Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Presidential Conference

Israel News Agency Releases Facing Tomorrow Conference Videos

2008-05-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Israel News Agency Releases Facing Tomorrow Conference Videos

George Bush Visit Israel 60 Birthday Peres Olmert Video

The Israel News Agency covered the historic arrival of US President George W. Bush for Israel's 60th birthday celebrations.

Israel UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman At 60th Facing Tomorrow
02:13

Added: 4 days ago

Video - Aryeh Green Media Central at Israel Facing Tomorrow 06:02 Added: 1 day ago	Israel Maimon Facing Tomorrow Video Interview 04:24 Added: 1 day ago	Laura Kam Israel Project Interview Facing Tomorrow 01:42 Added: 1 day ago
Sir Ronald Cohen Israel Facing Tomorrow Portland Capital 07:35 Added: 1 day ago	Abraham Abe Foxman ADL Israel Facing Tomorrow 60th Birthday 05:46 Added: 3 days ago	Israel UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman At 60th Facing Tomorrow 02:13 Added: 3 days ago
Maurice Levy Publicis Israel 60th Birthday Advertising PR 09:01 Added: 4 days ago

Facing Tomorrow, the first annual conference of Shimon Peres' presidency took place in Jerusalem, Israel, May 13-15, marking Israel's milestone 60th anniversary, at the International Convention Center.

World leaders both Jewish and non-Jewish, thinkers and doers, artists and scientists, rabbis and entrepreneurs including the next generation of leadership will take part in the Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday event.

The Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday Conference examined what the future holds for the global community, the Jewish people and the State of Israel. It also focused on Jewish and Israel contributions to humanity.

Attending Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday conference participants includeed: former British PrimeMinister Tony Blair; French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner; formerPresident of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev; former US Secretary of State, Dr.Henry Kissinger; former Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Havel; President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili; Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Ambassadors MartinIndyk and Dennis Ross, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman and Professor Alan Dershowitz.

Business luminaries such as Google founder Sergey Brinn, Mark Zuckerman, founder of Facebook, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch and Ratan Tata, Chairman, the Tata Group also attended.

Honorary Chairs of The Israel President's Conference are: Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson. Sheldon Adelson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ofthe Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Miriam Adelson heads the Dr. Miriam andSheldon G. Adelson Drug Rehabilitation Clinics in both Tel Aviv and LasVegas. Yair Green, attorney-at-law, will serve as Co-Chair. Elliott Broidy,Chairman of Markstone Capital Group, is heading the Conference's Benefactor Committee.

The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI) is developing the Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday conference program. Ambassador Dennis Ross serves as the Chairman of the Board of JPPPI, Professor Yehezkel Dror is its Founding President, and Avinoam Bar-Yosef is the JPPPI's Director-General.

The Conference's steering committee is headed by Israel Maimon, former Israel Cabinet Secretary.

Eyal Arad, co-Chairman of the Euro Israel Group, will serve as spokesman.

Charley J. Levine, CEO of Lone Star Communications, is managing the conference's international media relations and public relations.

Kissinger at Israel Facing Tomorrow Conference: Timetable Needed to Combat Global Nuclear Threat

2008-05-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Kissinger at Israel Facing Tomorrow Conference:
Timetable Needed to Combat Global Nuclear Threat

By Ora Koren, Haaretz Correspondent

In an address at the "Facing Tomorrow" presidential conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned that the nuclear threat facing Israel is in fact a global danger, and urged the international community to forge a specific timetable to combat it.

Kissinger spoke before an audience of world leaders and dignitaries, saying that one of the major global shifts today is the rise of fundamentalism and radicalism. Compounded by the rise in nuclear weapon development, he said, this shift represents a historic turning point.

The Nobel Prize laureate added that the Iranian nuclear threat, besides threatening to destroy Israel, is also an existential threat to the world and must be addressed internationally. He explained that as long as a nation is capable of developing nuclear weapons in defiance of the United Nations Security Council and major world powers, then nuclear capability will consequently spread into many other nations. He stressed that when groups such as the Security Council voice objection to nuclear weapons development, they must do so with specific instructions and a defined timetable, otherwise, the situation will only deteriorate.

Kissinger also addressed the issue China's economic growth and the threat it poses to the U.S. hegemony on the world economy, saying that the issue must be addressed from the vantage point of future cooperation, rather than strategic competition. The world has changed, Kissinger said, and the theories of foreign relations that were valid in the past are now also changing. He cited the cooperation between the European nations within the framework of the European Union as an example of such successful cooperation.

The former secretary of state also addressed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying that it required both sides to be very brave. He added that it was impossible to move forward unless both sides know that a peace agreement is not the end of the road, but rather a starting point for future processes.

It is imperative to maintain the kind of cooperation that Shimon Peres is cultivating, he said.

In conclusion, Kissinger said that it was the joint interest of many world nations to prevent the rise of fundamentalism and to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Kissinger added that another international goal was for world nations to cooperate in efforts to advance the research into renewable energy sources and the protection of the environment while raising awareness for new technologies. He said that these were the challenges of tomorrow and that Israel could play an important role in facing them.

Video - Facing Tomorrow Chairman Israel Maimon Interview

2008-05-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Israel News Agency interviews Israel Maimon, former Cabinet Secretary to Israel Prime Minister Arik Sharon and Ehud Olmert and today Chairperson of the Presidential Facing Israel Conference in Jerusalem.

US President George W. Bush and several other political and world Jewish leaders attended Facing Tomorrow.

On Israel 60th Birthday Bush Tells Iran, Syria, No Appeasement On Terrorism

2008-05-17T02:45:00.000-07:00

On Israel 60th Birthday Bush Tells Iran, Syria, No Appeasement On Terrorism

Photo: Joel Leyden / Israel News Agency

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ----- May 17, 2008 ....... US President George W. Bush will leave Saudi Arabia this morning for Egypt after having visited Israel for its 60th birthday celebrations.

Upon his historic arrival at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, Bush stated: "Israel is our strongest friend and ally in the Middle East. Our two nations both faced great challenges when they were founded. And our two nations have both relied on the same principles to help us succeed. We built strong democracies to protect the freedoms given to us by an Almighty God."

President George W. Bush was greeted by Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel President Shimon Peres, several other Israel dignitaries and an Israel Defense Forces 50-person strong orchestra in a colorful and warm red carpet welcome.

Bush was told by Peres: "Welcome to the new Israel: Three thousand years old, and going on sixty."

Bush spent three days in Israel visiting the Facing Tomorrow Conference, the Knesset and Masada before flying off yesterday for Saudi Arabia.

Just hours before Bush's Blue and White Air Force One arrived in Israel, a Grad type rocket produced in Iran and launched from Gaza slammed into a shopping mall in the southern Israel city of Ashkelon.

Fourteen civilians were wounded. Three people suffered severe wounds, two were moderately injured and five suffered light injuries.

Two women and a young girl were seriously wounded, Magan David Adom reported. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

Ashkelon is a port city of 120,000 people located about 10 miles north of the Gaza Strip. The Iran rocket which hit the shopping mall was only one of at least 20 Katyusha-type rockets to have rocked the city.

Israel President Shimon Peres responded by saying that it was Hamas' actions in Gaza and Hezbollah's in Lebanon which are holding up the establishment of a Palestinian state. Shimon Peres, the winner of a Nobel Peace Price, went on to remind the world that Israel could have been living in peace with a Palestine state if the Palestinians would have accepted a state back in 1948. But rather than living in peace with the Jewish population which has a historic roots going back to the first and second temples in Jerusalem, Masada and Gamla, the Palestinians chose to join invading Arab armies with the promise of taking all Jewish land.

"As Iran calls for wiping Israel off the map, inciting hate and violence against the Jewish people, those in Teheran are actually delaying the establishment of Palestine and keeping children in Gaza in poverty," said one participant at the Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem. "Iran is doing exactly the same thing that Arab leaders did with the minds of those Arabs who lived here in 1948, giving them false hope of securing all the land and keeping these people in poverty. It is not Israel which is oppressing the Palestinian people today, it is Iran and Syria."

This is President George Bush's second trip to the middle east in five months, and his second to Israel as president.

After leaving Israel yesterday, Bush visited Saudi Arabia, where he and his delegation addressed the high price of oil. Many in the President's delegation questioned leaders in Saudi Arabia about their neglect in assisting Palestinians who live in poverty while those in Saudi Arabia eat caviar, drive Rolls Royce and fly off to their homes in France, England and the Caribbean for vacations.

Jewish leaders in Israel appeared more concerned about the quality of life for those living in Gaza and the West Bank and truly advocating the establishment of Palestine in contrast to those in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria.

Many Jewish leaders at Israel 60th birthday Facing Tomorrow Peace Conference in Jerusalem, including Israel UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman, ADL Director Abe Foxman, Sir Ronald Cohen and advertising giant Maurice Levy stated that Israel is ready to assist in investing in a state named Palestine. But that any investment in a future entity called Palestine could only be realized when terror organizations such as Iran backed Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah which call for Israel's total destruction, lay down their weapons.

"As Iran calls for wiping Israel off the map, inciting hate and violence against the Jewish people, those in Teheran are actually delaying the establishment of Palestine and keeping children in Gaza in poverty," said one participant to Facing Tomorrow Conference. "Iran is doing exactly the same thing that Arab leaders did with the minds of those Arabs who lived here in 1948, giving them false hope of securing all the land and keeping these people in poverty. It is not Israel which is oppressing the Palestinian people today, it is Iran and Syria."

George Bush used his interviews in both Israel and Saudi Arabia to criticize Hamas which controls Gaza and opposes recognition of Israel as a country.

"Their vision is to destroy Israel," Bush told Israel reporters. "How about a vision that says we want to coexist with Israel so we can raise our children in peace? Now, I'm sure, people say, 'Bush, oh man, he sounds hopelessly idealistic.' But the truth of the matter is, in order for peace to be secure, it's that kind of idealism that has got to prevail."

In his speech to the Knesset, Bush spoke about his visit to Masada and repeated the Israel pledge, saying, "Masada shall never fall again."

At the same time President George W. Bush predicted that Israel's 120th birthday would find it alongside a Palestinian state and in an all-democratic neighborhood free of today's oppression, restrictions on freedom and extremist Muslim movements.

During a speech to the Knesset, the Israel parliament, Bush limited his mention of Palestinians to just one sentence. "The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved, a democratic state that is governed by law, and respects human rights, and rejects terror," he said.

The President stated his opposition to negotiating with “terrorists and radicals,” and, invoking Nazi Germany, rejecting “the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, then Israel Prime Minister Arik Sharon warned the United States not to "appease the Arabs at Israel's expense." Sharon made reference to the catastrophic consequences of European democracies appeasing Hitler prior to World War II, specifically citing the Munich Pact of 1938 which ceded Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Germany: ''Don't repeat the terrible mistakes of 1938, when the enlightened democracies in Europe decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for a comfortable, temporary solution. Israel will not be Czechoslovakia.''

Bush began his speech declaring with a broad and warm smile:"Yom Atzmaut Sameach," or "Happy Independence Day." President Bush denounced anti-Semitism "in all forms," and stated that "Israel has a right to defend itself".

In reaction to the speech, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: "Bush's recognition of Palestine as the national homeland for the Jews is a very dangerous act of discrimination and racism, obliterating the right of return for Palestinians and establishing a genocide at the expense of Palestinian rights." He added: "We want to tell Bush, Israel is not going to survive another 60 years. Israel's end is drawing closer, and it will take less than 60 years to achieve it."

"Some people suggest that if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away," said Bush. "This is a tired argument that buys into the propaganda of our enemies, and America rejects it utterly. Israel's population may be just over 7 million. But when you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America stands with you."

Bush's trip to Egypt follows a one-day visit to Riyadh, where he met King Abdullah and secured a promise of a Saudi Arabia increase in oil output in response to his repeated appeals for help in easing record world oil prices

President Bush will meet Egypt President Hosni Mubarak and Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today. Bush will meet with Jordan King Abdullah, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Iraq officials on Sunday at an international economic forum.

The above text was edited and SEO optimized for the Internet by Joel Leyden.

Abraham (Abe) Foxman, ADL National Director Speaks at Israel Facing Tomorrow

2008-05-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Joel Leyden of the Israel News Agency interviews Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) at the Israel 60th birthday Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem, Israel. Facing Tomorrow was coordinated by Israel President Shimon Peres and attended by Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US President George W. Bush, dozens of world leaders and respected dignitaries in the Jewish world.

Maurice Levy of Publicis Speaks at Israel Facing Tomorrow 60th Birthday Conference

2008-05-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Joel Leyden of the Israel News Agency interviews Maurice Levy, Chairman and CEO of the Publicis Advertising and PR Group. Levy was a speaker at the 60th Israel birthday Presidential Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem. Facing Tomorrow was coordinated by Israel President Shimon Peres and attended by Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US President George W. Bush, dozens of world leaders and respected dignitaries in the Jewish world.

Levy speaks about Israel's PR and discusses solutions for improving Israel's global image.

Video - George W. Bush Historic Visit to Israel

2008-05-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Israel News Agency covered the historic arrival of US President George W. Bush for Israel's 60th birthday anniversary celebrations and the Shimon Peres Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem, Israel. President Bush is greeted by Israel President Shimon Peres, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other dignitaries.

Bush Hours Aways from Joining Israel 60th Birthday Facing Tomorrow

2008-05-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

JTA Breaking New

80 U.S. Jews to join President Bush in Israel for Facing Tomorrow Conference

US President Bush will be joined by more than 80 American Jewish friends, donors and leaders during the Facing Tomorrow Conference marking Israel's 60th anniversary.

Bush departs Tuesday for a three-day visit to Israel. The visit will include receptions, tours of historical sites and a speech to the Knesset.

Jewish donors to Bush's two presidential campaigns comprise about two thirds of the list. Others include Jewish politicians, leaders of major U.S. Jewish groups and longtime friends.

