About Us
Background & History
The charity was established by a Declaration of Trust on the 31st of December 1975, three years after the founding of Haifa University in Israel. Our first Trustees were Arnold Goodman, Baron Goodman of the City of Westminster; Desmond Hirshfield, Baron Hirshfield of Holborn; Sir Isaiah Berlin, Mrs Anne Crossman, Mr Ian Mikado and Mr Phillip Sober.
During the years the British Friends were prominent champions of an array of projects such as:
- the construction of the first student dormitories
- the establishment of the Law Faculty in 1992
- the Jacobs Building for the Haifa Graduate School of Management
- the Department of Maritime Studies
- the Institute of Evolution
- student welfare, ongoing funds and scholarships for bright and needy students
- Bridging the Gap - community involvement project
The Board
PROF SIR WALTER BODMER
Sir Walter is a human geneticist, specialising in models for population genetics. He is Head of the Cancer and Immunogenetics Laboratory in the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford. Sir Walter was Principal of Hertford College, Oxford from 1996 to 2005.
GARY HERSHAM
Gary founded Beauchamp Estates in 1979. Gary has a full knowledge of all aspects of
the property market including residential and commercial investment and development, as well as Agency and the letting market. Has built up a superb network of international clients and applicants from every continent, many Royal families from both the Middle-East, Far-East and Africa. Specialises in the sale of many of the most exclusive homes in prime central London and has achieved record results even in difficult markets. In the past two years has opened international offices in Cannes and Mykonos in order to provide a service to the international client base in those locations.
Gary's interests include reading, skiing, tennis, art, stamp collecting.
PETER KADAS
Peter Kadas is a partner in BXR Partners LLP, a private equity firm, and serves as a Director in various companies such as New World Resources (NWR), one of Europe's leading mining companies, RPG Real Estate and Bakala Crossroads Partners. Peter held previous positions of Managing Director of investment fund Croesus Central Europe, Managing Director for MC Securities in London and, co-Founder of Renaissance Capital, Russia's first private investment bank.
Hungarian born, he worked as a Director for Credit Suisse First Boston's branch office in Budapest. He also served on a number of corporate Boards in the region, including CSFB Budapest, the Management Committee of Renaissance Capital and Ceske Radiokomunikace.
Peter graduated from Trinity College, University of Toronto, in 1986, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Politics and obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College, in 1990. Peter is married and has a son.
JONATHAN LUX
Jonathan has handled enough hard-boiled court cases to know the benefits of mediation and arbitration. As a litigator and contract lawyer since 1975 at solicitors Ince & Co in London and Hamburg, he has seen at first hand the commercial side of the maritime industry, energy, insurance, international trade and commerce. His experience has led him to champion the use of ADR and arbitration in these sectors, to enable people quickly and cost-effectively to put disputes behind them and get on with their business. He also mediates and arbitrates in other fields and is happy to do so in any.
In his personal life, Jonathan's second priority (after his family) is motor sport. He races classic Formula Ford cars and has taken part in several endurance rallies. Jonathan participated in the 1997 Beijing to Paris Classic Car Rally winning First in Class and a Gold Medal and raising substantial funds for the cause of Human Rights.
HANA SMOUHA
Hana Smouha was born and educated in Israel and is living in London. Hana is a Human Resources professional who has held several positions as an HR Director and as a consultant, and is a trustee member of a Foundation which is active in educational and agricultural research and development projects in the Gallil and the Negev. She has worked as a volunteer in Washington DC and in London on projects dealing with unemployed, young people and disadvantaged adults, to re-engage them with their communities and support their return to employment, through workshops and seminars. A particular area of concentration was the multi ethnic community. Hana is a collector of turned wood and British modern paintings.
LEORA TORN-HIBLER
A solicitor and a prominent figure in the Israel/Jewish community in London, Leora serves on various high-profile committees, where her expertise and knowledge are in demand. Her involvement with Israeli professionals living in London makes her an excellent ambassador and advisor for a multitude of charities she has helped over the years. Amongst her recent roles: Solicitor for the KKL, specialising drafting wills and administration of estates; Chair, co-Founder and Board Member of the Israeli Business Club – London (IBC); Chairman of the JNF Israel Forum.
Born in Haifa, Leora began her studies at Haifa University, where she was married on campus. She went on to complete her BA studies and MA studies (cum laude) at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and also holds a LLB (Hons) from Brunel University.
ARIEL ZECKLER
Ariel Zeckler is a London based solicitor, having established Zeckler& co solicitors in 1994 of which he is the senior partner. Ariel has been involved with Jewish and non Jewish charities for many years. He was the Honorary Secretary of Bnei Brit, is actively involved with the Varity Club and his firm regularly supports charitable causes. Ariel is a well established member of the Israeli community in London and has also many valuable contacts within the Arab and Russian communities. A keen football fan, he held the position of chairman of Aylesbury United.
RONNIE FOX – Honorary Counsel
Ronald (Ronnie) Fox, a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, is a leading expert in employment and partnership law. Mr Fox founded and was the first chairman of the multi-disciplinary Association of Partnership Practitioners, of which he is now President. He founded law firm Fox Williams in 1989 and was the senior partner, until 2005. He left in 2006 to establish Fox, a specialist law firm based in the City of London, together with five of his former colleagues. Mr Fox was educated at the City of London School and Lincoln College, University of Oxford. He has an Honours degree in Jurisprudence.
Ernst Fraenkel OBE - Honorary Trustee
Ernst Fraenkel is a businessman and a philanthropist. He was chairman of Philip Brothers, Europe from 1975 to 1986 and served on the board of Philip Brothers, where he was involved in developing UK business links with Russia, several other Eastern European countries, South Korea and the People's Republic of China. He also served on a government committee (the Shackleton Committee) on trade with Eastern Europe. Ernst Fraenkel is Life President of the Wiener Library and Institute of Contemporary History, one of the world's leading archives on the Holocaust. He received the OBE in 2001 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Holocaust research and education. He was a governor of the University of Haifa for many years and a trustee of the British Friends.
Lord Anthony Jacobs - Honorary Trustee
Lord Jacobs is a businessman and a politician. His business career spans over thirty years, during which time he was Chairman of three major companies; Nig Securities Group (1957-1972); the Tricoville Group (1961-1990); The British School of Motoring (1973-1990). He was a member of the Liberal Democrats Party from 1972 to 2008. He received a Knighthood in 1988 and became a Life Peer in 1997. Lord Jacobs was an active member of the Tate Gallery Millennium fund-raising committee for the new Tate Bankside Gallery of Modern Art, and has been a member of the Crown Estate Paving Commissioners since 1980.
Lord Janner of Braunstone QC- Honorary Trustee
Lord Janner is a Labour Member of the House of Lords. He was President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the main representative body of British Jewry, from 1979 to 1985, and is a key international figure in efforts to seek compensation and restitution for Holocaust victims. He was Chair of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment from 1994-1996. Greville Janner was raised to the life peerage as Lord Janner of Braunstone in 1997.
Tali Sayar - Director
Tali is Director of the British Friends since 2007. She is a marketing professional and has an MBA from Tel-Aviv University. Israeli born, she lives in London since 2006.
British Friends of Haifa University
The north is the key to Israel's future
The University of Haifa is a microcosm of Israeli society dedicated to academic excellence and social responsibility.
Our 18,000 students represent the most pluralistic student body in Israel – Jews, Arabs, Druze, military officers and new immigrants from around the world including the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and South America - come together to study, research, socialise and share knowledge in an atmosphere of co-existence, tolerance and mutual respect.