THE TIKVAH FUND 165 E. 56th Street New York, New York 10022

Capitalism and the Future of Democracy

November 10, 2014 – November 21, 2014

Participant Biographies

Sharon Aviram Israel

Ms. Aviram is a fourth year law student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, interested in the fields of international, constitutional and corporate law. During her second and third years in law school, Ms. Aviram was the coach of, and participant on, the Hebrew University team which competed in the International Criminal Law Competition, held at The Hague. During her third year, Ms. Aviram also participated in the “Social Capital Market Clinic,” which utilized capitalistic principals in order to promote social contribution. In 2015 Ms. Aviram will begin her internship in the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law in the State Attorney’s Office. She is a 2012 alumna of the StandWithUs Israel Fellowship at the Hebrew University. Ms. Aviram participated in the StandWithUs “Israeli Soldiers Stories” program, touring across North America sharing her army service experiences and discussing the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Eytan Avriel Israel

Eytan Avriel is a founder of TheMarker, a leading and influential business media provider in Israel. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of TheMarker Magazine and as one of the group’s leading op-ed columnists. Mr. Avriel is a frequent guest on many of Israel’s television and radio news programs where he comments on business, economic and social issues. Before founding TheMarker, Mr. Avriel was business editor, business manager and subcontractor for the Israeli branch of Reuters, a leading international news and financial data provider. He consulted clients on financial investor relations and public relations and managed a local-market financial information platform that he developed, which was later sold to Reuters. Mr. Avriel holds a B.Sc. in business and Biology and an M.B.A., both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2004, Mr. Avriel initiated an SEC-sponsored commission to set an ethical code for economic websites. He occasionally lectures at Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and at other fora.

Eran Bar Tal Israel

Mr. Bar Tal a columnist, editor and journalist who established the economic supplement of the Israeli daily newspaper Makor Rishon in 1998 and was the editor until 2013. During that period, he was also the founder and the editor in chief of the Hebrew edition of Business Week, editor of the business supplement of Maariv newspaper, and had edited several books, including Free to Choose by Milton Freidman. He is also the founder and the head of a new educational association named 'economy 4u' (In Hebrew: ‘Calcala4u’), a nonprofit association. 'Calcala4u' trains students to teach high-school students a yearly program of economic thought, how to run their own budget, and how to become successful entrepreneurs. He lectures at many educational institutions.

Amiad Cohen Israel

Mr. Cohen is the CEO of an Israeli town of 900 families named Eli, located north of Jerusalem. After completing his IDF service, Mr. Cohen began to study at a post army yeshiva named Benei David. Mr. Cohen holds a bachelor’s degree from Moreshet Yaakov. In addition to his work in the municipality, Mr. Cohen teaches Jewish Philosophy and secular studies.

Etan Cohen Israel

Mr. Cohen holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College, where he completed a double major in economics and political science as a McCabe Scholar. He currently works in the Israeli Ministry of Finance‘s Budget Department, where he deals with national infrastructure challenges. Previously, he served as an advisor in the Ministry of Strategic Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office and he worked on a national security task force at the Reut Institute in Tel Aviv. Mr. Cohen will complete his military service in the Policy Directorate’s Military-Strategic Information Section. In his spare time, Mr. Cohen volunteers for a special Taglit-Birthright Israel trip for students from liberal arts colleges.

Uriel Eldad

Israel

Mr. Eldad holds a B.A. in Bible Studies from Herzog College and is the founder of the field theater group Poyke, as well as founders of the “Melach Ha‘aretz” pre-military preparatory academy located in Kibbutz Ein Gedi. Currently he works as the head of Shachar pre-academy schools for underprivileged youth in Israel.