Included in the delegation are Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas casino magnate who is the sixth richest man in the world, a top philanthropist for Jewish causes and a major donor to the Republican Party; Howard Friedman, the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee; Gov. Linda Lingle, the Republican governor of Hawaii; Ronald Lauder, the World Jewish Congress president; June Walker, the chairwoman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; and Matt Brooks, the director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

People and Faces - Facing Tomorrow Conference - Jerusalem, Israel

2008-05-13T15:16:00.001-07:00

Israel Presidential 60th Birthday Facing Tomorrow Conference

Photos: Israel News Agency / Joel Leyden

Olmert At Facing Tomorrow Conference: Understandings reached in talks with Palestinians

By HERB KEINON
The Jerusalem Post

Hours before the arrival of US President George W. Bush, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday evening that "real progress" has been achieved in the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and that "understandings and agreements have been reached on important matters, although not on all issues."

Israel President Shimon Peres opens the Facing Tomorrow conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday.
Photo: GPO

Speaking at the gala opening of the presidential Facing Tomorrow conference in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary in Jerusalem, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert termed the discussions with the PA "highly serious and significant."

"There is some real progress, and some important understandings have been reached in important areas, though not in all areas," he said.

This was the first time, diplomatic officials said, that the prime minister had publicly characterized the talks in such an upbeat fashion.

Last week, after Olmert met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, it was Olmert's spokesmen - not the prime minister himself - who said the talks were progressing significantly, leading some to charge that the Prime Minister's Office was merely trying to deflect attention from the Talansky affair with positive diplomatic news.

Olmert's assessment Tuesday came the same day Quartet envoy Tony Blair unveiled a package of measures to allow Palestinians greater movement in the West Bank and help the Palestinian economy grow in a way that he said would be consistent with Israeli security. Among the measures are the removal of four checkpoints, the upgrade of seven others, and the relocation of another to a less intrusive position.

President Shimon Peres speaks to the press at the opening of the Tomorrow Presidential Conference at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said both Olmert's positive assessment and Blair's announcement were timed for Bush's visit, and were an attempt to show progress and momentum in the diplomatic process.

The officials said the Americans had originally wanted some kind of memorandum of understanding spelling out what had been agreed upon to be signed between the PA and Israel during Bush's two-day visit, but that this did not pan out.

Although Bush's visit will be largely ceremonial, including an address to the Knesset, participation in the presidential conference and a trip to Massada, he will also be spending a great deal of time with Olmert, during which time the diplomatic process with the Palestinians is expected to loom large.

Olmert is scheduled to meet Bush shortly after his arrival on Wednesday, accompany him to Massada on Thursday morning and dine with him on Thursday night. Diplomatic officials said that in addition to the Palestinian track, all the other major issues now on the agenda - Iran, Syria and Lebanon - would be discussed.

During his speech at the Facing Tomorrow conference on Tuesday night, Olmert said he hoped an agreement would be reached that would be gradually implemented and linked to the road map peace plan.

"That agreement will ensure the future of Israel as a Jewish state, with the full backing of the US and the international community," he said, adding that it would win acceptance of the Arab world.

"A peace agreement with other Arab countries is also very important to our future," Olmert said, in a possible reference to Syria. "It is obvious that to open a promising horizon for Israel's tomorrow, we have to make all efforts to moderate, and also to dismantle and remove, the grave security threats clouding our skies."

Blair, meanwhile, said that the steps Israel and the PA agreed upon could begin to change the reality on the ground, something he said was critical in giving "credibility" to the diplomatic process.

Blair said the four checkpoints slated for removal were the Kvasim checkpoint and Halhoul bridge roadblock, both near Hebron, the container checkpoint south of Ma'aleh Adumim, and the Shavei Shomron checkpoint in Samaria. The checkpoint by Beit El is to be relocated.

The first of the checkpoints is to be removed this week, and the others over the next few weeks. Blair said these changes would "significantly free up" north-south traffic in the West Bank, as well as traffic to the east. He pointed out that at this point, the freeing-up of traffic would not be westward, in the direction of the Green Line.

Blair said the changes would be done in a phased manner, and that it was an "indication of change I hope will come."

"For Palestinian statehood to be possible in the eyes of Palestinians, there must be hope that the occupation will, over time, be lifted," Blair said. "For Palestinian statehood to be possible in the eyes of Israelis, there must be hope, over time, that the security of Israel will be improved and not harmed by the way the Palestinians run their territory."

This package, which Blair hammered out in negotiations that extended over weeks and continued until Tuesday morning, was the first tangible result of his efforts since being appointed the Quartet's envoy in June. Blair is scheduled to meet with Bush on Thursday.

Blair, at a press conference at his headquarters in the capital's American Colony Hotel, said that the centerpiece of the package was a 360-sq. km. area in and around Jenin - a land mass he said was larger than the Gaza Strip - where the Palestinians were to be given increased security authority and where a number of economic and social projects would begin. Among the projects slated for the area is a German-funded industrial park.

He said that this area would be a "pilot," and if the formula worked there, it could be reproduced elsewhere.

In addition, Blair said Israel had agreed to let the Palestinians develop certain parts of Area C, the area that, under the Oslo Accords, comprises some 60 percent of the West Bank, but for which Israel retains some administrative and all security responsibility.

"It has been a long-standing grievance felt by Palestinians that they have been unable to improve or develop Area C," Blair said. He added that it was extremely important the Palestinians get a chance to develop the Jordan Valley.

Blair's plan was panned by Dani Dayan, who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. He said he opposed the removal of the checkpoints, which had been placed in strategically sensitive areas where more security was needed.

These checkpoints were put up after numerous shooting attacks by Palestinians against Israelis civilians and soldiers in Judea and Samaria, he said.

Israel President Shimon Peres opens the "Facing Tomorrow" conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday.
Photo: GPO

Dayan accused the government of bowing to international pressure at the expense of Israelis' lives. In a letter he wrote last week to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Dayan said that any diplomatic steps had to bear in mind the safety of the more than 270,000 Israelis who lived in Judea and Samaria.

"We won't agree to any measure that endangers lives," Dayan wrote.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

Media Alert for Journalists - Israel Facing Tomorrow Conference

2008-05-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

All journalists wishing to cover the Facing Tomorrow Conference in Jerusalem, Israel must have valid and current press cards issued by the Government Press Office.

Due to a lack of physical space, journalists may be denied access to events.
Charley Levine, Facing Tomorrow Conference spokesperson, advises all journalists to arrive early at the events to insure entry.

Jerusalem bracing for gridlock during world leaders' - Facing Tomorrow

2008-05-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

From: Jonathan Lis, Haaretz

The Jerusalem, Israel police department has completed its preparations for the "Facing Tomorrow" conference opening in the capital today, under the auspices of Israel President Shimon Peres. Dozens of heads of state and former and current world leaders will attend the three-day conference, including U.S. President George W. Bush, who is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

Some 14,000 police officers will provide security for the high-level delegations coming to Facing Tomorrow.

Jerusalem police yesterday published a list of roads that will be closed off intermittently as the various delegations make their way through the city. Police officials promised that the movements of some 30 heads of state and world leaders would not interfere with traffic in Jerusalem, since roads will be closed for only a brief time while the VIPs' motorcades pass, with a police escort to clear a path.

However, major traffic disruptions are expected to snarl Jerusalem when Bush arrives tomorrow. Roads around Givat Ram will be closed to traffic at 10 A.M. Bush is scheduled to land at 11:30 A.M. at a helipad constructed for the purpose at the Givat Ram stadium. His motorcade will set out for the King David Hotel at 11:55 A.M, traveling along Ruppin Street, to Ramban Street, Agron Street, and from there to the hotel.

Later in the day, traffic will be barred along the route leading from the hotel to the President's Residence and the prime minister's official residence nearby, where Bush is scheduled to pay an early-afternoon visit.

Any vehicles parked along the president's motorcade route will be towed to the Teddy Stadium parking lot.

Bush will be accompanied on his two-day visit by his wife, Laura. The first lady will tour Jerusalem, but her schedule has not been finalized. As of now, she is expected to visit the Western Wall tunnel and a facility caring for children.

Police yesterday recommended using only public transportation this week.

Updated information about street closures can be obtained by calling the police hotline number 1-700-50-20-30, or visiting the police Internet site www.police.gov.il.

Jerusalem, Israel on high alert for Bush - Facing Tomorrow

2008-05-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Breaking News

Jerusalem on high alert for Bush et al

Jerusalem, Israel went on high alert ahead of the visit by US President Bush and other international dignitaries.

Israel police deployed 8,000 personnel in the capital Tuesday and began redirecting traffic away from the city center as part of a "C" security alert, one level below that declared for emergency situations.

The measures are in preparation for the international "Facing Tomorrow" conference, which is being held in Jerusalem between Tuesday and Thursday in honor of Israel's 60th Independence Day and under the auspices of President Shimon Peres.

President George W. Bush, the most distinguished guest, arrives on Wednesday. Also attending will be dozens of other heads of state, entertainment figures and leaders in the fields of communications and technology.

Facing Tomorrow - The Israel President's Conference 2008

2008-05-11T01:57:00.000-07:00

Facing Tomorrow - The Israel President's Conference 2008

This info blog is sponsored in honor of Israel's 60th birthday

by Leyden Communications / Israel News Agency

"Learn from yesterday, live for today,
hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

- Albert Einstein

From SHIMON PERES
President of Israel

Dear Participants,

We are gathered in Jerusalem to think together about ‘Tomorrow’. We wish for
a better tomorrow for Israel, the Jewish people and the world. We think about
tomorrow not passively - but with imagination, vision, and in no small measure -
chutzpah. We are in need of this kind of presumptuous and non-conformist
thinking, the kind that seeks to shape the future.

Across the millennia, the exhortations of the prophets of Israel have echoed in
our hearts. The prophets envisioned a future of humane peace and social justice.
Through their fervent faith, they encouraged us to shape a better tomorrow. The
prophets have instilled in us - and the whole world - great inspiration, and taught
us to rise up against evil and to never accept wrongdoing. They have also given
the Jewish people an impatient temperament, a disinclination to rest on its laurels
or settle for what is. They have given us the drive to change and strive for a better,
more just future.

The history of the Jewish people oscillates between acceptance and rebellion -
between the tragedy of a helpless people at the mercy of a cruel fate and the
resurgence of that same people to take control of its fate and shape for itself the
tomorrow it once only dreamt about.

The establishment of the State of Israel after two millennia of exile is a remarkable
expression of the weaving of history by humans. This chutzpah - of the refusal to
accept things as they are - has its roots to the early dawn of the Jewish people.
More than three thousand years passed between the time of Moses and that of
Herzl, but in those two gigantic crossroads on the path of the Jewish journey
through history we find the same people - a people that has taken control of its
fate to emerge from slavery to freedom, and shape its national vision and human
mission.

These enormous turns of history are made by humans. They teach us the
extent to which all things are foreseen; yet the choice is given. Tomorrow does
not await us locked and pre-determined. Tomorrow calls upon us to shape it.
It presents us with empty pages and invites us to write on them the histories of
tomorrow.

The future awaits our decisions, our inventions, our dreams and our imagination.
Facing Tomorrow will look closely at the trends and developments that are mapping
the future, and serve as an incubator for some selected proactive responses.
Participants will be charged with examining, confronting, and responding to three
intertwining futures: the global tomorrow, the Jewish tomorrow, and the Israeli
tomorrow.

Each “tomorrow” - Jewish, Israeli, and world - will be examined through a set of
three critical lenses: The leadership necessary to navigate the challenges ahead,
the values that are meant to guide our journey, and the creativity required to
embrace the new and keep pace with a rapidly changing world.
We wish for a conference that not only ‘talks’ but also drives action. We seek to
encourage practical initiatives intended to positively shape our future.

In honor of the Conference, gathered in Jerusalem is a unique group of people:
leaders who hail from a wide variety of fields and courses: policy, science,
economics, culture, art, religion and thought. These leaders are unlike each other
but they share a common trait - they are determined to shape tomorrow. They are
not content to settle for things as they are. They possess the courage to create
the new.

If the role of historians is to explain how yesterday was shaped, our challenge is
to show the path to shaping tomorrow.
We must extend our understanding of the trends that will influence the face of
tomorrow. We must be humble but courageous: Humble - to accept that not all
trends can be shaped and changed and that sometimes our only choice is to be
well-prepared; Courageous - to insist that where change is possible, we should
act, steer, innovate and make the difference between what could be to what
should be.

In all my years, I have been party to many dreams. The ones that became
reality had one thing in common: they were all blessed with the proper mix of
imagination, will, and compassion. I am quite sure that all three of these very
human qualities will be abundantly evident at this conference, and will afford it
the intellectual fertility, curiosity, and enthusiasm any meaningful consideration of
tomorrow requires.

With very best regards,
Shimon Peres, President of Israel

Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson
Honorary Chairs
President’s Conference 2008

Dear Participants,
We are pleased and honored to welcome you to Facing Tomorrow, a conference
of landmark significance.

While we join together here, in Israel’s eternal capital, our beloved City of Jerusalem,
to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence, the occasion also
serves as an appropriate time to contemplate and confront the many challenges
facing our people, our homeland, and the world we share.

Facing Tomorrow provides the perfect venue for the best and brightest in such
fields as academia, science, economics, religion and government to come together
to discuss the important issues facing us as we look to future anniversaries and
future generations.

Your challenge will require a comprehensive examination of many complicated
issues. No question is too insignificant to be asked or too small to be ignored.
You will need to be frank and open and challenge each other, as well as the status
quo to be truly successful.
If any group of people can accomplish such an ambitious task, it is certainly the
formidable group of participants who have assembled for this conference. You
have our utmost confidence, and we are certain you will make great strides during
this time together.
Good luck, and thank you so much for your participation in this important
conference.

Sincerely,
Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson
Honorary Chairs, President’s Conference 2008

DENNIS ROSS
Chairman, Board of Directors and
Professional Guiding Council
Jewish People Policy Planning Institute

Dear Participants,

On behalf of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, the professional body
responsible for organizing the content of the conference and developing its
findings, I would like to welcome you to Jerusalem. The next few days will provide
much food for thought as we contemplate the main theme and challenges of
Facing Tomorrow, the title of the conference.

I am particularly grateful to those who were first assembled last summer and whose
ideas and suggestions have done so much to shape the JPPPI’s preparation of
this very special convocation. As we gather at a time of Israel’s 60th anniversary,
we also have President Shimon Peres’ charge very much in mind: concentrate
our energies more on addressing the future than the past.

