researches the function of beta cells, cells that regulate insulin production, crucial for blood sugar control and for the prevention of diabetes. Her team studies how beta-cell function and mass are established and maintained in healthy individuals and why they are lost in instances of diabetes. To this end, they research the crosstalk between beta-cells andother cells in their microenvironment.

Dr. Erica Lynn Weiss | Department of Sociology and Anthropology | Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences

Dr. Weiss is a cultural anthropologist who studies how people navigate moral dilemmas they encounter in their daily lives. She also researches liberalism and its alternatives, especially in the contexts of religious and ethnic coexistence. Through her research, Dr. Weiss explores how different groups in the world find ways to overcome differences and bridge the gaps between them.

Prof. Hila Shamir | Faculty of Law

Hila Shamir, a Professor of Law at Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Law, teaches and researches Employment, Labor, Immigration, and Welfare Law with a focus on issues of human trafficking, gender equality, informal work, and the law of global value chains. Prof. Shamir is a second time ERC grant winner. As part of her first ERC grant, she established the research group TraffLab: Labor Perspective to Human Trafficking.

In her current research, Shamir examines efforts to promote workers’ rights in global supply and production chains. Her groundbreaking research looks towards various efforts to strengthen the collective power of workers in different parts of the world, to learn how a collective labor law can be developed to counterbalance to the growing power of corporations in the global economy.

Featured image: Winners of the ERC grant for 2023 (from left to right): Prof. Tom Schonberg, Prof. Limor Landsman, Prof. Miri Yemini, Prof. Hila Shamir and Dr. Erica Weiss

Prof. Karen Avraham Wins Prestigious FISEB STAR Award for Scientific Excellence and Leadership

Written by AUFTAU on 1 February 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

The Federation of all the Israel Societies for Experimental Biology (FISEB) announced that Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University is the winner of the STAR Award for Scientific Excellence and Leadership. The STAR Award is a prestigious award that recognizes outstanding scholars in biomedical research and is a testament to their dedication and contribution to advancing the academic community in Israel.

Exceptional Contributions with Significant Impact

The selection committee noted: “Prof. Karen Avraham’s contributions to the field have been truly exceptional and have significantly impacted the advancements of human genetics from basic concepts to innovative therapeutics. Her creative ideas, unwavering commitment and leadership have inspired many and set a benchmark for others.”

Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine: “I am thrilled to receive this honor. There is nothing more significant than getting the recognition of your peers and colleagues. I have had tremendous opportunities to pursue my scientific research, leadership and mentoring in Israel for many years and I am very grateful for that.”

“Prof. Karen Avraham’s contributions to the field have been truly exceptional and have significantly impacted the advancements of human genetics from basic concepts to innovative therapeutics. Her creative ideas, unwavering commitment and leadership have inspired many and set a benchmark for others.” (The selection committee for the STAR Award)

Disease Genomics With Emphasis on Hearing Disorders

Prof. Avraham is recognized as one of Israel’s top scientists for her research that centers on disease genomics, with an emphasis on hearing disorders. Her team explores the genes responsible for hereditary hearing loss and implements new gene therapies to reverse deafness. Recently, she expanded her research to study rare genetic diseases including developmental delay, epilepsy and breathing disorders in children. She is a member of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience.

For her scientific achievements, she has won numerous awards, including the Sir Bernard Katz Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and the Michael Bruno Memorial Prize from the Rothschild Foundation (Yad Hanadiv), and she was recently awarded the Israel Science Foundation Breakthrough Research Grant.

In addition to her outstanding research achievements, she is the first woman to serve as the Dean of Sackler Faculty of Medicine at TAU. Prof. Avraham also served as founder and former director of the Healthy Longevity Research Center and the Aufzien Family Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and of the Taube-Koret Global Collaboration in Neurodegenerative Disease. She is the founder and director of the Biomed@TAU Research Hubs, which aim to bring together scientists and foster collaboration from across Tel Aviv University and affiliated hospitals that share overlapping research interests.

The Federation of all the Israel Societies for Experimental Biology (FISEB) is a federation of 34 Israeli societies of experimental biology, which was established in 1994 in order to promote scientific collaboration between members of the societies.

Do You Have a Rightist or a Leftist Brain?

Written by AUFTAU on 1 February 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Political orientation can be predicted by measuring brain activation while watching campaign-ads.

A first-of-its-kind study scanned the brains of dozens of politically involved participants while they watched campaign-ads and speeches by parties from both ends of the political spectrum, just before one of the last rounds of elections. The participants, half right-wing and half left-wing, were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a method that measures brain activation. Surprisingly, political-dependent differences in the brain response emerged already in early brain regions, such as regions involved in vision and hearing, and in fact the response in these regions was enough to predict an individual’s political views.

