Message from the President
John Davison
Since the founding of the American Technion Society (ATS), our Baltimore families have supported Technion. For example, the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, the only such department in Israel, was created in 1954 – and funded primarily by Baltimore chapter donors.
Previous generations of Baltimoreans understood immediately the impact an institute of technology like this would have, not only on Israel, but also on the world.
For them, it was not hard to foresee a string of Nobel Prize winners. For them, achievements like Iron Dome and ReWalk were expected.
Technion is a great source of pride and economic strength, yet as many honors as it has earned, as many advances as it has made, fewer people than you might think have ever heard of it. As board chair of our ATS chapter, my aim is to grow our community. We want to engage our current supporters and newcomers with high-quality programs featuring our brilliant Technion professors, students, and alumni.
I want this community to know the story of how Technion fits in with the story of Israel. In addition to being our spiritual homeland, Israel is a place of economic opportunity for our people. Israel has survived through determination and thrived via innovation. There is no stronger expression in the education space of this link than Technion which will be inextricably linked to Iron Dome and Aerospace ingenuity (both necessary for Israel’s survival) and through the great engineering feats and contributions in science, medicine and technology that have benefited not only this tiny nation state but all mankind. This is an organization worth getting to know.
On September 18, 2022, the Baltimore Technion Society and Chizuk Amuno Congregation hosted a talk, “Israel’s Security Challenges and How Technion is Helping.” Our featured speaker was Brigadier General and Technion Professor Jacob Nagel. Please contact chapter director Irv Elenberg at irv@ats.org for information on future programs.
Technion Fund
The Technion is contributing to Israel and the global good in unprecedented ways, and it depends on people like you to ensure its continued advancement as a world-class institution of higher education.
The Technion Fund will help ensure that our supporters have access to a broad array of opportunities for engagement at all levels. The Fund will support the entire ecosystem necessary to maintain the Technion’s distinctive strengths.
Planned Giving
Have you considered the Technion in your estate planning? ATS support of Technion facilities, research, faculty and students has led to discoveries that have made life better for people around the world. Be part of that legacy. A planned gift can lower your tax bill, increase your income and your heirs’ inheritance, and unlock value in your real estate.
The Chicago Planned Giving Committee hosts the Annual Federal Tax Legislation Breakfast for financial, tax, wealth, and estate planning professionals. The breakfast program, generously underwritten by a partnering bank, features a Washington, D.C. insider who provides an update on upcoming tax legislation.
On November 17, 2020, a group of local leaders and donors participated in an exclusive interactive event spotlighting cutting-edge technologies launched at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in New York City. The Jacobs Institute fosters radical experimentation at the intersection of research, education, and entrepreneurship. We learned about the innovative digital technologies and leaders emerging from the Jacobs Institute and its Runway Startup Postdoctoral Program.
Unlike traditional academic departments, the Jacobs Institute is centered around three multidisciplinary industry-based hubs designed to spur new technologies in Connective Media, Health Tech, and Urban Tech. These hubs are built on the notion that to really know how innovation works, you need to make things — new technologies, new companies, and even mistakes. The Runway Program provides a pathway for Ph.D.s to become CEOs. To date, it has launched 29 startups, 23 of which are currently operating, attracting more than $93 million in private investment companies.
Please reach out to Irv Elenberg to learn more about our local programs.