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Amiram Goldblum is an Israeli chemist and activist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Goldblum is Hans J. and Tilly Weil Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy. He holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the Hebrew University. He is currently the head of the Molecular Modelling and Drug Design unit at the university's Institute for Drug Research.

Goldblum is an activist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was a leader of Peace Now and served as its spokesperson for 20 years as well as constructing the Settlements Watch activities of Peace Now. He is on the board of Peace Now, as well as the international council of the New Israel Fund.

Early life and education

Amiram Goldblum was born in Rosh Pina in 1945. He is the son of Professor Natan Goldblum an Israel Prize recipient (1988) and a senior officer in the Medical Corps of the IDF until 1956. The family was evacuated to Haifa during the Israeli war of Independence. Goldblum's mother Tamar (Nee Toren) was a member of the Irgun and previously was in the Beitar youth movement, being instructed by Eliyahu Meridor father of Israeli politician and Minister Dan Meridor. Goldblum studied Chemistry and Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as a student of Ernst David Bergmann and of Raphael Mechoulam and continued postdoc studies in Paris with Bernard Pullman and Alberte Pullman and with Corwin Hansch in Pomona College, California. During the years 1970-1979 Goldblum served as a News announcer in Kol Yisrael and as an anchor of Classical and Jazz music programs on the Israeli Radio. Goldblum joined the Hebrew University in 1979 and became associate professor of Medicinal Chemistry in 1989 and full professor in 2010. Goldblum is a member of the Supreme Academic Council of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and of the Nazareth Academic Institute.

Science

Goldblum invented an algorithm for solving extremely complex combinatorial problems, called Iterative Stochastic Elimination (ISE).

Goldblum is on the board of two Hebrew University science related companies that are based on his research, Sensotrade and Pepticom Goldblum won first prize in the contest of the American Chemical Society Computers in Chemistry Division in the ACS meeting, Washington D.C. 2000 for his new algorithm which was developed together with PhD student Meir Glick.

Goldblum's research is focused on the discovery of new drugs against cancer and Alzheimer. He leads a large theoretical research group at Hebrew University Institute for Drug Research. Among many scientific activities, Goldblum organized the first meeting to probe the idea of Israel's participation in SESAME between Professor Joel Sussman from the Weizmann Institute and Professor Herman Winick from Stanford University who initiated the construction of the International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East which includes Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cyprus and the Palestinian Authority, among others.

Politics

Goldblum was the spokesperson of Peace Now from 1980 to 2000. Goldblum was in the front line of the demonstration when Peace Now protestor Emil Grunzweig was murdered. He later identified the incident as a "catalyst" for greater political activism. Goldblum initiated the Settlements Watch activities of Peace Now in 1990, and serves on their board. In 1995, Goldblum, referring to the Israeli cabinet decision to expand the settlements, said, "We believe that this decision is going to bring a tremendous clash with the Palestinians."

In October 2012, Goldblum and his family foundation, the Yisraela Fund paid for and were involved (along with other Israeli academics) in commissioning a controversial poll regarding Israeli attitudes towards prejudice, along with Mordechai Bar-On, Ilan Baruch, Alon Liel, and Michael Sfard. In a press release of the commissioning group, sent by Goldblum, it was stated that “a large part of the Jewish population (58%) accepts the application of the term ‘apartheid’ to the current state of affairs in Israel. It is, however, not clear what these respondents understand by the term as this question did not require clarification.” Goldblum also acknowledged there were problems with a question used on the poll. Israeli statistician Camil Fuchs, who supervised the company that conducted the poll, told The Times of Israel that the questions in the poll were fine and did not need changing by the Dialog team.

In September 2011, Goldblum, writing in an opinion article in Haaretz, asserted that Israeli Labor Party chair Shelly Yachimovich was "slinging mud at everyone who thinks we should put an end to the occupation," which advances the cause of "the settlers and apartheid," and suggesting that she was not a "humanist."

Goldblum is #87 on the candidates list of Meretz, for the Knesset elections in January 2013.

Military service

Goldblum served as a reserve non-commissioned officer in the Israel Defense Forces between 1967 and 1991, mainly stationed in the Gaza strip and was a commander during the Yom Kippur War, reaching the city of Suez in Egypt with Avraham Adan's division 162 that crossed the Suez Canal and the Great Bitter Lake in order to surround the 3rd Egyptian Army. Goldblum's son, Dan Goldblum, who served in the top Israeli Commando Unit, Sayeret Matkal was very badly wounded in the commando's preparative operation (Operation Bramble Bush) to kill Saddam Hussein, on 5 November 1992, the full story was published in a new book, November 2012.

Personal life

Amiram married Israela Weinstien (1947-2006) in 1967. Goldblum married again (Idit Amihai, head of Museums and Public Galleries section at the Culture and Sport Ministry of Israel) in August 2012 (Camden city hall, London).

References

1. ^ Peace Now started around her table
2. ^ Idit Amihai Head of Museums and Visual Arts
3. Goldblum page at the Faculty of Medicine
4. "Settlers willing to leave West Bank, Gaza – survey". CBC News. 25 July 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
5. A night of apartheid
6. New Israel Fund, International Council
7. Goldblum Hebrew U positions
8. Supreme Academic Council of NAI
9. Predicting oral druglikeness by iterative stochastic elimination
10. Sensotrade About Us
11. Pepticom leadership
12. Goldblum wins the ACS contest
13. SESAME project
14. Stanford Linear Accelerator Professor Winick
15. Israelis and Palestinians talking
16. Galili, Lily (8 August 2002). "Avrushmi's parole sparks memories, anger and resignation". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
17. What is Settlements Watch
18. Bar-On History of the Peace Movement
19. Reshef Shalom Achshav Peace Now
20. A night of apartheid
21. "Israeli Cabinet Panel Approves Major Expansion of Settlements". Washington Post. 1995. Retrieved December 3, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
22. Keren Yisraela/The Yisraela Fund
23. Jenni, Frazer. "Shock findings of 'apartheid' poll questioned". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
24. Miller, Elhanan (30 October 2012). "Haaretz changes tack on major story that alleged widespread 'apartheid' attitudes in Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 3 December 2012.Miller adds: “It is, however, not clear what these respondents understand by the term as this question did not require clarification”.'
25. Goldbloom, Amiram (23 September 2011). "Mistaken and misleading". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
26. Goldblum no. 87 on the MERETZ list to the 19th Knesset
27. "צאלים הטראומה של סיירת מטכ"ל (Tze'elim, The Trauma of Sayeret Matkal)" (in Hebrew). Tzomet Sfarim. Retrieved 3 December 2012.

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