Great Minds Think Alike

The study was led by Noa Katabi, a research student in the lab of Dr. Yaara Yeshurun in The School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

During the study, participants watched video-clips, including a neutral (in terms of political characteristics) video-clip and different political campaign-ads and political speeches by politicians from both blocs, Right and Left. The researchers were surprised to discover widespread partisanship-dependent brain activation and synchronization when Right-wing individuals watched the videos of their political bloc, or when Left-wing individuals watched the videos of left-wing politician.

Interestingly, the researchers found that such partisanship-dependent differences in brain synchronization was not limited to “higher” areas of the brain, associated with interpretation and abstract thinking, as was previously found. Rather, these differences occurred already in regions responsible for sight, hearing and even touch.

“This is the first study to show political-dependent brain activity in early sensory and motor areas, and it can be said that at the most basic brain level, rightists and leftists in Israel literally (and not just metaphorically) don’t see and hear the same things.” Dr. Yaara Yeshurun

Dr. Yaara Yeshurun

Rightists and Leftists Experience Things Differently

“The research clearly showed that the more the subjects were politically aligned with a certain group, the more their brain response was synchronized, including in motor and somatosensory areas, that is, those areas of the brain that are active when we move or feel things with our senses,” explains Dr. Yeshurun. “In fact, just by the brain’s response in these primary sensory areas we could tell if a certain individual was left or wight wing. Intriguingly, it was not necessary to examine the activity in ‘higher’ brain areas – areas that are involved in understanding why a certain character did something, or what that character thinks and feels – to predict participants’ political views, it could even be done by examining an area of the brain that is responsible for seeing or hearing.”

The researchers think that this surprising finding is due to the fact that the participants they chose were politically involved, and also due to the timing of the experiment – a few weeks before the elections, when the political atmosphere in Israel was very present and emotional.

“This is the first study to show political-dependent brain activity in early sensory and motor areas, and it can be said that at the most basic brain level, rightists and leftists in Israel literally (and not just metaphorically) don’t see and hear the same things. I think that if we try to understand how people who hold opposite political views to ours experience the world, we might be able to conduct a slightly more effective public discussion that can hopefully attenuate the current political polarization,” adds Dr. Yeshurun.

Right or left? “If we try to understand how people who hold opposite political views to ours experience the world, we might be able to conduct a slightly more effective public discussion (…)”

People With Autism Experience Pain at a Higher Intensity

Written by AUFTAU on 31 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Findings contradict prevalent belief that people on the autism spectrum are ‘indifferent to pain’.

A new study examined the pain perception among people with autism and found that they experience pain at a higher intensity than the general population and are less adaptable to the sensation. This finding is contrary to the prevalent belief that people with autism are supposedly ‘indifferent to pain’. The researchers expressed the hope that the findings of their study will lead to more appropriate treatment on the part of medical staff, caregivers, and parents toward people with autism, who do not always express the experience of pain in the usual way.

The study was funded by the Israel Science Foundation and was led by four researchers: Dr. Tami Bar-Shalita of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University who initiated the study, Dr. Yelena Granovsky of the Technion and Rambam Medical Center, and Prof. Irit Weissman-Fogel and Prof. Eynat Gal of the University of Haifa. This study constitutes a framework for the theses of PhD students Tzeela Hofmann and Mary Klingel-Levy, and three articles based on it have already been published or approved for publishing. The present study has been published in the prestigious PAIN journal.

“We know that self-harm could stem from attempts to suppress pain, and it could be that [people with autism] hurt themselves to activate, unconsciously, a physical mechanism of ‘pain inhibits pain’.” Dr. Tami Bar-Shalita

Self-harm Not Proof of Indifference to Pain

“Approximately 10% of the general population suffer from sensory modulation dysfunction, which means sensory hypersensitivity at a level that compromises normal daily functioning and quality of life. These people have difficulty, for example, ignoring or adapting to buzzing or flickering of fluorescent lights, humming of air conditioners or fans, or the crunching of popcorn by someone sitting next to them in the cinema,” explains Dr. Bar-Shalita.

“In previous studies in the lab we found that these people suffer from pain more than those without sensory modulation dysfunction. Since it is known that sensory modulation dysfunction occurs in people with autism at a rate of 70-90%, it constitutes a criterion for diagnosing autism, and is associated with its severity. We were interested in exploring pain perception in autism, so we asked: do people with autism hurt more than the general population? This question was hardly studied in the lab before we got started.”

