British Friends of the Hebrew University chief executive to step down after nearly two decades

The chief executive of the British Friends of the Hebrew University is to step down next year after 18 years in the role.

Nigel Salomon has overseen the organisation’s support for academic recruitment, new buildings, teaching and research facilities, and scholarships at the prestigious Jerusalem university, which opened in 1925.

He said: “Having had the privilege of leading the British Friends of the Hebrew University for 18 years, I have decided that now is the right time for a new chief executive to bring fresh ideas and energy to the role as the organisation celebrates its 100th anniversary.”

He added that working on behalf of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem “has been a dream come true for me. I have met so many wonderful people in my time as chief executive and I have made many friends along the way; faculty members, students, donors, trustees, alumni and Friends of the Hebrew University from around the world – the list is long.”

He added: “This is not yet goodbye, but I would like to add a special thank you to our British Friends community, many multigenerational family donors and foundations, who continue to display such generosity and support for the mission of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“The Hebrew University, 101 years old is an extraordinary leading institution in Israel, and the British Friends, 100 years old has been and continues to be a dedicated partner with a proud history of support.”

Chair of the British Friends of Hebrew University, Alan Jacobs, said: “Nigel’s polished and professional leadership over the last 18 years has shaped the British Friends into a stable, strong and effective donor-focused organisation with a clear mission and values.

“He has brought a wealth of talent and expertise to the role and has built deep, lasting relationships with our key stakeholders within the Hebrew University family and beyond. We will greatly miss his leadership.”

Jacobs went on to praise Nigel’s “energy, creativity, passion and commitment” working alongside the charity’s professional team as having “enabled our organisation to deepen the impact of our charitable purposes: to support all aspects of the Hebrew University, to promote its achievements, to help progress academic ties with the UK and to fund student exchange programmes.”

Salomon told Jewish News: “How fortunate I have been to have grown up in a Zionist Youth Movement, studied and worked across the globe in the telecoms industry only to come full circle back to Israel to head the British Friends. Being exposed to new ideas, discoveries and inventions and meeting the people behind them in the Hebrew University who are committed to bettering society and sharing knowledge, has been truly inspiring.”

He added: “Einstein was one of the founders of the Hebrew University, his personal and academic archive is held there including the original theory of relativity. This quote perhaps, sums it up: ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand’.”

In March 2026, British Friends of the Hebrew University launched a major new £1.5 million ($2m) scholarship fund to support postgraduate researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in a move marking a century of UK-Israel academic partnership.