Over the next few days, we will be discussing an extraordinary array of challenges
and opportunities that confront the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the
international community and its ongoing development. For us, the measure of
this conference will be the ideas it generates that can, over time, be translated
into creating new realities.

Sincerely,
Dennis Ross, Chairman
Board of Directors and Professional Guiding Council
Jewish People Policy Planning Institute

ISRAEL MAIMON
Chairman, President’s Conference
Steering Committee 2008

Dear Participants,

Welcome to Jerusalem.

The President of the State of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres, has charged me with a
task I felt privileged to perform: to lead a team of wonderful people dedicated to
assisting him in the realization of yet another dream - organizing the Conference
Facing Tomorrow in Jerusalem.

The conference is multifaceted and thus represents the myriad challenges facing
Israel, the Jewish people and the world in general on the exciting path towards
the future. We tried to structure the conference in a manner that would allow
participants to take their own course of exploration and interaction with the fields
which most appeal to them.

You will find among conference participants leading figures in all walks of life,
including many young people. One of the primary aims of the conference, and
one which I care about in particular, is bringing the younger generation into the
discussion on our future. After all, these extraordinary young men and women
are our future leaders and it will not be long before they lead their nations, their
people and the world into the realm of tomorrow.

My years as Government Secretary have brought me into the fold of some of the
most consequential issues facing Israel and the Jewish people. I have learned
how much responsibility each of us shoulders for the future of our country and our
people. I am convinced that the President’s Conference will serve as testament
to this responsibility and will contribute to the prosperity of the State of Israel and the Jewish people as part of the world community.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the contributors whose generosity,
kindness and love of Israel and of the Jewish people have allowed this conference
to become a reality.
I would also like to thank all my colleagues and partners in organizing the
President’s Conference, who have done their utmost to make sure the conference
is a success.
I wish us all a fruitful and challenging conference.

Sincerely,
Adv. Israel Maimon, Chairman
President’s Conference Steering Committee 2008

PLENARY SESSION:
PRESIDENTS DISCUSSING TOMORROW
EXHIBITION HALL 16:30 - 18:00
TUES MAY 13, 2008

The rapid pace of globalization has increased interdependency among our world’s
inhabitants. Modern communications and the Internet have reduced geographical distance
to nanoseconds. The world is becoming a global village; yet nation states strive to
maintain their independence and individual identity. Is the global tomorrow a scene of
ever-increasing cooperation or ever-deepening conflict? What national and global future is
envisioned in different parts of the world? The presidents who have come to the conference
represent a wide variety of continents, peoples and cultures. In this session, they will present
their visions for tomorrow.

With the participation of the President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres and
moderated by Jacques Attali, President, PlaNet Finance.

SCHEDULE

18:00 - Reception and Gala Dinner
(Entrance Hall).
19:45 - Opening Event: Towards Tomorrow
(Ussishkin Hall).
The opening event is a tribute to the vision and achievements of the state of Israel and
the Jewish people in shaping the Israeli, the Jewish and the global tomorrow over the past
60 years.
The event will also represent the enduring commitment of Israel and of the Jewish people
to continuously give of themselves, their values and their innovation.

SPEAKERS
Shimon Peres , President of the State of Israel
Ehud Olmert , Prime Minister of Israel
Elie Wiesel , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Greetings: Uri Lupolianski , Mayor of Jerusalem

The prophets of Israel have taught us to rise up against evil and never countenance wrongdoing. They have given us the drive to make a difference and strive for a better, more just future. They have inspired us and set us on our mission - to live our lives with purpose,
to live our lives facing tomorrow. This event is dedicated to the vision of tomorrow and the
wondrous people blessed with the unrelenting urge to break conventional norms and the
courage to create something new. These are
people who by sheer force of their thought,
innovation and imagination carry us - Israel,
the Jewish people and the whole world - into
fascinating new realms, into a better tomorrow.
The opening event is about the visionaries who
have created, and still create, a better world:
a world of breakthroughs, ideas, innovations,
perseverance and faith - faith in the notion
that one can influence reality and bring about
a better future. This belief has always been
ingrained in the Jewish people.

USSISHKIN HALL 19:45 - 21:30
TUES MAY 13, 2008

SPEAKERS
MORNING PLENARY SESSION:
FACING TOMORROW
NOON PLENARY SESSION (I):
TOMORROW THROUGH THE EYES OF NOBEL LAUREATES
Moderator: Dennis Ross, Chairman of the
Board and the Professional Guiding Council,
Jewish People Policy Planning Institute
Bernard-Henry Levi, French Public Intellectual
and Philosopher
Abby Joseph Cohen , Senior Investment
Strategist, Goldman Sachs
Henry Kissinger , Former U.S. Secretary of
State and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Amos Oz, Writer
Participation of Nobel laureates from all around
the world has been made possible through the
generosity of Mr. Daniel Abrahams.

USSISHKIN HALL 08:45 - 10:15
WED MAY 14, 2008
TEDDY HALL 12:30 - 14:30
WED MAY 14, 2008

Throughout the President’s Conference we will explore the trends that are shaping tomorrow
and initiatives meant to affect it. Discussions will revolve around three mutually reinforcing
spheres: the “Global Tomorrow”, the “Jewish Tomorrow” and the “Israeli Tomorrow”. This
session will provide an overview of these three central conference elements.

The Jewish people has been blessed with many
Nobel laureates. In fact, one in five laureates
is Jewish. An impressive representation of
this distinguished group is here with us at the
President’s Conference. We have asked the
laureates to present us with their views on
the greatest challenges humanity faces on the
road leading to a better tomorrow.
NOON PLENARY SESSION (II):
GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVES ON
TOMORROW - A
EXHIBITION HALL 12:30 - 14:30
WED MAY 14, 2008
SCHEDULE SPEAKERS
A SPECIAL EVENT:
SIXTY YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP - ISRAEL AND THE U.S.A

18:30 - Reception and Gala Dinner
(Main Lobby).
20:00 - Sixty Years of Friendship: Israel and
the U.S.A (Ussishkin Hall).
This Event will pay tribute to the 60-year
history of the wonderful friendship between
Israel and the U.S.A, with the participation of
various artists and musicians.
George W. Bush, President of the United
States of America
Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel
Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel
USSISHKIN HALL 20:00 - 21:30
WED MAY 14, 2008

This is the story of a unique friendship between two nations, bound by shared values
and traditions. Throughout Israel’s 60 years of existence, from the eve of independence
to the present day, the U.S.A has stood by
Israel’s side in every respect. The foundation
for this unshakeable alliance may not be
readily apparent to an outside observer. After
all, one nation is a superpower - the other a
small country. They are located on different
continents and their peoples speak different
languages. One was founded through the
visionary force of idealists who strove to create
a just and worthy form of government in a new
world, while the other represents the age old
desire of an ancient people to return to its
historic homeland. Yet despite these palpable
differences, when Israelis and Americans
look at one another, they see something of
themselves on the other side.

Former and current heads of state will share
their views of the challenges facing their
countries and the world on the path to a better
tomorrow.

SPEAKERS
MORNING PLENARY SESSION:
THE REVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET AND THE NEW MEDIA

Moderator: Yossi Vardi, Internet Entrepreneur
and Investor
Sergey Brin, Co-Founder and President,
Technology, Google Inc.
Maurice Levy, Chairman and CEO of the
Management Board, Publicis Groupe
Rupert Keith Murdoch, Chairman and CEO,
News Corporation
Terry Semel, Chairman and CEO, Windsor
Media

USSISHKIN HALL 08:45 - 10:15
THU MAY 15, 2008
The Internet and the new media influence our
lives in many respects. With a hand on the
mouse - every Internet user is in charge. They
are free to go on fascinating voyages, make
discoveries and even create new worlds. The
social, cultural, psychological, political and
economic implications of this age of the Internet
and the new media are taking form before our
very eyes. Tomorrow’s society is dependent on
the Internet and mass-communications, and
guided by them. Where is it all going? How
will future developments in this field further
affect our lives? Are there perils along with the
blessings?
SPEAKERS
NOON PLENARY SESSION (I):
PATH BREAKING
LEADERSHIP
Moderator: Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO,
Project Better Place
Sanjaasuren Oyun, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Mongolia
Leslie H. Wexner, Chairman and CEO of
Limited Brands; Chairman of The Wexner
Foundation

TEDDY HALL 12:30 - 14:30
THU MAY 15, 2008
Conference participants include leaders and
pioneers from various fields: statesmanship,
science, economics, culture, religion, and
philosophy. All these leaders share one
particular tendency - they are all bent on
shaping tomorrow. They are characterized by
an urge to challenge the status quo; they have
the courage to create the new. In this session
we will listen to several path breakers who
have made a difference or are in the process
of making it.

SPEAKERS
CLOSING PLENARY SESSION:
ISRAELI LEADERS DISCUSSING TOMORROW

Moderator: Haim Yavin
Ehud Barak , Deputy PM and Minister
of Defense
Tzippi Livni , Deputy PM and Foreign Minister
Eli Yishai, Deputy PM and Minister of Industry,
Trade and Labor
Benjamin Netanyahu, Leader of the Opposition
USSISHKIN HALL 17:00 - 18:30
THU MAY 15, 2008
Key Israeli leaders will present their vision
for the future of Israel. What are the practical
scenarios we can and should aim for? What
are the obstacles we should expect, and how
are we to overcome them?

NOON PLENARY SESSION (II):
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON TOMORROW
- B
EXHIBITIONS HALL 12:30 - 14:30
THU MAY 15, 2008
Former and current heads of state will share
their views of the challenges facing their
countries and the world on the path to a better
tomorrow.
Closing Remarks: Israel Maimon, Chairman,
President’s Conference Steering Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Acknowledgments: Zeev Bielski, Chairman
of the Executive of the Jewish Agency and the
World Zionist Organization
Conference Conclusion: Shimon Peres,
President of the State of Israel

WRESTLING WITH CREATION
Modern medicine makes use of stem cells as
building blocks for the renewal of damaged
tissue. This breakthrough is already applied
to the treatment of neurological degenerative
diseases as well as to renew insulin
manufacturing and cardiac tissues. Scientists
wish to employ stem cells for the purpose of
healing and life extension, but will they also
allow cloning peculiar creatures or altering
the very nature of existing ones? Where are
developments in stem cell technology and the
medical mastery of life’s “prescriptions” taking
us? How does one balance revolutionary cell
therapy with its ethical implications?

Moderator: Michel Revel - Professor,
Weizmann Institute of Science; Co-founder
of Interpharm, producer of the Interferon
medication; Chairman, Bioethics Advisory
Committee of the Israel Academy of Science;
Member, International Bioethics Committee
of UNESCO; Recipient of The Israel Prize for
medical research and the Michael Landau Prize
for Biotechnology.

Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor - Professor, Director of
the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at Rambam Health Care Campus; Head of the
Stem Cell Center of the Faculty of Medicine,
Technion; President, Israel Stem Cell Society;
Recipient of the Michael Landau Biotechnology
Award for scientific achievements.
Jonathan Leor - Professor, Director, Tel Aviv
University’s Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute
in Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel;
Specialist in heart attack treatment, in particular
cardiac regeneration, cell transplant, tissue
engineering and genetic therapy.

PARTICIPANTS
Ben Reubinoff - Professor, Director, Hadassah
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center;
Director, Department of Gynecology and The
Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy,
Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
Shimon Slavin - Professor, founder of the first
center for bone marrow transplants in Israel;
Advised and assisted in the establishment of
bone marrow transplant centers around the
world; Founder, International Center for Cellular
Therapy in Tel Aviv.
Evan Snyder - Professor of Neurology, Harvard
Medical School; Director of the Stem Cells and
Regeneration Program, Burnham Institute for
Medical Research.
Irving Weissman - Professor, Director,
Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and
Regenerative Medicine; Director, the Stanford
Comprehensive Cancer Center; Member of the
Scientific Advisory Boards of Amgen, DNAX,
and T-Cell Science; Co-founder of SyStemix,
StemCells, and Celtrans (now Cellerant).
OREN 1 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS IS JEWISH CIVILIZATION THRIVING OR DECLINING?
Thinking of Judaism as a civilization affords a fascinating historical perspective. The Jewish
people represent a great and rich civilization.
Yet many civilizations have risen and fallen
over the course of history. Are their stories a
cautionary tale for contemporary Jewish life? Is
it possible to draw lessons from the histories
of vanished cultures in order to avoid their fate
and ensure the well being and prosperity of the
Jewish people in years to come?
Moderator: Sami Friedrich - Chairman of
Shaldor Strategy Consulting; Member, Board
of Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI.
Yehezkel Dror - Professor Emeritus of Political
Science at the Hebrew University; Founding
President of JPPPI; Member of the Club of
Rome; Member of the Winograd Commission,
which investigated the Second Lebanon War of
2006; World-renowned expert on governance,
strategy and policy planning.
Shmuel Eisenstadt - Professor Emeritus of
Political Science at the Hebrew University
and Senior Fellow at the Van Leer Institute;
Sociologist and social and political thinker;
Recipient of the Israel, Holberg, Planck and
Rothschild Prizes.
Judit Liwerant - Professor, Head of Graduate
School of Political and Social Science, the
National University of Mexico; Member, Board
of Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI.
Betty Rojtman - Professor, Katherine Cornell
Chair of Comparative Literature at the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem; Published several
books on French literature and Jewish
hermeneutics.
Shalom Solomon Wald - Doctor, Senior fellow
at the JPPPI and author of a major study on the
Jewish people’s relationship with China; former
senior staff member at the Directorate for
Science, Technology and Industry of the OECD
and head of OECD’s Biotechnology Unit.

OREN 2 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS
Moderator: Hagai Golan - Chief Editor,
Financial Paper Globes.
Abby Joseph Cohen - Senior Investment
Strategist and President, Global Markets
Institute, Goldman Sachs.
Jacob A. Frenkel - Professor, Chairman and
CEO of the Group of Thirty, and Vice-Chairman
of AIG; Former Governor of the Bank of Israel;
Former Professor of Economics, University of
Chicago and Tel-Aviv University; Recipient of
the Israel Prize for Economics.
Eric Maskin - Co-winner, along with Prof. Leonid
Hurwicz and Prof. Roger Myerson, of the 2007
Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences; Professor of
Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study,
Princeton University.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn - Professor
for Economics; Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund; formerly, Finance
and Economics Minister of France.
Cheng Xiwei - Former Deputy Chairman of
the National People’s Congress of the People’s
Republic of China; one of the leading figures
formulating the Chinese economic policies, as well
as policies in the field of science and technology.

THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD ECONOMY
Recent years have seen the engulfing trends of
globalization and economic integration yield an
extraordinary rise in private wealth, along with
staggering gaps in income between rich and
poor. What kind of global economy would result
from the confluence of present trends such as
the rise of Asian powers, potential economic
crisis in the U.S., rising oil prices, growing
awareness of global warming and looming
geopolitical crises? Who will be tomorrow’s
economic leaders and what principles ought to
guide them?

OREN 3 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45
THE CHALLENGE OF JEWISH-ARAB COEXISTENCE IN ISRAEL
Israel's declaration of independence represents
Israel's commitment to democratic values
of political and social equality. However, the
practical application of these principles is an
enduring challenge for Israeli society - the
challenge of coexistence as Israelis. How can
we shape an Israeli tomorrow in which Jewish
and Arab citizens live together in cooperation
and mutual respect?

OREN 4 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45
PARTICIPANTS
Moderator: Nazir Majali - Writer and journalist,
daily columnist for the London based Asharq
Alawsat Newspaper; commentator for several
Arab news channels; publicist with Israeli daily
paper Haaretz; Member of the editorial board of
Eretz Acheret magazine.
Amal El-Sana - Director of AjEEC - Arab-
Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and
Cooperation.
Shawki Khatib - Mayor of Yafiah; Chairman of
the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee.
Raleb Majadele - Israeli Minister of Culture,
Science and Sport.
Josie Mendelson - Personal Representative
and Special Project Officer, Alan B. Slifka
Foundation; former Co-Director, Hand in Hand -
Center for Jewish/Arab Education in Israel;
Founder and Director, Arab/Jewish Kindergarten
at the Jerusalem YMCA.
Yitzhak Reiter - Associate Professor of Middle
Eastern studies at the Department of Political
Science, Ashkelon Academic College and the
MA program of Conflict Studies of the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem; Senior Fellow of both
the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the
Advancement of Peace and the jerusalem
Institute for Israel Studies where he chairs
projects on Jewish-Arab relations in Israel.
Yona Yahav - Mayor of Haifa.

PARTICIPANTS
IS THE GEOPOLITICAL ARENA NEARING A TIPPING POINT?
The international system is roiling with potentially
revolutionary trends such as the ascent of Asian
powers, a resurgent and assertive Russia, the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
international terrorism, the emergence of nonstate
actors, the militancy of radical Islam,
economic uncertainty and global climate
change. How do we face a geopolitical arena
that is becoming increasingly complicated? Can
the international system - possibly teetering on
the verge of collapse - be stabilized?
Moderator: Elizabeth Weymouth - Journalist
and Senior Editor, Newsweek Magazine.
Shlomo Avineri - Professor Emeritus of
Political Science at the Hebrew University;
Former Director-General of Israel’s Foreign
Ministry; Recipient of the Israel Prize for
Political Science; Historian and theoretician,
world-renowned expert on the political thought
of Marx and Hegel.
Stuart Eizenstadt - Former White House
Chief Domestic Policy Adviser; Former U.S.
Undersecretary of State and Undersecretary
of Commerce; Former U.S. ambassador to the
EU; Partner at Covington & Burling.
SCHWARTZ HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45
Dominique Moïsi - Founder and Senior
Adviser at IFRI (French Institute for International
Relations); Editor-in-Chief of Politique Etrangere;
Professor at the College of Europe - Warsaw.
Dennis Ross - Former U.S. Special Middle
East Coordinator; Chairman of the Board of
Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI; Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Ma Zhengang - Professor, President of China
Institute of International Studies (CIIS); Former
Vice-Minister of the Foreign Office of the State
Council and Ambassador to the UK.
PARTICIPANTS
WRITERS
DISCUSSING TOMORROW
Distinguished writers from around the world
discuss the future of creativity, the future of
literature and the future in general.
Moderator: Rana Werbin - Editor-in-chief of
Hebrew literature at the Yedioth Books Publishing
House; previously, an actor, translator, journalist and
literary critic (winning the Bernstein award for literary
criticism in 2005); Lectures at the Open University in
Tel Aviv and has hosted her own television program
on the world of Arts and Culture.
Na’im Araidi - Lectures on Literature, Hebrew and
Education at the Gordon College of Education;
General Director of the Center for Arab Children’s
Literature in Israel; received the 1990 Senate of
Paris Award and a Ph.D from Bar-Ilan University for
his thesis on Uri Tzvi Greenberg’s poetry.
Nathan Englander - chosen by New Yorker
Magazine as one of the best twenty young authors
in America; currently living in New York and
teaching in Columbia University; his story collection
For the Relief of Unbearable Urges became an
international bestseller and earned him a PEN/
Faulkner Malamud Award and the Sue Kaufman
Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy
of Arts and Letters.
Jonathan Safran Foer - Author of the international
bestseller Everything Is Illuminated, which was
hailed as the Debut of the Decade, and translated
into thirty five languages. The novel won numerous
awards, including the Guardian First Book Prize,
the National Jewish Book Award, and the New
York Public Library Young Lions Prize; His second
novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close also
became an international bestseller.
Judith Katzir - Award-winning author; published
two collections of stories and novellas, two novels
and two children’s books; currently, editor at
Hakibbutz Hameuchad/Siman Kriah Publishing
House and teaches creative writing.
Nicole Krauss - Author of the international
bestseller The History of Love which won France’s
Prix du Meilleur Livre etranger and Amazon’s #1
Book of the Year, and was short-listed for the
Orange, British Book Award, Medicis and Femina
prizes; Her books have been translated into more
than thirty languages.
Erri De Luca - Best-selling author, divides his time
between writing, studying and doing social work;
He published his first novel Non ora, non qui at
age forty; Since then, he has written more than thirty
books, novels, essays and translations.
This panel was organized with the kind assistance
of the jerusalem International Writer’s Festival -
Mishkenot Sha’ananim.
ESHKOL 2 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS
WHAT DOES THE SCIENTIFIC TOMORROW HOLD IN STORE?
Scientific developments influence every
aspect of our lives: health, energy, economics,
transportation, family life and communications.
But not all scientific breakthroughs and the
ensuing technological developments benefit
humanity; the development of weapons of mass
destruction is testimony to this bitter truth. Our
era is characterized by ever increasing rates of
change and development. Adapting to the new
horizons science offers us is often difficult and
raises complex ethical issues. What does the
scientific tomorrow hold in store for us?
Moderator: Susan A. Greenfield - Baroness,
Peer of the British House of Lords; Scholar of
the Physiology of the Brain; Author of books on
the brain and human cognition.
Ilan Chet - Professor at the Hebrew University;
former President of the Weizmann Institute of
Science; laureate of, among many others, the
Israel and Wolf prizes; a world leading microbiologist
specializing in pesticide reduction by
using biological control of plant disease and
cloning genes into plants to induce resistance.
Yehuda Bronicki - Chairman and Founder,
Ormat Technologies, Inc., a leading geothermal
power supplier; Member of the Board of
Directors, Weizmann Institute of Science.
Hermona Soreq - Professor, Dean, Faculty of
Natural Sciences, Hebrew University; Scholar
of Genetics and Molecular Biology; Recipient
of honorary titles from the Universities of
Stockholm and Erlangen-Nuremberg; Recipient
of the Ministry of Health, Landau Biotechnology
and Teva awards.
ESHKOL 3 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 10:45
PARTICIPANTS
A LONGER LIFE, MORE COMPLICATED PROBLEMS

Modern medicine has extended life expectancy,
with further improvements on the horizon.
These developments exacerbate existing
problems and raise complex new medical and
social challenges: providing public health to an
aging population, dealing with the failings of
the body in old age, keeping aging minds keen
and alert and improving learning and memory
at an advanced age. While our lifespan is
mostly on the rise in the West, the developing
world is still struggling to provide treatments
for deadly diseases and epidemics. What
remedies does modern medicine provide for
these challenges?

Moderator: Rafi Hofstein - Doctor, CEO of Hadasit,
a company specializing in the development of
drugs for the treatment of infections, primarily in
cancer patients; Previously served in various executive
positions in the life sciences industry and
in the field of technology transfer in medical research.
Ruth Arnon - Doctor, Developer of blockbuster drug
Copaxone; Deputy Chairman, Israeli Academy of
Science; Member, International Bioethics Committee
of UNESCO; Recipient of the Israel Prize, the
Rothschild Prize in Biology and the Wolf Prize in
Medicine.
Etienne Emile Baulieu - Professor at the Collège de
France; Former President, Academie des Sciences
de France; Foreign Associate, National Academy
of Sciences (US); President, MAPREG Biotech
Company; Recipient of the Albert Lasker Award for
Medical Research.
Nakhle Bishara - Doctor, risk management director
at the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth; former
general director of the Hospital in Nazareth; Chairman
of Ibhat, a non-profit organization dedicated to
promoting a culture of research in society.
Yuval Cherlow - Rabbi, Head of Yeshivat
Ha-Hesder Petach Tikva; Co-founder of Tzohar
Foundation; Member, the Israeli committee on the
national list of health services; Member, the Helsinki
Committee for biomedical research involving human
subjects.
Howard Fillit - Founding Executive Director, Institute
for the Study of Aging; Professor of geriatrics,
medicine and neurology, Mount Sinai-NYU Medical
center; Recipient of awards and honors for
achievement in research and practice in Alzheimer’s
disease.
Swami Avdheshanand Giri - Hindu religious leader.
Hermona Soreq - Professor, Dean, the Faculty
of Natural Sciences, Hebrew University; Scholar
of Genetics and Molecular Biology; Recipient of
honorary titles from the University of Stockholm,
Erlangen-Nuremberg; Recipient of the Ministry of
Health, Landau Biotechnology and Teva prizes.
OREN 1 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
JEWISH EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: IS IT IMPORTANT?
“Train a child in the way he should go”,
the Book of Proverbs tells us [Proverbs (22:6)].
But that piece of advice is easier said than
done. Jewish education is crucial to Jewish
survival, but what should it teach and to whom?
What values form the core of Jewish education,
what mix of the particular and the universal?
How crucial is Hebrew? Can the age of ipods,
distance learning and video sharing become
a golden age of Jewish education? Do Israeli
schools have a role to play in global Jewish
education? Once the larger questions are
resolved - who will pay for Jewish education
in the future and how?
Moderator: Alan Hoffman - Director, Education
Department, Jewish Agency; Former Director,
Mandel Institute, Hebrew University; Former
Director, Melton Center for jewish Education,
Hebrew University.
Yitzhak Devash - business entrepreneur and
social activist.
David Landau - member of the editorial board
of Haaretz, and until recently served as editor
of the paper; currently, working on a biography
of Ariel Sharon.
Suzanne Last Stone - Professor of Jewish
Law at Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva
University, NY; Member, Board of Directors and
Professional Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Scott Shay - Former Chair, Commission
on Jewish Identity and Renewal of UJAFederation;
Author of Getting our Groove Back:
How to Energize American jewry.
Barry Shrage - President, Combined Jewish
Philanthropies of Boston.
Einat Wilf - Doctor, Fellow at JPPPI; Author of
Back to Basics: How to Fix Israel’s Education
System (at no extra cost); former foreign policy
advisor to then Vice Prime Minister Shimon
Peres.

OREN 2 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00
PARTICIPANTS

CAN ISRAEL’S GDP PER CAPITA JOIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE OF WORLD ECONOMIES?
Israel has world-class inventors and entrepreneurs.
Its economy has exhibited extraordinary
dynamism and creativity even in the face of dif-
ficult external and internal challenges. Can the
Israeli economy make another major leap to
become a world-class economy? Can its GDP
per capita reach the level of the world’s wealthiest
countries? Can the incredible achievements
of its hi-tech sector be sustained into the future
and replicated in other sectors of the economy?
Moderator: David Brodet - Former Director
General of the Ministry of Finance; Chair of the
Board of Hadassah.
Yehudit Bronicki - CEO and President of
Ormat Technologies, Inc., a leading geothermal
power supplier.
Eli Hurvitz - Chairman and Former CEO,
Teva; Former President of the Manufacturers
Association of Israel; Former Chairman of Bank
Leumi.
Guy Rolnik - Editor of The Marker, the
economic newspaper of Haaretz.
Avia Spivak - Professor of Economics at Ben-
Gurion University; Former Deputy Governor of the
Bank of Israel; Specializes in Macroeconomics
and Monetary Theory, Pensions, Economics of
Uncertainty and Insurance; Senior Fellow at the
Van Leer jerusalem Institute.
OREN 3 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
HOW CAN THE JEWISH PEOPLE STRENGTHEN ITS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE CHINESE GIANT

We may be on the threshold of the Asian
Century and are witnessing the steady rise of
China. The Chinese Giant is gaining dominance
in the global economy and expanding its role in
the geopolitical arena. The Jewish people and
China represent two of the world’s oldest, most
enduring and complex civilizations, but their
histories, lacking the common bond of Biblical
tradition, have rarely overlapped - for better or
for worse. What does it take to build a meaningful
relationship of engagement and cooperation
between the Jewish people and China?
Zhang Ping - Teaches Chinese at the Faculty
of East-Asian Studies, Tel Aviv University;
Graduate of Tel Aviv University; Translated
and published Mishnaic and Talmudic
texts in Chinese.
Marvin Tokayer - Rabbi in Great Neck, Long
Island; Former Rabbi of the Jewish Community
of Japan; published several books and visits
China annually to keep in touch with all major
Judaic study centers.
Shalom Solomon Wald - Doctor, Senior
fellow at the JPPPI; Author of a major
study on the Jewish people’s relationship
with China; Former senior staff member at
the Directorate for Science, Technology and
Industry of the OECD and head of OECD’s
Biotechnology Unit.
Fu Youde - Professor of Philosophy and Jewish
Studies at Shandong University; Director of the
University’s Center for Judaic and Interreligious
Studies.
Zhong Zhiqing - Associate Professor, Institute
of Foreign Literature of the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences in Beijing; translated and
published modern Hebrew authors in Chinese.

