2011 – Events and Workshops

31ST AUGUST- SEPTEMBER 1ST: THE 4TH INDIA-ISRAEL FORUM

A distinguished delegation of 22 economic leaders from India was hosted by leading figures from the Israeli economy. Chaired by Mr. Bergman, Sam Pitroda, Aharon Fogel and Tarun Das, the group met President Peres, Ministers Steinitz (finance), Vilnai (home front), ambassadors and prominent Israeli economic leaders. The group is becoming a leading forum in developing and cementing trade and industry relations between India and Israel. For a booklet of the conference click here.

2010 – Events and Workshops

15 NOVEMBER: The Gad Yaacobi Annual Conference

The second annual conference in memory of Gad Yaacobi was on the 15th of November 2011 and dealt with UN-Israel relations. The Kes HaMishpat Auditorium was packed with some 200 prominent guests—Yaacobi's friends and colleagues and other prominent personas (for photos see here). Gad Yaacobi was Israel's ambassador to the UN in the early 90s, and the evening was tribute to him and a way to commemorate his important contributions to Israeli diplomacy in the multilateral arena. Speakers in the conference (program in Hebrew) included: • Foreign Ministry VP for International Organizations Mr. Eviatar Manor; • Former UN ambassador Mr. Dan Gillerman who gave a riveting and hilarious speech about his days in the UN as well as opportunities and hazards at the United Nations; • Mr. Robert Serry, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, who in his closing remarks reiterated the UN's commitment to a viable Israel.

1 – 2 NOVEMBER: THE 3RD INDIA ISRAEL FORUM INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

This year the forum convened in New Delhi, India. Led by The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and ASPEN Institute India in partnership with the Hartog School of Government and Policy in Tel Aviv University the recent forum focused on innovation and technology. The participants see full list here. explored avenues for cooperation between the two countries and discussed the contribution of academic research to fostering and strengthening ties between Israel and India. The forum sparked much interest in the business community in Israel and was widely covered in the Israeli Media.

13 SEPTEMBER: STATE REVENUES FROM NATURAL GAS AND PETROL IN ISRAEL- CONFERENCE

During the Summer of 2010 vast fields of natural gas were discovered off the shores of Israel. This much-sought-after energy resource was proclaimed earn it's owners hundreds of billions of dollars. The Israeli revenue law dates back to 1950, setting royalties at 12.5% of the revenues. As this is a relative low percentage (worldwide) the Israeli finance minister opted to raise State royalties and formed a committee to formulate recommendations. A lively debate ensued in the Israeli public arena and The Hartog School initiated this conference together with Shatil, the New Israel Fund and the Association for Distributive Justice. For a full recording of the Conference See here. The conference held two parts: A professional conference and a public hearing.

The professional part of the conference was opened with a speech by Dr. Yossi Langotsky, a prominent geologist and the father of all energy-resources drilling in the Mediterranean. This was the first public address Langotzky gave, in which he viciously attacked "Gas Barons" (as he called them) who claimed to have invested heavily in gas drillings. The following speakers where MK Shelly Yecimovich and Rabbi Michael Malchior both stressing the government's right to change the royalties law and suggesting alternative models for collecting the monies and utilizing them. After that two panels ensued-the first "Utilizing energy resource and social policy" and the second "taxing policy for natural gas and oil in Israel".

The public hearing enabled persons from the audience to speak and submit materials to the committee. The committee was chaired by Oscar Abu Razek and included Dr. Orna Bari, former MK Zehava Galon, former MK and minister Avraham Poraz, and adv. Eliad Shraga. 15 men and women stood before the committee expressing disparate views from supporting the gas entrepreneurs to criticizing the State for not being aggressive enough.

The conference had wide press coverage see here and caught the attention of policy makers and the advisory committee to the finance minister.

3 May : The ministry of Interior and Good Government in Local Authorities- Conference

Following the work of Adv. Barak Calev see here, a Goldman fellow at the Hartog School of Government and Policy, analyzing the tools that exist at the ministerial level that propagate good government and eradicate corruption and "bad governance" –and the utilization of said tools, this conference brought together academics and practitioners to discuss this issue. Speakers from the Ministry of Interior (MOI), Local Authorities, the Union of Local Authorities in Israel and the Academia explored Calev's thesis that there are various apparatuses that the Ministry can use to stop and prevent corruption and "bad governance" at the initial, pre-crisis stage. Unfortunately, Says Calev, the MOI tends to procrastinate and intervene only when matters reach crisis level. Several recommendations were presented some advocating stricter measures by the Ministry and some encouraging greater autonomy to Municipalities that meet not only financial, but also good government standards.

28 April: Public participation workshop – Dr. Jim Creighton

On the 28th of April 2010, the Hartog School co -hosted with Building and Construction Inc. (Shikun veBinui ) a one day workshop with Dr. Jim Creighton—one of the leading figures in the US in public participation processes and conflict mediation. Dr. Creighton holds a PhD in Psychology from The International Institute of Advance Study and has designed and participated in more that 300 public participation processes all over the world. He has worked with numerous federal and state authorities in the USA leading interventions in the fields of electricity, water, environment, military. He is also the author of three books in addition to various manuals, guides and training materials. Held at the Tel Aviv University, the workshop hosted around 30 leaders from government, social changed organizations, local authorities and academia. Dr. Sarit Bensimhon-Peleg of the Hartog School opened the session thanking Dr. Creighton and B&C. Following her, Architect Orna Angel, Vice President of Planning and Sustainability at B&C, outlined her vision and reason for hosting this workshop and thanked the participants. Dr. Creighton presented his credo on public participation, gave his "dos and don'ts" and opened the floor for discussion and questions. Following this, a representative of the Tel Aviv municipality presented a citizen participation process that the municipality in Tel Aviv led, and a vibrant deliberation among participants ensued. The final note of the workshop was a short discussion regarding participating processes in segregated communities- pertinent issues, common problems and how to cope with them. For pictures of the workshop click here.

