PALM BEACH – American
Friends of The Hebrew University bestowed its highest national honors on
Diane Belfer and her children, Kenneth and Sherry Endelson of Boca Raton,
for their support of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, when the organization
held its gala at The Breakers Hotel.
Daniel C. Kurtzer,
former United States Ambassador to Israel who is currently a lecturer and
the S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies at the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, was the guest
speaker.
The National Scopus
Award is the American Friends’ highest recognition for humanitarian
achievement and it is awarded to individuals who are committed to The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem and are involved with many humanitarian causes on
local, national and international levels. Named for Mount Scopus, where The
Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s first cornerstones were laid in 1918, the
award has come to symbolize the University’s highest ideals.
The 2011 Scopus Award
Gala, chaired by Barbara and Richard Rothschild, Roberta and Stanley Bogen
and Ellen and Irwin Levy, began with a reception and was followed by the
awards ceremony, dinner and dancing in the historic hotel’s Circle Room.
Kathi Cypres received the honors for her mother, alongside her brother and
sister-in-law at the prestigious awards ceremony.
Gala co-chairs included Linda
and Peter Berley, Barbara and Jack Kay, Susan and Darrell Ross, Judy and
Robert Snyder, Louise and Michael Stein, Robbie and Bruce Toll, Lois and
Martin Zelman and Jane and Ronald Zimmerman.
According to Mr. Bogen, who
presented the award, Mrs. Belfer and Mr. and Mrs. Endelson have a bond with
the worldwide Jewish community, and their Jewish identity and love for
Israel has long been a defining force in their lives.
“American Friends of
The Hebrew University was proud to bestow its prestigious Scopus Award upon
Diane Belfer and her son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Sherry Endelson,
whose commitment to making a difference is visible in every facet of their
lives. As they continue their commitment to The Hebrew University, the
University of the Jewish People, they are ensuring the perpetuation of our
unique history, culture and intellectual traditions. Through their
generosity and support, Diane Belfer and her children will ensure that
Israel’s finest students reach their academic potential and dreams.”
The Hebrew University
of Jerusalem has earned a stellar reputation as Israel’s foremost center of
higher education and interdisciplinary research. It has been repeatedly
ranked in the top 100 worldwide, and generates one-third of all civilian
research in Israel.
Guests attending the
2011 Scopus Awards included: Andrea Stark, Laurie Silvers and Mitchell
Rubenstein, Marjorie and Robert Emden, Louise and Michael Stein, Barbara
Mandel, Michelle and Joseph Jacobs, Judy and Robert Snyder and Jane and
Ronald Zimmerman.
The Hebrew University
faculty includes recent Nobel and Israel Prize winners, as well as top grant
recipients. The University continues to attract the best and the brightest
students from Israel and more than 50 countries, engaging them in a
community of open dialogue. Distinguished alumni include present and former
Israeli Prime Ministers, the first female Supreme Court President, 25% of
Knesset members and 12 of the 15 Supreme Court justices.
Forging a meaningful partnership between American Jewry and the
people of Israel, American Friends of The Hebrew University helps to ensure
the nation’s well being by nurturing Israel’s greatest asset: The
intellectual strength of its people. More information on American Friends
of The Hebrew University and the Scopus Gala may be obtained by calling
Monica Loebl, Southeast Region Executive Director at 561.750.8585.