OREN 4 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00
PARTICIPANTS
WHY IS THE “NEW MIDDLE EAST” NOT HERE, YET?

During the heyday of the Oslo Process some
foresaw the emergence of a “New Middle East”
in which conflict and mistrust would be replaced
with mutual cooperation and shared economic
development. However, the “New Middle East”
has yet to materialize. Will the “New Middle East”
be even less stable and more dangerous than its
predecessor? Will it be a Middle East of violent
radical Islam, a near nuclear Iran, instability in
already-nuclear Pakistan, a shaky Iraq, tenuous
stability of moderate Arab regimes, badly lagging
economies and an insolvable Arab-Israeli conflict?
Can certain policies be put in motion to yield a
different future and provide a light at the end of
the tunnel?
Moderator: Itamar Rabinovich - Professor,
renowned scholar and historian of the modern
Middle East; Former Israeli Ambassador to the
U.S. and chief negotiator with Syria; Former
President of Tel Aviv University.
Aharon Ze’evi Farkash - Major General (ret.),
former Chief of Israeli Military Intelligence.
Dore Gold - Doctor, President, jerusalem Center
for Public Affairs; Former Israeli Ambassador to
the UN; Former member of the Israeli negotiating
team with the Palestinians; Scholar of international
relations.
Edward Luttwak - Doctor, Senior Advisor,
Center for Strategic and International Studies
in Washington, DC; Strategist, military historian
and advisor to several governments and
ministries of defense around the world.
Steven Spiegel - Professor of Political Science
and Director of the Center for Middle East
Development (CMED), UCLA.
SCHWARTZ HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
GROOMING
THE FUTURE LEADERSHIP OF ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE
The challenges facing the Jewish people in
Israel and around the world call for leadership
of the highest order. Israel’s leaders must
navigate a relatively young country, not lacking
in domestic problems, through the turmoil of a
dangerous region. Diaspora Jews are spread
around the world in numerous communities
and their leadership is confronted with complex
challenges while lacking any formal authority.
What is the desired profile of tomorrow’s best
Jewish leaders? Is it possible to locate and
groom the future leaders of Israel and the
Jewish People?
Moderator: Benjamin Ish-Shalom - Professor
of Jewish Thought, Scholar of Jewish
Philosophy; Founder and Rector of Beit
Morasha College.
Yehezkel Dror - Professor Emeritus of Political
Science at the Hebrew University; Founding
President of JPPPI; Member of the Club of
Rome; Member of the Winograd Commission,
which investigated the Second Lebanon War of
2006; World-renowned expert on governance,
strategy and policy planning.
Erez Eshel - Head of the Ein Prat Academy for
jewish Leadership; Co-founder of the network
of secular preparatory military academies,
which train Israeli youth for leadership positions
in both military and civilian life; Lecturer in
political philosophy.
Morlie Levin - Executive Director of Hadassah;
Member, Board of Directors and Professional
Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Shalom Saada Saar - Professor, teaches
Leadership at MIT and the University of Vienna;
his work focuses on developing leadership in
public and business organizations; coaches
executive and public officials on enhancing
their leadership skills.
Leslie H. Wexner - Chairman and CEO of
Limited Brands; Chairman of the Wexner
Foundation, a philanthropy that focuses upon
the development of Jewish leadership in North
America and Israel.
ESHKOL 2 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 15:00
PARTICIPANTS

HOW CAN ISRAEL PRESERVE ITS POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IN THE REALM OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH?
The world-class achievements of Israeli
scientists are taken for granted by the Israeli
public. Can we be so sure of them in the
future? Does the decline in the measurable
achievements of Israeli students in certain
areas portend an end to Israel’s leading
position in the scientific world over the next few
decades? Can we put a stop to the Israeli brain
drain? What other obstacles threaten the ability
of Israel’s scientific community to excel? What
else needs to be done so that our scientists
continue to perform so well in the world league
of science?
Moderator: Yair Green - Senior advocate, active
for many years for the promotion of academic
and cultural institutions in Israel; involved with the
Yeshaya Horowitz Association, which contributes
significant funds for the purpose of scientific and
medical research in Israel; Established the Green
Foundation for Enhancement of Higher Education
and Studies, which allocates scholarships
to eligible students in Israel; a member of the
Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Israeli
Government Council for Higher Education and of
the Boards of Directors of Ben Gurion University
and the Weizmann Institute of Science; Chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Jerusalem
Academy for Music and Dance.
Yitzhak Apeloig - Professor, President of the
Technion and Head of the Technion’s Chemistry
Department; World-renowned leader in
computational chemistry, organosilicon chemistry
and organic chemistry.
Henri Atlan - Professor Emeritus of Biophysics
in Paris and Jerusalem; Director of the Human
Biology Research Center and Scientist in
Residence for Philosophy and Ethics of Biology
at Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem;
Director of Research in Philosophy of Biology
at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences
Sociales (EHESS) in Paris.
Rivka Carmi - Professor, President, Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev; Former Director of the
Genetic Institute in the Soroka Medical University
Center; Her research focused on clinical and
molecular analysis of hereditary diseases in the
Negev Bedouin population and includes more
than 120 scientific articles in medical genetics.
Maxine Fassberg - CEO, Intel Israel; Vice
President of Manufacturing Technology and
Production, Intel Inc.; Chemist.
Roger Kornberg - Nobel Prize Laureate in
Chemistry (2006); Professor of structural biology
at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Martin Perl - Nobel Prize in Physics Laureate;
Former Chair of the High-Energy Physics
Faculty and current Professor, Stanford Linear
Accelerator Center.
ESHKOL 3 HALL WED MAY 14,2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
TOMORROW’S MEDICINE
Modern medicine has improved public health,
though large disparities persist in the level
and quality of healthcare provided in different
regions of the world. The human genome
project and the better understanding it afforded
of the human body and the immune system has
revealed the causes of a long list of diseases
and provided clues for new treatments. What
are the key questions on our quest for better
health? Which tomorrow will modern medicine
provide us?
Moderator: Michael Sela - Professor,
President and Former Head of Immunology
Department, Weizmann Intitute of Science;
world-renowned expert in immunology whose
researchcontributed to the development of
Copaxone, the medicine used for treatment of
Multiple Sclerosis; Recipient of the Israel Prize,
the Rothschild Prize and the Wolf Prize.
François Gros - Professor Emeritus, College
de France and the Pasteur Institute; Permanent
Secretary, French Academy of Sciences;
prominent researcher in molecular genetics;
Recipient of many distinguished awards.
Yoram Reiter - Professor, Dean, Faculty of
Biology, Technion; Researcher in cancer immune
therapy; Senior advisor to biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industries in Israel and around
the world.
Howard L. Weiner - Professor in the
Department of Neurology at the Brigham and
Women Hospital and Harvard Medical School;
Recipient of 2007 MS Society/American
Academy of Neurology Jon Distal Award for his
contribution to the field of immunotherapy.
Yosef Yarden - Professor, Dean of Biology
at the Weizmann Institute of Science;
Secretary of the National Council for Research
and Development; Recipient of several
distinguished awards, including the EMET Prize
in Biochemistry and the MERIT award for the
development of experimental strategies for the
targeting of cancer.

OREN 1 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 17:00
PARTICIPANTS
JEWISH IDENTITY: UNRAVELING OR RENEWING?
We live in a time of self-defined identification,
in which identity is neither automatic nor
coerced. The range of multiple identities, at
times complementary and at times competing,
spans religion, nationality, race, gender and
ideology. How does this affect the sense of
belonging to the Jewish people and the sense
of obligation to Jewish life, culture and history?
Is Jewishness as a personal choice actually a
source of strength?

Moderator: Sergio DellaPergola - Senior
Fellow, JPPPI; Scholar of Jewish demography;
Professor at the Harman Institute for Modern
judaism, Hebrew University; Shlomo Argov
Chair for Israel-Diaspora relations.
Yehudah Amital - Rabbi, Founding Dean
of Yeshivat Har Etzion and of the Meimad
movement; Former Minister in the government
of Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
Eliette Abecassis - French novelist, poet
and intellectual; teaches Philosophy.
Rachel Fish - Ph.D student in Jewish history at
Brandeis University; Jewish student activist.
Joseph Kanfer - Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of United jewish Communities and
past Chair of UJC’s Jewish Renewal and
Renaissance Pillar.
Chaim I. Waxman - Professor Emeritus
of Sociology and Jewish Studies, Rutgers
University; Senior Fellow at JPPPI; specializes
in the sociology of religion and ethnicity, with
particular focus on the sociological study of
Jews and Judaism.
Leon Wieseltier - Literary editor of The New
Republic; Author of Kaddish.

OREN 2 HALL WED MAY 14,2008 17:00
PARTICIPANTS
BLUE, WHITE AND GREEN: IS A GREEN ISRAEL POSSIBLE?
The early Zionists sought to re-attach the Jewish
people to their land and to nature. Yet years
of economic development, industrialization
and failed policies have wrought great
environmental damage. Israel has dressed
itself in concrete and become more urbanized;
its population has become highly dense and
its ecological environment has deteriorated. Is
a green Israel still attainable? Is it possible to
reverse the damage, improve the quality of the
air we breathe and clean up our water without
undermining Israel’s growth?
Moderator: Miriam (Miki) Haran - Doctor, Ono
Academic College; Former Director General of
the Israel Ministry of the Environment.
Tzipi Iser - Israeli Attorney; Executive Director
of Adam Teva Va-Din, an environmental
advocacy group.
Dov Khenin - Member of Knesset, Chairman of
the Knesset’s Social-Environmental Lobby.
Dani Rabinovitz - Professor, International
Relations, The Porter School of Environmental
Studies, Tel-Aviv University; Former Chairman of
Life and Environment, the umbrella organization
of Israel’s environmental groups.
Yossi Rosen - Chairman of BAZAN, Oil
Refineries Ltd.; Chairman of Reshet-Noga Ltd.;
CEO of Ofer Ships Holdings Ltd.; Former CEO
of Israel Corp.
Alona Schaefer (Karo) - Israeli Attorney;
CEO of Life and Environment, the umbrella
organization of Israel’s environmental groups.

OREN 3 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 17:00
PARTICIPANTS
FOREIGN POLICY: STRATEGIC DILEMMAS AND MORAL CONSIDERATIONS
Is foreign policy the expression of cold interests
and self-serving calculations, or can it reflect
moral values? Are states that define themselves
and their interests in terms of their commitment
to justice, human rights, democracy and fair
play truly guided by these values? Is there
some balance to be struck between the real
and the ideal? Does Israel as the Jewish state
have a special commitment to follow a moral
foreign policy?
Moderator: David Harris - Executive Director,
American jewish Committee.
Gabriella Blum - Assistant Professor, Harvard
Law School; Scholar of international relations
and law.
Irwin Cotler - Member of the Canadian
Parliament; Former Attorney General and
Minister of Justice of Canada; Board of Directors
and Professional Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Alan Dershowitz - Professor, Harvard Law
School; Leading American trial attorney and
human rights advocate; Strong activist for
Israel and Jewish issues; Author of numerous
best-selling books.
Efraim Halevy - Director, Shasha Center
for Strategic Studies; Former Director of the
Mossad; Former Chairman, National Security
Council; Former Ambassador of Israel to the
European Union.
Václav Havel - Former President, The Czech
Republic; Playwrite; Soviet-era dissident and
human rights activist.
Mortimer Zuckerman - Editor-in-Chief, U.S.
News & World Report; Former Chairman of the
Conference of Presidents of Major American
jewish Organizations.
OREN 4 HALL WED MAY 14,2008 17:00

PARTICIPANTS
STRONG ON PROCESS, WEAK ON RESULTS:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
Long years of attempts at resolving the Israeli-
Arab conflict afford us a unique perspective
on a wide range of negotiating styles and
settings: bilateral, multilateral, “back channels”,
“Track II” diplomacy, international and regional
conferences, special envoys and more. What
relevant lessons can would-be peacemakers
today draw from this history? What is the
necessary blend of leadership, creativity,
courage, vision and negotiating skills at the
bargaining table?
Moderator: Ehud Yaari - Well-known Israeli
commentator and expert on Middle East
issues; Senior analyst of Israel-Arab relations
for Israel’s Channel 2 News.
Yaacov Amidror - Major General (ret.), Vice
President, Lander Institute Academic Center;
former Commander of IDF Staff and Command
College; former head of IDF Intelligence Analysis
and Assessment; Member, Board of Directors
and Professional Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Martin Indyk - Director, Saban Center
for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution;
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel
and Assistant Secretary of State for Near
East Affairs.
Daniel C. Kurtzer - Professor, Chair in Middle
East Policy Studies, Woodrow Wilson School
of Public and International Affairs, Princeton
University; former U.S ambassador to Egypt
and Israel; Veteran peace negotiator.
Isaac Molho - Israeli attorney; Chief Negotiator
to the peace process and personal envoy under
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Member,
Board of Directors and Professional Guiding
Council, JPPPI.
Dov Weissglass - Israeli Attorney; former
Director of the Prime Minister’s Office and
Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Sharon; former
Chairman of Bezeq.

