Ben Gurion University students meet with counterparts from Asper Business School

5/31/13
Ben Gurion University students meet with counterparts from Asper Business School
HOME
LOCAL
COLUMNISTS
FEATURES
OPINION
OBITUARIES
ISRAEL
Ben Gurion University students meet with counterparts from
Asper Business School
CONTACT US
SEARCH ARCHIVES
‫ָן תשע״ג‬
‫ְסיו‬
ִ
‫כ״ב בּ‬
22nd of Sivan, 5773
By BERNIE BELLAN
On Friday, May 10 17 students from the University of Manitoba’s Asper
School of Business, along with six students from Ben Gurion
University’s Guildford Glazer School of Business and Administration,
along with various other invitees, gathered together for a Shabbat
dinner at the home of David and Michelle Berkowits.
The occasion was a farewell get-together before the U of M students,
along with the students from Israel, were to fly to Toronto for two days
6 BGU Students And 17 Asper School Students The
Day Before They All Left For Israell Together
before they were all to fly on to Israel where the Asper School students
were to be guests of the BGU students.
The program in which they were all participating is the Arni
Thorsteinson Exchange Program – a program that began in 2006, and which sees students from both business schools spend
time with their counterparts from the other school.
Another well-known sponsor of the program is former Winnipegger Gerry Schwartz, current chairman of Onex Corporation.
Schwartz and his wife Heather Reisman were set to host the students from both schools upon their visit to Toronto.
The students were welcomed that Friday evening by event co-chairs Grant Zipursky and Dr. Rachel Eni, who is a professor in the
faculty of human ecology at the U of M. Also extending greetings to the students was Asper School Dean Michael Benarroch.
The Winnipeg Executive Director of Canadian Associates of Ben Gurion University, Samantha Loxton, explained that the program
has been most successful in not only allowing business students from Canada and Israel to meet and exchange ideas, it has
enabled students to forge contacts with business people in the respective countries as well.
Samantha explained that the Asper School students were either in the second or third years of their studies toward a Bachelor of
Commerce degree. For the most part the Israeli students were a few years older than their Canadian counterparts, as a result of
their having spent several years in the army prior to entering university. (As a side note I should mention that many of the Israeli
students had also spent time selling the ubiquitous Dead Sea products in North American shopping malls. I wonder whether
that is now a prerequisite for any Israeli who wants to spend time abroad after their army service?)
In addition to the 17 current students from the Asper School who were present on May 10, 11 alumni of the Thorsteinson
program were also in attendance. One of those alumni, Alix Billinkoff, spoke of her experience in Israel.
www.jewishpostandnews.ca/local/1158-ben-gurion-university-students-meet-with-counterparts-from-asper-business-school
1/3
5/31/13
Ben Gurion University students meet with counterparts from Asper Business School
In 2008, Alix said, she was herself a student at BGU – a school of some 20,000 students, spread across five different
campuses. Altogether Alix spent two years in Israel before returning to Winnipeg, where she is currently working on her MBA at
the Asper School.
Another alumnus of the program, Jason Gisser, is now himself on the Winnipeg board of the Canadian Associates of BGU.
Ben Gurion University may not be as well known as the Hebrew University or the Technion, but Samantha Loxton noted that it
has been the number one school of choice among Israeli undergraduates for the past three years.
Samantha also explained that in both of the previous two years the Manitoba students were actually prevented from visiting Be’er
Sheva, home to BGU, because of rocket attacks that had been launched from Gaza around this time in 2011 and 2012.
Fortunately this year the situation has stabilized to the point where the Asper School students were able to visit Israel. By the time
you read this the students should have completed their Israeli visit.
< Prev
Next >
Add comment
Name (required)
E-mail (required, but will not display)
Website
Title (required)
Notify me of follow-up comments
Refresh
Send
J C omments
Category: Local New s
www.jewishpostandnews.ca/local/1158-ben-gurion-university-students-meet-with-counterparts-from-asper-business-school
2/3
5/31/13
Ben Gurion University students meet with counterparts from Asper Business School
CONTACT US
www.jewishpostandnews.ca/local/1158-ben-gurion-university-students-meet-with-counterparts-from-asper-business-school
HOME
ARCHIVES
3/3