Dror Eydar Israel

Dror Eydar is a leading columnist in Israel Hayom (Israel Today) – Israel’s most popular daily newspaper. He was previously the editor of the art and literature supplement of Nativ, a journal of politics and the art. He is the author of Alterman – Baudelaire; Paris – Tel Aviv: Urbanism and Myth in the Poetry of Nathan Alterman and Charles Baudelaire (2003), and The Last of the Lord’s Poets: Myth, Ethos and Mysticism in the Literary Works of Yosef Zvi Rimon (2009). Dr. Eydar has a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Jewish literature from Bar Ilan University. Prior to that, he studied five years in High Yeshiva and served as a combat- medic in Golani brigade. Dr. Eydar has taught at a number of universities and colleges in Israel and published hundreds of articles and essays on politics and popular culture, religion, history, myths, language, book reviews and criticism in many journals and newspapers. In addition, he publishes original works of poetry and prose. Dr. Eydar has two forthcoming books: Trusting the Process: Fate and the Philosophy of History in the Book of Genesis, and The Mother of All Disengagements: Assays on Israeli Culture and Politics. He is a co-founder The Second Zionist Revolution Circle, a group of conservative Israeli intellectuals. He is also a member in The Liaison Committee, an informal Israeli Jewish- Christian initiative. In addition to his journalistic and academic occupations, Dr. Eydar is an active musician and composer.

Yuval Farkash Israel

Yuval Farkash is a student at the Law and Business schools at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (LL.B. & M.B.A.). He is a member of a Student Innovation team at the Education Minister’s office, the establishment of which he initiated. Next year Mr. Farkash will clerk for Supreme Court Justice Miriam Naor (Justice Naor is expected to be appointed as Chief Justice). When not in the IDF Reserves, he is testing his strengths in researching law and economics, as well as behavioral analysis of law. Mr. Farkash is anticipating his first academic publications, with Prof. Eyal Zamir (discussing standard form contracts, in English) and hopefully one of his own (dealing with externalities, in Hebrew).

Dan Gefen Israel

Dan Gefen is the Co-Founder and Director General of Forum Natan, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Advanced Democracy, and was the founder of the Likud Liberal Forum and the Likud Dialogue Initiative. Mr. Gefen is also a senior member of the Manof think tank and has written many of their position papers. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the Hebrew University and occasionally serves as a Marine officer for Israeli merchant shipping companies.

Omer Grigg Israel

Omer Grigg is the co-founder of Forum Natan, Director General of the Initiative to Dismantle Economic Concentration and the Association for Advanced Democracy, and Editor-in-Chief of the online magazine Kivunim. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology, a M.Sc. in Neurobiology, and studied for a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Mr. Grigg made the transition to political activism in 2011, but still teaches science to gifted children in Jerusalem. He has published opinion pieces in The Marker, Israel’s leading economic newspaper, and written for Ma’ariv. He enjoys single malt scotch.

Guy Haramati Israel

Guy Haramati is head of the welfare branch in the Budget Department of the Israeli Ministry of Finance. The welfare affairs branch deals with three government institutions: the National Insurance Institute (Social Security), the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services and the Holocaust Survivors Rights Authority. Guy coordinates the legislation initiatives and budget negotiations between those units and the reform plans of the welfare system, and representation of the ministry’s position regarding social affairs.

Yaron Jacobs Israel

Yaron Jacobs is the former C.E.O. (2010-2012) of the Company for Location & Restitution of Holocaust Victims Assets, Ltd.). As Director General (2000-2002) of Israel’s Government Companies Authority, he was responsible for the privatization and ongoing operations of over 100 companies, including the country's largest utilities corporations. Mr. Jacobs has also headed a corporate turn-around advisory firm for at-risk companies, as well as serving as Managing Partner of a Cleantech startup. Mr. Jacobs has served on the Board of Directors of some of Israel’s leading corporations, including the Israel Electric Corporation, Israel Refineries, Bezeq Telecom, Israel Aircraft Industries, and El-Al, the Israeli national airline. Mr. Jacobs holds a B.A. in Political Science (1983), an M.A. in International Relations (1988), and an LL.B. (1992), all from Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

Naama Klar Israel

Ms. Klar is an Analyst in the Reut Institute in Tel-Aviv. Naama holds an M.A. in International Political Economy (2014) and a B.A. in International Relations from the Hebrew University (2011). Ms. Klar’s M.A. thesis looks at economical interests groups and their use of social networking. During her studies, Ms. Klar participated in the European Union’s student exchange program and studied at the VUB University, Brussels. Prior to joining the Reut Institute, she worked at the campaign for the municipality of Jerusalem. In addition, Ms. Klar was an intern at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations in New York in the field of the global budgeting of UN agencies, and later on briefed the Israeli Ministry of Education on the United Nations’ Committee of the Rights of the Children in Geneva.