According to the researchers, for many years the prevalent opinion was that ‘people with autism hurt less’ or that they were ‘indifferent to pain’. Actually, ‘indifference to pain’ is one of the characteristics presented in the current diagnostic criteria of autism.

The proof of this was, supposedly, their tendency to inflict pain on themselves by self-harm.

Dr. Bar-Shalita: “this assumption is not necessarily true. We know that self-harm could stem from attempts to suppress pain, and it could be that they hurt themselves to activate, unconsciously, a physical mechanism of ‘pain inhibits pain’.”

“The results of our study indicate that in most cases, the sensitivity to pain of people with autism is higher than that of most of the population, while at the same time they are unsuccessful at effectively suppressing painful stimuli.” Dr. Tami Bar-Shalita

Dr. Tami Bar-Shalita

Contributing to Advancement of Personalized Treatment

This study is a laboratory pain study approved by the ethics committee of the academic institutions and Rambam Medical Center. The study included 52 adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) and normal intelligence – hitherto the largest reported sample in the world in studies on pain among people with autism. The study made use of psychophysical tests to evaluate pain, commonly used in the area of pain study. These methods examine the link between stimulus and response, while the researcher, using a computer, controls the duration and intensity of stimulus and the examinee is asked to rank the intensity of the pain felt by him on a scale of 0 to 100.

The findings have proven beyond doubt that people with autism hurt more. Furthermore, their pain suppression mechanism is less effective.

The researchers conducted a variety of measurements, aimed among other things at examining whether the hypersensitivity to pain derives from a sensitized nervous system or from suppression of mechanisms that are supposed to enable adjustment and, over time, reduce the response to the stimulus. They found that in the case of people with autism, it is a combination of the two: an increase of the pain signal along with a less effective pain inhibition mechanism.

Dr. Bar-Shalita concludes: “our study constituted a comprehensive, in-depth study of the intensity of pain experienced by people with autism. The prevalent belief was that they are supposedly ‘indifferent to pain’, and there are reports that medical and other professional staff treated them accordingly. The results of our study indicate that in most cases, the sensitivity to pain of people with autism is higher than that of most of the population, while at the same time they are unsuccessful at effectively suppressing painful stimuli. We hope that our findings will benefit the professionals and practitioners handling this population and contribute to the advancement of personalized treatment.”

In additional articles soon to be published, the researchers have examined the brain activity of people with autism during pain stimuli, and sub-groups within this population concerning their perception of pain.

Thousands Take Part in Tel Aviv University’s Open Day

Written by AUFTAU on 31 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Today’s Open Day for undergraduate and graduate degrees at Tel Aviv University was a festive event. Prospective students came to learn about admission requirements and application processes, and to meet with academic staff and students from a variety of fields.

This year’s Open Day included visits to various faculty buildings and labs, enabling participants to really soak up the atmosphere of TAU’s vibrant academic life.

Particularly in demand were: an introductory session on TAU’s innovative teaching methods (including a virtual reality experience!); a presentation about a brand new interdisciplinary program combining humanities studies with data science and workshops helping prospective students choose a field of study (organized by TAU’s Department for Educational and Occupational Counseling and the Dean of Students).

Student exchange coordinators were also available to present the extensive selection of study abroad options that TAU offers.

Our grass is greener. Open Day at Tel Aviv University (Photo: LENS Production)

“This is the biggest Open Day event since before the pandemic,” says Sharon Ariel, Marketing Director at Tel Aviv University. “It was important for us to allow prospective students to get the most out of their campus experience today. Tours and meetings across campus gave them the opportunity to learn about the study programs from current students; see labs up-close and observe leading researchers conduct experiments and listen to lectures by faculty and administrative staff about different study options and tracks. Participants could also enter lecture halls for the first time and walk around our beautiful green campus. We gave all those who consider studying at Tel Aviv University the opportunity to feel like students for one day.”

It was a pleasure to host everyone on our beautiful campus. We hope we will have the privilege of helping them start their journeys in pursuit of the unknown.

Didn’t make it to Open Day?

All information on admission requirements for the various programs can be found on our registration website (in Hebrew) or on the TAU Lowy International School (in English).

So, what programs will you apply to? Open Day at Tel Aviv University (Photo: LENS Production)

Holocaust Education is Expanding in Africa, the Arab World, and Eastern Europe

Written by AUFTAU on 26 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023, The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University published its annual report entitled ‘For a Righteous Cause’, focusing on initiatives of governments and citizens around the world to preserve Jewish heritage, teach about the Holocaust, and combat antisemitism and racism in general. The report aims to express appreciation for inspiring initiatives, encourage other similar activities, and propose ways for further improvement.