16 February: Citizen Participation symposium

Held in Knesset under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office - Minister Michael Eitan, the School, together with the Association of Senior Civil Servants, held a symposium on the Issue of "Public participation in decision making". The speakers included the Minister himself, and a group of 6 specialists in citizen's participation in decision making processes. Speakers included Dr. Sarit Bensimhon-Peleg director of research at the Hartog School, Mr. Roy Peled - Director of the Association for Freedom of Information, Prof. Itzhak Galnor, formally The Civil Service Commissionaire, Dr. Shlomit Wagman - specialist in the use of technology for citizen's participation, and others. For Pictures click here. For Hebrew Invitation here. For videos and PowerPoint presentations here.

14 January: Colloquium: Inter-ministerial discussion on "The Rise and Fall of Israel's Bilateral Aid Budget

On Thursday 14 January, MASHAV hosted a three-hour inter-ministerial discussion on the School of Government's report "The Rise and Fall of Israel's Bilateral Aid Budget". The discussion was extremely well attended, despite the fact that some of the invitees could not come because of emergency discussions on aid to Haiti which were held at the same time. Approximately 40 mid-level and senior representatives attended from several government ministries, including: Foreign, Finance, Trade and Labour, Environment and Agriculture. In addition, there were representatives from the Bank of Israel, the Israel Export Institute and the Peres Centre for Peace. In all, attendance was much larger than expected, and was held in a packed meeting room with overflow seating in the hallway. The session was chaired by Haim Divon, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Ministry and Head of MASHAV. The discussion began with a detailed 90 minute presentation on the report's contents by Aliza Belman Inbal, co-author of the report. Following the presentation, the second half of the session was devoted to a heated discussion on Israel's foreign aid policy, based on the report's policy recommendations. Amongst topics discussed: what should be the aims of Israel's aid program, what role should the Israeli private and civil society sectors have in Israeli aid-giving, and what needs to be done in order to launch a successful campaign for increase of Israel's aid budget.

2009 – Events and Workshops

Limmud UK – December 2009
Senior Pears Fellow, Aliza Belman Inbal, was sponsored by the Pears Foundation to give a series of presentations on international aid at the annual Limmud conference in the UK. Ms. Belman Inbal participated in a panel discussion with Yitzhak Abt, one of the founding fathers of Israel's agricultural cooperation program on the history of MASHAV (Israel's National Agency for International Development Cooperation), as well as speaking on Jewish religious perspectives on international aid, current issues in aid and, for young Limmud, on the UN Convention on the rights of the child.

8 December: UN Awareness Seminar

The Hartog School of Government in partnership with Arbel Division at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IsraAID held its 3rd UN awareness seminar at the Tel Aviv University campus. The goal of the seminar was to expose Israeli students and professionals to employment opportunities in the UN and its agencies. Spokespersons from the UN Secretariat, UNDP, UNICEF and UN Peace Corps introduced their organizations, its professional credo and requirements and its application process, and opened the session for questions from the audience. The crowd of around 250 students responded avidly. After a lunch hosted by the Vice Rector of the TAU, Prof. Aaron Shai, and TAU's Vice President for Public affairs Dr. Gary Sussman, each of the UN representatives gave a short workshop in a specific subject unique to the UN application process (Points to a good telephone job interview; Writing an effective CV for UN applications; volunteering as means for professional experience etc.) and later interviewed prescreened applicants.

23 November: The Suggested Reform in Planning and Construction – A Coalition Towards an Alternative Model

The purpose of this roundtable, hosted by the Hartog School, was to consolidate a comprehensive and erudite alternative to the suggested governmental reform, one that will promote responsible planning – both socially and environmentally. The meeting brought together civil society organizations from the "Headquarters for Responsible Planning" and leading practitioners in the planning field that commented and enriched the Headquarters' proposed draft. A final document was writen and eventually presented to the government. See here.
Participants included: Architect Dina Rachevsky, Former Head of the Planning Division, Ministry of the Interior; architect and urban planner Dahlia Be'eri, formerly head of the Ministry for Environmental Protection's Central Region Division; Architect Shmuel Gelbhart, member of the Haifa city council; urban planner Dr. Emily Silverman of the Technion, urban planner and Advocate Asher Kahana, chairman of the sub-committee for reform issues of the Israeli Association of Planners, and the legal advisor of the Israel Loss Adjusters Association.
For the final document submitted to Eyal Gabay, Chief of Staff at the Prime Ministers Office.

18-19 November: International Conference on Genocide Prevention
Israel: From Commemoration to Global Integration

Held at Tel Aviv University Campus on November 17-18, 2009 the Conference's major aim was to connect local Israeli efforts and concerns, to the global research and initiatives current in the prevention of genocide. Commemorating 60 years to the UN Genocide Convention, the conference brought together concerned global citizens—scholars, educators and activists from various fields in order to encourage a well founded and creative response to addressing issues around genocide.

The two-day conference was a huge success and attracted a crowd of around 250 participants. Activities included keynote speakers and panel discussions with local and international genocide experts as well as interactive workshops, genocide survivors’ testimonies, films, exhibitions, music and artistic performances.
For conference program click here.
For a summary of conference proceedings click here.
For selected pictures from the conference please click here.

8-9 September: The India-Israel Forum—India-Israel Relations in a Global Age

This second meeting of the forum, taking place in Tel Aviv, brought together once more economic and academic leaders from India and Israel to further develop themes and insights discussed in the previous forum which took place in New-Delhi in 2008. Hosted by the Harold Hartog School of Government and policy from the Tel Aviv University and the Confederation of Indian Industry, the workshop reinforced themes of cooperation between the two countries, stressing the similarities and idiosyncrasies of both economies in the face of the global financial crisis.For Conference Booklet click here.

The workshop was Co-chaired by Mr. Stanley Bergman, Chair of Hartog School international board, and Mr Mr. Hari S. Bhartia, Vice President, CII and Co-Chair & MD, Jubilant Organosys Ltd.and by Mr. Aharon Fogel, Chair of the Board, Ness Technology and Migdal Insurance & Mr. Tarun Das, President, Aspen Institute India and Chief Mentor, CII. Issues discussed included infrastructure and Public Private Partnerships, investment and cooperation in agriculture, technology and industry. Our guests from India met the Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Benyamin Ben-Eliezer, and the honorable president of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres. For Conference Proceedings click here

22 June: Launching the corruption index

The Index was launched in a conference together with the Israeli Friend of The University Club hosting State Comptroller, former justice, Micha Linderstrauss, and Mr. Morris Kahan, of the Kahan Foundation, who supported the project.