SCHWARTZ HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 17:00
PARTICIPANTS
JEWS AND
MUSLIMS:
IS RELIGION AT THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM OR THE HEART OF THE SOLUTION?
Radical Islam threatens to turn the Israeli-Arab
conflict into an existential religious struggle.
For Hamas, Hizbullah, Al-Qaeda and Iranian
extremists, the struggle is not for an independent
Palestine living side by side with Israel, but for
the elimination of the infidel Jewish presence in
the heart of the Muslim world. The hostility of
radical Islam to the Jews has spread beyond
the Middle East to Diaspora communities.
Advocates of inter-religious dialogue argue that
if religion is at the heart of the problem, it should
also be at the heart of the solution. Is this so?
Moderator: Dov Maimon - Doctor, Fellow at
JPPPI; Expert in Jewish theology and in interreligious
dialogue; Former business strategic
development professional.
Nimer Darwish - Founder of the Islamic
Movement in Israel; Spiritual leader
of the southern faction of the Islamic
Movement; Chairman of Adam Center for
Religious Dialogue.
Michael Melchior - Rabbi, Member of Knesset
and Chairman of the Education, Culture and
Sports Committee.
Samuel Rene Sirat - Former Chief Rabbi of
France; Professor Emeritus, Rashi Institute for
Religious Sciences.
David Rosen - Rabbi, Chairman of International
Jewish Committee on Inter-religious
Consultations (IJCIC); Director of Department
for Inter-religious Dialogue, American jewish
Committee.
Emmanuel Sivan - Professor at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem; Senior Fellow at
JPPPI; Scholar of Islamic history and thought
and of modern religious movements.
Abdurrahman Wahid - Former President of
Indonesia; Senior Advisor and Board Member
of the Liberty for All Foundation.
ESHKOL 2 HALL WED MAY 14,2008 17:00

PARTICIPANTS
A JEWISH STATE: WHAT IS ITS CONTENT? WHAT IS ITS MEANING?
After millennia of Jewish statelessness and 60
years of statehood, we still don’t know what a
Jewish state can and should be. How ought
the State of Israel’s Jewish identity be reflected
in the public sphere, in matters of state and
religion, in the vision that guides its leaders,
in the spheres of law, social welfare policy,
education, foreign policy, the commitment to
Diaspora Jews and coexistence with Israel’s
non-Jewish citizens?
Moderator: Yaakov Neeman - Professor,
Israeli Attorney; Former Minister of Finance and
Justice, Government of Israel; Member, Board
of Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI.
Yokhi Brandes - Writer and Lecturer on the
Bible; Founder of the Yediot Achronot series
judaism Here and Now.
Mohammad Darawshe - Director of external
relations at the Abraham Fund, a foundation
promoting coexistence between Israel’s Jewish
and Arab citizens.
Ruth Gavison - President, Metzilah Center for
Zionist, Jewish, liberal and humanist thought;
Member, Board of Directors and Professional
Guiding Council, JPPPI; Member of the Winograd
Commission, which investigated the
Second Lebanon War of 2006; Co-author of the
Gavison-Medan Covenant.
Israel Harel - Former general secretary of the
Yesha Settlement Council; Editor of Nekuda;
Journalist, Columnist for Haaretz.
John Ruskay - Doctor, Executive Vice President
and CEO of UJA-Federation of New York;
Member, Board of Directors and Professional
Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Bambi Sheleg - Founder and editor-in-chief
of Eretz Acheret, a journal that explores the
interrelationship of Jewish and Israeli identity
and values.
ESHKOL 3 HALL WED MAY 14, 2008 17:00
PARTICIPANTS
EDUCATION IN
ISRAEL: HOW
TO SOLVE THE
PROBLEM, RATHER
THAN ESTABLISH
ANOTHER
COMMITTEE?
Israel is blessed with world-class universities
while Israeli high school students are falling
behind in worldwide reading comprehension
tests. This record falls substantially short of
the legacy of the “people of the book”. If left
unattended, the education crisis in Israel will
wreak havoc in all fields requiring scholastic
excellence. If the education system continues
to produce mediocrity, the relative advantage
that has sustained Israelis as the “few against
the many” could evaporate. Is our next move
simply to establish yet another committee?
Moderator: Shay Piron - Rabbi, Co-founder
of Yeshivat Hesder - Petach Tikva; member of
Tzohar rabbinic organzation.
Talal Alkrinawi - Mayor of Rahat.
Shimshon Shoshani - Doctor of Education,
CEO of Taglit; Former Director General of the
Ministry of Education.
Karen Tal - Principal, Bialik Rogozin Campus,
Tel-Aviv.
Yuli Tamir - Professor, Minister of Education,
Government of Israel.
Einat Wilf - Doctor, Fellow at JPPPI; Author of
Back to Basics: How to Fix Israel’s Education
System (at no extra cost); Former foreign policy
advisor to then Vice Prime Minister Shimon
Peres.
Moshe (Bogi) Ya’alon - Former IDF Chief of
Staff; Senior Fellow, Shalem Center.
OREN 1 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS
HAREDI JEWS IN ISRAEL: LIVING TOGETHER WHILE LIVING APART
Despites estimates suggesting that the Haredi
(ultra-orthodox) society in Israel is weakening
and might even disappear altogether, the
community has actually grown in number and
displays obvious vitality and sophistication.
IS the community increasingly becoming
integrated with mainstream Israeli society while
maintaining its own distinctive way of life? How
did this development come about and where
will it lead? Will Israeli society succeed in
preserving the delicate balance that allows the
Haredi community to live alongside mainstream
society while at the same time keeping its
distance?
Moderator: Dudi Zilbershlag - Haredi
Advertiser, journalist and publisher; Chairman,
Meir Panim; Chairman, Koah Latet.
Adina Bar-Shalom - Founder of a Haredi
College for Women.
Yossi Beilin - Doctor, Member of Knesset.
Moshe Gafni - Rabbi, Member of Knesset.
Nissim Leon - Doctor, Lecturer in the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Bar-Ilan University and a researcher of Haredi
society.
Uri Lupolianski - Mayor of Jerusalem; Founder
of Yad Sarah, an Israeli non-profit provider of
services to the sick and elderly.

OREN 2 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45
PARTICIPANTS
HISTORIC DECISIONS IN ISRAEL: A MATTER FOR ISRAELIS OR FOR JEWS AT LARGE?
Israel considers itself the homeland of the
Jewish people. Before and since its inception,
it has benefited from the moral and material
support of Diaspora Jews. Should this support
translate to influence on Israeli decision
making? Do Diaspora Jews deserve a say in
Israel’s public discourse? Should they take part
in key decisions made in Jerusalem which are
close to their heart (such as ‘who is a Jew?’,
conversion, territorial concessions, and the
future of Jerusalem)?
Moderator: Steve Hoffman - President of
the Cleveland Federation; Former CEO of
United jewish Communities; Member, Board
of Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI.
Pierre Besnainou - President, Fonds
Social juif Unifie (FSJU); Founder and
President, AMI; Former President, European
Jewish Congress.
Zeev Bielski - Chairman of the Executive
of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist
Organization.
Arye Carmon - Doctor, President, The Israel
Democracy Institute.
Alan Dershowitz - Professor, Harvard Law
School; Leading American trial attorney and
human rights advocate; Strong activist for
Israel and Jewish issues; Author of numerous
best-selling books.
Isaac Herzog - Minister of Welfare & Social
Services and Minister of Diaspora, Society and
the Fight Against Anti-Semitism, Government
of Israel.
Malcolm I. Hoenlein - Doctor, Executive Vice
President of the Conference of Presidents of
Major American Jewish Organizations.
Ronald Lauder - President of the World
jewish Congress; Former U.S. Ambassador to
Austria.

OREN 3 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY IN ACTION
What is more exciting than unleashing human
creativity? How can we encourage innovation
and breakthroughs on our path to tomorrow?
This panel will feature theories alongside
practical examples: ideas made real.
Moderator: Dov Lautman - Founder of the
textile manufacturing company Delta and
former Chairman and President of the company;
Former President of the Manufacturers
Association; Recipient of the Israel Prize for
lifetime achievement.
Zika Abzuk - PBI manager, Europe, Middle
East & Africa, Cisco; initiated the Cisco
Networking Academy Program in Israel and the
Palestinian Authority; Initiated and managed
the Neta program aimed at preparing youth
for participation in the twenty first century
economy.
Ami Ben Bassat - CEO of StartupSeeds,
which helps bright technology-oriented kids
implement their ideas; Writer and Blogger.
He will introduce the young innovators: Tal
Dromi, Anton Steshin and Ido Tal, and their
developments.
Hans Rosling - Professor of International Health
at Karolinska Institute; Director, Gapminder
Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.

OREN 4 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45
PARTICIPANTS
THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS:
TOWARDS AN EFFECTIVE WORLD GOVERNMENT OR THE COLLAPSE OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM?
Many of the challenges facing humanity today
are transnational: global warming, infectious
diseases, drug and human trafficking and
international terrorism, to name just a few. Is
the current system of international institutions
suited to dealing with these issues, or is
comprehensive reform required in the way
these institutions operate? Will they exhibit
determined action, initiative and leadership or
will they unravel?
Moderator: Dan Gillerman - Ambassador of
the State of Israel to the UN and Vice President
of the UN General Assembly for the Western
Bloc.
Gabriella Blum - Assistant Professor, Harvard
Law School; Scholar of international relations
and law.
Joschka Fischer - Former Vice Chancellor
and Foreign Minister of Germany.
Terje Larsen - President, the International
Peace Institute.
Natan Sharansky - Senior Fellow, Shalem
Center; Former Deputy Prime Minister and
Cabinet Minister in several Israeli governments;
Former Soviet dissident and prisoner of
conscience.
SCHWARTZ HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS
THE JEWISH PEOPLE: IN NEED OF A GOOD PUBLICIST
How are Jews viewed in the world today? Many
non-Jews have prejudicial perceptions of Jews
even though they have never met one in person.
How tightly are Jews and Israel linked in the
public mind? Are Jews regarded differently in
different parts of the world? Can the Jewish
people positively influence their image, and is it
necessary to engage in such an effort?
Moderator: Ruth Yaron - Veteran diplomat at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Brigadier general
(ret.), former chief IDF spokesperson; Senior
fellow at JPPPI.
Abraham Foxman - National Director of the
Anti-Defamation League.
Stanley B. Greenberg - Doctor, Chairman and
CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research;
American pollster and opinion analyst; Former
chief pollster for President Bill Clinton.
Maurice Levy - Chairman and CEO of the
Management Board, Publicis Groupe.
Linda Lingele - Sixth elected Governor of the
State of Hawaii; the first woman to lead the
Aloha State.
Moshe Theumim - Chairman of Gitam/BBDO.

ESKHOL 2 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45
PARTICIPANTS
TRUE EQUALITY FOR WOMEN IN ISRAEL: WHAT WILL IT TAKE?
Golda Meir and women soldiers notwithstanding,
gender equality in Israel still has a very long way
to go. The obstacles are institutional, social,
religious and cultural and manifest themselves
in discrimination in the workforce and underrepresentation
in Israel’s political establishment,
among other areas. What can be done to
achieve equality sooner rather than later?
Moderator: Merav Michaeli - Television
personality and feminist activist.
Sarab Abu-Rabia-Queder - Doctor, Lecturer
in Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College in
the Negev; Author of Excluded and Loved: Life
stories of the Educated Bedouin women in the
Negev, published by Magnes.
Marit Danon - Director of the Authority for the
Advancement of the Status of Women in the
Office of the Prime Minister.
Tova Hartman - Professor of Education,
Hebrew University; Founded Shira Hadasha -
the halakhic egalitarian community of Jerusalem.
Morlie Levin - Executive Director of Hadassah;
Member, Board of Directors and Professional
Guiding Council, JPPPI.
Gideon Sa’ar - Member of Knesset, Former
Chairman of the Knesset Committee for the
Advancement of Women.
ESHKOL 3 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45

PARTICIPANTS
HOW DO WE TRANSLATE MEDICAL INNOVATION IN ISRAEL INTO SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS?
Israel is a small country brimming with creative
minds that never cease to generate new
patents. How can breakthrough ideas be turned
into profitable businesses? The panel will report
initial findings from a systematic effort to turn
Israeli medical innovations into successful
businesses.
Moderator: Glenn Yago - Professor, Director
of the Israel Center at the Milken Institute and
Director of Capital Studies; an authority on
financial innovations, capital markets, emerging
markets and environmental finance; former
professor at the State University of New York.
Shlomo Ben-Haim - Professor; Entrpreneur;
Investor in medical devices and biotechnology;
Founder of Biosense.
Rafi Hofstein - Doctor, CEO of Hadasit, a
company specializing in the development of
drugs for the treatment of infections, primarily
in cancer patients; Previously served in various
executive positions in the life sciences industry
and in the field of technology transfer in medical
research.
Eli Opper - Doctor, Chief Scientist, Ministry of
Industry, Trade and Labor; Previously, a partner
with Giza Venture Capital and deputy director
at Rafael.
Manuel Trachtenberg - Director of National
Council for Economics; Professor of Economics
in Tel-Aviv University; Head of the Technion
research program in science, technology and
economics.
Dan Vilenksi - Entrepreneur, Former Chairman
of Applied Materials - Israel.

OREN 1 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00
PARTICIPANTS
EUROPE, ISRAEL AND THE JEWS
Europe is pondering its future: between deeper
European integration and the preservation
of individual national identity, the accession
of Turkey, relations with Washington and
Moscow, integration of the Muslim immigrant
communities and other weighty issues. How
will developing dynamics in Europe impact the
future of Jewish communities on the continent?
What characterizes the triangle of relations
between Europe, the Jewish communities in
Europe and Israel, now and in the future?
Diana Pinto - Independent Writer and
Consultant; Director, Ford Foundation Project,
Voices for the res publica.
Shmuel Trigano - Professor of religious and
political sociology at the University of Paris,
X-Nanterre; President, Observatoire du Monde
juif; Founder and Editor, Pardes Magazine.
Lord Weidenfeld - Philanthropist, columnist
and founder of Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
Moderator: Oded Eran - Doctor, of Political
Science; CEO, World jewish Congress; Former
Ambassador of Israel to the European Union;
Former Ambassador of Israel to Jordan.
Sir Ronald Cohen - Chairman of The Portland
Trust; Co-Founder and Former Chairman of
Apax Partners.
Joschka Fischer - Former Vice Chancellor
and Foreign Minister of Germany.
Lorna Fitzsimmons - CEO, the Britain Israel
Communications & Research Centre (BICOM);
Former Member of Parliament of the UK.
OREN 2 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00

ISRAEL AND THE DIASPORA: ALIYAH AND THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Israel is a Jewish state, home to many non-
Jewish citizens, while Diaspora Jewry is a
voluntary community. The identification of Jews
in both communities is in constant flux. Do
current trends necessarily widen the gap or is it
possible to cement relations between Israel and
the Diaspora? What can be done to bring two
geographically separate societies together so
they can understand each other, share a single
Jewish identity and work for common goals?
What role does Aliyah play in this relationship?
PARTICIPANTS
Moderator: Ruth Calderon - Doctor of
Talmudic studies; Founder of the Alma Home
for Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv.
Tony Gelbart - Chair and Co-Founder, Nefesh
b’Nefesh.
Aharon Horwitz - Student activist; Co-founder
and Director of the PresenTense Institute for
Creative Zionism and Co-editor of Blogs of
Zion.
Jason Lustig - Student Activist; Co-Founder
of ImpactAliyah, a start-up providing new paths
for Aliyah.
Larry Moses - President, the Wexner Foundation.
Steven Nasatir - Doctor, President of United
Fund; President, Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Chicago; Member, Board of
Directors and Professional Guiding Council,
JPPPI.