The findings presented in the Report indicate that recognizing the Holocaust and teaching lessons derived from it have recently expanded, even in countries where Holocaust education was uncommon, including in Africa and the Arab World.

Alongside this positive trend, many educational, social, and legal initiatives for combating Holocaust denial and antisemitism have been advanced in Western Europe, America, and Australia, indicating broad recognition of the problem and its severity.

“Regretfully, it must be admitted that despite global support for the fight against antisemitism, being a Jew has become less safe almost everywhere in the world,” said Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Center. “But giving up the struggle is not the solution. We must learn systematically, in a comparative manner, what has been done and what can be improved.”

Prof. Shavit added that “While our purpose was to highlight positive initiatives for combating antisemitism all over the world, we also noted at the beginning of the Report that this fight must not become the only identity-definer of Jewish intellectuals and organizations, that the Jewish moral compass must not be limited to this issue alone, and that the study of Jewish history should not focus solely on the Holocaust. Israel cannot express reservations about European political parties with roots in fascism and expect to find a different attitude in Europe toward Israeli parties with fascist roots.”

The Report was authored by eight experts from different disciplines, including: Dr. Carl Yonker, Project Manager and Senior Researcher at the Center; the Center’s Founder, Prof. Dina Porat; Dr. Ofir Winter; Adv. Talia Naamat; and researcher Fabian Spengler.

Selected Highlights from the Report:

Holocaust education is spreading beyond Western Europe and America to countries in Africa and the Arab World

The Report’s findings indicate that recognition and teaching of the Holocaust have spread – even to countries where it was previously uncommon:

The Report includes an extensive discussion about Cyprus, presenting it as a model to be emulated: even though no antisemitic incidents have been recorded in the country in recent years, its government has emphasized teaching the history of the Holocaust and the lessons derived from it in the education system, in law enforcement organizations, and in sports clubs. This approach is based on a proactive view, an overall commitment to combating racism and xenophobia, and an understanding that learning about the Holocaust and fighting antisemitism is critical for a society that aims to strengthen its democratic and liberal values.
The Report analyzes the emerging interest in Jewish history and the Holocaust in several African countries, which see a resemblance between the tragedies experienced by the Jewish people and crimes against humanity perpetrated on the African continent. This sentiment is expressed, for example, in the Genocide Memorial National Museum in Rwanda, which commemorates the genocide of the country’s Tutsi minority that occurred four decades after the Holocaust while the world looked on in silence.
According to the Report, an encouraging trend was observed this year in several Arab countries, with rising recognition of the history of antisemitism and the crimes of the Nazis. For example, in January 2022, Egypt took part in a session of the UN General Assembly that adopted a resolution condemning Holocaust denial. The Egyptian Ambassador to the UN conveyed the Arab consensus on the resolution. This positive trend reflects a significant turnaround in Arab discourse on Jewish history. This was displayed in quite a few new initiatives, some in the literary sphere, promoting the preservation of Jewish heritage in several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. These projects are described extensively in the Report.
Significant positive developments were also observed in formerly Communist countries. In December 2021, the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania launched the project “Stories from the Holocaust – Local Histories.” This initiative aimed to educate Romanians about the history of their communities from the perspective of Jews and Roma persecuted during the Holocaust. In 2022 the project included street exhibitions featuring the life stories of Jews and Roma and their tribulations during this dark period.
In November 2022, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry organized an international conference on combating antisemitism and preserving Jewish heritage.
A significant step forward in combating antisemitism was also recorded in Ukraine. In February 2022, just a week before the fascist Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Parliament approved strict sentencing measures for antisemitic hate crimes: five to eight years in prison for antisemitic violence and a substantial fine for anti-Jewish incitement.

Wave of educational and legislative initiatives in Europe, America, and Australia

The Report documents many initiatives introduced over the past year in the Western World for preserving Jewish heritage, teaching about the Holocaust, and combating antisemitism. The initiatives indicate a growing awareness of the dangers posed by antisemitic propaganda on the internet, as well as increasing recognition of the importance of educating younger generations about the Holocaust.

