JEWISH IDENTITY AND LEADERSHIP IN A CHANGING WORLD
27-29 Iyar 5781 – May 9-11, 2021
Jerusalem
As we commemorate the 54th anniversary of Jerusalem’s liberation
Sunday | May 9 | 27 Iyar
Opening Evening
*Opening evening for invitees only
16:00 (4 PM)
Registration and Cocktails
Moderator: Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon correspondent and conference director
17:00 (5 PM)
Greetings
Rav Rafi Peretz, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage
Haggai Segal, Editor-in-Chief, Makor Rishon
17:20 (5:20 PM)
Commanding respect – Israeli State leaders and their attitude towards Diaspora Jewry
Moderator: Orly Goldklang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Makor Rishon
Participants:
Herzl Makov, President, Menachem Begin Heritage Center
Elyakim Rubinstein, Former Supreme Court Justice and Deputy President of the Supreme Court
Zvi Hauser, Former Cabinet Secretary
18:00 (6 PM)
One-on-One Interview
Amit Segal, Senior Political Commentator, News 12
With Ron Dermer, Former Ambassador of Israel to the United States
18:25 (6:25 PM)
Greetings
Gary Torgow, Steering Committee Chairman, Mosaic United
Prof. Arieh Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University
Jewish students from around the world with a tribute to President Rivlin
Keynote speaker:
President of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin
19:00 (7 PM)
Musical performance
Musician Shlomi Shaban performs a special tribute to Leonard Cohen
Monday | May 10 | 28 Iyar
Conference Moderators: Orly Goldklang and Yair Kraus
10:00
Greetings
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion
10:10
Israel and the Nations: Exile, Diaspora and the Chosen People
Rav Eliezer Melamed, Rabbi of Har Bracha
A.B. Yehoshua, Israel Prize Laureate for Literature
Prof. Yedidia Z. Stern, President Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI)
10:45
With the Right Eye – The Israeli Right and its Agenda Towards Diaspora Jewry
Introductory remarks: Yossi Klein Halevi, Research Fellow, Hartman Institute
Moderator: Sara Beck, Channel 20
Participants:
MK Gadi Yevarken, Deputy Minister of Public Security
MK Simcha Rothman, Religious Zionism
MK Yossi Taieb, Shas
Concluding remarks: Oded Revivi, Mayor of Efrat Regional Council
11:30
One-on-one interviews
Haggai Segal, Editor-in-Chief, Makor Rishon
Atara German, Political reporter, Makor Rishon, with party leaders and senior political figures
12:00
One-on-one interview
Yaron Avraham, News 12
With MK Merav Michaeli, leader of the Labor Party
12:20
TED Talk: Europe, Europe – Is there a future for Jews on the old continent?
Rabbi Dr. Dov Maimon, Senior Fellow Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI)
12:30
Greetings
Avi Cohen Skalli, Director General, Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage
12:35
Talking Zionism Internationally – One-on-One-Interview
Yaron Avraham, News 12
With Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman World Zionist Organization
13:00 (1 PM)
Academia – The Great Jewish Network
Moderator: Prof. Yaron Harel, Dean of Faculty of Jewish Studies, Bar-Ilan University
Participants:
Dr. Ronit Irshai, Senior Lecturer, Gender Studies Program, Bar-Ilan University and Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute
Prof. Yehuda Mirsky, Brandeis University
Dr. Sharon Goldman, Vice President of Bar-Ilan University
Prof. Hanoch Ben-Pazi, Head of the Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University
13:45 (1:45 PM)
TED Talk: The Jews of Possibilities – What will American Jewry look like in ten years?
Carolyn Glick, Senior Columnist, Israel Hayom, Newsweek and author
13:55 (1:55 PM)
TED Talk: The Contribution of American Jewry to the Future of the Jewish people
Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute
14:05 (2:05 PM)
One-on-one interview
Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
With Isaac (Bougie) Herzog, Chairman of the Jewish Agency
14:20 (2:20 PM)
Who’s Afraid of Conservatism: Can Conservatives Offset the Domination of the Progressive Discourse?
