St. Andrews Residents talk about the Hebrew University and what it means to them

Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein are happy to share their reasons why. “Mitchell and I met in high school in Miami Beach. Mitchell is originally from New Jersey and I am from Illinois,” Laurie shared. “St. Andrews has been our home for our entire married life. We were lucky enough to raise our family and make lasting friendships in this community.”

Laurie and Mitchell are serial entrepreneurs who together founded the SyFy Channel, Hollywood.com, Misfits Gaming Group (a global esports organization), and a radio station group in Florida.

Laurie is a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, Past Chair and current member of the Board of South Florida PBS, member of the national PBS Foundation Board, Life Trustee of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and past Chair of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, just to name a few of her community activities.

Mitchell was the inaugural Chair of Jewish Life at Duke University, which includes the Rubenstein/Silvers Hillel at Duke and is a member of the Board of Directors of MorseLife Health System (where he is Chair of the Joseph L. Morse Health Center), a non-profit senior living center.

“We value higher education and have always believed that it is important to support the organizations that work to improve our lives and the lives of others,” said Mitchell. He added, “HU’s commitment to medical research and technological innovation, as well as social justice and academics, is exactly what we look to support. Hebrew University is so important to us, and it is meaningful to our family that the names of several of our family members are inscribed on a Wall of Honor at one of Hebrew University’s prominent outdoor gathering areas.”

“HU researchers are always exploring something new,” Laurie said. She added, “In typical Israeli fashion, Hebrew University scientists work across academic disciplines to create innovative answers to today’s problems—and they do it on a shoestring budget! That is why we are so looking forward to learning more at ALEF 2021.”

Focusing, as usual, on the cutting-edge research and innovation found at the Hebrew University, Sunday, February 28, 2021 will see a new variation on AFHU Southeast Region’s Annual Leadership Education Forum (ALEF) event. By moving online, ALEF 2021 will bring HU campuses to a nationwide audience. With a focus on varied aspects of HU academics and research, participants will virtually meet students and researchers, visit HU campuses, and get a chance to see inside the labs. Holding ALEF online will allow AFHU to reach a larger audience with opportunities for live, interactive presentations.

Gail Meyer Asarch and Dr. James Satovsky also share a commitment to working in the community while supporting organizations with a global impact. Both longtime residents of South Florida, Gail and Jimmy met on a blind date in Boca Raton. Jimmy is a prominent South Florida endodontist and adjunct Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan. He served as President of the South Broward Dental Society and the North Dade Dental Society. Gail’s primary business is owning and operating hotels with her partners under the name Meyer Jabara hotels. After selling her restaurant business and restaurant real estate business she has focused on investing in capital markets and private industry.

Jimmy and Gail’s philanthropic work is as impressive as their business credentials: Gail and Jimmy are each former directors and current members of the Anti-Defamation League, members of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s King David Society, founders at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, as well as leaders among the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) in South Florida and strong champions of the university. As a major donor with the Jewish National Fund, Gail is involved with the faculty fellowship program which brings university professors from the United States to Israel.

Gail and Jimmy’s firsthand experience of HU—visiting labs and experiencing Yissum, the university’s technology transfer company—strengthened their support of the university. “It was a great experience!” Gail said. “I was so impressed by the innovation that comes out of the Hebrew University. The academic programs cover a variety of disciplines, and the graduates have really had a positive impact on Israel and the world,” she added.

Jimmy commented, “When I was at HU, I was fascinated by the whole philosophy of doing things for humanity. HU educates the next generation of Israeli leaders, and it offers a wide range of academic and research programs, from agriculture to medicine. It feels good to be associated with something that is good for society.”

“The research in medicine and healthcare is particularly moving,” Gail added. “We have experienced the tragedy of dementia in our own family, and the brain research at HU really impressed me. It gives me hope for the future,” she shared.

The Hebrew University’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences is Israel’s foremost institute for interdisciplinary brain research and is just one of many HU academic and research programs. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has always been ready to take on the world’s toughest challenges, as shown by its part in the global effort to eradicate COVID-19. Whether developing new agricultural methods designed to help feed a growing global population; building solutions that are revolutionizing the automotive, security, and tech industries; or pioneering the data-based, individually tailored treatments of the new field of computational medicine; HU is building a better future for people in Israel and throughout the world.

The university’s academics and research go beyond science and technology: the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace is the first, and largest, research center in the Middle East dedicated to advancing peace, and the Faculty of Law is Israel’s first law school and the cornerstone of Israeli jurisprudence. The Hebrew University is the key academic partner for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), home to Israel’s sole veterinary school, and the only university in the country to offer degrees in agriculture and viticulture.

Julie and Dr. Daniel Leizman’s focus is on education and leadership development, but viticulture will soon become a part of their support for the Hebrew University because they are slated to host AFHU’s first-ever virtual wine tasting!

Originally from Cleveland, Julie and Danny met when she was in her final year at the University of Wisconsin, and he was completing his training at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Twenty-eight years and three grown children later, these empty nesters are enjoying the warm weather and active outdoor lifestyle of South Florida. Although still new to Boca Raton and St. Andrews, they have already become involved in Chabad Central-Boca Raton, Boca Beach Chabad, Jewish Family Services, Boca Helping Hands, the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and, of course, the Southeast Region of AFHU.

“We are very passionate about education, a passion that stems from our parents’ educational values,” Julie said. “They provided foundational learning and encouraged personal growth. We carry on the tradition by encouraging our children to pursue academic, athletic, artistic, and Jewish educational opportunities. We try to stay involved with those institutions which were so enriching to us, and HU is one of those great institutions,” she added.

“Nourishing a great educational institution—securing its future—is also the reason we became involved in AFHU’s Leadership Empowerment and Development Program (LEAD),” Danny shared. “LEAD is a group of select individuals from across the U.S., brought together to participate in a yearlong learning and bonding experience that will prepare them to be the next generation of AFHU leaders. The program is designed to provide a source of vibrancy and strength for the organization’s future,” he added.

But, back to that virtual, interactive wine tasting: what is it and how will it work?

“HU is a university invested in scientific study and application, in a country where understanding land and water usage is paramount. This encourages special areas of learning, and the Hebrew University happens to have a world-class agricultural school,” Julie said. “We plan on sharing the story of Israel’s flourishing wine industry while sampling some specially chosen Israeli wines that will be delivered to participants while enjoying the virtual company of friends,” Danny added.

Through groundbreaking research implemented by generations of graduates. the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment has been a major contributor to Israel’s remarkable achievements in agriculture. From developing the cherry tomato to improving irrigation, strengthening disease prevention, researching longer food shelf life, and developing higher crop yields, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment is at the forefront of developing sustainable, environmentally friendly innovations to feed our world.

To learn more about AFHU’s upcoming events and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, please contact Leslie Viselman in our Southeast Regional office at 561.948.3345 or email [email protected].

*Article originally appeared in Spotlight, October 2020.