OREN 3 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00
ROBOTS, GADGETS AND
OTHER ANIMALS: TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY IN DAILY LIFE
Let us examine how tomorrow’s technology
will affect our daily life: robots, advanced
computers, electronic toys and just plain cool
gadgets.
PARTICIPANTS
Moderator: Yossi Vardi - Pioneering Israeli
hi-tech entrepreneur; Partnered in founding
more than fifty hi-tech companies, including
ICQ; Former Director General of the Ministries
of Development, Energy and Infrastructure;
Former Chairman of Israel Chemicals.
Tomorrow’s gadgets exhibit
Dan Dubno - Founder of Blowing Things
Up, LLC, providing technology consulting
to businesses; Former producer and Chief
Technology Officer for CBS News.
Robotic percussion instruments exhibit
From the Soundscapes exhibition (July 2006),
courtesy of the Tower of David Museum of the
History of Jerusalem.
Yaal Tevet - Co-founder, Experience Design,
art and design studio.
Roy Roth - Co-founder, Experience Design.
David Fire - Composer and programmer of the
Soundscapes exhibition.
Robots and wondrous machines
Getting to know GarageGeeks - a place for
people to meet, innovate and build noncommercial
projects that might otherwise never
come to life.
Tal Halozin - Co-founder of GarageGeeks;
Chief Technology Officer of Innovid, a startup
company developing a platform for embedding
creative and interactive objects in internet
video.
Yuval Tal - Co-founder of GarageGeeks; Vice
President of Research & Development at
Innovid.
Zvika Netter - Co-founder of GarageGeeks;
CEO of Innovid; Veteran entrepreneur with
fourteen years of experience.
OREN 4 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS OR CLASHES WITHIN CIVILIZATIONS?
The deadly terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001 and the rise of radical Islam have focused
the world’s attention on a critical question: Are
we in the midst of a clash between civilizations
or clashes within these civilizations? Views
diverge. What are these clashes about and
what will be their implications? What will Islamic
civilization look like in the coming decades and
what about Iran? And what, if anything, can be
done to minimize the damage wrought by these
struggles?
Moderator: Robert Satloff - Doctor, Executive
Director of the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy; Historian of modern Arabic and
Islamic politics.
Robert D. Blackwill - Partner at Barbour,
Griffith & Rogers; Former Coordinator for
Strategic Planning at the U.S. National
Security Council and U.S. Ambassador to India;
Former Professor at Harvard University.
Sima Shine - Former head of the research
division in the Prime Minister’s Office; Served
in different capacities in the Israeli intelligence
community for more than thirty years.
Emmanuel Sivan - Professor at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem; Senior Fellow at
JPPPI; Scholar of Islamic history and thought
and of modern religious movements.
Abdurrahman Wahid - Former President of
Indonesia; Senior Advisor and Board Member
of the Liberty for All Foundation.

SCHWARTZ HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00
FIXING THE WORLD: MISSION OR PRETENSION?
The Jewish world is experiencing a surge of
activities aimed at making the world a better
place. In recent years, a variety of humanitarian,
social justice and ecological projects grounded
in the Jewish value of ‘Tikkun Olam’ have
served to bolster Jewish identity and to create
venues for cooperation between Jews in Israel
and the world. Are we engaging in ‘Tikkun
Olam’ enough, or are we going overboard with
pretentious initiatives? Are we focusing on the
world’s problems at the expense of our own?
PARTICIPANTS
Moderator: Todd Gitlin - Professor of
Journalism and Sociology at Columbia
University; Member of the editorial board
of Dissent; Author of numerous studies of
American media, politics and culture.
Shmuel (Shmuli) Bing - Activist with
Be’Ma’aglei Tzedek, a faith based social justice
NGO leading the struggle for the rights of
contract workers.
Haim Divon - Deputy Director General, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Head of MASHAV (Israel
Center for International Cooperation); Served
as the Israeli Ambassador to Canada and
Ethiopia.
Ruth Messinger - President of American
jewish World Service; a senior Democratic
Party activist from New York.
Yehudah Mirsky - Former U.S. State
Department official; Fellow at JPPPI; Rabbi and
Scholar of Jewish Thought.
Carole Solomon - Former Chair, JAFI Board of
Governors.
Raphi Walden - Professor of Surgery, Vascular
Surgeon; Deputy Director, Sheba Medical
Center at Tel Hashomer; member of the board
of Phsicians for Human Rights.
ESKHOL 2 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00

PARTICIPANTS
TO WHAT EXTENT IS JEWISH
TRADITION RELEVANT IN THE WORLD OF TOMORROW?
Modern times have changed Jewish life and
the Jewish experience almost beyond recognition.
Yet Jewish life and identity persist and
even thrive. How do core modern values such
as intellectual openness and personal and
political freedom relate to traditional religious
beliefs and practices? Does Jewish tradition
have the capacity to adapt, renew itself, attract
the young generation and contribute to the
modern world?
Moderator: Jonathan Rosen - General Editor
of Nextbook; Editorial Director of Encounter/
Schoken Books; Novelist and essayist.
Arie Deri - Former leader of Shas Politicl Party;
Former Israeli Minister of the Interior.
David Ellenson - Doctor, President of Hebrew
Union College; scholar of Jewish intellectual
and legal history.
Richard Pearlstone - Chairperson, Board of
Governors of the Jewish Agency.
Norman Solomon - Rabbi and lecturer at the
Oxford Centre for Hebrew Studies; Professor
of Oriental Studies at Oxford; Founder and
Director of the Centre for the Study of Judaism
and Jewish-Christian Relations.
Yedidia Stern - Former Dean and current
Professor of Law at Bar-Ilan University; Senior
Fellow at The Israel Democracy Institute;
Scholar of Jewish law and democratic theory.
Gili Zivan - Director of the Yaacov Herzog
Center of the Religious Kibbutz Movement;
Scholar of modern Jewish theology.

ESHKOL 3 HALL THU MAY 15, 2008 15:00
ROUNDTABLE
DISCUSSION:
ISRAEL AS A GLOBAL FINANCIAL CENTER
ADDITIONAL
CONFERENCE
EVENTS
PARTICIPANTS
Ronnie Bar-On, Israeli Finance Minister;
Prof. Stanley Fisher, Governor of the Bank
of Israel; Yarom Ariav, Director General of the
Finance Ministry, and Key figures in the Israeli
market and the global economy.
Participation in the discussion is by invitation
only.
HADARIM PATIO THU MAY 15, 2008 10:45
The Government of Israel is convinced Israel
can be transformed into a global financial center.
The invaluable human capital and entrepreneurial
spirit characterizing Israel’s economic
sector, alongside the wealth of experience
accumulated by Israeli investors abroad and
their impressive achievements, attest to the
vast potential for establishing financial industry
as an additional growth engine for Israel’s
economy. Israel’s economic leadership intends
to set a new financial agenda for the next 10
years. This roundtable discussion will center on
the action necessary to achieve this goal while
pinpointing specific niches where the relative
advantages of Israel’s financial industry can be
brought to bear. We are certain the advice and
involvement of world-acclaimed Jewish economic
and financial experts further enhances
this opportunity.

FACING TOMORROW IN MASTER CLASS
Some of the guests at the conference will take
part in special "master class" sessions with
young Israelis. This program is part of a broad
effort by the Jewish People Policy Planning
Institute to foster young leadership and promote
discourse on fundamental issues among
Israel's and the Jewish people's future generation.
These sessions will be attended by outstanding
college and university students from
around Israel, as well as young leaders from
the economic, defense and social sectors. The
program is inspired by the master class model
in music teaching, where expert musicians tutor
talented young students.
MASA An innovative initiative of the Jewish Agency
and the Government of Israel. MASA organizes
long-term stay programs in Israel for thousands
of young Jewish adults from the Diaspora in
order to strengthen their Jewish identity and
their bond with Israel. The program relies on
studies, that reflect the tremendous impact a
significant period of time in Israel can have on
a young person’s connection to Jewish identity,
community and heritage. MASA aims to make
the stay in Israel a transformative experience
for at least one in five young Jewish adults. The
return on our investment in these young people
today - an engaged and inspired leadership
with the commitment to lead our people into
the future.
SPECIAL PROJECTS WILL BE
SHOWCASED THROUGHOUT
THE CONFERENCE
The discovery of the Judean Desert scrolls,
commonly known as the Dead Sea scrolls, is the
most important archaeological discovery of the
twentieth century. The expression “The People
of the Book” has received further support with
the Scrolls’ discovery and publication. The
Dead Sea Scrolls opens a window upon one of
the important chapters in the history of the two
religions, modern Judaism and Christianity.
A unique and impressive volume of the Dead
Sea Scrolls will be on display throughout the
conference. This segment of the scrolls is taken
from the book of Psalms and includes the name
of God in ancient Hebrew writing.
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
TAGLIT Taglit-Birthright Israel is a successful and
innovative project in the Jewish world, drawing
tens of thousands of Jewish students (180,000
from 53 countries so far) to their first educational
tour of Israel. The project is meant to strengthen
these young adults’ Jewish identity, create
a network of support for the State of Israel
and reinvigorate Jewish communities in the
Diaspora. The program has been able to bring
about real change in the attitude of the younger
generation of Diaspora Jews towards Israel and
has increased the number of students visiting
Israel by 2500%.
BETH
HATEFUTSOTH
Beth Hatefutsoth is a unique, modern and
world-acclaimed cultural institution. The
museum's exhibitions and outstanding archival
resources present the story of the Jewish
people through the ages and around the world,
providing contemporary generations with the
key to their own cultural identity and a deeper
bond with their people.
DEAD SEA
SCROLLS

ADVANCE PROFESSIONAL
PREPARATORY DAY
PRESIDENT’S CONFERENCE 2008
FACING TOMORROW
extensive interaction with focus groups
made up of leading figures in the
fields of planning, philosophy and the
arts, as well as professionals, Israeli
government officials, leaders of Jewish
organizations and the philanthropists
who support them.
These sessions took place during
2005-6 at Wye Plantation, Maryland,
U.S.A. as well as at the Jewish People
Policy Planning Institute in Jerusalem.
In 2007, 120 of the participants in the
process gathered for a joint conference
in Jerusalem under the title: “The Future
of the Jewish People”, where detailed
discussion took place on various
geopolitical issues pertaining to the
Jewish people, issues of identity and
identification, community life and future
leadership. The summary of this event
is included in the special publication
provided to President’s Conference
participants by the Institute.
On the preliminary day, the day
preceding the official opening of the
President’s Conference 2008: Facing
Tomorrow, the Jewish People Policy
Planning Institute is organizing closed
working group sessions, part of a
continuing process. The purpose of
these deliberations is to discuss select
issues, which have a bearing on the
future of the Jewish people, and to
weigh concrete courses of action. The
findings and recommendations of this
day will serve as important input to
the discourse at the conference itself
and will be brought to the attention of
relevant decision-makers.
The sessions are part of an ongoing
brainstorming process aimed at
developing a comprehensive analysis
of the state of the Jewish people today,
and at formulating ideas for specific
policy alternatives to ensure its well
being and prosperity in generations
to come. This process included
Today’s deliberations are meant to
further develop and distil the analysis
and recommendations gathered
throughout this process in order to
aid participants of the President’s
Conference as they delve into these
complex issues, and thereby contribute
to the success of the conference.

The following issues will be discussed
at the preliminary working group
sessions:
Trends in the international arena over the
next five years - primary implications
for Israel and the Jewish people
Affinity of the younger generation in
the Diaspora to its Jewish identity
Affinity of the younger generation in
Israel to its Jewish identity Challenges
posed by radical Islam: operative
implications for the Jewish people
Jerusalem as the core of the Jewish
civilization The Annapolis process -
potential implications for the future
of the State of Israel and the Jewish
people Practical implications and
potential applications of ‘Tikkun Olam’
Grooming the future leadership of
the Jewish people.
Insight from this day, as well as the
full range of conference deliberations,
will be collected and analyzed by the
Jewish People Policy Planning Institute
and will be made available to the
public.

Introduction - Mr. Avinoam Bar-Yosef,
Director-General, The Jewish People
Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI).
The Conference for the Future of the
Jewish People-2007 - Dr. Einat Wilf,
Fellow, JPPPI.
Mega-Trends in the Next Five Years
which will Impact on World Jewry
and Israel - Ambassador Stuart E.
Eizenstat.
The Annapolis Process - Ambassador
Avi Gil, Senior Fellow, JPPPI.
The Islamist Challenge - Prof. Emmanuel
Sivan, Senior Fellow, JPPPI.
Jewish Civilization at the Crossroads:
Rise and Decline in the Historic
Perspective - Dr. Shalom Wald, Senior
Fellow, JPPPI.
Jewish Identity and Identification of
America's Young Jews - Prof. Chaim
I. Waxman, Senior Fellow, JPPPI.
Jerusalem as the Civilizational Capital
of the Jewish People - Prof. Yehezkel
Dror, Founding President, JPPPI.
Jewish People Leadership for the
21st Century - Prof. Yehezkel Dror,
Founding President, JPPPI.
The Practical Meaning and Potential
Significance of ‘TIKKUN OLAM’ for
21st Century Jewish Life - Rabbi Dr.
Yehudah Mirsky, Fellow, JPPPI, with the
contribution of Brigadier-General (Res.)
Ruth Yaron, Senior Fellow, JPPPI.
Jewish Identity and Identification
of Israel's Young Generation -
Dr. Shlomit Levy and Dr. Hagit Hacohen
Wolf, The Hebrew University.
Jewish Demography and Peoplehood:
2008 - Prof. Sergio DellaPergola,
Senior Fellow, JPPPI.
Tomorrow's Crises Today: Frontiers of
Scientific Research and Technology in
the Coming Decade - Prof. Hermona
Soreq, The Hebrew University.

