Teach-In on Israel SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 9AM-4:30PM
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THE ISRAEL COMMITTEE OF SANTA BARBARA PRESENTS Twelfth Annual Community-Wide Teach-In On Israel SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 9AM-4:30PM Join the community for a wonderful day of learning, schmoozing and fabulous food! Fantastic speakers on Israeli culture, history, politics and more. 9:00AM DOORS OPEN & BREAKFAST 12:15PM LUNCH 9:30AM WELCOME 1:30PM AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SPEAKER 9:35AM VETERAN’S DAY OBSERVANCE BEN RYBERG Boycotts, Divestment, and BOB ROTHENBERG, CAPTAIN (RET) USAF Sanctions: A Global Challenge EVIE STEINBERG Benjamin Ryberg is the Director of Research and Evie Steinberg was born in Los Angeles, California. Chief Operating Officer at The Lawfare Project. Together, she and her husband of 35 years, Stuart, Based in New York City, The Lawfare Project is a raised three children, Max, Jake, and Paige in legal think tank and international pro-Israel litigation fund committed Woodland Hills, California. Evie and her family had no to protecting the civil and human rights of Jewish communities prior connection to Israel, until their eldest son Max, worldwide. From forcing Kuwait Airways to cancel half of its at the age of 22, joined the IDF as a Lone Soldier in flight paths based on its refusal to fly Israeli passport holders, to December of 2012, after a life-changing Taglit-Birthright trip with his nullifying numerous municipal BDS resolutions throughout Spain, to siblings. Once he was drafted, Evie’s only contact with Max was via challenging a discriminatory French labeling requirement on Israeli cell phone and social media. Tragically, on July 20, 2014, Max was imports, to enforcing the rights of Jewish college students in the face killed in Gaza during Tzuk Eitan, also known as “Operation Protective of virulent anti-Semitism on campus, The Lawfare Project zealously Edge.” From that day on, Israel has supported and embraced her advances justice for the Jewish people. In addition to his roles as family. Evie has since become a proud Zionist and, because Lone Director of Research and COO, Mr. Ryberg is also lead counsel Soldiers hold a special place in her heart, she has become a very in an ongoing lawsuit brought on behalf of an Israeli organization active board member of Families of Lone Soldiers (FLS), a non-profit against the virulently anti-Zionist National Lawyers Guild (NLG), a organization that supports and educates parents and the families of major proponent of BDS. This groundbreaking suit—the first of its Lone Soldiers throughout their heroic journey. kind to argue that New York’s human rights laws prohibit BDS-related commercial discrimination—concerns the NLG’s refusal to sell AM advertising space to the plaintiff organization because of its Israeli 10:00 MORNING KEYNOTE SPEAKER national origin. In 2013, Mr. Ryberg was profiled in The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36” list of young visionaries. A seasoned public speaker, ASAF ROMIROWSKY PHD he has addressed a diverse range of audiences and provides radio The New Geopolitics of and television commentary. the Middle East PM Middle East historian Asaf Romirowsky is a fellow 2:45 AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SPEAKER at the Middle East Forum and a Professor [Affiliate] at the University of Haifa. Romirowsky holds a PhD in Middle East RABBI URI REGEV and Mediterranean Studies from King’s College London, UK and Religious Pluralism, the has published widely on various aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict and American foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as on Israeli Religious-Secular Divide, and and Zionist history. Romirowsky is co-author of Religion, Politics, and the Nation State Law the Origins of Palestine Refugee Relief and a contributor to the The Rabbi Uri Regev is an internationally renowned Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel. Romirowsky’s publicly- leader and advocate of religious liberty and the engaged scholarship has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, liberal movements of Judaism in his native Israel and around the world. The National Interest, The American Interest, The New Republic, The Rabbi Regev serves as the President and CEO of an educational Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Ynet and Tablet among other online and advocacy Israel-Diaspora partnership, “Freedom Of Religion for and print media outlets. Israel” and of its Israeli counterpart, “Hiddush – For Religious Freedom and Equality”, which he founded in 2009. For seven years [2002-2008] AM he served as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, 11:15 MORNING BREAKOUT SESSIONS the global umbrella organization of the Progressive, Reform, Liberal DAVID BARAK and Reconstructionist movements. As head of the World Union, Rabbi Regev worked to strengthen modern, pluralistic Jewish life Mitzpe Ramon, Santa Barbara’s and democracy in the Jewish state and throughout the world. Prior Sister City: Past, Present and Future to assuming leadership of the World Union, Rabbi Regev served as founding chair, and later as executive director and legal counsel, of ASAF ROMIROWSKY PHD the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the public and advocacy arm of the Reform movement in Israel. USA/UNRWA and the Palestinian Refugee Question 3:45PM CELEBRATION OF ISRAEL AT 70 No charge - donations appreciated Location: Santa Barbara Hillel, 781 Embarcadero del Mar, Isla Vista, CA 93117 WWW.ISRAELCOMMITTEESB.ORG.