THE FIRST in a series of concerts by international concert pianist and lecturer Orit Wolf will be held October 30 at the Weil Center in Kfar Shmaryahu. Titled “From Broadway to Tel Aviv,” it features favorite songs from Broadway shows with soprano Claire Meghnagi and tenor Assaf Kacholi . The series, which will also include concerts of classical music, is sponsored by Dame Shirley Porter and the Porter Foundation. ■ WHILE MANY Israelis, especially those of British background, will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, members of Israel's Latin American community will be flocking to the New Station Compound in Tel Aviv where the Embassy of Ecuador, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, will host a tasting of Ecuador's famous Pacari Chocolate made with Ecuador's fine aroma cacao, considered to be the best in the world. Ecuadorian chef Ricardo Gallegos will be on hand to explain the flavors of the chocolate assortment, which Pacari exports to 25 countries. The event will also feature a breathtaking photographic exhibition called “The fine Aroma of Ecuador.” Ecuador's Ambassador Maria Gabriela Troya is particularly excited about introducing one of her country's famous brands to sweet-toothed Israelis. ■ AS PART of its 70th anniversary celebrations, next month Telfed (South African Zionist Federation, Israel) will be facilitating two special events. The first, on November 5 and in collaboration with the Municipality of Ra'anana, is in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and will be held at The Center for Music and Arts at 2A Hapalmach St., Ra'anana. Guest speaker will be Philip Weyers, executive director of South Africa's General Smuts Foundation. Weyers is a great grandson of Jan Smuts, a great South African statesman, fervent Zionist, a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, supporter of the Balfour Declaration and close associate of Chaim Weizmann, who went on to become Israel's first president. The event will be hosted by Ra'anana Mayor Ze'ev Bielski , a former Jewish Agency emissary to South Africa, where he met his wife, Caron. The second event, on November 9 at 6 p.m., is the opening of the Goldene Medina Exhibition celebrating the 175th anniversary of Jewish religious and cultural life in South Africa. The exhibition will be held at the Beth Protea Gallery, 5 Asher Barash St., Herzliya. ■ SAN FRANCISCO-based Taub Philanthropies has provided a substantial grant to the University of Haifa for the purpose of advancing a well-rounded liberal arts and humanities education. Because there is now such a great focus on studying computer sciences and related subjects, the humanities are being neglected. With the help of Taube Philanthropies, the American Society of the University of Haifa is launching the Taube Fund for Scholars in the Humanities, which will provide scholarships for incoming students to support their studies in academic disciplines that examine aspects of human society. Currently, more than 1,100 of the university's 9,000 undergraduates are enrolled in a degree program within the humanities. Continuing to bolster its humanities offerings is part of the University of Haifa's broader strategic plan for major expansion, including the addition of new areas of study and new physical locations. “Providing access for top students is the number one priority for the University of Haifa. Taube scholars will be the next generation of entrepreneurs, academics, journalists, teachers, political scientists, historians and community leaders that will build and secure the future of Israel,” said Karen Berman , CEO of the American Society of University of Haifa. “We are incredibly honored and proud to establish the Taube Fund for Scholars at University of Haifa and to work in partnership with a leading foundation that has done so much for Israel, for the renewal and preservation of Jewish culture, and for promoting democratic values and for education around the globe.” Tad Taube, chairman of Taube Philanthropies, said the University of Haifa is one of Israel's and the world's leading institutions of higher education, whose students and graduates become contributing thought leaders and innovators. “Taube Philanthropies seeks to push the university and its students to the next level, to help provide the tools and resources necessary to further enhance the already robust academic offerings and strong faculty.”
