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IEEE Israel Section
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IEEE Israel Section currently has more than 1300 members, which are active in 15 professional groups (chapters). The section holds a highly respected biennial convention and many other conventions, conferences, courses, meetings and lectures. The Section holds an annual general meeting of all its members and holds elections once every two years.

First IRE Section in Eastern Hemisphere

IEEE Israel Section was established on October 5th, 1954 when the state was only 6 years old. Our section is the oldest section in Region 8, which covers Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In June 1954 several members of I.R.E. residing in Israel met in Haifa and discussed “the possibility of forming an I.R.E. section in conformity with I.R.E. regulations”. They formed a committee of 3 members and obtained 30 signatures of I.R.E. members who applied for the formation of the section. The establishment of the “first IRE section in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Israel Section” was approved by the IRE Board of Directors at its October 1954 meeting, and the official date of founding of the Israel Section is 5 October 1954.

In 1963, after the merger of IRE and AIEE, the Israel Section became part of IEEE Region 8 and is recognized as the first IEEE Section in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Chronological list of the Section Chairs

1955-1956 

Franz Ollendorf 

1957-1958 

E. H. Frei

1959

I. Cederbaum

1960

J. Shekel

1961

R. R. Gamzon 

1962

E. H. Frei 

1963

A. Nathan

1964

A. Shani 

1965 

A. I. Nizan 

1966-1967

Uzia Galil

1968-1969 

Yeshayahu Lavie 

1969-1971 

Gurion Meltzer 

1972-1974 

Israel Ben Arzi 

1975-1977 

Marc Weissenstern 

1978-1981 

Jacob Baal-Schem 

1982-1983 

Itzhak Ish-Hurvitz 

1984-1985 

David Biran 

1986-1988 

Ezra Zeheb

1989-1990 

Uzi Z. Padan 

1991-1992 

Ezra Zeheb

1993-1995 

Ady Seidman

1996-1998 

Anthony J. Weiss

1999-2001 

Ady Seidman

2002-2005 

Arie Braunstein

2006-2010 

Sigmond Singer

2011-2015 

Simon Litsyn

2016-2017

Mark Shtaif

2018-2019

Uri Shaked

2020-2024

Shmuel Auster

Chapters and Student Branches

As of 2011, IEEE Israel Section counts 1178 members (including 90 Life Members) and has 18 active Chapters and 2 Affinity Groups (WIE and LM).

IEEE Israel Section is proud of its 56 IEEE Fellows and of several members who received IEEE Awards and Medals including Prof. Jacob Ziv and Prof. Abraham Lempel, as well as Prof. Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsky.

All Chapters organize regular technical meetings and local and International workshops. The Life Members Group organizes since 2009 a series of 5 “Technical Friday” events per year with an audience of about 200.

Conferences

Since 1971 the IEEE Israel Section holds a Technical Conference, every second year. For many years, this is the country’s major technical conference in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Towards the 1981 Conference, IEEE Israel Chair contacted EUREL and proposed to hold EUROCON in Tel-Aviv. 

As the request was refused, IEEE Section proposed to Region 8 to initiate MELECON – the Mediterranean Electrotechnical Conference. This proposal was accepted and the Israel Section organized the first MELECON in Tel-Aviv on May 1981, with an International attendance of 1200 participants, in presence of Israel President and the President of IEEE. 

For Initiation of MELECON, Israel IEEE 1981 Section Chair, Jacob Baal-Schem, was awarded the Larry K. Wilson Transnational Award of 1987. He was awarded also with the IEEE Region 8 Volunteer Award for 2008. The section continues to hold a Technical Conference every second year, with up to 350 attendees. 

In 1998 the Israel Section hosted again the MELECON Conference, in Tel-Aviv. The AP/MTT Chapter chaired by Shmuel Auster organized since 2003 yearly Symposia, which became since 2008 the IEEE International Conference Series (IEEE COMCAS, Conference on Microwaves, Communications, Antennas, Biomedical Engineering and Electronic Systems), founded and chaired by Shmuel Auster, with up to 1900 participants (in 2019) and a large Technical Exhibition (100 booths).

The Communications Chapter hosted “INFOCOM 2000” in Tel-Aviv. Israel IEEE members participate in many of the IEEE Technical Conferences worldwide and are very active in publishing papers in IEEE Journals.

IEEE Milestones

IEEE Israel Section has sponsored the following IEEE Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing:

Lempel-Ziv Data Compression Algorithm
1977 – dedicated in September 2004

The Lempel-Ziv compression algorithm became a basis for enabling data transmission on the Internetin an efficient way. The plaque is placed at the Technion in Haifa, Israel

WEIZAC Computer
1955 – dedicated in December 2006.

