Academic Exchange

• A Dialogue Among Peers
  Participants will have a special opportunity to be hosted by peer academics on their campuses in Israel and to participate in a cross-cultural academic dialogue on issues in their own or related disciplines. In addition to observing academic life in Israel first hand, fellows will be able to propose and discuss with Israeli counterparts the development of collaborative research and other projects in their disciplines. They will have the opportunity to present their work to Israeli students and/or faculty. As selected Fellows, participants will be able to have a unique visiting academic experience with their peers and their students in Israel as a unique professional development activity.

History

• Old City, Jerusalem: Where History Meets the Present
  The contemporary situation in Israel can be seen from many angles, but to gain true insight it must be seen through the prism of the history and the sense of community that surrounds the Old City of Jerusalem. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of why an intense attachment to Jerusalem has been felt by so many groups of people over the millennia.


• Memory Reflected in Design at Yad Vashem
  Yad Vashem represents, in part, Israel’s attempt to grapple with its painful memories of the Holocaust. Participants will be given an inside look at the new Museum, Memorial, and Educational Center at Yad Vashem by chief architect Moshe Safdie.


• Historic Tour of Tel Aviv
  A stroll through Tel Aviv’s Florentine District and Neve Tzedek culminating in a stop at Independence Hall will highlight the familiarity of Israel’s leaders and thinkers who lived in the houses, sat in the café’s and spoke in the square.

Society

• Israel's Twenty Percent Factor
  While most of the world sees Israel through the lens of the county's conflict with the Palestinians, few know about the rich diversity of its citizens, and the many challenges and innovative solutions the country has developed to deal with a society that is comprised of 20 percent Russian speaking immigrants, 20 percent Arabs and 20 percent national religious and ultra orthodox.


• The Rich Tapestry of Faith Traditions
  At several points in the journey, perhaps especially in Jerusalem and in the Galilee, participants will explore the overlapping layers of historic sites with meaning for people of many faiths and traditions.

Economy

• What Warren Buffet Understood
  "Iscar and the Tefen Industrial Park should be taken as an example... of what can be done against all odds," Warren Buffett said after purchasing his first foreign company, Israel's Iscar, located in the North. The company is renowned not only for its high quality products and high profitability but as a living example of Jewish-Arab co-existence. During the visit to the north the group will tour Tefen Industrial Park, confer with the leadership of the company and meet the diverse work force that makes this place such a model of intercommunal success.


• Pioneering a Sustainable Future
  The high-tech boom is back and this time Israelis are using their vast know-how and creativity to pioneer sustainable solutions for our planet in the areas of solar energy, water conservation and electric vehicles. Participate in an open discussion with leaders from some of Israel's premier renewable energy companies - Ormat, Netafim, and the new electric vehicle initiative of former SAP superstar Shai Agassi.

Politics & Diplomacy

• Gaza: From the Withdrawal to Today
  This tour will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the reality on the ground in Southern Israel following the withdrawal from Gaza. The tour, with experts who can discuss the effects on both sides of the fence, will include visits to “Kassam Country” Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Sderot to meet the residents who must live with the reality of ongoing Kassam attacks; to Nitzan to meet with former residents of Gaza now living in caravan villages; a military briefing on Israel's challenges in the South; and a meeting with experts on Palestinian affairs to discuss what is happening in Gaza. The tour, with experts who can discuss the effects on both sides of the fence, is designed to show the geographical and social challenges and possibilities posed by the this area.


• Covering the Conflict
  A panel of Israel's leading Arab Affairs correspondents will analyze the region's most complex issues. Potential panelists: Ehud Yaari, Channel Two; Avi Ississcharov, Haaretz; Zvi Yehezkeli, Channel Ten; Smadar Peri, Yediot Aharonot.


• A View from Above
  With a visit to the Mitze Ramon Air Force base, participants will learn how air power is becoming more and more important in military conflicts. This tour will give insight from experts into the cutting edge and emerging doctrinal, technological and tactical innovations in hi-tech warfare as they are being tested in real world situations in the Middle East.


• Understanding the Impact of the Security Fence
  This half day tour will give participants a full understanding of how the fence has affected Israel's security as well as the impact it has had on local populations along the route of the fence. A tour will allow participants to actually speak to those living along the route, Israeli and Palestinian.


• The Northern Front: Lebanon and Syria
  This tour will give participants an up close perspective of the challenges Israel faces on its northern front from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the potential threat from Syria. Leading military experts will join the group for this intensive tour.

Culture

• Israeli Society through the Lens of a Camera
  Israeli cinema continues to develop in terms of both quality and output, winning major awards in festivals throughout the world. Participants will sit with a panel of leading film makers, such as Doron Tsabari, Orna BenDor, and Etgar Keret, to hear about how they see contemporary Israeli society and draw on it in their films.


• Israel Takes Center Stage
  The world-renowned Batsheva dance troupe highlights for audiences around the world the creativity and innovation of Israeli artists. An evening performance plus a discussion with Creative Director Ohad Naharin and dancers at Tel Aviv's beautiful Suzanne Dalhal Center will showcase this creative ensemble.


• Sounds of the Middle East
  There has been a resurgence of Israeli music with roots in the Middle East, led by Jewish communities that made Aliyah from countries as diverse as Iraq and Morocco. This evening will explore the deep roots of the Jewish community throughout the Middle East through music with a discussion and musical performance.

Science and Technology

• Israel's Advancements in the Sciences
  Israel’s medical and environmental sciences, high tech centers and universities are among the most sophisticated and productive in the world. Fellows participating in this program will meet with and share collaboration efforts with leading academic scientists, engineers and technologists at major universities to expand collaborative and cooperative ventures as Israel contributes to humanitarian, environmental and technological knowledge for the entire world.

Law, Democracy and Human Rights

• A Plight for Democracy
  Israel is a parliamentary democracy, committed to human rights, with parties representing all segments of the Israeli society. Fellows participating in this program will have the opportunity to meet with legislators, political scientists, government officials, political activists, commentators and other experts representing various points of view. Participants will learn about the vibrant and vital differences in opinions as well as the overall commitment to civil and human rights. In addition these differences and issues will be addressed along with how Israel, as a democratic and pluralistic society, is meeting the challenges facing it.