ISRAEL IN THE WORLD PROGRAM

Introduction

The two core areas of interest of the Israel in the World Program are international development and the diplomacy of soft power.

International Development

The Tikkun Olam Project is a policy initiative which proposes interaction and coordination between world Jewry and Israel in the field of international development. The initiative seeks to significantly increase Jewish involvement in (and resources towards) international development, making it a central component of Jewish identity and Israel-Jewish world relations.

Workshop on Faith and International Development – March 2008

In March 2008, the School held a two day workshop in Neve Ilan, on "Faith and International Development". The workshop involved one hundred and twenty representatives of more than 50 Jewish and Israeli humanitarian groups. Its goal was to deepen the academic and spiritual content of the work done by Jewish and Israeli groups and to investigate platforms for boosting existing efforts.

Released at the workshop was the draft of a mapping project which explores the extent of involvement of Jewish organizations and philanthropies in international development. The School has invited submissions from those who wish to contribute comments or amendments to the draft, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Also released at the workshop were the results of a public opinion survey on Israel's international development assistance. To read the survey results in English, click here, or in Hebrew, click here.

For further details on the workshop, click here. To see the main booklet from the workshop, click here. And to read news stories about the workshop, click here.

In June 2006, the School held the inaugural Tikkun Olam workshop in New York City, to explore the feasibility of the project. The workshop was hosted by the Pears Foundation UK and Stanley Bergman, Chairman of the Hartog School's International Advisory Board. It was attended by approximately 55 delegates from 35 organizations, spanning four continents and seven countries. Letters in support of the project were received by the workshop participants from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Professor Jeffrey Sachs.. What emerged from the workshop was a clear enthusiasm for exploring and proposing modalities of cooperation.

For more details on the Tikkun Olam workshop, click here and to read an article about the workshop published in the Jerusalem Report click here.

Research is being conducted on Israel's policy of international development cooperation. The research will examine the events and processes that saw MASHAV – the Center for International Cooperation in Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) - lose much of its political and budgetary support over recent decades. The School has published a booklet together with the American Jewish Committee, entitled "Israel and Africa – Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future" The articles were written by the School's staff, together with diplomats and academic experts from Israel and Africa.

The issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is addressed in the work of Dr. Raviv Schwartz. His research aims to draw out the commercial, diplomatic and social implications, both for Israel and the for the host countries, of CSR undertaken by Israeli corporations in the developing countries out of which they operate, as well as to gage the extent to which the Israeli government is complicit or active in Israeli international CSR.

Similar research exploring the role of certain Israeli non-governmental organizations in the fields of international development and humanitarian assistance will also be undertaken.

A parallel research paper, by Na’ama Shalev, focuses on humanitarian assistance provided by Israelis and American Jewry to the Tsunami victims. Na'ama is mapping the different assistance organizations involved, with the intention to assess the potential for cooperation amongst them.

The Diplomacy of Soft Power

Soft power is an important component of foreign policy. It constitutes a state's capacity to influence other states, not with military or economic coercion, but rather through positive persuasion resulting from the projection of its own values and culture.

The program is now looking to assemble a 'soft power forum', which will bring together a diverse selection of professionals, government officials, policy experts and academics, to advise on an overall soft power strategy for Israel

In late 2005, the School hosted Dr. Tan Tay Keong, Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation for a workshop on the issue of soft power. The School convened a workshop on the soft power strategies of small states, at which Dr. Tan delivered a keynote address on Singapore's soft power strategy. The workshop also included an address by Dr. Beker on the use of soft power in Jewish policy, and a practical perspective by Ambassador Itzhak Shoham, former Israeli ambassador to Singapore. An edited transcript of the proceedings can be read here.

Project Leadership:

The Israel in the World Program was established in 2005. Its policy analyst and projects director is Adv. Eli Fried, and also involved is Na’ama Shalev.

Research fellow Rommey Hassman, a marketing communications strategist and consultant, is conducting research on the issue of "branding Israel", a matter closely linked to the State's capacity to effect soft power diplomacy. For details on his study, click here.