Boaz Raday Israel

Boaz Raday has been in the field of government for over 20 years. Since 2010, Mr. Raday has been the Owner and C.E.O. of Impact – a leading political strategic counseling firm that provides services in governmental relations, consulting and lobbying. Amongst his many achievements, Mr. Raday was a dominant figure in the promotion of mental health reform in Israel, several economic reforms, and the signing of the contractual agreement between Microsoft and the Government of Israel. Mr. Raday is an economist at his core and prior to Impact held several economic positions within Israel’s largest companies and the Israeli Government. Some examples include serving as Executive Vice President in Bank Hapoalim (a leading bank in Israel), and as Minister of Economic Affairs where, based in Washington, Mr. Raday represented the Ministry of Finance and other Israel governmental economic ministries in the U.S. Mr. Raday also served as a Captain in the Intelligence Unit in the Israel Defense Forces

Bat Chen Rotenberg Israel

Mrs. Rotenberg is an analyst at the Department of Finance and Development in the Israel Tax Authority. The department deals with planning, economy, policy, and analysis of all aspects of the tax system, while integrating all types of taxes, and the formulation of legislative reform alternatives. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics, Psychology and Political Science an M.Sc. in Financial Mathematics from Bar Ilan University, and another M.A. in History, Philosophy and Sociology of science from the Hebrew University. Mrs. Rotenberg attended the Excellence program of the Jewish Statesmanship Center in Jerusalem and participated in the Tikvah Summer Institute in Political Thought Economics and Strategy in 2011. Mrs. Rotenberg also has been a teaching assistant at the Hebrew University and Bar Ilan University since 2011.

Rotem Sella Israel

Mr. Sella is the founder, owner, and Editor-in-Chief of Sella Meir Publishing, a new Israeli publishing house. Sella Meir has published three books, all of which been national best sellers. Its most recent book, Catch the Jew! an expose of anti- Semitic sentiment in human rights organizations working in Israel, is currently the best-seller in Israel. Sella Meir plans to publish eight books in its first year of operations. Mr. Sella previously worked as a business and economic policy journalist and blogger at The Marker (Haaretz Group’s daily business newspaper) and as a political economy reporter and columnist at Ma’ariv. During the previous election cycle he worked as an economic policy advisor and speech writer for Naftali Bennett. Mr. Sella holds a B.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s “Pacam” program in politics, philosophy, and economics.

Daniel Sirkis Israel

Mr. Sirkis was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, and attended Bnei David pre-army IDF preparatory yeshiva and served in the IDF as a paratrooper and an Infantry Officer. He holds an LL.B. from the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School. He has served as an Articles Clerk for Edna Arbel, Israel’s State Attorney, and as the Law Clerk of Judge Techia Shapiro at the Tel Aviv Appellate Court. Mr. Sirkis also worked as the research assistant of Professor Yedidia Stern, Vice President of Research at Israel’s Democracy Institute in Jerusalem, Israel, on various research projects focusing on Church and State as well as Business and Democracy, and was also a research assistant for Professor Eduard Rock of the University of Pennsylvania on multinational corporate and securities laws. Mr. Sirkis is licensed to practice law in the State of Israel and the State of New York, and works as a corporate associate in a multinational law firm.

Yehuda Yifrach Israel

Dr. Yehuda Yifrach is a journalist and editor of “Tzedek” (Justice), an investigative magazine of the newspaper Makor Rishon, which is the only weekly legal magazine in Israeli press. Dr. Yifrach also serves as chairman of “Adam Veadama” Institute which deals with promoting the legal status of Judea and Samaria area and developing Zionist land policy for the state of Israel. In addition Dr. Yifrach gives lectures about Jewish philosophy and Jewish mysticism. He served in a combat unit of the IDF with the rank of Major. Dr. Yifrach holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Philosophy from Bar Ilan University, and studied for six years at Yeshivat Otniel, and seven years in the Mishpatey Eretz Institute for training rabbinical judges.