Recorded Events

The Future of Shared Society through the Lens of Religion

What is the role of religion in furthering a shared society in Israel? In this session, Tirza Kelman, Tomer Persico, and Muhammad Al-Atawneh will explore the two-sided sword of religion in relation to shared society. Moderated by Masua Sagiv, they will discuss when religion fosters shared society and when it becomes a barrier and an obstacle to that very idea. 

Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America

Dahlia Lithwick, one of the nation’s foremost legal commentators and a Senior Fellow at Hartman’s Kogod Research Center, tells the gripping and heroic story of the women lawyers who fought the racism, sexism, and xenophobia of Donald Trump’s presidency—and won. Masua Sagiv, Hartman Scholar in Residence, Koret Assistant Visiting Professor of Jewish and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley, and a scholar of the intersection of law, religion and gender will talk with Lithwick about her new book, Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America and what these significant political changes mean for America and for the Jewish community.

The Future of Shared Society in Israel through the Lens of Civil Society and Education

This event is part of a series of conversations with scholars immersed in the project of coexistence and shared society in Israel — as examined from different conceptual lenses, including law, gender, civics, education, religion, and the arts. The scholars will explore issues of social trust, public policy, and current events shaping the prospects for coexistence, and examine both opportunities for and barriers to building shared society in Israel. The first two sessions will take place in November.

The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism

Drawing on his new book The Israeli Century, Prof. Yossi Shain examines the opportunities and challenges of Israeli sovereignty. He explores the new roles afforded to Israelis in the world but also the burdens of carrying the responsibility for the Jewish future. Yossi Shain will be joined in conversation by Prof. Ron Hassner following his presentation.

Gender, Religion, and the Military in Israel

Elisheva Rosman-Stollman joins in conversation with Ronit Stahl to discuss her work on religion and gender in the Israeli military, including questions of gender equality, religious accommodation, and the legitimation of religious female soldiers.

Controversial Issues in Citizenship Education: Insights from Israel

Public dialogue about issues of civic concern is essential to a healthy common life in any open, liberal, pluralistic, democratic society. This includes the discussion of controversial social, political, and economic policies that may cause deep divisions and over which conflicting views may be based on alternative values and methods of analysis. Indeed, with the dramatic increase of migration across the globe over recent decades, the very idea of who should be afforded citizens’ rights, including the right to participate in the public discourse of a democracy, has become one such controversial issue.

Bad News: How Woke Media Undermines Democracy

Conversation between Batya Ungar-Sargon, Deputy Opinion Editor of Newsweek, and Ethan Katz, Professor of History, UC Berkeley, as they dive into complex and controversial issues -- raised by Ungar-Sargon’s new book -- about American journalism and its role in shaping race, class, religion, and culture in America. Seeking to hold both the Left and the Right accountable, Batya takes issue with the “woke” media and the ways it has led the American public astray.

Reconstructing the Civic: Palestinian Civil Activism in Israel

Amal Jamal (Professor of Political Science, Head of Walter Lebach Institute for the Study of Jewish-Arab Coexistence, Tel Aviv University) in conversation with Daniel Zoughbie (Associate Project Scientist, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley) about his new book Reconstructing the Civic: Palestinian Civil Activism in Israel (SUNY Press, 2020).

A Multicultural Entrapment: Religion & State among the Palestinian-Arabs in Israel

Michael Karayanni, (Bruce W. Wayne Chair in International Law, Hebrew University Faculty of Law) in conversation with Masua Sagiv (Koret Visiting Professor, UC Berkeley; Shalom Hartman Institute; Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law) about his new book A Multicultural Entrapment: Religion & State among the Palestinian-Arabs in Israel (Cambridge University Press, 2020).

The Helen Diller Institute 10th Anniversary Naming Ceremony

The Helen Diller Institute celebrated its 10th Anniversary on April 22, 2021. Justice Dorit Beinisch, the first woman to serve as President of the Israeli Supreme Court and the first woman State Attorney of Israel, was joined in conversation by Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, the Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law. Welcome Remarks by Carol Christ, Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

Let the Creators Sing: Informing Democracy Indices with Israeli Creators' Voices

Walk with me down the stone steps to the bomb shelter door. Evaluation of freedom of expression is more effectively understood here – in underground bomb-shelter-turned-art-galleries, basement podcast studios, recondite art centers, and underground film archives–than in university buildings, Whitehall, or glass walled think tank offices. Democracy Indices’ (DI) freedom of expression metric should be more carefully interpreted and consider the inclusion of creators’ voices. Creators are visual artists, filmmakers, podcasters, and digital artists, who make a living from these pieces of work. This talk looks at Israeli creators in particular, and is drawn from a larger project that measures creator freedom of expression in five countries two established democracies, United States and United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, and Russia. The paper uses mixed methods including, survey, interviews, and case studies, to demonstrate that, without these voices, DI’s freedom of expression metric cannot depict an accurate ranking of democracies.