Notable initiatives included:

In October 2022, the European Commission marked the first anniversary of the “European Union Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life (2021-2030)”. Actions during the first year included: combating antisemitism on the internet; the signing of the Vienna Declaration by 11 EU member states and several international organizations which committed to developing a common, standard methodology for recording antisemitic incidents; and launching a project to protect Jewish cemeteries in Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Following discussions held in 2022, the European Parliament and European Commission are expected to pass the Digital Services Act, requiring online platforms to remove hate speech, provide information on their use of algorithms, and have clear rules to address complaints related to hate speech.
In January 2022, the Austrian Parliament was presented with the first annual implementation report detailing actions to advance the country’s National Strategy to prevent and combat all forms of antisemitism. Actions included: safeguarding Jewish life in the country and ensuring the Jewish community’s future; adoption of the IHRA Working Definition by Austria’s top football league, the Bundesliga; holding seminars on antisemitism for police officers; and initiating a declaration against antisemitism at the UN Human Rights Council.
In March 2022, the United States Senate appointed the country’s first special ambassador for monitoring and combating antisemitism, historian Prof. Deborah Lipstadt. In the summer, Lipstadt traveled to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In March, President Biden signed the 2022 federal government funding package of US$2M to implement the Never Again Education Act. These funds will be used for training teachers by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, as well as special activities for monitoring and combating global antisemitism. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed three bills to ensure that schools in the state provide high-quality Holocaust education, that museums acknowledge art stolen by the Nazi regime, and that Holocaust survivors receive their reparation payments from Germany in full. Several states in the US, including New York, Iowa, New Mexico, and Arizona, adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
In April, Canada introduced a federal bill that defines punishments for denying, condoning, or downplaying the Holocaust, and earmarks $70M for funding Jewish community initiatives. The city of Toronto launched a new public education campaign to raise awareness about antisemitism under the title “Toronto for All”. The campaign calls upon local citizens to become educated about the Jewish community and antisemitism, create inclusive spaces, and make their voices heard when they witness acts of bias and hate – offering support to victims, and reporting hate crimes to the authorities. The Canadian Provinces British Columbia and Alberta adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
In July, the Organization of American States (OAS), in cooperation with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), co-published a Spanish-language handbook entitled “Handbook for the Practical Use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism”. Guatemala and Colombia adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, joining the United States, Canada, and Argentina in the pledge to confront antisemitism throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Several positive initiatives were also seen in Australia. New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Victoria and NSW passed legislation banning public displays of Nazi symbols, specifically the swastika, with a maximum punishment of a year in jail and/or a substantial fine. Queensland and Tasmania also introduced legislation to ban Nazi symbols.

Borussia Dortmund, the major German football club, gets off the bench

The Report presents a detailed case study on the transformation of the German football club Borussia Dortmund – as a model of commitment to the fight against antisemitism, setting an example for other European sports clubs and organizations. The club, which in the past served as fertile ground for the activities of neo-Nazi pseudo-fans, now takes an active and firm stand against antisemitism. Among other actions, the club conducts educational tours for young fans to concentration camps and works closely with Yad Vashem.

Findings for 2022 Include:

> Significant new initiatives in several Eastern-European countries for teaching the history of the Holocaust and fighting antisemitism

> Cyprus has become a leader in the fight against antisemitism and racism

> Growing interest in Holocaust education in several African countries

> Growing recognition of the Holocaust in the Arab world, alongside renewed cultivation of Jewish heritage

> All this – alongside a wave of educational and legislative initiatives in Western Europe, America, and Australia

> The Report aims to express appreciation for positive initiatives, encourage other similar activities, and propose ways for further improvement

Read the full report >>

Prof. Ehud Gazit Elected Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors

Written by AUFTAU on 25 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Prof. Ehud Gazit of Tel Aviv University was recently elected as a Fellow of the United States National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The appointment to the rank of NAI Fellow is the highest recognition given by the Academy, awarded to innovators whose inventions have had a decisive impact on quality of life, economic development, and social welfare.

The National Academy of Inventors counts over 4,000 members in about 250 different institutions around the world, who as of today hold over 58,000 registered patents. The National Academy of Inventors was established in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventions that are covered by US patents.

Prof. Ehud Gazit is a Full Professor at The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research in The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and The Department of Materials Science and Engineering in The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University. In addition, he is incumbent of the Chair of the Biotechnology of Degenerative Diseases, a member of the University’s Executive Committee, and the Founding Director of the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery.

As one of the most prolific inventors in the Israeli academy, he has been granted over a hundred patents, and has managed the transfer of technologies to companies in Israel and around the world. Two drugs he developed are currently in human trials, many others are in model-based drug development, and a food supplement that he co-developed is currently sold in the US.