Highlights presented in the conference include an indicated rise in press reports regarding corruption in local authorities between 2002 and 2007; a dramatic rise in court rulings in which local authorities are part of and in these a rise in corruption related rulings; According to respondents’ reports, the number of incidents of corruption per 1,000 respondents annually could be broken down by type of corruption, as follows: 340 incidents of bribery; 560 incidents of “deal-making” (“macher-ism”); and 912 incidents of favoritism or cronyism (“protektzia”). More findings can be found in the attached research summary. For more about the corruption index please see here.

15 May, 2009: The Gac Ya'acobi annual conference

The 'Gad Ya'acobi Conference for Society, Culture and Politic' will take place every year under the auspices of The Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy to commemorate the late Mr. Gad Ya'acobi.

Gad Ya'acobi (1932-2007) was a Knesset member on behalf of the Labor Party and served as Transportation Minister, Minister of Finance and Planning, and Minister Communications Minister. He was first elected to the Israeli parliament in 1969 and served as a Knesset member for 23 years. Ya'acobi also served as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Israel Electricity Corporation and chairman of the Israel Ports and Railways Authority. Mr. Ya'acobi also wrote a number of books, including three children's books. He studied economics and political science at Tel Aviv University.

This year's speakers at the Gad Ya'acobi conference included the eminent British historian Sir Martin Gilbert, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the fifth Israeli President Yizhak Navon and Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, former president of the Tel Aviv University. The evening was also a celebration of the launching of "Encounters in the Course of my Life", a book written by Yaacobi.

For pictures of the conference please click here.

4 May: Environmental Organization and New Olims (immigrants)

In a joint conference, The Harold Hartog School of Government and Shatil- Center for Empowerment and Training of Social Change Organizations in Israel, explored the unchartered territory of environmental activity of olim- new immigrants to Israel. In the plethora of environmental organizations of various kinds, there is a distinct lack of activity that involves new immigrants—mainly from the former USSR and Ethiopia.

The forum brought together representatives of olim organizations and of environmental organizations. Participants tried to analyze reasons for the disparity and explore means of cooperation. Several ideas were raised, such as involvement in educational olim organizations, participation of olim experts (e.g. engineers, scientists, physicians) in environmental professional forums, production of environmental materials in Russian, and more.

The conference was an opening session for a continuous dialogue and we will continue to explore avenues of developing the green agenda among the population of new immigrants to Israel.

29 April: The relationship between space independence and unconventional weapons

The Tel Aviv Workshop for Science, Technology and Security held a symposium on the reciprocal relations between development of nuclear energy programs and national space programs, especially launching capability. The discussion focused on a working paper by Ms. Aviatl Moyal – A 2006/2007 Goldman Fellow - entitled "The Relation between Space Independence and Unconventional Weapons". The paper explores the various factors and calculations motivating states to embark on large-scale projects to launch satellites into space. The principle argument is that a link exists between a decision to develop launching capabilities and national aspirations to develop programs of weapons of mass destruction. For this reason, the paper warns of the danger in space launchers proliferation under current international norms and regulations that may lead to ballistic missiles proliferation.

The symposium was chaired by Dr. Chaim Eshed, head of the space program at the IMOD. Among the participants were: Prof. Neil Gendel, head of the Harold Hartog School of Policy and Government and Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, Minister of Science. The key-note speaker was Ms. Moyal, who presented the working paper. The discussants were Prof. Isaac Ben Israel, Prof. Gerald Steinberg and Dr. Eli Levite.

19 April: From Crisis to Opportunity – Greening the Economy

This conference, organized by the school, in collaboration with the Ministry for Environmental Protection, and Ma'ala- Business for Social Responsibility hosted Mr. Achim Steiner, Director General of UN Environment Program (UNEP), and the newly appointed Israeli Minister for Environment Protection, Mr. Gilad Erdan.

Steiner's and Erdan's presentations were followed by a discussion panel regarding the "Green New Deal" Mr. Steiner presented, including the question of the role of Israel in responding to the challenges of the economic and environmental crisis. The panel was chaired by Ms. Irit Avisar of "Globes" financial newspaper. Discussants were:

• Valerie Brachya, the Deputy Director of The Ministry for Environment Protection
• Elah Alkalay, Vice President of Business Development, IBI Brokerage
• Alona Shefer (Karo), CEO, Life and Environment
• Dr. David Katz, Recanati Business school, Tel Aviv University
• Momo Mahadav, Vice President, Ma'ala

The conference was very well attended by academics, environmentalists, politicians, and people from the business sector and the Israeli press. The New Minister for Environment Protection remained for the duration of the conference, and answered questions from the audience at the end of the evening.

More can be found in the following files:
Minister Gilad Erdan's Speech
Speech by Achim Steiner

29 March, 2009: Whose company is it? On the privatization of Israel Electric Company (IEC).

The Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy held a symposium on the issue of the proposed reform in Israel's Electricity sector, in collaboration with a coalition of NGOs related to this long-suggested reform. In the past 10 years, the Israeli government has been advocating the privatization of the electricity sector in Israel, without holding a proper public debate on the issue. The symposium provided a first opportunity for an open debate between government, the private sector, the academia, and civil society. For the report presented at the symposium click here

2008 – Events and Workshops

2-3 September: The India-Israel Forum—India-Israel Relations in a Global Age

This two day conference which took place in New Delhi, India, brought together economic and academic leaders from India and Israel to examine a decades-long relationship between the two countries. This seminal workshop was initiated by the Harold Hartog School of Government and policy from the Tel Aviv University and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Co-chaired by Mr. Stanley Bergman, Chair of Hartog School international board, and Mr. Tarun Das Chief Mentor, Confederation of Indian Industry and by Mr. Aharon Fogel, Chair of the Board, Ness Technology and Migdal Insurance & Mr. Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited. The workshop focused on the economic and civic ties between the two economies. In a series of stimulating and challenging discussions participants tries to take stock of past developments, but mainly to map future directions of cooperation in light of a globalizing world on one hand and a fundamental and fragmental Asia and Middle East. For photos please click here. For the conference booklet please click here.

6 July: The Goldman Fellows Conference

This year the School held the first meeting of past and present Goldman Fellows. The Goldman fellowships are given yearly to five Junior fellows and one Senior fellow with the aim of improving Israeli Public Service. Junior Fellows are selected amongst top graduate students in Political Science and Public Policy. The senior fellow is a senior public officer who joins the School for one year. The Goldman Fellowships are funded from a separate endowment that was given to the School by the Goldman Foundation.

