2017–2018 Events
Public Events
Peace Economics: Commercial Diplomacy in the Middle East
Wednesday, September 13, 2017, 6:00 pm Reception, 6:30 Lecture, Warren Room, 295 Law Building Berkeley Law
Haisam Hassanein: Glazer Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The Robbins Collection Annual Lecture in Jewish Law, Thought, and Identity
The Boundaries of Judaism
Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 5:30 pm Reception, Steinhart Courtyard; 6:00 Lecture, 105 Law Building
Donniel Hartman: President, The Shalom Hartman Institute
The factionalism and denominationalism of modern Jewry makes it supremely difficult to create a definition of the Jewish people. Instead of serving as a uniting force around which community is formed, Judaism has itself become a source of divisions. Consequently, attempts to identify beliefs or practices essential for membership in the Jewish people are almost doomed to failure. Aiming to go beyond the divisions that characterize modern Jewry, this talk will explore the ever contentious question of “who is a Jew.” Through a historical survey of the shifting boundaries of Jewish identity and deviance over time, this talk will provide new insights into how Jewish law over the centuries has erected boundaries to govern and maintain the collective identity of the Jewish people and will discuss creating a structure of boundaries relevant for contemporary Jewish existence.
Ethnic Minorities and the Army: The Case of Minorities in the IDF 1948–1956
Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 6:00 pm Reception, 6:30 pm Lecture, Warren Room, 295 Law Building Berkeley Law
Rami Zeedan: Berkeley Institute Visiting Faculty; The Open University of Israel
This public lecture will focus on some of the most interesting findings that were published in Dr. Rami Zeedan’s 2015 book: Battalion of Arab- The History of the Minorities’ Unit in the IDF from 1948 to 1956. Ben Shemen, Israel: Modan Publishing. [ in Hebrew]. The book examines the establishment, and the history of, the Minorities’ Unit in the IDF. It further examines the process that led to the recruitment of the Bedouins, Circassians and Druze into the IDF during the 1948 war. The book presents the activities of the Minorities’ Unit in the 1948 War, discusses the activities of this unit during its early phase and operation “Hiram” of the 1948 War. The book continues with the activities of the Minorities’ Unit until the “Suez Crisis”, along with discussion on the controversial relationship among the various minorities in this unit that led to a fatal battle within the unit between the Bedouins and the Druze. A major part of the book is dedicated to the Israeli policy towards the recruitment of minorities to the IDF in the first decade, and the decision to implement the mandatory conscription only on the Druze and Circassians since 1956.
The Balfour Declaration and the World of Israel’s Founders
Monday, November 13, 2017, 6:00 pm Reception, 6:30 pm Lecture, Warren Room, 295 Law Building Berkeley Law
Donna Robinson Divine: Morningstar Family Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Government Emerita, Department of Government, Smith College; President Association for Israel Studies; Professor [Affiliate] University of Haifa
The Balfour Declaration helped shape a Zionist nation-building story that reflected a set of ideals rather than the realities of developing the Jewish National Home in Palestine. Nor did it reflect the trials, pains and losses of the nameless immigrants who deferred their own happiness to advance the Zionist cause. Divine’s talk will explain how and why the Balfour Declaration widened the dissonance between Zionist theory and practice in British Mandate Palestine.
Law and Technology: A Conversation with Former Patent Commissioner of Israel
Asa Kling: Former Patent Commissioner of Israel
The Road of the Desert — A Journey to Israel's Back Yard
Ayelet Gunder-Goshen: Author
34th Annual Conference of the Association for Israel Studies
Israel at 70: Challenges and Opportunties
June 25–27, 2018
Academic Events
Welcome Back Reception
Monday, September 11, 2017, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, Warren Room, 295 Law Building Berkeley Law
Meet the Berkeley Institute’s new visiting faculty, scholars, and fellows and learn about upcoming courses in Israel Studies, planned guest lectures, and student events coming up in the next year. We will also introduce various resources the Berkeley Institute can offer to undergraduate, graduate, and J.D. students. Light refreshments will be provided. The event is open to all UC Berkeley, students, staff, and faculty.
The U.S.–Israel Relationship Under President Donald Trump
Thursday, February 22, 2018, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, 105 Law Building Berkeley Law
Ambassador Dennis Ross: William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, Counselor, Irwin Levy Family Program on the U.S.–Israel Strategic Relationship
In the first year of his administration, President Trump has met with key Middle East leaders, imposed additional sanctions on Iranian officials, set a new tone for the U.S. role at the UN, and, most recently, made the unprecedented decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. How do these tactical moves affect the U.S. – Israel relationship and what else may be in store for American policy toward Israel and her neighbors this coming year?
