About the NIForum / Schedule
Join a nationwide community in New York on September 21 to explore the issues that will impact Israel’s future, meet the activists and leaders shaping Israeli society, and be part of a discussion of the choices Israel faces as it strives to realize its ideals.
The NIForum will conclude with a special session of readings and storytelling by American Jewish writers entitled “This Israeli Life”. They will relate their encounters with Israel, focusing on nuances (good and bad) of the Diaspora-Israel bond.
10:30-11:00am REGISTRATION, BAGELS AND COFFEE
Registration in the lobby, and coffee and bagels in the Rosenthal Pavilion.
11:00am – 12:30pm INTRODUCTION & OPENING PANEL: ISRAEL – MAKING CHANGE POSSIBLE
At a time when “change” is the word du jour, we ask is change possible in Israel, what are the obstacles and the assets (political, social, cultural and other) in the quest for long-term change, and what needs to change in order for real change to be possible?
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Professor Naomi Chazan, former Member of Knesset and the Head of the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo
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Moty Cristal, negotiation and crisis management expert
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Dr. Neta Ziv, director of The Cegla Clinical Law Programs at Tel Aviv University’s School of Law Moderated by journalist and author David Margolick, contributing editor of Condé Nast Portfolio.
12:30-1:15 pm LUNCHTIME ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: STORIES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
Join informal conversations with NIForum speakers.
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Rawia Abu Rabia, NIF Law Fellow and activist in the Bedouin community
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Rula Deeb, Executive Director of Kayan, a feminist organization working in the Arab Israeli community
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Itzik Dessie, NIF Law Fellow and Founding Director of Tebeka: Advocacy for Equality and Justice for Ethiopian-Israelis
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Peter Edelman, Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and former NIF President
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Rachel Idelevich Nezri, NIF Law Fellow and specialist in labor law (formerly of Kav LaOved)
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Tirza Leibowitz, Director of Rights Advocacy at Survivor Corps (formerly of Bizchut: The Israel Human Rights Center for Peoples with Disabilities)
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Noya Rimalt, Professor of Law at the University of Haifa
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Sawsan Zaher, attorney at Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, and former NIF Law Fellow
1:30-2:30 ELECTIVE PANELS (I)
Participants can choose from the following 4 panels taking place at this time:
The New Entrepreneurs: Empowering Leadership
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Shifra Bronznick, a consultant for not-for-profit organizations
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Rachel Liel, Director of SHATIL
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Fathi Marshood, Director of SHATIL Haifa
Moderated by Professor Naomi Chazan
The Medium and the Message: Media and Social Impact
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Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm, Executive Director of WITNESS, which uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations
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Maya Sabatello, US representative of B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, and Adjunct Professor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs
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Eliezer Yaari, NIF’s Executive Director in Israel, and formerly one of Israel’s leading television journalists
Moderated by Naomi Paiss, NIF Director of Communications
Bang for the Buck: Strategic Grantmaking
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Aaron Back, Founding Director of the Ford Israel Fund
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Mary Ann Stein, President of the Moriah Fund
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Dr. Neta Ziv, director of The Cegla Clinical Law Programs at Tel Aviv University’s School of Law, and Chair of NIF’s Grants Committee
Moderated by Susan Liss, lawyer, NIF Vice President for North America, and member of the NIF Board and Grants Committee
Spreading the Wealth: Economic Empowerment and Business-Third Sector Collaboration
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Zeev Bregman, co-founder and chairman of Galil Software (the largest software company in the Arab Israeli sector), and former CEO of Comverse
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Yosepha Tabib-Calif, Economic Empowerment Projects Coordinator at SHATIL
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Phil Walotsky, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for PeaceWorks not-only-for-profit company
Moderated by Larry Garber, CEO of NIF
2:45-3:45 ELECTIVE PANELS (II)
Participants can choose from the following 4 panels taking place at this time:
Bucking the System: Social Justice through Litigation
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Jamil Dakwar, Director of the ACLU’s Human Rights Program
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Itzik Dessie, Founding Director of Tebeka: Advocacy for Equality and Justice for Ethiopian-Israelis
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Noya Rimalt, Professor of Law at the University of Haifa
Moderated by Peter Edelman, Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center
What’s Stand-Up Got to Do with It? Popular Culture and Social Justice
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Yisrael Campbell, comedian and member of the Palestinian-Israeli Comedy Tour
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Daniel Chalfen, documentary producer of socially conscious non-fiction film, television, and digital media, and an Advisory Committee Member of the Other Israel Film Festival.
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Naomi Schacter, SHATIL Associate Director
Moderated by Cindy Miller
Strange Bedfellows: Coalitions and Partnerships
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Moty Cristal, negotiation and crisis management consultant
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Larry Garber, CEO of NIF
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Fathi Marshood, Director of SHATIL Haifa
Moderated by Eliezer Yaari, NIF’s Executive Director in Israel
Strength in Numbers: Community and Grassroots Empowerment
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Rula Deeb, Executive Director of Kayan, a feminist organization working in the Arab Israeli community
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Rachel Liel, Director of SHATIL
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Yosepha Tabib-Calif, Economic Empowerment Projects Coordinator at SHATIL
Moderated by Terry Mizrahi, Professor at Hunter College and Director of the Education Center for Community Organizing
3:45pm “THIS ISRAELI LIFE”, OVER DESSERT & WINE
We gather for the closing session, a special program of readings and storytelling on the Israel-Diaspora bond in all its complexity. Co-produced with Nextbook.
Featuring:
MC’d by author and journalist Lynn Harris, Nextbook.org’s “The Rabbi’s Wife”. www.lynnharris.net