The computer was built during 1954-1955 at the Weizmann Institute of Technology in Rehovot, Israel. It was based on drawings of the IAS computer of Princeton University and was the first digital electronic computer built in the Middle East. The plaque is placed at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel.

Israel IEEE members participate in many of the IEEE Technical Conferences worldwide and are very active in publishing papers in IEEE Journals.

IEEE Israel status

The IEEE Israel Section is the main Technical organization in Israel in Electronics. Its membership is largely recognized in Academia and in High-Tech Industry.

IEEE Israel Section is incorporated as a Non for Profit (NPO) Association (Amuta) and is required to submit an annual financial report to IEEE and to the local government authorities.

Activities in IEEE Organizations

Members of IEEE Israel Section serve in many positions in IEEE Committees and Societies. One of its members – Elya B. Joffe – was 2008/9 President of EMC Society and is 2011 President of PSES. 

Members of the Section have served as officers of IEEE Region 8 Committees, members of Corporate and Societies Committees and have participated in Conferences’ Committees.

Expectations for the future

IEEE Israel Section continues to be the leading learned organization in Electronics in Israel and develops activities in advanced and emerging technologies, as nanotechnology and bio-engineering. It strives continuously to nurture a strong cooperation between academy and industry.

Current Membership Profile

Section Name

IEEE Current Grade Description

Count of Members

Israel Section

Affiliate

21

Associate Member

46

Fellow

25

Graduate Student Member

105

Life Fellow

24

Life Member

35

Life Senior

49

Member

228

Senior Member

132

Student Member

8

Professional Chapters
CHAPTERS & AFFINITY GROUPS:CODE:AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Aerospace and Electronics SystemsAESProf. Stanley Rotman
Ben Gurion University
srotman@bgu.ac.il
Antennas & Propagation
Microwave theory & Techniques
AP/MTTMr. Shmuel Auster
IAI Elta Systems
auster@ieee.org
Circuits and SystemsCS/CASProf. Shahar Kvatinsky
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
shahar@ee.technion.ac.il
CommunicationsCOMMr. Itai Dabran
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
idabran@cs.technion.ac.il
ComputersCProf. Avi Mendelson
Technion, Israel institute of Technology
mendlson@technion.ac.il
Electromagnetic compatibilityEMCMr. Avi Cohen
avi.avrahac@gmail.com
Electron DevicesEDProf. Gady Golan
Ariel University
gadygolan@gmail.com
Engineering in Medicine, BiologyEMBProf. Nathan Shaked
Tel Aviv University
nshaked@tau.ac.il
Industrial Electronics
Industry Applications
IE+IAProf. Irad Bengal,
Tel Aviv University
bengal@eng.tau.ac.il
Information TheoryITDr. Anatoly Khina
Tel Aviv University
anatolyk@tauex.tau.ac.il
Life MemberLMMr. Shmuel Auster
auster@ieee.org
PhotonicsPHOProf. Dan Marom,
Hebrew University, Jerusalem
danmarom@mail.huji.ac.il
Computational Intelligence SocietyCISDr. Amir Ivry
Technion & Microsoft
amirivry@gmail.com
Power EngineeringPEDr. Yoash Levron
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
yoashlevron@gmail.com
Product Safety EngineeringPSESMr. Steli Loznen
I.T.L (Product Testing) Ltd.
sloznen@ieee.org
Robotics and AutomationRASProf. Hugo Guterman
Ben Gurion University
hugo@ee.bgu.ac.il
Signal ProcessingSPProf. Arie Yeredor
Tel Aviv University
arie@eng.tau.ac.il
Solid State CircuitsSSCSDr. Solon Spiegel
CEO, Rio Systems
solon.spiegel@ieee.org
Vehicular TechnologyVTProf. Igal Bilik
Ben Gurion University
bilik@bgu.ac.il
Women in EngineeringWIEDr. Alina Karabchevsky
Ben-Gurion University
alinak@bgu.ac.il
Systems EngineeringSYSDr. Yaniv Mordecai
Motorola Solutions & MIT
ymordecai@gmail.com
Electronics PackagingEPMr. Aviv Ronen
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
Aviv76@gmail.com
Young Professionals Affinity GroupYPMr. Erez Zolkov
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
zoerez@campus.technion.ac.il
Chair, Students Affinity GroupSAGMr. Nadav Cohen
University of Haifa
nadavco93@gmail.com
region8

IEEE Israel Section was established on October 5th , 1954 when the state was only 6 years old. Our section is the oldest section in Region 8, which covers Europe, Middle East and Africa.

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IEEE Israel Section

IEEE Israel Section IEEE Israel Section currently has more than 1300 members, which are active in 15 professional groups (chapters). The section holds a highly respected biennial convention and many other

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