Chief Kes Berko Tegegne reads from the Orit, written in the Ge’ez language. (photo credit: Michael Zekri and the Jerusalem Post)

Dr. Dalit Rom-Shiloni, a past fellow of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies and a member of the research group "Convergence and Divergence in Pentateuchal Theory: Bridging the Academic Cultures of Israel, North America, and Europe," has been closely involved in a project that will make ancient manuscripts from the Ethiopian Jewish community, Beta Israel, accessible to the public.

Image courtesy of Xinhua

Gideon Shelach-Lavi, a past fellow of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies and a member of the "Animals and Human Society in the Sinitic World" research group, recently commented on a remarkable archaeological find in China—a 5,000-year-old jade artifact in the shape of a “dragon,” discovered in a tomb belonging to the ancient Hongshan culture.

The IIAS is pleased to feature a recent publication by former fellow Daniel Neuhauser, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA. Neuhauser, who was part of two IIAS research groups — Computer Simulation Methods in Chemical Physics and Molecular Electronics — has co-authored a new paper on the time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) method. The study, titled "No More Gap-Shifting: Stochastic Many-Body-Theory Based TDHF for Accurate Theory of Polymethine Cyanine Dyes," was published in The Journal of Chemical Physics.

Achim Lichtenberger, a past member of the "Contextualizing the Cult of the Southern Levant in the Greco-Roman Period: Monotheism and Polytheism between Continuity and Change" research group at IIAS, is co-curating an exciting new exhibition at the University of Münster.

Photo courtesy: University of Toronto

Jennifer Nagel, a past fellow of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies and a member of the research group "Practical and Theoretical Rationality: A Comparative Study," has recently shared insights into one of philosophy of language's most enduring puzzles, the Gettier Problem, in an interview with The New Statesman.

Daniel R. Schwartz of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Landau Prize for Science and Arts, granted by the National Lottery, in the field of Jewish history.

This award recognizes his unparalleled and extensive contributions to the study of Jewish history during the Hellenistic-Roman period.

Professor Uzi Leibner, a past fellow of the IIAS and a key member of the "Variety and Variability: Mapping the Cultural and Social Diversity of the Southern Levant in the Hellenistic Period" research group, is leading a new archaeological excavation at the Ophel, offering a fascinating glimpse into Jerusalem's rich history.

The prestigious 2024 Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences will be awarded in Hong Kong on November 12. Among the recipients is Peter Sarnak, General Director of the Advanced School in Mathematics at IIAS, recognized for his groundbreaking work on the arithmetic theory of thin groups and the affine sieve.

Dennis Gaitsgory, along with a team of mathematicians, has proved the geometric Langlands conjecture, a major milestone in modern mathematics. This achievement, which spans over 800 pages in five papers, resolves a crucial part of the Langlands program, a framework connecting number theory, geometry, and function fields.

We are delighted to share the news that Irit Dveer Dinur and Elon Lindenstrauss have been appointed as permanent faculty members at IAS Princeton. 

Dinur and Lindenstrauss have a long-standing association with the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, where their potential was recognized early on with the Michael Bruno Memorial Award. Dinur received the Bruno Award in 2007, and Lindenstrauss in 2008. Both scholars have also taught, organized, and led several Advanced School in Mathematics at IIAS, enriching the IIAS academic community with their expertise and leadership.

The IIAS is proud to announce that Noga Alon has been honored with the prestigious 2024 Wolf Prize in Mathematics. Alon shares the Wolf Prize with Adi Shamir of the Weizmann Institute of Science for their pioneering contributions to mathematical cryptography, combinatorics, and the theory of computer science.

Brown widow spiders, scientifically known as *Latrodectus geometricus*, are swarming Israel. Recent research reveals that 86% of these spiders carry a strain of Rhabdochlamydia, a bacterium related to Chlamydia. However, it's important to note that bites from these spiders do not transmit Chlamydia.

Jan Grabowski, a Polish-Canadian professor of history at the University of Ottawa and IIAS Fellow for the 2024 academic year, recently appeared on Israeli national television. During an interview on the program "The World Today" with Yoav Zehavi, Grabowski discussed the rise of the extreme right in Poland, the implications of recent European election results, and the severe threats he has faced due to his controversial stance on the Polish people's involvement in the Holocaust.

Jan Grabowski, a fellow at IIAS during the 2024 academic year, is publishing an important essay for the forthcoming issue of The Jewish Quarterly (JQ257 - August 2024): "Whitewash: Poland and the Jews," addresses the ongoing challenges Poland faces in acknowledging its role in the Holocaust.

The IIAS is proud to extend heartfelt congratulations to Daniel R. Schwartz from the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, on receiving the prestigious Landau Prize for 2024 in the field of Jewish History.

Schwartz's association with the IIAS is longstanding. He began his journey with the IIAS as a fellow, contributing significantly to the "From Hellenistic Judaism to Christian Hellenism" research group in 2001, and later served on the Board of Directors.