AFHU News Spring 2023

PAGE 30
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY
AFHU NEWS VOL. 30 PAGE 31
Event Recaps
VP for Strategy & Diversity Mona Khoury Visits the
United States
LEAD Participants Take Part in AFHU Board’s Palm
Beach Weekend
AFHU welcomed its Leadership Empowerment and Development Program (LEAD) Cohort II
participants in Palm Beach during the AFHU board weekend. Beginning on Saturday, January 14,
fourteen members of the new LEAD class gathered for three days of stimulating and engaging
conversation and education.
Highlights of the program featured sessions with HU leadership and professors, including HU President
Professor Asher Cohen, Chancellor Menahem Ben-Sasson, Professor Shy Arkin, and Professor Ori
Adam. LEAD members also had a chance to meet with and learn about AFHU through a series of
programs with with key members of the AFHU leadership team.
The exclusive, 18-month immersive program is designed to develop a new generation of AFHU
leaders who will serve as ambassadors for the university and its mission, as well as promoters of
Israel’s bright future.
LEAD Cohort II Participants
On March 22, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Vice
President for Strategy and Diversity Prof. Mona
Khoury began a wide-ranging tour that included
stops in Los Angeles, South Florida, and New York.
Prof. Khoury, who also serves as dean of the
university’s Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
and Social Welfare, started her visit in Southern
California, where she participated in a speaker
series co-hosted by AFHU and Sinai Temple, Los
Angeles. Prof. Khoury joined UCLA Prof. Ron Avi
Astor for a lecture on “Diversity, Inclusion, and
Collaboration Through School Safety,” where they
shared information on a program that plans joint
projects and exchanges between schools in Los
Angeles and Israel. She returned to Sinai Temple
later in her trip to join Sinai Temple Rabbinical
School Fellows in a discussion on Israeli-Arab
coexistence.
While in Los Angeles, Prof. Khoury was a guest
speaker at the AFHU Western Region Board
Meeting, spoke with AFHU/HU foundation
partners, participated in a UCLA-HU collaborative
luncheon, met with UCLA academics, and shared
information on Hebrew University initiatives for
Orthodox and Arab students to an invited audience
at Glaser Weil LLP.
On March 30, Prof. Khoury visited South Florida
to share “The Hebrew University: A Model for
Coexistence in Israel Society.” Hosted by alumna
Marian Kruss and her husband, Paul Kruss,
Professor Khoury spoke to HU alumni and friends
at the couple’s eatery, Mo’s Bagels, in Aventura,
FL. Later that evening, she met with the AFHU
Southeast Region Advisory Committee. The
following day, AFHU supporters Hedy and Arnold
Kanarick hosted Prof. Khoury at Frenchman’s Creek
Beach and Country Club for a lively discussion.
L-R: Hedy Kanarick, Prof. Mona Khoury, Arnie Kanarick
Prof. Khoury concluded her U.S. stay with a visit to
New York City from March 31 to April 4. During her
time in NY, she met with advertising executive and
talent developer Jonathan Russo, food distributer
Steve Wils, and European real estate developer
Amnon Bar Tur. The group discussed Arab Israeli
student development, along with other efforts to
build a more inclusive campus.
Additional engagements included a meeting with
Andres Spokoiny, President and CEO of the Jewish
Funders Network, and dinner with Northeast
Region Board Executive Committee members
Jeremy Merrin, Founder and CEO of the Havana
Central Restaurant Group, and HU Alumna Dafna
Schmerin.
Before her departure for Israel, Prof. Khoury
visited the AFHU National Office. She shared
with staff the progress the Hebrew University
has made in building a welcoming environment
for a variety of marginalized groups as well as the
challenges that remain in creating a more diverse
university community.