Hebrew University of Convocation Ceremony: June 8, 2014 Biographies of Honorary Doctorate Recipients

GAIL ASPER OC OM

A community leader and role model, Gail Asper continues to work tirelessly to enhance the world in which she lives.

As President and a Trustee of the Asper Foundation, she is a driving force behind projects in Canada and and spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in , .

Her commitment to the Hebrew University ranges from serving on the Board of Governors to being a member of the Canadian Friends National Board. The Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business Administration continues to flourish thanks to the support of the Asper Foundation; in addition Gail is passionate about student support, the Rothberg International School and the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada.

Gail received her law degree from the in 1984, and joined Global Communications Corporation as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 1989, a position she held until 2008. She is currently President of the Canwest Foundation.

Today Gail’s community involvement includes numerous positions to which she brings her passion and dedication. Daughter of the late , she realized his dream to build the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, serving as a member of its inaugural Board and as Chair of its National Campaign. She is Director Emerita of the Centre for Cultural Management at the University of Waterloo and is a past Chair of the of the United Way of Winnipeg. Gail has also served on many boards within the Winnipeg Jewish Community. Gail is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and her awards include the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal; the Order of Manitoba; an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Manitoba; the distinguished Canadian Leadership Award from the University of Ottawa; and the Canadian Bar Association’s President’s Award.

Born in Winnipeg in May 1960, Gail is married to Michael Patterson and has two children, Stephen and Jonathan.

JOSÉ MANUEL DURÃO BARROSO

President of the European Commission and former prime minister of Portugal, José Manuel Durão Barroso is a scholar and a respected statesman in the national and international arenas whose broad scope of activities in the European Union stem from his leadership abilities, his talents and, above all, his vision for a prosperous, secure and sustainable Europe.

José Manuel Barroso was born in the Portuguese capital Lisbon and studied law and European studies at the University of Lisbon, going on to a master’s degree in political science at the University of Geneva. He embarked on a career in academia, and was a teaching assistant at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon and in the Department of Political Science at the University of Geneva. José Manuel Barroso served as a visiting professor in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and in 1995 he was appointed head of the Department of International Relations at Lusíada University in Lisbon. In 1979, he established the University Association for European Studies.

José Manuel Barroso’s entry into politics began during his years in academia. In 1980, he joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and he was elected party president in 1999, earning recognition for his exceptionally vigorous efforts and his achievements on behalf of his constituency. He served as PSD president for three terms and simultaneously served as vice- president of the European People’s Party. In April 2001, he was elected to lead the government of Portugal, a position he held until July 2004, when he became President of the European Commission. José Manuel Barroso is highly regarded for his ardent efforts to shape a new order for the European Union which aspires to a new era of a global Europe. The recipient of many awards and of honorary degrees from universities throughout the world, he was chosen as European of the Year for 2006 by the magazine European Voice. He has initiated numerous publications on political science, international relations and the European Union.

José Manuel Durão Barroso is a fervent advocate of the creation of academic chairs at universities the world over, including the Jean Monnet Chair at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem which was established with the assistance of the European Union. He is likewise active in establishing student exchange programs with countries that are not members of the European Union, among them the State of Israel. José Manuel Durão Barroso shows a profound interest in Israel and maintains ties with those in academic and government circles. Most recently he has called for the vehement condemnation of anti-Semitism, racism and faith-based discrimination.

PATRICIA L. GLASER

Patricia Glaser has been a champion of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for more than three decades. She serves on the University’s International Board of Governors and received an Honorary Fellowship in 2008. Patricia has provided exemplary leadership to the American Friends of the Hebrew University, serving on its national board and as vice chairman and past president of the Los Angeles Region board. In 2013, Patty received AFHU’s national Scopus Award in recognition of her humanitarian and professional accomplishments.

Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Patty earned her BA from The American University and her JD from Rutgers University. She began her legal career at Wyman, Bautzer, Christensen, Kuchel & Silbert, where she later became a partner. Now chair of the litigation department of Glaser Weil, Patty is a preeminent business trial attorney who is sought after for high- stakes litigation. She provides general legal counsel in areas including real estate, entertainment, banking and securities.

Esteemed within the legal community, Patty has earned numerous accolades. Chambers and Partners describes her as a "trial icon." She is included every year in the Daily Journal's list of "Top Women Litigators" and its list of "100 Leading Attorneys in California." Since its inception in 2005, Lawdragon Magazine has recognized Patty as one of its 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

Outside the courtroom, Patty serves on the UCLA Israel Studies Program Advisory Board, the Board of Trustees for The National Judicial College and the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’ Legal Division. A theater enthusiast, Patty produces local plays and serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Music Center Theatre Group and the Geffen Theater.

