Stephen Hawking to visit Israel for conference

JERUSALEM (JTA) — British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking will visit Israel in June to participate in President Shimon Peres’ annual “Facing Tomorrow” conference.

Hawking’s participation was confirmed Wednesday by The Jerusalem Post.

Hawking, head of the practical mathematics and physics department at Cambridge University, last visited Israel in 2006 at the invitation of the British Embassy.

The conference, which is in its fifth year, gathers world leaders and intellectuals for public discussions on a variety of subjects.

Hawking, who has amyetrophiclateralsclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, cannot move his body and uses a wheelchair. He communicates through a computerized voice system.