Professor Gazit thanked the members of the NAI: “I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Academy for selecting me for this honor. My research focuses on the interconnectedness of discovery, invention, and application, and I strongly believe that basic and groundbreaking science can and should be applied for the benefit of society. I am grateful for the recognition of our efforts in this regard. I would also like to thank my current and former students and colleagues for their innovative research, as well as the staff at ’Ramot‘ for translating our work into practical applications in industry.”

He previously served as Tel Aviv University’s Vice President for Research and Development, as Chairman of Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company, and as the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology.

Over the years, Prof. Gazit has won a series of prestigious awards in Israel and around the world, including the Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research, the Landau Award for Arts and Sciences, and the Rappaport Prize for excellence in biomedical research. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK, a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences in India, and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. He was recently appointed to the International Solvay Chair in Chemistry for 2023, the first Israeli to be appointed to this position previously held by 15 of the world’s top scientists, including three Nobel Prize winners in chemistry.

New Exhibition at the Wiener Library Features “Jews out!” – a Children’s Board Game from Nazi Germany

Written by AUFTAU on 25 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a new exhibition at the Wiener Library for the Study of the Nazi Era and the Holocaust at Tel Aviv University features the appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” (Juden Raus!), manufactured in Nazi Germany by an obscure company called Guenther and Co. at the end of 1938, probably following the events of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom).

“‘Jews Out!’ is clearly the outcome of years of blatant incitement and antisemitism which prevailed in German society in the 1930’s – so much so that someone got the idea that driving out the Jews was a suitable theme for a children’s game.” Prof. Emeritus José Brunner

Game With an Evil Twist

Prof. Emeritus José Brunner, the Academic Director, and Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Wiener Library, explains that the game resembles an innocuous game that at the time was popular in Germany, but with an evil twist: Players are tasked with quickly collecting six ‘Jew hats’ from Jewish residential and commercial areas in the city, and bringing them to one of the roundup spots. The first player to do so wins the game.

One of the captions on the board reads: “Go to Palestine!” (Auf nach Palästina!).

“‘Jews Out!’ is clearly the outcome of years of blatant incitement and antisemitism which prevailed in German society in the 1930’s – so much so that someone got the idea that driving out the Jews was a suitable theme for a children’s game,” notes Prof. Brunner.

“However, the game was considered an exception even at the time. Most children played games that taught them the story of the Nazi party, when it was established and how it had developed, while this game expressly teaches children to deport Jews,” he says, and explains that while some facts concerning the game’s history are in dispute, we know that it was distributed by a food merchant named Rudolf Fabricius.

WATCH: The appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” from Nazi Germany

“In the 1930’s children in German schools and preschools, who received their education from the Nazi party, played many games that encouraged them to identify with the party’s institutions.” Prof. Dina Porat

German Children’s Education in the 1930s

Prof. Dina Porat from the Department of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University adds: “In the 1930’s children in German schools and preschools, who received their education from the Nazi party, played many games that encouraged them to identify with the party’s institutions.”

“The game on display at the exhibition should be seen in the overall context of study materials in Nazi schools and preschools, such as a special edition of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion for children, or the scary children’s book Poisonous Mushroom. During WWII and the Holocaust, those who had received such an education from an early age could be clearly distinguished from older generations educated in a different Germany.”

The appalling children’s board game “Jews out!” (Juden Raus!)

‘Cleansing’ Germany of Jews – No ‘Game of Chance’

And yet, Prof. Brunner adds that though the game is clearly antisemitic, and even uses the Nazi slogan ‘Jews out!’, it was not well-received by the Nazi establishment.

An article published on December 29, 1938, in the SS weekly Das Schwarze Korps severely criticized the game, claiming that it was disrespectful to the German policy of cleansing Germany of Jews, because it presented systematic hard work as a game of chance, while in fact the cleansing was a methodical, thoroughly considered plan.

Nor was the game welcomed by the German public – the sales were evidently quite low. Despite the game was an economic failure, it nevertheless goes to support the idea that where racial hatred reigns, there will be entrepreneurs who will try to profit from it.

Tel Aviv University received the game in the 1970s together with the entire Wiener archive from London, containing tens of thousands of documents from the Nazi period. The game immediately caught the attention of the Library’s directors, and over the years it was displayed from time to time to the Library’s visitors, mostly academic researchers. To their knowledge, the game displayed at the Wiener Library is one of very few remaining originals.

The Library’s collection also includes the SS weekly Das Schwarze Korps where the criticism of the game was published.

