“A rare phenomenon will occur in Winnipeg when a lawyer comes to town in August to honour another lawyer,” says Debbie Gray, chairwoman of an upcoming event for The Winnipeg Chapter of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. 

The event is a tribute luncheon in honour of David Matas, an internationally renowned advocate and activist for human rights. Guest speaker at the event will be a fellow lawyer and activist, The Honourable Irwin Cotler, a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Cotler will speak about recent events in the Middle East.

At the luncheon, which will take place on August 26 at the Fairmount Hotel, Matas will be presented with the 2010 Negev Award. This award, Ben-Gurion University’s highest Award of Distinction, is a 3,000 year old Iron Age antiquity from the Negev Desert in Israel. 

“David Matas has touched the lives of all of us” says Debbie Gray. “Both Mr. Matas and Hon. Irwin Cotler, through their innovative success in sponsoring human rights legislation, have made our society a safer and happier place. They have helped Canada be recognized as a very special society.”

Ben Gurion University is Israel’s youngest institution of higher learning. Established 40 years ago to seek out ways to make the Negev bloom, the university currently has 19,000 students. Among other achievements, it is recognized as a world leader in Desert Food Production and for cutting edge research in Medicine, Nanotechnology Robotics, Engineering, and History of the Arts.

A large turnout is anticipated for this special event. For more information and reservations please contact Carla Vickar @204-942-7347 or email [email protected]. Please see accompagnying advertisement in this  publication.