After the get-together, the fellows were invited to a public conference held by the Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy based on Dr. Reuven Gal's study "Perception of Rights and Duties among Israeli Arabs – The Case of Civil Service". During the conference Dr. Gal, a Senior Goldman Fellow for the year 2005-2006, presented his research and discussed its findings and implications with discussants Prof. Yossi Shein of the Hartog School of Government and Policy, Ms. Amal El-Sana-Elhajuj of Ajik: the Arab-Jewish Center for Equality and Prof. Eli Reches of the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University.

This coming academic year (2008-2009) will also see the initiation of a specially targeted workshop for Goldman Fellows, in which they will be meeting senior public officers and discussing issues pertaining to the Israeli Public Service. Both conference and workshop for past and present Goldman Fellows will become a yearly event, with the aim of creating a network that will enable the fellows to exchange ideas, knowledge and expertise. We hope that the 'Goldman Forum' will grow into a professionally challenging gathering that will benefit both the fellows and the public sector at large.

The National Budget Monitoring Project

Acknowledging the need and importance of civil society's involvement in public policy-making processes and recognizing the importance of internalizing the principles of openness and transparency in decisions making, the Hartog School of Government and Policy at Tel Aviv University and Shatil, the New Israel Fund's Empowerment and Training Center for Social Change Organizations, are developing new knowledge and skills to serve these ends, so to develop tools and mechanisms that would allow civil society to monitor policies and budgets.

Existing mechanisms are limited and provide only partial information, making it difficult to both devise a thought-out policy and to examine its impact. This situation is problematic in democratic societies, for democratic societies are based on the public's trust and support.

The project represents a unique collaboration between three sectors: civil society organizations, academia and government representatives. The dialogue has brought to the foreground the lack of a tool that will allow for monitoring national budgets and budget-related policies, as well as the will and expertise needed to design such a tool.

TO date the group had four working-sessions (19.7.07, 10.10.07, 3.1.08, 18.5.08). In these sessions several issues were discussed:

• Models of budgetary monitoring (both in Israel and internationally).
• The decision making process in Israel- how to increase transparency and participation.
• A study of existing monitoring and budget control mechanisms, mainly within the ministry of finance.
• Developing a prototype model for budget monitoring tool.

30-31 March: Workshop on Faith and International Development

This two day workshop held in Neve Ilan, was entitled "Faith and International Development". It was attended by one hundred and twenty representatives from more than 50 Jewish and Israeli humanitarian groups. For the Conference Booklet please click here.

The workshop's 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.

Workshop highlights included:

• A keynote address by Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow and Visiting Professor, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University;
• Interactive sessions with faith-based development organizations, Catholic Relief Services, Christian Aid and World Vision;
• A session aimed at formulating a new Jewish-humanitarian vocabulary, facilitated by Tel Aviv University's Department of Hebrew Culture Studies, and involving group study of Jewish texts. To see the texts, click here;
• The release of results of a public opinion survey on Israel's international development assistance. The survey may be read in English by clicking here, or in Hebrew by clicking here;
• A keynote address by Ad Melkert, UN Under-Secretary General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program; and
• A discussion with major Jewish foundations on boosting coordinated Jewish and Israeli endeavors in the developing world.

To see photos from the workshop please click here , and to read news stories about the workshop, click here.

2007 - Events and Workshops

25 June 2007: The Darfur Crisis - Israel and the Jewish People

A special conference was held on campus to advance awareness of the genocide in Darfur. The keynote speaker was Ruth Messinger, President of the American Jewish World Services (AJWS). Other guest speakers included;

• Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Former Chief Rabbi of Israel and the current Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv
• Simona Halperin, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Assaf Uni, Haaretz Newspaper
• Neil Grungras, Bnei Brith and Isra-Aid
• Advocate Anat Ben-Dor, Head of the Refugee Rights Clinic at TAU's Law Faculty
• Jacqueline Murekatete, Jacqueline’s Human Rights Corner

The event was followed by the opening of an exhibition of photographs of refugee camps in Chad, taken by Uriel Sinai whilst on assignment for Haaretz.Further details about the conference can be found in the invitation.

Related news items:

• Jacqueline Murekatete:'Allowing more genocide isn't an option' (In English)


• Messinger: The olympics allows for pressuring China over Darfur (In Hebrew)


• Jacqueline Murekatete: Did we learn from the massacre in Rwanda (In Hebrew)


• Messinger: Darfur has expanded U.S. Jews' foreign policy focus (In English)

28 May 2007 – Debate on the topic EU, Israel - Good Neighbours?

Mr. Ramiro Cibrian , the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Israel and Mr. Michal Zantovsky , the Ambassador of the Czech Republic, participated in a debate organized on campus by the School of Government and Policy in honor of "Europe Day". This is the second time such an debate was held and marks the declaration of the establishment of the first body of the European Union. This year we celebrated the EU's 50 year Jubilee. The topic of debate was "Does Israel benefit from its association with the EU?" In opposition to the Ambassadors were representatives of the debating club from TAU student union.

Debate on Europe Day in Vesti (In Russian)

24 May 2007: "The rise and price of the standards movement"

The School of Government and Public Policy in partnership with the School of Education and Ministry of Education hosted a conference on the topic of "The rise and price of the standards movement". The conference was held to mark the release of an international critical review on the topic by Dr Ami Wolanski, a Senior Goldman Fellow at the School of Government. The conference was divided into two sessions, and commenced with a talk on the study and development of standards in education in Israel and Internationally. In the second session the critical question of "which standards are deserving and desirable for the futures in Israel?" was discussed. Speakers included senior members of the Ministry of Education and academics from various universities, colleges and research institutions. During the conference Prof. Yuli Tamir, Minister of Education, shared her thoughts on the topic.

