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June 30, 2006
Israel's tech economy grows
Technion fuels industry with help from new Canadian friends.
KELLEY KORBIN
Israel is second only to California's Silicon Valley in its concentration
of high-tech start-up companies. In fact, more than a quarter of
Israel's total exports are high-tech products.
Much of Israel's success with technology is due to the leadership
provided by Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Established
in 1924 atop Mount Carmel in Haifa, Technion offers its 12,000 students
a high-quality technical education, where they can earn degrees
in engineering, architecture, microbiology and more. Three-quarters
of the managers in Israel's booming high-tech industry are Technion
graduates.
The Canadian Technion Society (CTS) is a nonprofit organization
committed to raising funds for Technion. Its newly elected president
is Arnie Ludwick, who was formerly the president and chief operating
officer of Claridge Investments, the holding company for the Bronfman
family. Since retiring, Ludwick has dedicated a considerable amount
of his time and talent to nonprofit groups.
He attributes his dedication to tzedakah to his former employers.
"It was in business, with my sleeves rolled up, that I also
learned about philanthropy. The Bronfman family, led by Charles
Bronfman in Canada, has been very, very philanthropic in Canada
... so that's where I first learned about philanthropy."
Ludwick said he welcomes his new role with CTS because he is so
impressed with Technion. He explained that the institute is one
of only five universities in the world that has a school of medicine
as part of its offerings.
"As a result of that, the Technion in Israel, instead of just
teaching students about technology, they do the teaching and they
do the research and, as a result, the Technion is credited with
myriad pharmaceutical products and other medical devices that have
benefited mankind – because of that extraordinary combination,"
said Ludwick.
One example of the almost-daily innovations to emerge from Technion
is a pill you can swallow that contains a tiny camera to take photos
of the inside of your intestines.
Ludwick is also very proud of the fact that, among its students,
Technion has many Arab-Israelis and numerous international students.
CTS has recently renewed its Vancouver chapter, after a 10-year
hiatus, to raise funds for Technion from the local community. Ludwick
said he is thrilled CTS has managed to recruit an excellent board
and advisory board of first-class people who will "spread the
word about the Technion through educational sessions and through
inviting faculty members from the Technion to speak [in Vancouver]."
Ludwick referred to CTS's fund-raising method as "brain-raising"
and explained, "The philosophy is that we think that when others
know more about the Technion and the role it serves with the Israeli
economy, with the education of young people in Israel.... We feel
that the product and investment opportunity that we have to bring
to our fellow Canadians is of such depth and of so much interest
that all we really need is the time and the care and the patience
to bring that story to them and they will want to put some of their
time and their philanthropic dollars to work to help the objectives
[of Technion]."
Kelley Korbin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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