Patty resides in Century City and Malibu, California with her husband Sam Mudie, an entrepreneur and amateur athlete. She has two children by marriage and two adorable grandsons.

YEHOSHUA KENAZ

Yehoshua Kenaz is one of the leading Hebrew authors of our time. He has been publishing novels and short stories since the 1950s, describing the various aspects of Israeli society with piercing realism and human sensitivity.

Kenaz was born in Petach Tikva and lives in Tel Aviv. After his military service he began studying at Hebrew University but a year later he left for the Sorbonne in . While in Paris he became acquainted with French literature, which has had a significant impact on his writing. After two years in Paris he returned to Jerusalem and Hebrew University to study philosophy and Romance Languages.

His first book, After the Holidays (1964), is about Israeli society in general and introduces an array of symbols that was to become the hallmark of his work. The particular instance (the small farming community in this novel) becomes a case study of Israeli society, with its ethnic, political and theological tensions writ large.

Musical Moments (1964), his second book, is a collection of short stories about the childhood and adolescence of a young artist in Palestine. Many consider his monumental novel “Infiltration” (1986) to be the most important Israeli novel to date. In it Kenaz paints an allegorical picture of modern Israeli society as reflected by a platoon of young recruits with minor physical disabilities during their basic training in the late 1950s.

His book The Way to the Cats (1991) is a dark parody of Dante's Divine Comedy” set in an Israeli old-age home. In his later novellas, Returning Lost Loves (1997) and Burning Fuse Boxes (2000), Kenaz develops a new language that attempts to capture the dynamics of Israeli slang. His later stories, Landscape with Three Trees (2000) and A Flat with a Courtyard Entrance (2008) return to the more conciliatory style of his biographical stories.

Yehoshua Kenaz has translated 15 masterpieces, the majority from French and some from English. In the 1960s and ‘70s he was one of the editors of the literary journal Keshet, published between 1958 and 1977 and edited by the translator and poet . In the 1980s he edited, with Yoram Bronowski, the monthly journal Machbarot Lesifrut as well as the Haaretz literary supplement.

YOSSI LANGOTSKY

Yossi Langotsky, the guiding spirit behind the discovery of Israel’s off-shore gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea, was born in Jerusalem. He received his BSc and MSc degrees from the Hebrew University (1961).

While still a student he worked as a petroleum geologist at the Sde Heletz oil field; toward the end of his graduate studies he joined the Geological Survey of Israel as a researcher and was later appointed deputy director of that institute.

In the Six Day War he commanded the Jerusalem Special Forces unit and participated in the battle for Jerusalem, earning the Distinguished Service Medal. Between 1968 and 1976 Yossi Langotsky held a variety of posts in Israel’s standing army, including commander of IDF strongholds in the Sinai during the War of Attrition, founder of the Intelligence Corps’ Special Operations branch, and commander of the Special Technological Operations Unit of the Intelligence Corps. For his service in the Intelligence Corps he earned two Israel Defense Prizes. From 1976 to 1979 Yossi Langotsky served as the IDF attaché in Israel’s embassy in Washington, DC. In 1979 he left the standing army with the rank of colonel.

In 1979, he was named director general of the National Petroleum Corporation and for several decades headed various petroleum exploration corporations. Yossi Langotsky pioneered Israel’s deep-sea natural gas exploration, and it was his vision, determination and technological expertise that culminated in the outstanding achievement of the discovery of the State of Israel’s off-shore gas reserves. In 1999 he established a petroleum and natural gas exploration project off Israel’s Mediterranean shore, and since then has established joint projects and ventures between Israeli and international corporations seeking petroleum and gas in the Mediterranean.

Alongside his relentless professional activities, Yossi Langotsky has devoted much time to serving the community. He was active in the Ammunition Hill Association for many years, was among the founders of Alut – the Israeli Society for Autistic Children, and he founded and heads the Friends of the Dead Sea Heritage Group. In 201, he was named a “champion” of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel.

Yossi Langotsky maintains the closest of ties with the Hebrew University and its Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences where he was a student. In cooperation with the Herrmann Institute, he inaugurated the annual Melakh Haaretz (Salt of the Earth) Series for Dead Sea Studies.

In 2013 he was named an Honorary Member of the Israel Geological Society.

PROF. JOSEPH RAZ

Prof. Joseph Raz is one of the leading philosophers of our day in the areas of legal, moral and political philosophy.