17 May 2007 - Seminar: Improper Political Appointments

Following the publication of two research papers on the topic of "Political Appointments", the school organized a seminar open to the wider public. At the conference researchers, Mr. Doron Navot and Dr. Rotem Bresler-Gonen presented their findings. In response to their conclusions addresses were given by the following speakers, Prof. Yitzhak Zamir, former Judge in the Supreme Court, Mr. Shmuel Hollander, Israel's Civil Service Commissioner, Dr. Meir Gilboa, former senior police investigator, and Mr. Yair Bar-Kol, chairman of the association of senior personnel in the Israeli civil service. The discussion centered on the legitimacy of political appointments, defining what is meant by improper political appointments and examining their consequences on public service delivery and on the political system itself.

Please click on the relevant speaker for a full transcript of their speech: 
Former Justice Yitzhak Zamir |  Commissioner Shmuel Hollander

3rd May 2007 - The U.N in the Arena of Humanitarian Assistance

The Hartog School of Government and Policy at Tel Aviv University, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IsraAID - the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid, organized a unique seminar aimed at raising awareness on the work of UN aid agencies around the world as well as on the recruitment procedures for Israelis interested in seeking employment opportunities with the UN.

The seminar was held at Tel Aviv University on May 3, 2007 as part of a series of educational and awareness events for the year 2007 spearheaded by the Foreign Ministry and IsraAID.

The conference hosted UN representatives from five agencies including; UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Program (UNDP), World Food Program (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).The participants talked about their experiences in developing countries and explained how Israelis can get involved with these agencies.

The seminar attracted many Israelis who hold degrees in relevant fields, and have a interest in engaging and contributing in and to UN agencies in developing countries, particularly in Africa.

Request: Israeli workers for aid agencies at the U.N, compensation of $5000 a month. (Hebrew)
Foreign Ministry to present employment opportunities at Aid Agencies in UN (Hebrew)
Israelis urged to come work for UN aid projects
UN Event in Vesti (In Russian) - Page 1,  Page 2

2nd May 2007 - Round Table Discussion - "E-Government in Israel's local government"

The Harold Hartog School was glad to host a round table discussion on the topic of "E-Government in Israel's local government". presented by Ayelet Rotem. Some of the important issues discussed in this fascinating forum include the fact that half of the local governments do not even have a website, the value offered by a web-site for Local Government Agencies along with the required level of interaction on such a site, and the necessary condition for successful e-government. Participants in the discussion included;

• Asher Ben-Shushan - The Tel Aviv Municipality
• Ofer Daliot - Microsoft
• MK Micky Eitan
• Mr. Bezalel Kahn
• Ayelet Rotem
• Prof. Yossi Shain - Head of the Harold Hartog School
• Dr. Sarit Ben-Simhon - Director of Research at the Harold Hartog School
• Advocate Nadav Shraivman - Advisor on the Internet for the Ministry of Finance

2006 - Events and Workshops

December 2006 - Round Table discussion on the "rights and obligations of the Arab minority"

The Hartog School convened a round table to discuss the subject of research conducted by Senior Goldman Fellow Dr. Reuven Gal, on the question of rights and obligations of the Arab minority, and the subject of nation-wide civic service. Participants included politicians, academics and youth workers from the Arab and Bedouin minorities, and several Jewish Israeli and Americans who work to promote the advancement of rights for the Arab minority in Israel. Different models of volunteerism as empowerment were presented. The discussion focused on the tension between community action and integration into wider society, and how this informed the perception of the split between rights and obligation.

12 December 2006 - Seminar: Between the Carrot and the Stick - How Should we Deal with a States Nuclearisation.

The evening began with a presentation by Goldman Fellow Tiran Rotman based on his study entitled " A State’s Choice: Nuclear Policy in a Changing World; Libya, North Korea and Iran." This was followed by a talk given by Professor Uzi Arad, who spoke on "The Changes and Tendency of Nuclear States in the New World Order" A discussion followed among the panel members who included: Deputy Minister of Defence, Member of Knesset, Dr. Ephraim Sneh; former commander of the IDF's National Defense College and the IDF Staff and Command College, Major General (Res.) Yaakov Amidror; Head of the Security Studies at TAU Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Israel; Prof. Yossi Shain, Head of the Hartog School.

A State’s Choice: Nuclear Policy in a Changing World; Libya, North Korea and Iran (In Hebrew)
A Iranian Nuke - At the crossroads

28 November 2006 - Seminar: Strategic Depth and the Eastern Front: Coping with the Threat from the East and the Military Presence in the West Bank.

The evening began with a presentation by Goldman Fellow Avner Simhoni. The topic of his paper was "Can Israel Defend Itself Without Maintaining Permanent Military Presence in the West Bank?" This was followed by a talk among the panel members who included Dr. Reuven Pedatzur, Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University and Haaretz, Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Israel, Head of the Security Studies at TAU, Member of Knesset Dr. Yuval Steinitz, who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and Prof. Yossi Shain, Head of the Hartog School.

Can Israel Defend Itself Without Maintaing Permanent Military Presencein the West Bank? (In Hebrew)

November 2006 - India Visit

A delegation from the Hartog School recently traveled to India to meet with several academics from leading New Delhi institutions. The visit was organized by Mr. Anup Singh, a member of the Hartog School's International Advisory Board, and with the help of Indian Ambassador to Israel, Mr. Arun K. Singh.

The School's delegation included its Head, Professor Yossi Shain, Director of Research and Program Development, Dr. Gary Sussman and Mr. Ira Reiner, a board member.

The aim of the trip was to explore possible avenues for cooperation between Indian and Israeli academics on matters of Diplomacy and Public Policy, and how these issues affect and are affected by each country's Diaspora. Good governance in particular is an issue the School wishes to explore with our Indian partners.

To this end, an annual gathering is proposed, to bring together academics, senior government officials, politicians and business leaders, as well as representatives of the respective Diasporas (Indian and Jewish). The idea would be to focus on a different issue each year and to host the event in Tel Aviv and New Delhi alternately.

Potential partnerships were identified with several prestigious institutions involved in issues pertinent to the School, notably local and corporate governance. We also found strong interest in research into issues of the Diaspora and Diaspora-homeland relations, a subject with much potential for constructive cooperation.

The short trip was a success for Tel Aviv University and the Hartog School, inspiring the senior staff to develop new fields of joint research and academic exchange.

15 November 2006 - The Preparedness of the Home Front in a State of Emergency

This one-day event looked at the burning issues that arose out of the recent conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border. The panels addressed the following issues: When to Declare a State of Emergency, Communication between Central and Local Government in a State of Emergency, Damage Assessment, Economic Recovery, Reconstruction and Compensation. Panel speakers included the Minister of the Interior, the Director General of the Ministry of Finance, the Head of the National Security Council and the Mayor of Haifa, amongst others.

