“I have a love for philanthropy, and it’s always been part of our family process,” he says. “Philanthropy is money, but it’s also time spent on your community – the concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world, making the world better, and making a difference.”

Bernholtz, who has extensive experience in corporate finance, real estate, governance, biotech, and resource management, has long had an affinity for charitable causes.

“I wanted to do something that was good for the community and something that would be engaging for me and something that would be interesting. And I have a deep love for Israel,” he says.

He speaks with reverence about his parents’ commitment to community involvement and the example they set.

Bernholtz recalls his first visit to Israel, close to 50 years ago, in 1978.

“It was the 30th anniversary of the State of Israel,” he says. I worked on a kibbutz, and I remember stringing lights in the orchard for about three or four days and, after the celebration, taking them down for two days.

“It was a great experience,” he says of his time on the kibbutz. “I worked hard, but I enjoyed it.” In 2008, Bernholtz participated in a mission with senior bankers from Canada to show them the devastation that Israel had suffered in the Second Lebanon War.

“One of the things that was really meaningful to me on that trip was that we raised a lot of money for Renanim, a school in Kiryat Shmona for physically and emotionally disabled children, that had been damaged by the war.”

His family’s commitment focused on providing a resource center to train teachers from across Israel to work with disabled children.

Over the years, Bernholtz visited Israel on several family trips and celebrations. One of his most meaningful visits took place in May 2024, on a Hebrew University Board of Governors visit.

While visiting the school, Bernholtz, sitting with another Hebrew University board member, noticed that several children who had lost siblings, parents, friends, and relatives in the war were sitting in their places and singing.

They moved their seats to sit with the children, and he says, “It was an experience I will never forget. It was an experience of sharing, and that is part of charity. It’s not only money – it’s sharing love and compassion. It’s trying to repair a world that may not be easy to repair.”

Hebrew University's science and technology have long impressed Bernholtz, who traces his interest in the university to his fascination with Albert Einstein, one of the university’s founders. Shortly after joining Hebrew University, he devoured several books about Einstein.

“The affiliation with Einstein’s brilliance just intrigued me,” he shares. In recent years, Bernholtz observes, he has witnessed several technological developments at the university.

“What I’ve seen over the last couple of years is that some of the science and some of the technology, particularly the agro-tech technology and the medical technology, is world-class.

“I was very impressed by the vast number of collaborations with different organizations and universities across the world, and some of those in countries that weren’t too friendly to Israel, and certainly a lot of them in North American universities, which have had histories of a lot of antisemitism in the last couple of years.

“I feel repairing the world also includes doing what you can to reduce the horrible antisemitism which has cropped up since Oct. 7, 2023.”

While the school’s scientific accomplishments have been a great source of pride, one of his most insightful experiences was a long walk through the campus with fellow board members.

“At the first Board of Governors meeting I attended,” he recalls, “we decided to walk through the entire campus. We spent about three or four hours walking, and we got lost. But what was interesting was walking through the halls and talking. I talk to people, and I watch things.”

Bernholtz noticed a mix of Jewish and Arab students walking across campus. “I learned how diverse the student population is; I think it’s a great thing that you can accomplish when you try to foster understanding through education,” he comments.

“I think I walked twenty thousand steps that day on campus. But it was a real eye-opener because it gave me the feel for the character, the place, the students, and some of the faculty.”

Returning to the present day, Bernholtz reflects on Hebrew University and his efforts representing it in Canada. “I’ve absorbed so much in the last three years about the university. Every time I speak about it, talk about it, work about it, I’m increasingly engaged to do the best I can so it can be successful.”

One project that has caught his interest is a set of AI-powered social media tools to help Jewish communities around the world fight antisemitism.

“We have a lot of technology, and we have a lot of collective intelligence, not only the AI and the social media, but putting the psychological edges on it and all of the other things.

“This is something they’re just developing. I think it’s a great project, and I think there’s brilliance in it. It’s the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University who are really leading the charge on that,” he says.

Another Hebrew University project that has drawn his interest, particularly since Oct. 7, explores PTSD and people on the autism spectrum, including ways to help people affected by severe emotional trauma regain stability and return to daily life.

Bernholtz has been active in developing ties between Canadian Friends of Hebrew University and various communities in Canada, including indigenous peoples, the Iranian community, the Italian community, and the Sikh community.

“We have some very strong alliances,” he says. More than 60,000 people, many of whom were members of these groups, participated in this year’s UJA Walk with Israel in Toronto.

He has also brought several members of the non-Jewish community to the organization’s board. “It’s important to have a very diverse crowd,” Bernholtz notes. “I want to expand the horizons of participation, and I want everybody to know all the good work and collaborations that the university does and the work that the Canadian Friends have done.”

Summing up his goals as chairman of CFHU, Bernholtz says he wants to build broad-based support for the organization, strengthen alliances, and do what he can to support its professional staff.

When asked what he wants Canadians to know about Hebrew University, he says, “I think we want people to know, number one, how many collaborations we have and the quality of the university.

“I am excited, proud, and absolutely engaged to do what I can to assist the Hebrew University and to assist Canadian Friends of Hebrew University and the spectacular team and the spectacular accomplishments it has had over the last many years.”