Joseph Raz was born in Israel and studied law and philosophy at the Hebrew University, earning a Magister Juris summa cum laude. He wrote his doctoral thesis at Oxford University under the supervision of Prof. Herbert Hart. After completing his doctorate he returned to Israel and was appointed as a lecturer in the Faculty of Law and the Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew University. In 1972 he returned to Oxford as a lecturer in law and philosophy and a fellow of the Balliol College in Oxford, and in 1985 was appointed as a professor of philosophy of law. In 2002 he was invited to Columbia University's Law School, while continuing to serve as a professor at Oxford University. In the years 2009-2011 he was a guest professor at King's College, London. Today he continues to serve as a professor at Oxford University, Kings College and Columbia University.

Prof. Raz's significant contribution to the philosophy of law is his analysis of the concepts of norms, law, authority, and the autonomy of the individual. His work lays out the interaction between law and morals, norms and institutions, and between the boundaries of the legal system and the boundaries of the powers of the legal institutions, and offers a justification for obeying the law grounded in the liberal tradition of political philosophy. His original work has made a tremendous impact on the study of law and its teaching throughout the world.

Prof. Raz has published his groundbreaking studies in 11 books and dozens of articles and chapters in research books. He has won many academic awards and honors, including honorary PhDs from the Catholic University in Brussels and King's College, London. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the British Academy (humanities and social sciences).

He won the W.J.M Mackenzie award for his book The Morality of Freedom from the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom, the Elaine and David Spitz Book Prize from the International Conference for the Study of Political Thought, and the first International Prize for Legal Research "Héctor Fix-Zamudio" from Universidad Nacional Autόnoma de México.

GERALD M. RONSON CBE

Combining a highly successful business career with exceptional commitment and generosity in the field of charity, Gerald Ronson is recognized in the UK as a noted leader in commerce and , with particular devotion to the Jewish community as well as to the State of Israel.

Born in 1939, Gerald Ronson worked in his father’s furniture business from age 15, joining Heron Homes which became one of the biggest house builders in the South of England. At age 17 he founded the Heron Group, now called Heron International Plc, one of Britain’s largest property development companies with business in many countries.

Alongside his remarkable business achievements, Mr. Ronson, together with his family, has dedicated himself to charitable causes in leadership roles. As Chairman of the Community Security Trust (CST) he works closely with the law enforcement authorities to ensure safety at Jewish institutions and events.

His philanthropy in the UK is extensive and includes the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Royal Marsden Hospital, the Prince’s Youth Business Trust, the Natural History Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and the Royal Opera House.

Devoted to the British Jewish Community, Mr. Ronson’s support includes Norwood, Jewish Care, Immanuel College and the Jewish Community Secondary School (JCoSS), and in Israel, the UJIA, two ORT schools in Ashkelon and one in Usfiyya that serves the Druze community.

He has been widely recognised for his exceptional philanthropic work, culminating in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2012 New Year’s Honours List with a CBE for “services to philanthropy and charitable services”.

Gerald Ronson is a distinguished leader who actively devotes his time and energy to the welfare, security and education of the British Jewish community as well as education and poverty alleviation in Israel. His commitment to the values of hard work, charity and good deeds make him particularly worthy of this honour.

PROF. LOTHAR WILLMITZER

The scientific achievements of Prof. Lothar Willmitzer reflect his commitment to cutting- edge, innovative plant science. Initially trained in chemistry, Prof. Willmitzer shifted his focus to biology and decided to investigate higher plants – the group of organisms that holds tremendous chemical diversity and makes the greatest contribution to human life. He developed new approaches to molecular biology that allowed him to explore plant metabolism at the gene level, transforming the field of plant sciences.

Prof. Willmitzer founded the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in 1994, with the mission of developing a comprehensive, integrative approach to plant research by combining molecular genetic tools with novel biochemical and physiological tools. Under his leadership, the Institute has become a world leader in plant sciences, developing novel analytical approaches that integrate biological chemistry and the power of informatics. His research addresses some of the central questions in biology including plant development, metabolism and hybrid vigor. Prof. Willmitzer’s research has had a profound impact on key crops such as maize, a global food source for humanity.

With over 360 scientific publications, more than 40 patent applications originating from institutes under his guidance and two start-up companies, this prolific scientist has also made the time to train dozens of young scientists over the years, sharing his knowledge, curiosity and motivation to develop basic scientific knowledge that could improve human welfare.

Prof. Willmitzer’s great generosity with his time and talents also extends to the Hebrew University. He has made an unparalleled contribution to shaping the direction and agenda of the Minerva-Otto Warburg Biotechnology Center at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, serving as a member and then Chairman of its Scientific Council. The scientific success of the Center and its members is due in large part to Prof. Lothar Willmitzer – trailblazer, humanitarian, and true friend.