A ceremony was held at the Grove of Repatriate Scientists in Kibbutz Ruhama, located in northern Negev, to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by scientists from the former Soviet Union to Israeli science.

The event was organized by the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) and supported by the Eurasian Jewish Congress (EAJC). The ceremony was attended by EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, prominent Israeli chemist and former rector of Ariel University Prof. Michael Zinigrad, research director of the Institute for Euro-Asian Jewish Studies (IEAJS) Prof. Ze’ev Khanin, retired Israel Defense Forces General, Chairman of the Israel Aerospace Agency and Creator of the National Cyber Security System Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel, EAJC General Director Dr. Haim Ben Yakov, EAJC Treasurer Menachem Bushuyev, JNF-KKL Vice Chairman Robert Tivyaev, and JNF-KKL Deputy General Director Rony Vinnikov.

During the ceremony, the scientists were presented with certificates of gratitude on behalf of the leaders of the EAJC and JNF-KKL. The organizers acknowledged the significant contribution of repatriated scientists to the development of academic life in Israel and agreed to continue celebrating their achievements at a symbolically important venue.

The Jewish National Fund’s Planted Grove of Repatriate Scholars was established in 2021 with the generous backing of the EAJC. The grove honors the exceptional contributions of repatriate scholars to the advancement of Israeli science.