BGU&U | SPRING 2022

Both meetings were just the prelude, however, to the program’s week-long seminar in Israel, organized by Jill Ben-Dor, head of the Department of Resource Development, and held inMarch of this year. The Halutz fellows spent time in Beer-Sheva, Sde Boker and Jerusalem, getting an intensive crash course in local, national, and global issues.

exceptional individuals whose intellectual curiosity is matched by their commitment, both to Israel and to social and environmental change.” He adds that the initiative both mirrors and complements the immersive Zin Fellows Leadership Program for outstanding communal leaders, directed by Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU). The Halutz Initiative’s first cohort boasts 13 fellows from 12 different countries. Featuring CEOs, investors, consultants, and entrepreneurs, many Halutz fellows hold leadership or board positions at Jewish organizations, and almost all are deeply interested in Israeli innovation and sustainability. Several have siblings who live in the country or themselves spent extensive periods here.

The Initiative’s first meeting, held virtually in November 2021, included introductory remarks by BGUGlobal Development Committee Chair Toni Young, a key partner in the founding of Halutz, and a moderated discussion with political scientist Prof. Sharon Pardo on the meaning and possibilities of global leadership. At their second virtual meeting, in February, they met BGU President Daniel Chamovitz and heard from BGU researchers involved in fields of particular concern.

First cohort of the Halutz Program on their visit to the Marcus Family Campus

The driving force behind Halutz is David Ben-Gurion’s belief, borne out by BGU these last fifty years, that the Negev can be an engine for Israel, and ultimately for the world.

8