The Scopus Prize is awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their respective fields and whose humanitarian efforts toward the development of their communities, the Jewish people, the State of Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and society at large have contributed to their betterment.
This year, according to Dr. Gabriel Goldman, president of the Uruguayan Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the UHJ Board of Governors approved the Uruguayan organization’s request to present this award on its behalf. The trophy awarded in Uruguay is a shofar inlaid with gold and silver, mounted on a wooden base.
During his presentation, while explaining the reasons behind the decision to award the first Scopus Prize to Prof. Charlotte de Grünberg, Dr. Goldman spoke about the director general’s career since her arrival in the country in 1952, highlighting her role in the founding of Universidad ORT Uruguay, her involvement in coordinating international projects in underprivileged neighborhoods of Montevideo, and her leadership of World ORT Latin America.
Next, in front of nearly a hundred family members and friends who warmly celebrated the director, a video was shown in which Mr. Yossi Gal, Vice President for Development and External Relations at UHJ, congratulated Prof. de Grünberg and highlighted her personal story, her career as an educator, and her support for the university.
The director received the award from Dr. Goldman, alongside Israel’s ambassador to Uruguay, Galit Ronen, and Prof. Edwin Seroussi, recipient of the 2018 Israel Prize. Prof. Seroussi, who this year received the highest honor bestowed annually by the State of Israel, is a professor of musicology and director of the Center for Jewish Music Research at the UHJ. He traveled to Uruguay—his country of birth—specifically to represent the university at this tribute.
Thrilled by what she described as an “unexpected” honor, the executive director of ORT Uruguay highlighted in her acceptance speech (transcript available in Spanish and English) the importance of education for the Jewish people and, in particular, the role of the UHJ.
“Since the project’s launch—which was almost unthinkable at the time—the University (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) began to expand its activities, which today span virtually every field of human knowledge, and has become a driving force for innovation,” the professor noted.
He also pointed out that 138 years ago, that same spirit inspired a group of thinkers in Tsarist Russia. “That is how ORT was founded,” he said.
“Both the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and ORT managed to attract the attention of Albert Einstein and other prominent figures, who supported both projects from their very beginnings. (…) Our institutions owe a great deal to all these tenacious visionaries and generous figures from the scientific community and the Jewish world of that era who backed these two great dreams,” he said.
At the end of his speech, he mentioned his family and his brother Raymond; Ruperto Long, a personal friend and author of the biographical book *The Girl Who Watched the Trains Leave*; and his “colleague and friend” Dr. Adrián Moscovich, executive director of ORT Argentina, both of whom were present at the meeting.
“The award moved me deeply, but I was even more touched by the atmosphere and the warmth of the people,” said Prof. Charlotte de Grünberg, who received dozens of congratulations, including one from Mr. Avi Ganon, CEO of World ORT.
Greetings from the Central Jewish Committee of Uruguay
The First Scopus Award in Uruguay was presented to Prof. Charlotte de Grünberg
Prof. Charlotte S. de Grünberg Awarded the "Scopus 2018" Prize by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - article published in Semanario Hebreo on August 23, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSz7_dNfmBM&ab_channel=UniversidadORTUruguay
Full speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFxtxP41wDQ&ab_channel=UniversidadORTUruguay
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