Introductory remarks: Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, President of Shurat HaDin Israeli Law Center
Moderator: Dr. Gadi Taub, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Participants:
Alan Dershowitz, noted US attorney and author
David Schoen, formerly Donald J. Trump’s attorney, expert in federal criminal defense and civil rights law
15:00 (3 PM)
Jewish Digital: The Startup Nation and the Jerusalem High-Tech Scene
Ronen Perlmutter, Israel Hayom
With Elie Wurtman, Co-Founder and Partner of PICO Partners
15:30 (3:30 PM)
French Jewry in Wake of Sarah Halimi’s Murder
Moderator: Yaki Hepstein, Director of Makor Rishon’s digital department
Marc Eisenberg, President Alliance Israélite Universelle and United France
Ariel Kandel, Director-General Qualita
16:00 (4 PM)
Community Treatment: Corona Shocks and the Structure of the Jewish Community Worldwide
Introductory remarks – Prof. Adam Ferziger, Israel and Golda Koschitzky Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Judaism, Bar-Ilan University
Moderator: Ariel Kahana, Political Commentator, Israel Hayom
Participants
Robert Ejnes, Executive Director of CRIF, the umbrella organization representing the interests of French Jews
Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York
Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh HaYeshiva, Ohr Torah Stone
Hamutal Rogel Fox, Director of the Jewish Communities Division of the Israel Foreign Ministry
Concluding remarks: William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations
17:00 (5 PM)
Anti-semitism 3.0: How Hatred of Israel and Jews is Expressed Today
Moderator: Jacob Dallal, Director of Academic Affairs, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy
Irwin Cotler, Special Envoy on Combating Anti-semitism, Former Justice Minister of Canada
Former MK Michal Cotler Wunsh, former Chair of the Knesset Subcommittee on Israel’s Relations With the Diaspora
17:30 (5:30 PM)
One-on-one interview
Hodaya Karash-Hazony, Political Correspondent, Makor Rishon
With Gilad Erden, Ambassador of Israel to the United States and the United Nations
18:00 (6:00 PM)
Ted Talk: Jewish Culture in Islamic Countries and the “Missing Million”
Dan Tadmor, CEO of ANU – Museum of the Jewish People
TED Talk: How to Create Top-Tier Jewish Education in Islamic Countries?
Itamar Kremer, Director of the Koret International School for Jewish Peoplehood, ANU – Museum of the Jewish people
18:30 (6:30 PM)
Arevim Ze La’ze – A sneak peak into Jewish communities in Islamic countries
Moderator: Ayelet Kahana, Legal Correspondent, Makor Rishon
Participants:
Rabbi Menachem Chitrik, Turkey
Chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic Countries
Rabbi Shneur Segal, Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Azerbaijan
Rabbanit Chanah Banon, Chabad Emissary, Morocco
18:50 (6:50 PM)
Out in the Field: A special i24NEWS broadcast in collaboration with Makor Rishon
Natasha Kirtchuk (i24NEWS) and Zvika Klein in a discussion with the correspondents of the international news channel i24NEWS from around the world
21:00 (9 PM)
The Jewish Capital – Culture, Food and the Ingathering of the Exiles: A Special Tour of the Machane Yehuda Open Market in Jerusalem
Online Tour Guide: Avital Indig, Makor Rishon
Tuesday | May 11 | 29 Iyar
10:00
Greetings
Sanford R. (Sandy) Cardin, CEO, Our Common Destiny
10:05
One-on-one interview
Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
With Omer Yankelevich, Minister of Diaspora Affairs
10:25
Greetings
Roi Mekler, Head of the National Administration to Strengthen Israeli Ties with Diaspora Jewry
10:35
Atara German, Political correspondent, Makor Rishon
With MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv (Labor), formerly the CEO of the Israeli Reform Movement
11:00
One-on-one interview
Ariel Horowitz, Makor Rishon,
With Bernard-Henri Lévy, Intellectual, philosopher, and French-Jewish author
11:30
Is Orthodox Jewry Ready for a Discourse with the Reform movement?
Moderator, Yair Cherki, News 12 and Makor Rishon
Participants:
Tehila Friedman, former MK
Dudu Saada, Chairman Besheva Group
Dr. Tova Ganzel, Head of Cramim, the Jewish Studies Honors Program at Bar-Ilan University
Rabbi Amitai Bareli, CEO of Hotam Movement
Concluding remarks: Ilan Ge’al-Dor, CEO Gesher
12:20
Do We Really Have an Aliya Policy?