The following presentations were made at the Workshop, all are in Hebrew:

1. The civilian front in a State of Emergency – Ra'anan Dinor, Director General, Prime Minister's Office


2. Local Authorities – Home or Front? Dr. Rafi Wertheim, Mayor, Kiriyat Bialik


3. Position of Dan Ronen, Commander of the Northern Region


4. Urban Readiness and Civilian Strength in the face of Mass Trauma – Prof. Natanel Laor, Manager of the "Hosen Center for Intervention in Mass Trauma and Disaster Donated by Cohen-Harris


5. Reciprocal Ties between Health Organizations and Local Authorities – provision of medical services to populations in the conflict zone – Dr, Danny Laor, Head of the State of Emergency Branch, Ministry of Health


6. The War's Influence on Women in the North – Merit Danon, Head of the Unit for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Office of the Prime Minister


7. Building Strong Communities in a Complex Reality – Baruch Sugarman, Service for Community Work, Ministry of Welfare

11 June 2006 - Tikkun Olam Workshop

This workshop was held to explore the Tikkun Olam Project, a policy initiative which proposes interaction and coordination between Israel and world Jewry in the field of international development and humanitarian assistance. The workshop was hosted by the Pears Foundation UK and Stanley Bergman, Chairman of the Hartog School's International Advisory Board. The workshop was attended by approximately 55 delegates from 35 organizations and seven countries. What emerged was a general mandate to investigate and propose modalities for cooperation. For more information on the workshop please click on the relevant link:
Delegates, Agenda, Letter from Minister Tzipi Livni, Letter from Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Participants, Participating Organizations.

30-31 May 2006 - Local Government Conference

The theme of this year's conference was "From Dependence to Independence". The second annual gathering was attended by some 1,200 people from the local government community, NGOs and academia. Cabinet Ministers Yuli Tamir, Minister of Education, Avi Dichter, Minister of Internal Security, Roni Bar-On, Minister of the Interior and Prime Minister Olmert also attended. The ministers made important policy announcements at the Conference, in particular Prime Minister Olmert's emphasis on his commitment to advancement of equality in the Arab local government sector.

A hundred people participated in twenty different sessions and workshops over the two days, and the Conference was attended by 8 international experts:

• Robin Kramer, Chief of Staff to Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
• Isi Halberthal, Etterbeek Commune, Brussels
• Sir Simon Milton, Leader of Westminster City Council
• Sir Jeremy Beecham, Newcastle, UK
• Dr. Robbert P. Baruch, Provincial Legislator, The Netherlands
• Solomon (Sol) Cowan, City Councilor, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Michael P. Ross, Council for District 8, Boston
• Cr Dick Gross – Port Phillip Council, Blessington Ward, Australia.

In addition to participating in the Conference panels, the international guests took part in specialized case study sessions over the course of the 2-day Conference.

The event was promoted in conjunction with the National Union of Local Authorities (NULA) and Local Government Economic Services (LGES). The second conference was supported by a host of key partners. These included: International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), The National Lottery (Mifhal Hapayis), Pears Foundation (UK), The Center for the Empowerment of Citizens in Israel (CECI), The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), The Jewish Agency, The Los Angeles Federation and the British Council.

We wish to extend special thanks to Riki Sprinzak and her dedicated team whose efforts made the event such a success.

29 May 2006 - Workshop: Coexistence through local government

This half-day international program, designed for the eight visiting local government officials from the UK, USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa and Australia, was devoted to the theme: “The locality (city, town or region) as an arena for Jewish-Arab Coexistence”. The program featured a brief tour of Tel Aviv-Jaffa that provided a historical backdrop for and contextualized the complex relations between Jews and Arabs in the city. After lunch, a discussion on the day’s theme took place at the Arab-Jewish Community Center in Jaffa with a variety of speakers including local Arab leaders, municipal officials and activists in the area of Jewish-Arab coexistence. The discussion was chaired and led by Sir Jeremy Beecham, Vice-Chair, Local Government Association, UK and Dr. Raviv Schwartz, of the Hartog School. The presenters included: Busayna Dabit, "Shatil" - Mixed Cities Project; Youval Tamari, "Sikkuy" - Association for Civic Equality in Israel; Ahmad Balaha, Attorney and former City Council member and Aviad Sar-Shalom, Urban Planner and Jaffa Resident.

8 May 2006 - Military Officers and Israeli Society

A symposium on "Senior Military Officers and Israeli Society" took place at Tel Aviv University on May 8th 2006. The main lecture, was delivered by Dafna Shaked on the topic of the second career of senior military officers in business organizations, she is the author of a memorandum on this subject. A panel discussion followed, directed by Prof. Major General (Ret.) Isaac Ben Israel. The participants included, Prof. Moshe Lissak from the Hebrew University, Major General (Ret.) Gideon Sheffer from Elbit Systems, and Col. Ronit Lev from the IDF. Together they debated the subject from differing points of view. The symposium closed with audience questions and a discussion of the research findings.

2 April 2006 - Study Visit of Political Science Students from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark

A group of thirty undergraduate and graduate students from Denmark visited the Hartog School a few days after Israel's general elections. A special program was arranged for them in order to analyze the implications of the election results for Israel's international relations as well as the peace process. Speakers included Prof. Yoram Peri, head of The Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society in Tel Aviv University; Dr. Ron Pundak, director of the Peres Center for Peace and Dr. Raviv Schwartz from the Hartog School. Dr. Avi Beker, head of the Jewish Policy and Diplomacy Program at Hartog School moderated the seminar. Finally, Ms. Sarah Rembiszewski from The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism spoke about the institute’s unique mission and its efforts to monitor and combat anti-Semitism across the globe.

16 March 2006 - Goldman Fellowship Presentation Ceremony

The Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fellowship Fund for Better Government was established in 2001. This year, two senior and six junior scholars and civil servants from various disciplines were awarded the fellowship. The Goldman Fellowship presentation ceremony was honored this year to host Zeev Bielski, Chairman of the Jewish Agency. In his address, Mr Bielski outlined the Jewish Agency's strategies for the future of the Jewish People. For more information about the Goldman Fellowship, click here.