Jewish Law for the Digital Age

Does Jewish law speak to the most important issues of our day? Drawing on Judaism’s millennia-old jurisprudence of radical relevance in the face of change, Professors Ken Bamberger and Ariel Mayse make the counterintuitive argument that Jewish law’s millennia-old approach to surveillance, communication, and information collection, sharing, and use, offer missing frameworks for the struggle to protect privacy in an age of big data.

Cyber-Hate: Defining and Combating Antisemitism and Hate Online (Part 2)

This symposium explores the phenomenon of cyber-hate. What are the key issues and manifestations? What are the appropriate responses to online hate? What are the frameworks available — legal, social, technological — and possible constraints to responding? How do we evaluate the success of various solutions? In this session, we look at remedies and responses, discussing the legal, social, and technological frameworks and constraints for responding to online hate.

Lessons Learned from Football Players and Epilepsy to Understand Brain Aging

As our brains age, we become more forgetful, more tired and less able to do the cognitive gymnastics of our youth. But what if we could stop the brain from aging? My lab, in collaboration with the lab of Dr. Alon Friedman from Ben Gurion University of the Negev has discovered one of the biological pathways that lead to age-related cognitive decline. It all comes down to the blood-brain barrier, a membrane that separates the brain from blood circulating in the rest of the body. When it gets disrupted - due to trauma or age – blood proteins leak through that can wreak havoc in the brain. Our study identifies dysfunction in the blood brain barrier as one of the earliest triggers of neurological aging and demonstrates that the aging brain may retain considerable latent capacity, which can be revitalized. In this talk I will be presenting data from experiments in mice and humans that explain the link between blood-brain barrier disruption and declining cognitive function. I will also present new work showing how even very old brains can be made young again.

Israeli Women in Combat

Professor Ayelet Harel-Shalev draws on interviews with 100 women military veterans about their experiences in combat. Focusing on women in the Israeli Defense Forces, she provides different perspectives about what their experiences teach us, why such research is important, and how to consider soldiers and veterans both as citizens and as violent state actors—an issue with which scholars are often reluctant to engage.

Renewable Energy Revolution under Conditions of Geopolitical Conflict: The Case of the Gaza Strip

The transition toward renewable energy is one of the keys to mitigating climate change. Professor Fishhendler will discuss how conditions of acute interstate conflict shadowed by geopolitical forces shape the deployment of renewables. He will share the case of the Gaza Strip, where despite the conditions of deep poverty and pervasive conflict, the region has become a leader in renewable energy.

Diaspora-Israel Relations and the U.S. Presidential Elections

David Horovitz, founding editor of The Times of Israel joins us as the Morton and Amy Friedkin Scholar-in-Residence. In conversation with Sue Fishkoff, he will reflect on the potential ramifications of the U.S. presidential elections on diaspora-Israel relations and U.S.-Israel bilateral relations. He will also address other hot topics in the media as well as the role of The Times of Israel, as an English language newspaper, in covering the news in Israel.

What Can Theater Teach Us in Times of Crisis and Transformation?

Sharon Aronson Lehavi and Dan Shifrin examine the role theater plays in times of crisis and transformation, drawing on the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Meet Me in the Market: Live Dance Performance from Jerusalem

In 1962 Jackie Kennedy invited the world on a tour of the white house. In this performance, just like she did then, Jackie Kennedy (played by Ori Lenkinski) invites the world via camera lens, on a tour of Mahane Yehuda market — a site which is, like her, rich in history, secrets and life. This show was exclusively live-streamed for the Berkeley Institute as part of the c.a.t.a.m.o.n. (Jerusalem-based dance company) “Jaffa to Agripas” festival. 

Ethnic Minorities and the Army: The Case of Minorities in the IDF

This public lecture, drawn from Rami Zeedan's book, Battalion of Arab: The History of the Minorities' Unit in the IDF from 1948 to 1956, examines the establishment, and the history of, the Minorities' Unit in the IDF. It examines the process that led to the recruitment of the Bedouins, Circassians and Druze into the IDF during the 1948 War and presents the activities of the Minorities' Unit in the 1948 War.

