The IDC

iDc welcOmes
NEW HONORARY FELLOWS
7celeBrAting their cOntriButiOns
we Are ABOut tO PAy triBute
tO seven PeOPle whOse life
AccOmPlishments AnD wOrk On
BehAlf Of humAnity AnD the
stAte Of isrAel hAve wOn them
the DistinctiOn Of BecOming iDc
fellOws. At the sAme time, we Are
ABOut tO celeBrAte the yOung men
AnD wOmen whO grADuAteD frOm
iDc with excellence. it’s A heADy
mixture – the PrOmise Of greAtness
yet tO cOme AnD the fulfillment Of
greAtness AchieveD
10 < IDC Winter 2010
it’s June 1st, 2009 and the main lawn of IDC’s campus is filling with
guests. As I grab something from the refreshment table, I notice the
slowly building atmosphere, the buzz of conversation as small groups
gather to exchange pleasantries, and an electrical hum that emanates
from the staging area, as final arrangements are made by the afternoon’s
organizers.
Looking around, I catch sight of a few of the day’s honored guests: Over on
the left is the distinguished Prof. Aharon Barak, emeritus Supreme Court
President, and just behind him is business magnate Eitan Wertheimer. I
can also spot Prof. Amnon Rubinstein, whose years of dedicated service
to IDC, including a term as the institute’s president, make his presence
today as an honorary fellow all the more meaningful.
As a guest, it is a great honor to bear witness to this celebration, and to feel
the hope it brings for the future of our country, and of the world. We all
settle into our seats and the ceremony begins. There is a musical interlude
by the IDC Herzliya Choir, generously sponsored by the Zimmerman
Family, followed by greetings by IDC President, Prof. Uriel Reichman.
The IDC Provost, Prof. Rafi Melnick, then makes the Declaration of the
Outstanding Researchers, and Jonathan Davis, Vice President for External
Relations and Head of the Raphael Recanati International School, makes
the Declaration of the Outstanding Students.
Prof. Barak, the keynote speaker on behalf of the Honorary Fellowship
recipients, takes center stage, and begins to speak of his hope for the future
of Israel: “At the core of my world is the hope that the state of Israel will
become the national home of the whole of world Jewry, and that most