February 2006 - Local Government delegation to Birmingham University

The Harold Hartog School of Government and Policy is currently establishing a local government studies unit. To this end the school sent a three person delegation, Dr. Nahum Ben-Elia, Riki Sprinzak and Dr. Rotem Gonen to the Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) at Birmingham University. INLOGOV is a leading centre for the applied study of local government and community governance, in the UK and world-wide. The delegation had the opportunity to meet leading staff members of INLOGOV, in order to learn from their experience and discuss relevant issues concerning the development of the new unit at TAU. INLOGOV serves as an important model for the development of a local government unit at TAU, pointing to key factors of institutional success and academic excellence. (photos)

2005 - Events and Workshops

15-16 November 2005 - Visit of Dr. Tan Tay Keong and Workshop:
“The Strategy of Soft Power in International Relations”

The School was pleased to host Dr. Tan Tay Keong for two days of meetings and lectures. Dr. Tan is Executive Director of the Singapore International Foundation, a non-profit, non-government organization that is assembling a corps of active global citizens for Singapore. He recently served at United Nations Headquarters in New York as the Special Assistant to the Under-Secretary-General and Chief of Staff of the Office of Internal Oversight Services. He holds master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Public Policy from Harvard University, and has taught public ethics and public management at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. During his visit to the School, Dr. Tan delivered keynote addresses at two events.

The first was a workshop on soft power, chaired by Professor Raanan Rein, Vice-Rector of Tel Aviv University and Director of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies. Dr. Tan’s fascinating presentation on “Survival Strategies of a Small State: Lessons from Singapore” was followed by the lectures of Dr. Avi Beker (“Soft Power: The Case of the Jewish Diaspora”) and Itzhak Shoham, former Ambassador of Israel to Singapore (“Soft Power in Israel-Singapore Relations”), and a lively roundtable exchange fueled by an audience of former high-level diplomats, security industry officials, graduate students from the Faculty of Social Sciences, and interested members of the public. An edited transcript of the event is now in production.

Dr. Tan also delivered the keynote address at an event co-hosted by the School and Shvil – the Israel Chapter of Transparency International. Dr. Tan discussed “The National Integrity Strategy of Singapore”, which has been commended for earning Singapore one of the lowest levels of corruption in the world.

21 July 2005 - “Workshop on the Deregulation of Water and Sewage Services”

Hosted jointly by the School and the Agency for Public Services: Water and Sewage Department, this workshop reviewed the creation of semi-private corporations (tagidim, in Hebrew) that would supply water and water services to local authorities – a service previously supplied by the local authorities themselves. In the future, these corporations are slated for privatization. The workshop covered the setting of prices and mechanisms to review and regulate the operation of these corporations; prospects for harnessing private-sector capital for them; ways to increase transparency and involve the public in their management; and their impending privatization. The event was attended by then-Minster of National Infrastructure Mr. Benjamin (Fuad) Eliezer, his Deputy, MK Ruhama Avraham, and MKs Amnon Cohen of Shas (Chair of the Knesset Economics Committee) and MK Avraham Poraz of Shinui (chair of the Economics Committee when that passed the law facilitating the creation of these new corporations). Additional input was provided by economists, public policy experts, representatives of the private sector, academics, officials from the Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructure, and representatives of environmental NGOs. A total of 25 panelists addressed 180 delegates.

June 2005 - Health Parliament Evening

In June, the School held a discussion evening entitled, ‘The Involvement of the Public in Difficult Policy Decisions: Is it Possible? Is it Advisable? Lessons from the ‘Health Parliament 2003’. Issues discussed included the role and advantages of participatory democracy, the theoretical functionality of a ‘health parliament’ as a model of consulting the public in issues of policy, and the practical question of whether once the public has had its say, anyone will in fact listen. Discussants included prominent academics, journalists and representatives from the Ministry of Health.

May 2005 - USA, Middle East and Israel Workshop

In May, the School held a workshop which discussed the processes and trends which have occurred since 9/11, stretching to the Iraq War, and through to the US Elections this November. The discussants included senior lecturers from the School, together with Dr. Eran Lerman, Director of the American Jewish Committee’s Israel and Middle East Office, and Mr. Zalman Shoval, former Israeli Ambassador to the USA.

15 May 2005 – “The Status of Minority Languages in Deeply Divided Societies - The Arabic language in Israel”

This conference dealt with theoretical themes concerning minority languages, as well as the practical status of minority languages in multi-lingual states. The conference focused on constitutional and educational issues relating to this subject. An important question was raised concerning the comparison of Arabic to different minority languages in Israel, such as Russian, as well as a comparison of Arabic to other minority languages in other democracies, such as the Urdu language in India.

The School has published a policy paper by Ayelet Harel-Shalev, a PhD student in the Political Science department, titled “The Status of Minority Languages in Deeply Divided Societies - The Urdu language in India and the Arabic language in Israel in Comparative Perspective”. At the conference Ms. Harel-Shalev presented her research. Other speakers, from the academic world, public sphere, and Supreme Court, also participated at the conference and provided their own unique perspectives to these issues. The Canadian Embassy and the Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Fund provided support towards simultaneous translation for the evening.

14 April 2005 - “Israel in Space”

This workshop explored the contribution of Israel's space program to the national security of the State, following the publication of a position paper published by Deganit Paikovsky (researcher at the School). The paper and the event were supported by the School and the Security Studies Program. Prof. Yossi Shain opened the evening and Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel (Head of the Security Studies Program), chaired the event. Panelists included Prof. Haim Eshed (head of the IDF's space program), Dr. Rueven Pedhatzur (Tel Aviv University and Haaretz), and Deganit Paikovsky. The audience included representatives from the security and space industries, from the I.D.F. and from the Ministry of Defense, media and students. The event was covered by numerous media outlets and the position paper has been distributed to high level decision makers in both the military and national government. Likewise, both the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Defense acquired numerous copies of the position paper to distribute in their offices.