Free Speech on University Campuses in an Age of Uncertainty: AIS Keynote Address

In this keynote address for Association for Israel Studies conference, Ron Robin addresses free speech concerns on university campuses in the age of uncertainty. 

The US–Israel Relationship Under President Donald Trump

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. Dennis Ross explores how 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.

Israeli Artists in Conversation with Israel: Panel 1, The State of the Arts

This conference brings Israeli scholars and artists together to examine critical issues in Israeli society through the arts. Drawing on music, film, theater, dance, and visual culture, the conference will focus on the meeting and mixing between social groups, identities, and art forms. The participants will engage with each other and the audience through discussions and performances to explore how the arts express and shape Israel today.

Israeli Artists in Conversation with Israel: Panel 3, Eyal and Sharon

This conference brings Israeli scholars and artists together to examine critical issues in Israeli society through the arts. Drawing on music, film, theater, dance, and visual culture, the conference will focus on the meeting and mixing between social groups, identities, and art forms. The participants will engage with each other and the audience through discussions and performances to explore how the arts express and shape Israel today.

Israeli Artists in Conversation with Israel: Panel 5, Nelly and Gannit

This conference brings Israeli scholars and artists together to examine critical issues in Israeli society through the arts. Drawing on music, film, theater, dance, and visual culture, the conference will focus on the meeting and mixing between social groups, identities, and art forms. The participants will engage with each other and the audience through discussions and performances to explore how the arts express and shape Israel today.

Book Talk: Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City

This conference brings Israeli scholars and artists together to examine critical issues in Israeli society through the arts. Drawing on music, film, theater, dance, and visual culture, the conference will focus on the meeting and mixing between social groups, identities, and art forms. The participants will engage with each other and the audience through discussions and performances to explore how the arts express and shape Israel today.

American Judaism 2016: From Theory to Practice and Back

This lecture will explore American Judaism from Chancellor Eisen's unique vantage point as a leading scholar of the subject who currently heads one of the community's major institutions. He will argue, on the basis of both his scholarship and experience, that theory - i.e. Ideology, belief - are much less important to the success of American Judaism than institutions such as synagogues, schools, and camps. In his chosen term: community is key. He will also try to make the case, however - basing himself on the writings of Heschel and Kaplan - that Meaning is also crucial, and at hte end of the day American Jews must be convinced that Judaism adds a degree of Meaning to their lives - significance; values; Truth - available nowhere else. He will provide several examples of that such Meaning might be.

Israel at a Major Crossroad: Challenges and Opportunities

The state of Israel is one of a complexity of paradoxes. It is a center of exciting innovations with Silicon Vady, which is second only to Silicon Valley, while at the same time, it has regions of underdevelopment. Its ideology emphasizes equality and fairness, yet it has rising levels of inequality. It is a center of liberalism, coexisting with conservatism, and tensions between Jews and Arabs, and secular and religious forces. Prof. Braverman will identify the sources of tension and social unrest, as well as the choices Israel must make, and present alternative, which will promote tolerance, economic concrete possibilities for enhanced collaboration between California and Israel.

The Failures of Ethics: Confronting the Holocaust, Genocide, and Other Mass Atrocities

Defined by the intention to encourage human action that fits sound understanding about what is right and wrong, just and unjust, good and evil, virtuous and corrupt, ethics is arguably a civilization’s keystone. At best, ethics emphasizes careful deliberation about the difference between right and wrong, encouragement not to be indifferent toward that difference, cultivation of virtuous character, and action that defends what is right and resists what is wrong. With those themes forming the context, Jonathan Roth will grapple with what he calls failures of ethics. His talk will emphasize that the Holocaust did not have to happen — nor did any other genocide or mass atrocity. Such disasters have emerged from human choices and decisions. That fact suggests that nothing human, natural, or divine guarantees respect for the ethical values and commitments that are most needed in contemporary human existence, but nothing is more important than our commitment to deferent them, for they remain as fundamental as they are fragile, as precious as they are endangered. Ethics may not be enough. It may be what the poet William Stafford calls the “forlorn cause”. Nevertheless, ethics remains and persists. An irreplaceable safeguard, it still possesses the indispensable corrective for its own failures.

