Jews and Power: Literature, Philosophy, Politics December 1, 2014
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THE TIKVAH FUND 165 E. 56th Street New York, New York 10022 Jews and Power: Literature, Philosophy, Politics December 1, 2014 – December 12, 2014 Participant Biographies Benjamin Bilski Netherlands Benjamin Bilski is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Pericles Foundation. Benjamin is a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of the Interdisciplinary Study of the Law, Faculty of Law of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. He is working as author and editor with The Owls Foundation on a new book about innovation and breakthrough processes, to be published late 2014. He co- founded an international student conference that continues to this day. He studied in America, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. He holds B.Sc. degrees in philosophy and biochemistry from Brandeis University and an M.Sc. in the philosophy and history of science from the London School of Economics. Mr. Bilski has published on Machiavelli and Plato, and taught seminars on Plato, Machiavelli, Tocqueville, Leo Strauss, Hugo Grotius, and Thucydides at the University of Leiden. With five former Chiefs of Defence, he co-authored the book Towards a Grand Strategy for an Uncertain World (2007) that influenced the new NATO Strategic Concept. Mr. Bilski is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Young Atlanticist Working Group of the Atlantic Council, and the Royal Dutch Marksman Association. Elli Fischer Israel Elli Fischer is an independent writer, translator, and rabbi. Previously, he was the JLIC rabbi and campus educator at the University of Maryland. He holds B.A. and M.S. degrees from Yeshiva University and rabbinical ordination from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate. His original writing has appeared in Commentary, Jewish Review of Books, Mida, Mosaic, Jewish Ideas Daily, Journal of Halakha and Contemporary Society, New York Jewish Week, Jewish Action, and Intermountain Jewish News, as well as popular blogs Seforim and Hirhurim. Among the issues he writes about are religion and politics in Israel; Jewish and rabbinic literature; and models of halakhic leadership. Among his translated works are By Faith Alone: The Story of Rabbi Yehuda Amital, and he serves as editor of Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha series. He is currently working on a book-length exploration of the interplay between legal and nonlegal material in the Talmud. Originally from Baltimore, he currently resides in Modiin, Israel, with his wife and four children. Asaf Pollin Galay Israel Asaf Galay is the curator for the new core exhibits at Beit Hatfutsot (The Museum for the Jewish People) and upcoming temporary exhibits on European Life between World War I and World War II, Jewish humor, and Jewish fashion designers (entitled Dream Weavers-Jewish Fashion Designer). He was also curator for an exhibit on the Dreyfus Affair and its impact on French Jewry and an exhibit entitled Amy Winehouse-Family Portrait. Mr. Galay has directed and written a number of award-winning documentaries for Israeli television. They include series on: Israeli humor (2005), the history of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (2007), and the life and influence of the Zionist hero Joseph Trumpeldor (2008). He has just completed writing, directing, and producing a documentary film on the Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer titled “The Muses of Bashevis Singer.” He is currently completing a documentary film on how comics reflect Israeli life, entitled “The Search for an Israeli Superhero.” Mr. Galay has a background in media and communications, journalism, and advising on political campaigns. Yehonatan Givati Israel Yehonatan Givati is an associate professor of law at Hebrew University, where he teaches his students market-based approaches to the law. Dr. Givati was a post-graduate research fellow in law and economics at the New York University School of Law. He has presented widely on law and economics issues and is the recipient of numerous academic awards and fellowships, including a Fulbright Fellowship and the John M. Olin Fellowship in Law and Economics at Harvard University. A native Israeli, Dr. Givati served as the financial advisor to the Chief of Staff during his army service and clerked on the Israeli Supreme Court after obtaining his LL.B. from Hebrew University. He obtained his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and his S.J.D. from Harvard Law School. Daniel Goldman Israel Daniel Goldman is the founding partner of Goldrock Capital, a family office. He is a regular speaker and panelist at family office conferences. Born and raised in the U.K., Mr. Goldman has been living in Israel since 1992 and is active in several social and educational initiatives. Living in Beit Shemesh with Debra-lee and five children he is very involved in the community and active in local politics. As Chairman of Gesher, Mr. Goldman is closely involved in creating dialogue between religious and non-religious groups, and is also focused on adding value to the challenge and opportunity of the integration of Haredim