The Wiener Library team (from left to right): Dr. Laure-Line Yehuda, Prof. José Brunner and Michal Fisher

Researchers Uncover New Factors Linked to Williams Syndrome

Written by AUFTAU on 24 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

Williams syndrome is a relatively rare, multisystem genetic syndrome that causes disorders in brain development. A new study by the Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University found that abnormal processes lead to disruption in the expression of genes essential for brain development in people suffering from the syndrome. The researchers believe their findings may contribute to the future development of targeted treatments that will enable normal expression of the affected genes identified in the research.

Looking Beyond Chromosome 7

The research was led by Dr. Boaz Barak from the School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University and Dr. Asaf Marco from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Hebrew University. Also participating in the research were Dr. Sari Trangle, Mr. Gilad Levy and Ms. Ela Bar from Dr. Barak’s laboratory, and Dr. Tali Rosenberg and Ms. Hadar Parnas from Dr. Marco’s laboratory. The research findings were published in the prestigious journal Molecular Psychiatry from the Nature publishing group.

“We wanted to examine whether the Williams Syndrome is also characterized by defects in the genomes contained in brain cells which prevent the proper expression of essential genes.” Dr. Boaz Barak

Dr. Barak: “Williams syndrome is a rare, multisystem genetic syndrome that includes disorders in brain development that lead to heightened social interactions, mental retardation, and other characteristic features. Past research has revealed that twenty-five genes are missing from the DNA on chromosome number seven of people with Williams syndrome, and the study of the syndrome to date has mainly focused on those missing genes and their functions.”

“We wanted to examine whether the syndrome is also characterized by defects in the genomes contained in brain cells which prevent the proper expression of essential genes. Specifically, we asked: ‘Is it possible that certain genes are not expressed properly in the brains of people with Williams syndrome due to the phenomenon of methylation – when a molecule known as a ‘methyl group’ is located on a certain gene that is present in the genome, preventing it from expressing itself properly?”.

To illustrate the phenomenon of the missing genes, Dr. Barak took an instruction book in which some of the pages were torn out. As a result of the missing pages, anyone following the instructions would make mistakes. Similarly, hiding some of the letters in the pages left in the book with a black marker would result in instructions being corrupted, just like methylation on an existing gene disrupts its expression.

Methylation is in many cases a normal mechanism in the cells of the body, as its role is to prevent expression of certain genes when appropriate. However, when there are disruptions in the correct application of methylation, the abnormal expression of the genes may lead to impairments in cell function, and subsequently cause damage to various organs, including to normal brain development.

Dr. Boaz Barak from the School of Psychological Sciences and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University

Uncovering New Factors

The researchers examined human brain tissues taken from adults with and without Williams syndrome who died of causes unrelated to the syndrome and donated their brains to science.

“We focused on samples from the frontal lobe, the area of the brain that is responsible for brain functions such as cognition and decision-making,” Dr. Barak explained. “In a previous study, we located in this area damage to the characteristics of the nerve cells and the cells that support nerve cell activity in people with Williams syndrome. In this study, we examined all the genes in all the cells of the frontal lobe to determine whether there are genes in people with Williams syndrome that have undergone abnormal methylation processes, i.e., increased or decreased gene silencing compared to a brain with typical development.”

“We uncovered significant information about the defective expression of genes in people with Williams syndrome. While these genes are fully present in the genome of the brain cells, until now it was not known that these abnormally regulated genes are involved in the syndrome.” Dr. Asaf Marco.

The researchers found that indeed in people with Williams syndrome abnormal methylation does exist in this area of the brain, resulting in disruption of the normal expression of many genes related to the normal development of the brain’s neural functions, such as regulation of social behavior (people with Williams syndrome are known to be overly friendly), cognition, plasticity of the brain, and cell survival.

“We uncovered significant information about the defective expression of genes in people with Williams syndrome. While these genes are fully present in the genome of the brain cells, until now it was not known that these abnormally regulated genes are involved in the syndrome,” says Dr. Marco.

“Building on our findings, it will be possible to focus future efforts on the development of targeted treatments that will reach the disrupted sites that we identified in the study in order to ‘correct’ the defective expressions.” Dr. Boaz Barak

Next Step: Target Disrupted Sites

“In addition, one of our main findings is that the disruptions in methylation do not have to appear near the gene whose function is impaired, and sometimes the disruptions are located far away from it. This information is critical because it allows us to better understand the spatial organization of DNA and its effect on gene control.”

He adds that, “since we know of enzymes that are able to remove or add methyl molecules, the next challenge will be to precisely direct those enzymes to the disrupted sites identified in our research, with the aim of allowing the genes to be properly expressed.”

