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BGU Confers Honorary Doctoral Degree Upon Nazi Refugee and Philanthropist Eric Ross

BGU Confers Honorary Doctoral Degree Upon Nazi Refugee and Philanthropist Eric Ross

June 11, 2010

Press Releases

WASHINGTON D.C – June 10, 2010 –- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) conferred a prestigious honorary doctoral degree upon philanthropist and businessman, Eric F. Ross in a ceremony at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C on June 6, 2010. The event was sponsored by the Greater New York Region of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Ross fled Nazi Germany in 1938 with only $10 in his pocket, arriving in New York on what would become infamously known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass). When he said good-bye to his parents, hoping they would one day meet again, he could not have known that they would be doomed to perish in the Treblinka extermination camp.

In the U.S., Ross went into the business of manufacturing plastics and vinyl products for the flooring industry, and compounds for the medical industry. Achieving huge success, he became devoted to sharing his good fortune with the local community in which he lived and worked. And because he never had the opportunity to graduate high school, let alone college, education became a passion. 

Presenting the degree to Mr. Ross, BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi said to him that he is, “an inspiration. A man who has overcome overwhelming odds: losing home, country, family, and education, you came to this glorious nation, raised a magnificent family, built a business empire, and committed your latter years to philanthropy.”

Eric Ross has been involved with BGU for several years and along with his late wife Lore, who passed away in February 2009, has supported numerous University programs, including scholarships for students in need, a classroom building and community service programs for the disadvantaged in the Negev region.

Upon accepting the degree, Ross said, “What does this honorary doctorate mean to me? Well, considering that I never went to college and was forced out of school in 1933 at the age of 14, and have now received the University’s highest honor, I have not yet digested it.  And how did I get involved with BGU?  Frankly I couldn’t resist Rivka Carmi’s charm and her enthusiasm for the future of this University and for Israel.”
 
Ross went on to state how meaningful this event was, taking place in the Holocaust Museum – a sort of marriage of the two institutions that are most dear to him.

Eric Ross is the largest donor in the history of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and has donated to numerous other organizations, such as Seton Hall, Saint Barnabas Hospital, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and  a local Solomon Schechter Day School. Ross  recently received an honorary doctoral degree from Seton Hall, where he helped establish the Cooperman-Ross Endowed Chair in Jewish-Christian Studies, now held by Rabbi Alan Brill, Ph.D.

During the degree ceremony, Prof. Carmi also said, “Eric you are truly a wonderful role model for us all. For all your accomplishments and the great gift of education that you have made possible for so many, I am proud to confer upon you an honorary doctorate from BGU.”

Ross has homes in the Newstead area of Orange, New Jersey and West Palm Beach Florida.

ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY

By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

BGU at a glance:  

20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

For all press inquiries, please contact:

James Fattal, J Cubed Communications

516.289.1496

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