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Manfred Lahnstein honored by the University of Haifa

Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” was a fitting piece to play to begin the ceremony to honor Manfred Lahnstein at the University of Haifa in Northern Israel. At their annual meeting on June 2, 2013, the university’s board of governors began proceedings by commending their long-term chairman. Manfred Lahnstein joined the board in 1996, and served as its first German and non-Jew chairman, a role he filled from 2001-2007.  In 2011, he agreed again to serve as chairman after his successor had fallen gravely ill. Many who spoke at Lahnstein’s 75th birthday celebration referred to his love for the University of Haifa, which prides itself on its diverse student body in a polarizing region. This willingness to take on responsibility and lend support to an important institution marks Manfred Lahnstein as a “common man” in the best sense of the phrase.

While chairman in 2001, Manfred Lahnstein was instrumental in the formation of the Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and Society at the university, and served as chairman of its board of trustees.  The Bucerius Institute is a research facility centered on German social and historical topics, with an emphasis on promoting contemporary Germany as a focus for historical research. The Bucerius Institute emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary exchange by enabling visits for undergraduate, postgraduate, and professorial researchers.

For more information about the Bucerius Institute, please go to http://bucerius.haifa.ac.il/