An event for UK based leading Israeli Hebrew University alumni was held at the residence of Alan Jacobs, Chair of the British Friends of the Hebrew University. Around thirty participants had the privilege of gathering to discuss “The Future of Food and the Food of the Future,” led by the esteemed Professor Benny Chefetz, director of FOOJI – the Hebrew University’s Center for Sustainable Food Systems and former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture.
At the gathering, Professor Chefetz shared his profound insights on global trends in food systems, challenges arising from the beef industry, tackling global hunger issues, expected rises in global average temperatures and his holistic vision to connect researchers from the fields of social sciences, nutrition, health, business, regulation and technology for the development of healthy food, possibly even better than the natural, existing and polluting ones. “Israel is one of the world’s leading countries in developing sustainable food systems, investing in the food industry and cultured meat, with the Hebrew University playing a significant role in this technology development.” Prior to his arrival in London, Professor Chefetz e took a short break to speak with us about his work, water reuse and sustainable food systems.
Another fascinating speaker was Shahar Hatan, a HUJI graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture and the Department of Economics who now manages ClimateTech programmes at Climate Impact Partners. She discussed clean cooking and the necessity of making it accessible to the entire world population, including the 2.3 billion people suffering from hunger, diseases and death due to lack of access to clean cooking.
Shahar Hatan, HU alumni speaks at a Hebrew University Alumni gathering in London. Photo by Romi Nicole Schneider
“The establishment of the Israeli graduate community in Britain is a significant and important first step for our alumni community and the University, laying the foundation for an active international network of our graduates. We are delighted for the connections made at the event and the ongoing conversations long after it ended. We received excellent feedback and interesting proposals for future meetings and collaborations. We thank Alan Jacobs, Chair of the British Friends of the Hebrew University, for the warm hospitality,” said Merav Shany, Israeli Alumni Community Manager in the UK.
Watch the video summary:
Photos by Romi Nicole Schneider