During their visit to the city, both were invited to take part in two major conferences, where Prof. Yakubov addressed international audiences and represented the Institute in prestigious forums.
At the flagship annual conference of The Jerusalem Post in New York, Prof. Yakubov participated in a panel titled “Leading Through Uncertainty,” moderated by international commentator Dr. Efraim Chalamish, journalist and lecturer at NYU. The panel brought together four leading voices from the worlds of business, innovation, and economics. Joining Prof. Yakubov were Roi Danino, entrepreneur and business mentor, Marc Levinson, Co-Chair of the New Jersey-Israel Commission and Sanaz Yashar, Co-Founder and CEO of Zefron Security.
In his remarks, Prof. Yakubov highlighted HIT’s contribution to Israel’s economy: “Some 2,500 of our graduates are currently employed at leading companies in the defense, security, and high-tech sectors. That is our contribution to Israel’s economy.” He further emphasized that the Institute is proactively preparing for the challenges ahead: “We believe we have very little time to get ready for the challenges facing Israel. This year we launched new technology tracks across all faculties, and we believe that together with our partners in the United States and other countries, we will be ready.”
Prof. Yakubov also shared his personal story- his immigration to Israel from Uzbekistan some 30 years ago and concluded with a heartfelt message: “Israel is my home. Making Aliyah was my dream for a very long time. We did it, and I am so glad we came. I believe every Jewish person in the world should know that Israel is a unique country, and this is our unique path to being together. That is my message to Jews everywhere.”
During the visit, Prof. Yakubov also participated in the Jerusalem Conference organized by the Besheva Group – a prestigious forum focused on national and business resilience in times of war. Here too, the President reiterated that HIT is a key academic partner in building Israel’s human capital for the future.
The visit reflected the Institute’s commitment not only to academic innovation, but also to national solidarity and to strengthening the bond between the Diaspora and the State of Israel during a challenging time. It also laid the groundwork for deepening academic and business ties.
This New York visit underscores HIT’s growing standing as an international player in the fields of academia, technology, and defense technologies- an institute that continues to build bridges between Israel and the world.