into mainstream Israeli society. Mr. Goldman is a member of the Public Council of Beit Hillel, the Board of the Jewish Agency and the Council of Newcastle University. Mr. Goldman contributes opinion pieces in both English and Hebrew on issues affecting Israeli society. Lahav Harkov Levine Israel Lahav Harkov Levine is the Knesset reporter for The Jerusalem Post. She has interviewed major figures across the Israeli political spectrum and has the inside scoop on the country’s top lawmakers. Mrs. Levine is often invited to lecture on Israeli government and politics in Israel and abroad. International news outlets, such as the BBC, France 24, CTV, Sky News and Sun News Network have sought her insights and analysis about breaking news. She has published articles in Commentary, The Tower, The Jewish Week and the Hebrew-language newspaper Makor Rishon, as well as Jewish culture website Jewcy. Lahav grew up in New Jersey, making aliyah at age seventeen, where she did two years of National Service (Sherut Leumi) at museums dealing with Jewish and Israeli history. She has a degree in Political Science and Communications from Bar-Ilan University, and lives in Tel Aviv with her husband. Omer Lachmanovitch Israel Omer Lachmanovitch is a Journalist, Critic and Writer. He has been the Founder and the Editor of the Book Review at the Israel Hayom Daily Newspaper since 2007, and is the Political Weekend Edition Deputy-Editor of Israel Hayom since 2009. Mr. Lachmanovitch was awarded Bernstein Prize for Literary Criticism in the Daily Press (2013). He currently serves on the board of the Literature department at the Israeli Council of Culture and Art for the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and served as a Member of the Jury for the Prize for Children’s Literature in memory of Deborah Omer (2014). Lachmanovitch has published reviews, opinions and magazine articles about literature, art, society, and Jewish life and thought in numerous publications including Makor Rishon Newspaper, and the Nativ and Erev-Rav journals. Roi Makler Israel Roi Makler is the Founding Director of Midrasha LeMaase, an Israeli Educational Enterprise Award Winner which trains Mechinot graduates to take on national responsibilities and tackle national and Jewish issues. In addition, he teaches courses on Law, Nationality, and the Israeli Society at pre-army preparatory academies which focus on training social leaders. Mr. Makler also lectures for primary school principals at the Alma Institute. Mr. Makler was program director at the JDC Institute for Leadership and Governance. He established networks that connect senior government leaders for the purpose of social empowerment and also managed and convened the institute’s Governors’ Forums. Before working for the JDC, Mr. Makler Served in the IDF Rescue Combat Unit – 669. After completing his IDF service, Mr. Makler earned his B.A. degree in Law and an M.A. in Public Policy (with distinction) from the Hebrew University. Mr. Makler was then educational manager at MiBereshit (The Foundation for Jewish Renaissance). He wrote educational programs and selected and instructed the staff. Mr. Makler is the Vice President of the Masa Israel Program’s Audit Committee and Ha’machaneh Ha’meshotaf an NGO that advocates for equitable army recruitment and solidarity. Tamara Morsel Eisenberg Belguim Tamara Morsel Eisenberg is originally from Belgium and received her B.A. in Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2009). She is currently a fifth- year Ph.D. candidate at the History Department of the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Eisenberg completed her coursework and other requirements at UPenn in 2013-2014, and is currently immersed in dissertation-research at the Center for Jewish History in New York. Ms. Eisenberg’s research centers on early modern Jewish History, particularly Jewish law, from the perspective of intellectual and cultural history. She is interested in the responsa literature (ShU"T) of Central and Eastern Europe in the 16th century. Ms. Eisenberg has presented her work at conferences and seminars at the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Harvard and other institutions. Emily Neilson Israel Emily Neilson is the Director of Strategy for The Face of Israel, an organization partnered with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs that promotes enhanced education on Israel and the Middle East. Ms. Neilson is also the co-founder of LINK Asymmetric Strategies and Services, a company providing in-depth research, analysis and strategy solutions for pro-Israel entities. Ms. Neilson has an extensive background in research and strategy formulation, previously positioned at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Department of International Relations), the Office of Israeli President Shimon Peres, the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington D.C. (Department of Middle Eastern Studies), and served as an intelligence analyst in the Israeli Defense Forces. Ms. Neilson is a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem where she double majored in International Relations and Studies of Islam and the Middle East, with an emphasis on international law and conflict resolution.