Dr. Barak concludes: “Our research revealed new factors related to the disabilities that characterize Williams syndrome. Instead of focusing on the effects of the missing gene, as has been done until now, we shed light on many more genes that are expressed in a defective manner. Building on our findings, it will be possible to focus future efforts on the development of targeted treatments that will reach the disrupted sites that we identified in the study in order to ‘correct’ the defective expressions.”

Robot, Can You Smell This?

Written by AUFTAU on 23 January 2023. Posted in Newsroom.

In a scientific first, a robot can “smell” using a biological sensor.

After having developed a robot that hears through the ear of a locust, researchers from Tel Aviv University have succeeded in equipping a robot with the sense of smell, using a biological sensor. The sensor sends electrical signals as a response to the presence of a nearby odor, which the robot can detect and interpret. The researchers successfully connected the biological sensor to an electronic system and using a machine learning algorithm, were able to identify odors with a level of sensitivity 10,000 times higher than that of a commonly used electronic device. The researchers say “The sky’s the limit,” and believe that this technology may also be used in the future to identify explosives, drugs, diseases, and more.

WATCH: The first robot with a biological nose. Only at Tel Aviv University.

“Man-made technologies still can’t compete with millions of years of evolution. One area in which we particularly lag behind the animal world is that of smell perception (…) When they want to check if a passenger is smuggling drugs [at the airport], they bring in a dog to sniff him.” Dr. Ben Maoz and Prof. Amir Ayali

Technology Lags Behind Evolution

The biological and technological breakthrough was led by doctoral student Neta Shvil of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience, Dr. Ben Maoz of the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering and the Sagol School of Neuroscience, and Prof. Yossi Yovel and Prof. Amir Ayali of the School of Zoology and the Sagol School of Neuroscience. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Biosensor and Bioelectronics.

Dr. Maoz and Prof. Ayali explain: “Man-made technologies still can’t compete with millions of years of evolution. One area in which we particularly lag behind the animal world is that of smell perception (…) When they want to check if a passenger is smuggling drugs [at the airport], they bring in a dog to sniff him.”

“In the animal world, insects excel at receiving and processing sensory signals. A mosquito, for example, can detect a 0.01 percent difference in the level of carbon dioxide in the air. Today, we are far from producing sensors whose capabilities come close to those of insects.”

The researchers point out that, in general, our sensory organs, such as the eye, ear and nose – as well as those of all other animals – use receptors that identify and distinguish between different signals. Then, the sensory organ translates these findings into electrical signals, which the brain decodes as information. The challenge of biosensors is in the connection of a sensory organ, like the nose, to an electronic system that knows how to decode the electrical signals received from the receptors.

Dr. Ben Maoz and doctoral student Neta Shvil

“Nature is much more advanced than we are, so we should take advantage of that.” Dr. Ben Maoz.

10,000 Times More Sensitive to Smell

“We connected the biological sensor [to the electronic system] and let it smell different odors while we measured the electrical activity that each odor induced,” explains Prof. Yovel. “The system allowed us to detect each odor at the level of the insect’s primary sensory organ.”

“Then, in the second step, we used machine learning to create a ‘library’ of smells. In the study, we were able to characterize 8 odors, such as geranium, lemon and marzipan, in a way that allowed us to know when the smell of lemon or marzipan was presented. In fact, after the experiment was over, we continued to identify additional different and unusual smells, such as various types of Scotch whiskey. A comparison with standard measuring devices showed that the sensitivity of the insect’s nose in our system is about 10,000 times higher than the devices that are in use today.”

“Nature is much more advanced than we are, so we should take advantage of that,” says Dr. Maoz. “The principle we have demonstrated can be used and applied to other senses, such as sight and touch. For example, some animals have amazing abilities to detect explosives or drugs; the creation of a robot with a biological nose could help us preserve human life and identify criminals in a way that is not possible today. Some animals can detect diseases. Others sense earthquakes. The sky is the limit.”

What’s next? The researchers plan to give the robot a navigation ability to allow it to localize the odor source and later, its identity.

Will he be able to retire soon? A working dog searches for hazardous materials at the airport

Author: AUFTAU

The purpose of the grant is to enable researchers to fulfill their research goals, build research teams and promote fruitful collaborations.

From Across TAU Campus

The following researchers were awarded ERC grants for their groundbreaking research:

Prof. Miri Yemini | School of Education | The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities

Prof. Tom Schonberg | The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience

Prof. Limor Landsman | Sackler Faculty of Medicine

Prof. Hila Shamir | Faculty of Law

The selection committee: “Her creative ideas, unwavering commitment and leadership have inspired many and set a benchmark for others.”