Panel: New Scholarship on Arab-Palestinians in Israel
Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, Berkeley Law
The panel will focus on Arab-Palestinians in Israel (within the Green-Line) at Israel’s Seventieth. Those Palestinians found themselves as part of the State of Israel after the new armistice lines were drawn at the end of the 1948 War. Nowadays, they amount to about 1.8 million citizens and make up 20% of Israel’s population. In the panel, we seek to discuss themes related to and challenges faced by, this ethnic minority within Israel. Panelists will present papers that include topics related to demography, economy, politics, identity, and memory. Particular attention will be given to the government’s policies towards its Arabs citizens regarding their economic situation and the dispute over the land rights of the Bedouins in the Negev. Presentations will stem from different disciplinary approaches, such as anthropology, law, and political science, thus providing a comprehensive point of view on the topic.
Dr. Safa Abu-Rabia: The Israel Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University. Dr. Abu-Rabia will present: “Out of Time”: Spatial Temporality among Bedouin as the Struggle for Land in the South of Palestine/Israel.”
Dr. Morad Elsana: The Israel Institute Teaching Fellow, California Western School of Law. Dr. Elsana will present: “The Dispossession of Indigenous Land: The Bedouin Land Case in the Negev.”
Mr. Thair Abu-Rass: Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Government, University of Maryland. Mr. Abu-Rass will present: “The Arab citizens in the contemporary Israeli demography.”
Dr. Rami Zeedan: 2017–2018 Israel Institute Visiting Professor, The Open University of Israel. Dr. Zeedan will moderate the panel.
Contemporary Left Antisemitism
David Hirsh: Professor of Sociology Goldsmiths, University of London
Arabs in the Three Branches of Power of the Israeli Political System — Politics, Identity, and Leadership
Rami Zeedan: Political Scientist, Open University of Israel
Israeli Democracy in Crisis? Between Governability and Governance
Gayil Talshir: San Jose State University, Department of Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; 2017–2018 Israel Institute Visiting Professor
Legal-Net: The Use and Misuse of Technology in the Regulation of Judges in Israel
Amnon Reichman: 2017–2018 Robbins Collection Visiting Professor in Comparative Law, Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of Haifa
Israel, Palestine, and the World’s Most Intractable Conflict
Gershon Shafir: Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California, San Diego
The Israeli Transnational Surrogacy Story — Some Empirical and Normative Reflections
Ruth Zafran: Associate Professor, IDC, Herzliya, Radzyner Law School; 2017-2018 Berkeley Institute Visiting Scholar
Black Musics, Blackness, and the Israeli Imagination
Sarah Hankins: Professor of Sound Studies, UC San Diego
PTSD and the Politics of Trauma in Israel
Keren Friedman-Peleg: Medical Anthropologist, The College of Management, Academic Studies
Student Events
Shalem Student Delegation
Wednesday, September 6, 2017, Room 10, Berkeley Law, 12:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Join The Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies and meet students from Israel’s first liberal arts college, Shalem College, for a dialogue on Jewish identity, Israel, and university life.
12:15 – 1:15 Lecture by Prof. Ron Hassner (the lecture will be in Hebrew but the discussion will be in English)
1:15 – 2:15 Kosher Lunch and Group Discussion with Shalem College Students
Student Conversation on the Kotel Agreement with Donniel Hartman
Tuesday, October 17, 2017, 136 Law Building Berkeley Law, 4:00pm – 5:15 pm
Student discussion on the Kotel Agreement and Religious Pluralism with Shalom Hartman Institute President, Donniel Hartman. The government of Israel’s decision to renege on it agreement to expand the Kotel area to include an equal space for Liberal Jewish worship has been met with silence in Israel, on the one hand, and widespread condemnation amongst world Jewry, on the other. This disparity is fueling a deep schism in the heart of the Jewish people with potentially far reaching consequences. What ought to be the relationship between State and Religion in Israel? What are Israel’s responsibilities towards world Jewry? What rights do world Jewry have in making demands upon Israel?
Film Screening: In Search of Israeli Cuisine
Thursday, April 5, 2018, Room 170, Berkeley Law Building, 6:30pm – 8:30 pm
Hosted by the Exploring Jewish Food Decal and The Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israeli Studies, we bring you a film screening of “In Search of Israeli Cuisine.” This captivating film explores the surprising culinary revolution taking place in Israel – a country so frequently associated with political drama rather than delectable eats. In just thirty short years, Israel has transformed from a country with no unique foods to call its own into a country filled with delicious treats at every corner and an abundance of world-renowned chefs and fine foods.
A Student Conversation with Ambassador Dennis Ross
Thursday, February 22, 2018, 132 Law Building Berkeley Law, 7:00pm – 9:00 pm
In the first year of his administration, President Trump has met with key Middle East leaders, imposed additional sanctions on Iranian officials, set a new tone for the U.S. role at the UN, and, most recently, made the unprecedented decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. How do these tactical moves affect the U.S. – Israel relationship and what else may be in store for American policy toward Israel and her neighbors this coming year?