March 26, 2007

(San Francisco, CA) — Stanford PhD candidate Dan Kaganovich [photo], winner of the 2007 Walter A. Haas and Daniel E. Koshland Award, is now one step closer to realizing his dream of advancing the sciences in Israel. Initiated and administered by the Jewish Community Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, the Haas/Koshland award provides a generous one-year stipend for study and travel to a Bay Area college student of exceptional academic achievement who shows great promise and a strong commitment to Israel.

Now in its 21st year, the award was created to honor Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Daniel E. Koshland, Sr., both native Californians and proud graduates of the University of California at Berkeley.  The award was established as a permanent fund with the Jewish Community Endowment Fund to commemorate their lifelong commitment to local colleges and universities and their dedication to Israel.  Descendents of Haas and Koshland, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, participate in the committee that selects the winner each year. The award is open to college students, sophomore year through graduate level, from the Bay Area or attending school in the area, without restriction as to academic discipline.

Viewed by his colleagues as an outstanding scholar of molecular and cellular biology, Kaganovich has studied and taught at Stanford, Harvard, MIT and the Weizmann Institute in Israel. As the 2007 Haas/Koshland award recipient, Kaganovich will receive a $20,000 grant to fund one year of study and travel in Israel. Ultimately, Kaganovich intends to work in the field of biology while also fostering new relationships and professional exchanges between American and Israeli scientists. “My dream is to contribute to the growth and success of Israel’s scientific community. Israel is already a world leader in biomedical research, but it also has virtually unlimited potential for improvement and scientific discovery,” Kaganovich says.

As an American-trained scientist, Kaganovich believes he can bring new connections and opportunities to his Israeli colleagues. Moshe Oren, professor in the Department of Molecular Cell Biology at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, agrees. Professor Oren says, “It is not often that we get American post-docs of Dan’s caliber who decide to prefer spending those creative years of their career here rather than in the U.S.”

Each year the Jewish Community Endowment Fund invites students to apply for the annual Haas/Koshland Memorial Award. The grant, which is given by the descendents of Walter A. Haas, Sr. and Daniel E. Koshland, Sr., funds a year of study and personal development in Israel. All interested students, from sophomore year through graduate school, who wish to broaden their personal life, academic life or both are eligible to apply. For more information on applying for the 2008 award download sample application.

The Jewish Community Endowment Fund (JCEF) of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties provides support for emergency needs and seed funds for new projects locally, nationally, in Israel and around the world. The JCEF works with individual donors and families to build planned giving strategies that honor loved ones, address critical needs and create the foundation for supporting future generations. For more information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcef.org.

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