From Secular Judaism to Jewish Renewal in Israel

Dr. Ruth Calderon, Talmudic Scholar, Founder of ALMA Home for Hebrew Culture, Former Member of Knesset (2013–2015), Shalom Hartman Faculty Member

Diaspora and Group Rights: The Jewish Constitutional Moment

This talk explores a titanic clash — a moment of constitutive politics — among Jews in America a century ago. Fundamental questions about group identity and interests were up for grabs: What did it mean to be both an American and a Jew? Was Jewishness solely a private faith or did it impress on claims to group rights? Lawyers played a critical role in the battle over the politics and meaning of Jewishness — as founders of the first national Jewish organizations, as wordsmiths and public intellectuals, and as authority figures and enthno-cultural heroes. Prof. Forbath elaborates on lawyers’ hammering out of the basic terms of Jewish belonging and apartness in twentieth-century America and explores the kind of constitutional settlement they reached. Prof. William Forbath focuses on U.S. and comparative constitutional law, and constitutional history and theory. His books include Law and the Shaping of the American Labor Movement and The Constitution of Opportunity (co-authored with Joseph Fishkin and forthcoming in 2016). Most recently, Prof. Forbath has written on Jews, law and identity politics in the early twentieth century. Forbath is on the boards of several local and international public interest and human rights organizations.

Reflections on the Legacy of Nuremberg: The 70th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials - Part 3

History, Memory, and Morality: Revisiting the Holocaust and Nuremberg through the Lens of Today

Reflections on the Legacy of Nuremberg: The 70th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials - Part 1

Nuremberg as Legal and Historical Precedent

Jews and Judaism in France

Chief Rabbi of Aix-En Provence Grand Rabbin d’Aix en Provence, Daniel Dahan, spoke about the current status of Jews and Judaism in France. The lecture was sponsored by the Robbins Collection and the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies. Rabbi Dahan is the author of Agounot: Les Femmes Entravées.

Like Dreamers: What I learned about Israel’s Left-Right Divide

Yossi Klein Halevi, Journalist and Author, Senior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute; Former Contributing Editor at The New Republic; Chairman of Open House

Still Playing by the Rules: Arab-Jewish Relations in Israel

The widespread belief about the deep divide between Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens is that an explosion is imminent. The Arabs are a minority in Israel but a majority in the region. As non-Zionists, they reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. They are the victims of discrimination in government policy, the labor market, and the Jewish sector’s attitude toward them. Their leaders campaign on behalf of the Palestinians and fight to alter the Jewish character of the State.

The Jews are being swept toward religion and the political right and are becoming more and more racist toward the Arabs–who are themselves becoming more radicalized. The State cuts services and funding, conducts an occupation, and carries out hostile operations against Arab and Muslim actors in the region, relentlessly amplifying the alienation of its Arab citizens.

But is this the true story? If it is, why do the calm and stability persist? Why is there nearly no violence pitting Arab citizens against Jewish citizens and the State, in contrast to the uncontrolled and harsh conflict being waged on the other side of the Green Line? Why doesn’t either of the sides change the rules?

In this talk Prof. Smooha paints a complex picture of how Jewish and Arab citizens view the State and each other and sheds light on many complicated issues of coexistence in Israel.

Maimonides on Mourning: Jewish Law and Emotion

Prof. Moshe Halbertal, Gruss Professor of Law, New York University; Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute

Israeli and Palestinian Waterways Conference at UC Berkeley: Keynote Speech

A Green Bridge over Troubled Waters: The Kidron Valley/Wadi El Nar River Basin Project and the Possibilities for Israeli-Palestinian Environmental Collaboration

Glenn Yago, Senior Director, Milken Institute Israel Center; Senior Fellow/Founder, Financial Innovations Labs

Introduction by Gillian Lester, Acting Dean, UC Berkeley School of Law

Israeli and Palestinian Waterways Conference at UC Berkeley: Panel 3: Water Across Borders

Energy and the Environment

Israeli and Palestinian Waterways Conference at UC Berkeley: Opening Remarks and Panel 1

Historical Formations: The Law and Politics of Water Since the British Mandate

Reporting Israel: the Personal, the Political and the Press

Ha'aretz's editor-in-chief Aluf Benn visits CAL to discuss the peace negotiations, Obama and Netanyahu's relationship, the implications of a nuclear Iran, the civil war in Syria, the state of the press in Israel, how the American press treats Israel and the biggest misperceptions Americans have about Israel and the Middle East.