Introductory remarks – Dr. Netanel Fisher, Senior Lecturer at the Academic Center for Law and Science Sha'arei Mishpat and Researcher at the Kohelet Forum
Moderator: Akiva Novick, Kan 11
Participants:
Michael Eisenberg, co-founder and Partner, Aleph Venture Capital Fund
Lali Deri, 121 – Engine for Social Change
Shimon Cohen, CEO Ofek Israeli
Concluding remarks: Shay Felber, head of the Jewish Agency's Immigration and Absorption unit
13:15 (1:15 PM)
One-on-one interview
Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
With MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, Minister of Aliya and Absorption
13:35 (1:35 PM)
One-on-one interview
Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
With Tony Gelbart, Chairman and Co-Founder of Nefesh B'Nefesh
14:00 (2 PM)
One-on-one interview
Michael Tochfeld, Makor Rishon
With David Friedman, former US Ambassador to Israel
14:20 (2:20 PM)
The Civil Forum: Diversity and Strengthening Ties
Moderator: Orly Goldklang
Participants:
Shira Ruderman, Executive Director, Ruderman Family Foundation
Yasmin Lukac, Founder and CEO of ICON – Israel Collaboration Network, social entrepreneur, “The Sharks”
Yossi Vasa, actor and creator, Nebsu
Yuna Leibzon. News 12 correspondent to the USA
15:10 (3:10 PM)
The Jews of Silence: The Story of Soviet Jewry
Ariel Schnabel, Makor Rishon, in a conversation with Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia
15:30 (3:30 PM)
The Democratic Party, American Jews and Israel during the Biden Administration
Introductory remarks: Dani Dayan, former Israeli Consul General in New York
Moderator: Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
Participants:
Halie Soifer, Executive Director, Jewish Democratic Council of America
Amanda Berman, Founder and Executive Director of the Zioness Movement
Steve Israel, Former US Democratic Congressman
Elliot Abrams, former advisor to Presidents Trump, Bush and Reagan, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Senior Fellow
16:20 (4:20 PM)
TED Talk: The Nation-State Law and Diaspora Jewry – A Missed Opportunity
Dr. Masua Sagiv, Research Fellow, Hartman Institute
16:30 (4:30 PM)
Relay Race: The Year of the Global Pandemic and Jewish Representatives in the World
Introductory remarks, Gael Greenwald, Deputy Chairman of the World Zionist Organization
Moderator: Yael Shevah, columnist, Makor Rishon
Participants:
Rotem Yehoshua, Director of the WZO Department of Education
Rabbi Doron Peretz, Chief Executive, World Mizrachi
Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum, Founding Director, Straus-Amiel and Beren-Amiel Emissary Training Programs, Ohr Torah Stone
Shelley Kedar, Director of Unit for Connection to the Jewish people, Jewish Agency
Concluding remarks: Tamar Darmon, Deputy Director General for Activities, Menachem Begin Heritage Institute
17:40 (5:40 PM)
From the Synagogue to the Virtual Space – What does the New Jewish Community Look Like?
One-on-one interview
Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
With Yasmin Lukac, Founder and CEO of ICON – Israel Collaboration Network, social entrepreneur, “Shark Tank”
18:00 (6 PM)
The Impact of the Pandemic on Young Diaspora Jews and their Approach to Israel
Moderator: Zvika Klein, Makor Rishon
Participants:
Gidi Mark, CEO, Birthright Israel
Cheryl Aronson, VP, Israel Engagement, and Immersive Experiences at Hillel International
Maj. Rivka Cohen, Head of the Rescue and Extinguishing Theory Division at the Home Front Command, IDF Doug Ross, National Cabinet Chair, Birthright Israel Foundation Board
18:50 (6:50 PM)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters –The Foreign Ministry and the Jewish World: Joint Responsibility for the Future of the Jewish People
Hodaya Karash-Hazony, Political Correspondent, Makor Rishon
Participants:
Alex Ben-Zvi, Ambassador of Israel to Russia
Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israel’s Consul-General to the Southeastern United states, Atlanta, Georgia
Marina Rosenberg, Ambassador of Israel to Chile
Emmanuel Nahshon, Ambassador of Israel to Belgium
19:30 (7:30 PM)
One-on-one interview
Paul Gross, Senior Fellow at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center
With Abe Foxman, former National Director of the Anti-Defamation League
19:50 (7:50 PM)
One-on-one interview
Shmuel Rosner, senior fellow, the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI)
With Mark Mellman, CEO Democratic Majority for Israel
20:15 (8:15 PM)
The Course of Justice: The Haredi Woman Judge who Took New York by Storm
Riki Rath, Makor Rishon, in a conversation with Ruchie Freier, the first Haredi Woman to Become a US Judge
20:30 (8:30 PM)
Closing Remarks
Herzl Makov, President Menachem Begin Heritage Center
Production: Amir Drori
Broadcast live from the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and on the Makor Rishon website: makorrishon.co.il
