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BGU Confers Honorary Doctoral Degree Upon Nazi Refugee and Philanthropist Eric Ross
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.
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 20,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel’s southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev.
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Media Contact: |
Andrew Lavin |
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