His Excellency Ron Prosor has been the Ambassador of Israel to the Court of St James’s since November 2007.

With over two decades of experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Prosor has carved out an international reputation as one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats.

Prior to his mission to London, between 2004 and 2007, Mr Prosor served as the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing the work of the Foreign Ministry during the disengagement from Gaza in 2005.

His previous overseas service has included roles in Washington, London and Bonn. Mr Prosor was instrumental in establishing diplomatic relations “behind the Iron Curtain” following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He was also a member of Israel’s delegation to the Wye River Plantation talks in 1998. Mr Prosor served in Washington between 1998 and 2002 as the Minister-Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Israeli Embassy throughout the Camp David peace talks.

As an officer in the Artillery Division of the IDF, Mr Prosor attained the rank of Major and is a graduate of the IDF Battalion Commanders. He also holds a Masters degree in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating with distinction.

Since arriving as the Ambassador to the UK, Mr Prosor has earned plaudits as an articulate and forthright opponent of what he has termed “a campaign of delegitimisation, demonisation and double standards,” to which Israel is subjected.

He is married to Hadas with whom he has three children, Lior, Tomer and Oren.

Prof Michael Baum is one of Britain’s most distinguished surgeons, who has made immense  contributions to the way that breast cancer is managed, both in the UK and internationally.

Before joining University College London (where he is now Professor Emeritus) in 1996, he was Professor of Surgery at Kings College London and  the Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, and Director of the Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Trials Centre. One of his best known innovative achievements was to lead the multi-centre collaborative trials which reported both the survival advantage of Tamoxifen and its potential preventive role, and then later demonstrated the efficacy of aromatase inhibitors. Currently, he leads research looking at delivery of radiotherapy at the time of surgery, which may have important advantages for cancer treatment in the developing world. In addition, he has pioneered counselling and psychosocial oncology services for cancer patients, has explored quality of life issues in these patients, was involved in the development of ethical models for clinical trials and is promoting collection of archival material for translational research, looking for predictive factors determining responses to treatment.

In recognition of these achievements, he has received many prizes and awards, most recently the St Gallen Biennial Prize for lifetime achievements in breast cancer research and treatment. Furthermore, as Visiting Professor of Medical Humanities, he takes a keen interest in the relationship between art, literature and medicine. He is also very well- known for his forthright views about the role of ‘alternative medicine’ in cancer treatment.

Prof Baum started his working life in Israel, has been active in the Jewish community throughout his career, and has played a major role in promoting links between Israel and the UK in the field of breast cancer research. Despite considerable opprobrium and personal abuse for his support of Israeli medicine, he continues to campaign consistently for positive medical collaborations as a key component in the pathway towards peace.

Prof Michael Baum is one of Britain’s most distinguished surgeons, who has made immense  contributions to the way that breast cancer is managed, both in the UK and internationally. Before joining University College London (where he is now Professor Emeritus) in 1996, he was Professor of Surgery at Kings College London and  the Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research, and Director of the Cancer Research Campaign Clinical Trials Centre. One of his best known innovative achievements was to lead the multi-centre collaborative trials which reported both the survival advantage of Tamoxifen and its potential preventive role, and then later demonstrated the efficacy of aromatase inhibitors. Currently, he leads research looking at delivery of radiotherapy at the time of surgery, which may have important advantages for cancer treatment in the developing world. In addition, he has pioneered counselling and psychosocial oncology services for cancer patients, has explored quality of life issues in these patients, was involved in the development of ethical models for clinical trials and is promoting collection of archival material for translational research, looking for predictive factors determining responses to treatment. In recognition of these achievements, he has received many prizes and awards, most recently the St Gallen Biennial Prize for lifetime achievements in breast cancer research and treatment. Furthermore, as Visiting Professor of Medical Humanities, he takes a keen interest in the relationship between art, literature and medicine. He is also very well- known for his forthright views about the role of ‘alternative medicine’ in cancer treatment. Prof Baum started his working life in Israel, has been active in the Jewish community throughout his career, and has played a major role in promoting links between Israel and the UK in the field of breast cancer research. Despite considerable opprobrium and personal abuse for his support of Israeli medicine, he continues to campaign consistently for positive medical collaborations as a key component in the pathway towards peace.

Prof Samuel F. Berkovic, AM, MD, FAA, FRACP, FRS

Sam Berkovic is Laureate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, and Director of the Epilepsy Research Centre at Austin Health, Melbourne.

Sam is a clinical neurologist and researcher, with a special interest in establishing close research links with basic scientists.

His main research interest is the genetics of epilepsy.

Together with his molecular genetic collaborators in Adelaide, he discovered the first gene for epilepsy in 1995, and has subsequently been involved in the discovery of many of the known epilepsy genes.

This has changed the conceptualisation of causes of epilepsy and is having a major impact, both on epilepsy research and on strategies for diagnosis and development of new treatments.

He has an active research programme in Israel, collaborating with Tel Aviv University, where evaluation of Jewish and Arab families with epilepsy has complemented his studies in Australia.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2007.

Sam Berkovic is Laureate Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, and Director of the Epilepsy Research Centre at Austin Health, Melbourne. Sam is a clinical neurologist and researcher, with a special interest in establishing close research links with basic scientists. His main research interest is the genetics of epilepsy. Together with his molecular genetic collaborators in Adelaide, he discovered the first gene for epilepsy in 1995, and has subsequently been involved in the discovery of many of the known epilepsy genes. This has changed the conceptualisation of causes of epilepsy and is having a major impact, both on epilepsy research and on strategies for diagnosis and development of new treatments. He has an active research programme in Israel, collaborating with Tel Aviv University, where evaluation of Jewish and Arab families with epilepsy has complemented his studies in Australia. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2007.

Annual Dinner 2007

Guest Speaker: Anthony Julius

Anthony Julius is a lawyer and an author. He took his first degree at Cambdrige and has a PhD from UCL. He is a full-time consultant at the London law firm Mishcon de Reya ad was head of litigation for many years. He is a solicitor – advocate. Among his clients he acted for Deborah Lipstadt in the Irving olocaust denial case.

Holo Holocaust denial case.

He has written “T S Eliot, anti-Semitism and literary form” (CUP, 1995), “Idolising Pictures (Thames and Hudson, 2001), “Transgresssions: the Offences of Art” (Thames and Hudson, 2002) and “Anti-Zionisms” (a pamphlet published by the ICA in October 2004). The second edition of his book on T S Eliot was published in 2003, and he is working on a study of English anti-Semitism, “Trials of the Diaspora” due for publication in 2008.

He is Chairman of the London Consortium and Visiting Professor in the English Department at Birkbeck College. He was Chairman of CentrreCATH at Leeds University between 2001 and 2006. He was a founder of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, its first Chairman, and now a Vice President. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Haifa University in recognition of his anti-boycott work on behalf of Israeli universities and on behalf of dissenting members of British trade unions.