Simcha and Science: UC San Diego and Israel's Weizmann Institute Collaborate on Stem Cell Research and Regeneration

In Judaism, simcha does not just mean joy or happiness. It’s a celebration of life, growth and renewal. Ideals that are at the heart of Jewish culture.

It’s this same spirit that guided Jewish scientists at UC San Diego’s Sanford Stem Cell Institute as they welcomed colleagues from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science to San Diego on Oct. 15 for a collaborative workshop exploring one of the most hopeful frontiers in science: stem cell health.

Dr. Shiri Gur-Cohen and Dr. Robert Signer, two of the event’s organizers, said the workshop was both scientific and spiritual renewal. Coincidentally, the workshop — focused on stem cells' role in longevity and cancer research — took place on Simchat Torah, the Jewish holiday that marks both an ending and a beginning of the Torah reading cycle.

The workshop’s theme of “Regeneration and Resilience” carried special meaning for the scientists involved.

For researchers from the Weizmann Institute, it reflected their determination to move forward after many of their buildings were destroyed in a missile strike this summer in Israel.

Dr. Karina Yaniv and Dr. Ruth Scherz-Shouval — two of the scientists who traveled to San Diego — were fortunate that both of their labs were spared from much of the destruction. Still, their ongoing work has become a symbol of endurance.

Although the collaboration was already underway, local researchers say the missile strike strengthened their resolve. The workshop became a way to help their peers rebuild — and a unique opportunity to showcase the power of shared discovery.

“We wanted to strengthen the ties between the stem cell programs, but we also thought it was a great opportunity to bring the community together,” Dr. Gur-Cohen said. “It’s about science, it’s about innovation.”

“That’s why part of our mission here is to show that science transcends politics,” Dr. Signer added. “Science is an international collaborative endeavor.”

Both scientists see their work as part of a larger mission to educate the public on how stem cell research can improve lives everywhere.

Signer likens stem cells to the body’s own “fountain of youth” — long-lived cells uniquely capable of repairing themselves. It’s these cells that Gur-Cohen says she thinks of when she toasts “to life,” as they are what truly make longevity possible and are the vision that drives her work.

Through continued research and innovation, Signer and Gur-Cohen hope to better understand how to unlock that regenerative potential to improve health and longevity.

Just as these cells can renew the body, these scientists hoped to showcase how collaboration can restore what’s been broken. It’s about rejuvenation — not just from within, but across the community.

Their partnership with the Weizmann Institute is a reminder that, like Simchat Torah, science can be a chance at new beginnings.

The workshop featured professors and trainees from both UC San Diego and the Weizmann Institute, highlighting a shared commitment to education, innovation and global health — and inviting San Diegans to learn how advances in stem cell research are shaping the future of medicine and longevity.

It was a celebration not just of what these Jewish scientists are discovering, but of how they’re coming together to do it: with joy and resilience.