14 March 2005 - “The Crisis of Violence in Israeli Society”

The School conducted a workshop entitled “The Crisis of Violence in Israeli Society”. Panelists in the evening’s discussions included our project head, former Israeli Commissioner of Police Shlomo Aharonishki, Advocate Arieh Barnea (former school principal), Prof. Haj Yehiya-Mohammed (School of Social Work, Hebrew University), Prof. Yitzhak Katz (Ma'agar Mochot Polling), Prof. Dafna Lemish (Media Studies, Tel Aviv University), Justice Ron Shapira (Haifa Regional Court) and social worker Avi Tfelin (manager of a Shelter for battered spouses).

7 March 2005 - “Bush’s Foreign Policy and Neo-Conservative Ideology after September 11”

The distinguished panel for this event included William Kristol; Mr. Dov Weisglass, Senior Aide to the Prime Minister; Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, President of Tel Aviv University; and Prof. Peter Berkowitz of the George Mason University School of Law, Hoover Institution of Stanford University. The event was attended by some 800 people.

19 January 2005 - “Israel and the UN, Can They Cooperate?”

Stanley and Marion Bergman hosted a Hartog School event on UN-Israel relations at the Penn Club in New York, which was addressed by Mr. Terje Roed-Larson, former United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and current President of the International Peace Academy.

2004 Events and Workshops

December 2004 - Address of Terje Roed-Larsen, with Responses from Shimon Peres MK, and Moshe Arens

In December, the School hosted Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, who ended his tenure as United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, together with leader of the Opposition Labor Party, Shimon Peres MK, and former Minister of Defense and of Foreign Affairs, Moshe Arens. The event was an outstanding success, with over 600 people attending on a wintry night. The diplomatic corps also attended in full force, eager to hear from three experienced statesman their view of UN-Israeli relations, in light of both the problematic history between Israel and the UN, as well as the opportunities that now present themselves in the post-Arafat era.

Mr. Roed-Larsen’s address was responded to by Shimon Peres and Moshe Arens, first by formal addresses, and then by a roundtable discussion moderated by Professor Shimon Shamir, head of The University Institute for Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation. Also participating was Professor Yossi Shain, head of the School of Government and Policy. The evening was completed with a dinner in honor of Mr. Roed-Larsen.

The UN-Israel event was hosted in conjunction with The University Institute for Diplomacy and Regional Cooperation, and Tel Aviv University’s monthly ‘International Forum’. The event was covered by both local and international media. A full transcript of the evening, containing the addresses of the three speakers and the ensuing discussion, will be published shortly by the School.

December 2004 - Local Government study visit to South Africa

The School lead a delegation of local government leaders to South Africa in December for a study visit and seminar that highlighted the role of local government in the transition to democracy. The delegation included the mayors of Ashdod (Zvi Zilker), Yafia (Shawki Hatib – who also serves as head of the High Follow Up Committee) Nes Tziona (Yossi Shvo), Gilboa Regional Council (Danny Attar), Migdal Haemek (Eli Barda), and Kfar Yasif (Awni Tuma). In addition, there were two representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Arab Center for Alternative Planning as well as the School of Government.

October 2004 - Workshop: The Practical Persuasive Capacity of the Office of the State Comptroller and of Investigative Media in Israel

On 21 October, the School held a workshop in conjunction with the School of Public Policy (with which it administers the Executive Masters in Public Policy), to discuss a working paper produced for the School in July this year by Dr. Gal Alon, called “Watchdogs of Democracy? The State Comptroller and the Investigative Journalists in a Race for Influence.” At the workshop, Dr. Alon presented an overview of the working paper, which was then discussed and critiqued by a panel of experts, including the School’s Professor Ze’ev Segal, MK Ran Cohen, a member of the Knesset Committee on State Scrutiny, Advocate Mordechai Bass, Executive Director of the Office of the State Comptroller, and MR Sever Plotzker, a deputy editor at the Yediot Aharonoth newspaper. An overview of the working paper can be found in English on our web site.

October 2004 - Workshop: A Blueprint for Improving the Employment Outlook in Israel

On 28 October, the School held a workshop to discuss its “Blueprint for Improving the Employment Outlook in Israel”, which was published as a working paper in March this year by Dr. Dan Ben-David (School of Public Policy). The workshop comprised an analysis and discussion of the blueprint. First between Maj. Gen. (Res.) Uzi Dayan, President of the Zionist Council in Israel, also a former head of the National Security Council, Mr. Eli Horowitz, Board Chairman of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and MK Amir Peretz, Head of the Histadrut Labor Federation; and then, between the economic editors of four of Israel’s main dailies, Globes, Ma’ariv, Ha’aretz, and Yediot Aharonoth.

July 2004 - Water Workshop

In July, the School held a workshop on issues of privatization, desalinization and public sharing of water in Israel. The workshop particularly focused on the absence of public awareness and debate regarding the privatization of water services in Israel, as well as matters related to government regulation. The workshop was a cooperative venture with Friends of the Earth Middle East, the Porter School of Environmental Studies and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.

April 2004 - Referendum Conference

In April, immediately prior to the Likud referendum on Prime Minister Sharon’s ‘Disengagement Plan’ from Gaza, the School held a three-day conference entitled ‘On the Verge of Cardinal Decisions, Israel and the Referendum, Lessons from Around the World’. The conference brought together journalists, academics, and Israeli politicians, with presentations being given by prominent academics from Europe and Israel, as well as by Israeli politicians, including Speaker of the Knesset, MK Ruby Rivlin, Chair of the Knesset Constitutional Affairs Committee, MK Michael Eitan, MK Yossi Sarid of the Yahad Party, and Professor Moshe Arens, former Minster of Defense and Foreign Affairs. The conference was hosted in collaboration with the Israeli Association of Parliamentarism and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Support was also provided by the Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Charitable Fund, the Embassy of Switzerland, Tel Aviv, and the British Council in Israel.

March 2004 - Francis Fukuyama Event

In March, the School held an evening dedicated to a review of Professor Francis Fukuyama’s famous essay, “The End of History?”, with 15 years having elapsed since its original writing. Keynote addresses were delivered by Professor Fukuyama, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and Israel’s Minister of Finance, Benjamin Netanyahu. The event was attended by over 1000 staff, students, foreign dignitaries and members of the public. Its success was attested to by reports in Israel’s major dailies, and even in the Weekly Standard in the U.S., as well as receiving broad electronic media coverage, including an entire segment in Channel 1 Israel’s prestigious current affairs program, ‘Roim Olam’. A glossy booklet containing a transcript of the evening has also been published and can be found in English on our web site.