THE PRESIDENT'S
CONFERENCE 2008
FACING TOMORROW
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Medicine Tomorrow: Trends in 21st
Century Medicine - Yaakov Naparstek,
MD Professor & Chairman of Medicine
Department, Hadassah University
Hospital.
Global Leadership in the 21st Century:
The New Ruler - Prof. Yehezkel Dror,
Founding President, JPPPI.
A Survey of Current and Future
Research Directions on the
Environment - Faculty of Agricultural,
Food and Environmental Quality
Sciences, Hebrew University.
Israel 2028: Vision and Strategy for
Economy and Society in a Global
World - Mr. David Brodet, Former
Director-General, Ministry of Finance;
Chairman, board of Hadassah.
Accelerating Medical Solutions in
Israel: Building a Global Life Sciences
Industry - Prof. Glenn Yago, Milken
Institute; Mr. Ilan Vaknin, Hebrew
University and Koret-Milken Institute
Fellows Program and Ms. Ronit Purian
Lutkatch, Tel Aviv University and Koret-
Milken Institute Fellows Program.

The history of the world is intertwined
with the achievements of Jewish
philosophers, visionaries, scientists and
inventors whose ingenuity transformed
the lives of nations and people.
These men and women have left their
mark on every aspect of life: social
thinking, culture, philosophy, religion,
science, medicine, industry, technology.
Despite these varied realms of
achievement, all these people shared a
common goal: they all sought a better,
more just and more advanced future
for all mankind.
This proud list of Jewish accomplishment
has been reinforced with the
establishment of the State of Israel.
Since that day, hundreds of internationally
acclaimed inventions and innovations
were made here and went
on to make a decisive contribution in
the fields of science, agriculture, medicine
and technology - from the cherry
tomato to ICQ’s instant messaging,
from Netafim’s drip irrigation to Teva’s
groundbreaking medication.
In its 60th years of existence, a small
country, bereft of any substantial
natural resources and under permanent
existential threat, has turned into a
giant of innovation and research that
contribute to a better future worldwide.
There is no equivalent to this ratio
between population size and the
impact of ideas here conceived. There
is no other nation of comparative size
that has been such a font of creative
contribution to the world.

EXHIBITION:
TOMORROW’S
SPACES
The desire for a better future and
solutions to the problems of tomorrow
in Israel, the Jewish world and beyond
is one all conference participants must
share. This desire also permeates
the tens of thousands of Israeli
entrepreneurs, inventors, researchers,
scientists and industrialists who stand
at the forefront of Israeli innovation.
They are the secret of Israel’s success
and endurance and the reason Israel
is so dear to the entire world, as the
cradle of a better future.
The Tomorrow’s Spaces Exhibition
will provide international exposure to
projects now taking shape around the
country, which could become the new
ideas, products and technologies that
shape the face of tomorrow.
The panel of judges has selected 60
projects out of the hundreds it reviewed.
The choice was not easy. The panel
looked at many brilliant and novel ideas
developed by tireless entrepreneurs
seeking to resolve the world’s problems
with that rare combination of both
effective and practical solutions.
These projects were selected based
on the following criteria: the extent
of Israeli ideas, developments and
technologies involved; innovation;
originality; practicability and the impact
the project is expected to make in its
respective field and beyond.
The projects on display provide a
glimpse of contemporary “Jewish
genius” and Israeli resourcefulness in a
wide variety of interests, among them:
biotechnology and medical equipment,
Cleantech, water and agriculture,
high-tech, transportation, computers
and communications. In addition, the
exhibition includes social projects
which contribute to shaping a viable,
pluralistic and more welcoming Israeli
society.
The panel of judges included:
Prof. Yitzhak Peterburg - Chairman,
Former President & CEO of Cellcom;
Former CEO of Clalit Health Services
Prof. Israel (Izzy) Borovitch - Chairman
of the Board of El-Al
Dr. Miriam (Miki) Haran - Ono Academic
College
Mr. Maiki Yoeli - Deputy Director General,
Export Institute
Prof. Rivka Carmi MD - President of
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
All conference participants will receive
a catalog portraying each project in the
exhibition.
An official opening event will take place
on the first day of the conference under
the auspices of the President of the
State of Israel.

WE WOULD LIKE TO
THANK THOSE WHOSE
GENEROSITY MADE
THE CONFERENCE
POSSIBLE
Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson
Honorary Conference Chairs,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Yair Green Co-Chair,
Conference Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Ahron G. Frenkel Co-Chair,
Conference Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Victor Pinchuk Co-Chair,
Conference Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Elliott Broidy Chair,
Benefactors Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Daniel Abrahams Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Udi Angel Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Pierre Besnainou Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Alan Casden Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Ronald Cohen Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Nochi Dankner Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Dan David Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Uri Dori Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
David Franklin Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Menachem Gurevich Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Vladimir Gusinsky Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Yair Hamburger Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008

The Jewish Agency for Israel
Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Eytan Rechter, Yosef Grunfeld,
Avi Schnur - Kardan Trustees,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Marcos David Katz Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Lev Leviev Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Alexander Machkevitch Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Idan Ofer Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Sami Sagol Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Lenny Sands Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Leslie H. Wexner Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
David Wiessman Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Chaim (Poju) Zabludowicz Trustee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008

STEERING COMMITTEE
MEMBERS
Israel Maimon, Adv.
Chairman, Steering Committee, Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Avinoam Bar-Yosef
Director - General, Jewish People
Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI), Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Ambassador Avi Gil
Director of Conference Content, Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Meirav Catriel-Shtarker
Executive Conference Coordinator,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Dr. Einat Wilf
Fellow, JPPPI; Steering Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Ofra Eshed
Foreign Relation Coordination, Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Dr. Yehudah Mirsky
Fellow, JPPPI; Steering Committee,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Alan Hoffman
Director General, Department of
Jewish Zionist Education, the Jewish
Agency, Israel President’s Conference
2008
Josh Schwarcz
Secretary General, Jewish Agency,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Dr. Yossi Vardi
Director of Technology and Science Track,
Israel President’s Conference 2008.
CONFERENCE
ORGANIZERS
Prof. Raphi Walden
Co-Director of Medical Track, Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Dr. Rafi Hofstein
Co-Director of Medical Track, Israel
President’s Conference 2008
Dr. Yossi Bachar
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Lior Shilat
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Guy Krasny, Adv.
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Inbal Hakman
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Ohad Roth
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Daniel Eisenberg
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Michal Stopper-Vax
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Barry Geltman
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Arik Puder
Public Relations, JPPPI, Israel President’s
Conference 2008
Lea Weiss, Adv.
Legal Adviser of The Jewish Agency,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Ezra Ganor
Internal Auditor, JPPPI
Asaf Vitman
Representative of the President’s
Conference Steering Committee to the
Finance Committee of the JPPPI
Ram Caspi, Adv.
Chairman of the Committee that
selected the production, press and
public relations companies
PRODUCTION
Yoni Saar
“Promarket Group”, Executive Producer,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Shauli Ziv, Peleg Rapaport
“Promarket Group”, Line Producers,
Israel President’s Conference 2008
Arik Shechter
CEO, Edan Hadash, Management of
Registration and Hospitality
Eyal Arad
Co-Chairman of Euro-Israel,Conference
Spokesperson
Charley J. Levine
Manager, Conference International
Media Relations
Shlomo Harnoy, Dror Mor
Sdema Group, Advanced
Security Planning and
Project Management

THE JEWISH
PEOPLE POLICY
PLANNING
INSTITUTE
PARTNERS AND MEMBERS OF THE
GENERAL MEETING
Sandy Baklor
Zeev Bielski
as Chairman of JAFI Executive
Lester Crown and Charles Goodman
on Behalf of the Crown-Goodman
Family
Jack Kay
Hagai Meirom
as Treasurer of JAFI
Leonid Nevzlin
on Behalf of the Nadav Foundation
Richard L. Pearlstone
as Chairman of the JAFI Board of
Governors
Charles Ratner
John M. Shapiro
as President of the UJA
Federation of New York
Saul Silver
as Chairman of the JAFI Budget and
Finance Committee
Efi Stenzler and Avraham Duvdevani
as Chairman and Co-Chairman of
Jewish National Found
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND
PROFESSIONAL GUIDING COUNCIL
Chairman
Dennis Ross
Members of the Board
Ya’acov Amidror
Uzi Arad
Charles Burson
Irwin Cotler
Uzi Dayan
Sami Friedrich
Ruth Gavison
Steve Hoffman
Arlene Kaufman
Morlie Levin
Judit Liwerant
Isaac Molho
Steve Nasatir
Yaakov Neeman
John Ruskay
Suzanne Last Stone
Aharon Yadlin
Founding President
Yehezkel Dror
Director-General
Avinoam Bar-Yosef
Projects Coordinator
Ita Alcalay
Chairman, President’s
Conference Steering Committee 2008
Adv. Israel Maimon
Director of President’s
Conference Content
Avi Gil

ENTRANCE
LEVEL
PRESS CONFERENCE HALL- ESHKOL 1 2
ESHKOL 2 HALL 3
ESHKOL 3 HALL 4
SCHWARTZ HALL 5
ENTRANCE LOUNGE 6
EXHIBITION HALL 7
MAIN ENTRANCE +
INFORMATION AND SERVICE CENTER
1 PINCUS LOUNGE 8
OREN 1 HALL 9
OREN 2 HALL 10
OREN 3 HALL 11
OREN 4 HALL 12
TEDI HALL 13
TEDI FOYER 14
17 16
15
SECOND
LEVEL
AGAM LOUNGE 15
DULZIN HALL 16
PLENARY HALL - USSISHKIN 17

Schedule
Each guest is provided with a personal
program of conference events. You may
keep track of any scheduling changes
on information monitors throughout the
convention center.
Conference website
Plenary sessions will be carried on the
conference website
www.presidentconf.org.il,
operated in cooperation with theMarker
magazine. The site will be constantly
updated with photos, articles and
stories from the conference. The
conference will be broadcast live by
audio and video to all 3rd generation
cellular users through the *22 service.
Catering

Light refreshments will be available free
of charge throughout the conference.
Lunch will be served during noon
plenary sessions. Dinner will be served
during the receptions preceding main
evening events on May 13-14.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Language:
Plenaries will be simultaneously interpreted
in Hebrew, English, Russian and French.
Panels will be simultaneously interpreted
in English or in Hebrew, depending on
the Speaker’s language.
Internet access
Computers with Internet access will
be available throughout the convention
center for your convenience.
Media services
A fully equipped media center will
be available in Teddy Hall. Entrance
and use of the facility require prior
coordination.

Parking and transportation
Parking space at the convention center
is extremely limited. Free of charge
shuttle services for conference guests
will be available from nearby ‘HaLeom’
parking lot, where parking is also free
of charge.
Hotel shuttles
Free of charge shuttle services to
the convention center and back will
be available from our affiliate hotels
throughout the conference.

Security procedures
Admission to the conference will only
be allowed with the participation con-
firmation sent to each guest by e-mail.
Participants will receive nametags
which they are kindly requested to
wear at all times during the conference.
It is strictly forbidden to bring
cameras or firearms into the convention
center. You are advised to arrive
early and avoid carrying handbags and
electronic devices.
Electronic information system
Information monitors will display announcements,
updates and schedules
throughout the convention center.
Please keep track of this information.
Dress code
For all events: Business Casual.
Tours during the conference
We are pleased to offer organized
tours for spouses and family members
of conference participants in the
Jerusalem area, Massada and the
Dead Sea. For more information and
registration is available at the conference
website - www.presidentconf.org.il,
or at the registration and information
stands at the convention center.
The President’s Conference Facing
Tomorrow is taking place in the ICC
Jerusalem International Convention
Center, 1 Shazar Blvd., Jerusalem.

WEDNESDAY MAY 14 2008 TUESDAY MAY 13 2008
Ussishkin Hall
(Main Plenary)
Plenary Session:
“Presidents
Discussing Tomorrow“
Ceremonial Opening
Event
“Towards Tomorrow“
Morning Plenary
Session:
“Facing Tomorrow“
Wrestling
with
Creation
Is the
Jewish
Civilization
Thriving
or
Declining?
Is the
Geopolitical
Arena
Nearing
a Tipping
Point?
The
Challenge of
Jewish-Arab
Coexistence
in Israel
The Future
of the World
Economy
Writers
Discussing
Tomorrow
What does
the
Scientific
Tomorrow
Hold in
Store?
Teddy Hall
(Noon Plenary)
Exhibitions Hall
(Noon Plenary)
Oren
1 Hall
Oren
2 Hall
Oren
3 Hall
Oren
4 Hall
Schwartz
Hall
Eshkol
2 Hall
Eshkol
3 Hall
8:00 - 8:45
HOUR DAY
Welcome Dinner Reception
Break
Registration and Gathering
“Tomorrow's Spaces“ Exhibition - Opening Event
Registration and Gathering
16:30 - 18:00
18:00 - 19:45
19:45 - 21:30
08:00 - 08:45
08:45 - 10:15
10:15 - 10:45
10:45 - 12:15
15:00
15:30 - 16:15
WEDNESDAY MAY 14 2008
A Special Event:
Sixty Years of Friendship -
Israel and the U.S.A
Noon Plenary
Session (I):
“Tomorrow through
the Eyes
of Nobel Laureates“
Noon Plenary
Session (II):
“Global Perspectives
on Tomorrow” - A
Tomorrow’s
Medicine
Jewish
Education
in the 21st
Century
is It
Important ?
A Longer
Life,
More
Complicated
Problems
Jewish
Identity -
Unraveling
or
Renewing?
Why is the
“New Middle
East” Not
Here, Yet?
Strong on
Process,
Weak on
Results -
Lessons
Learned from
the Peace
Negotiations
Can Israel’s
GDP
per Capita
Join The
Premier
League
of World
Economies?
Blue,
White and
Green - Is a
Green Israel
Possible?
Grooming
the Future
Leadership
of Israel and
the Jewish
People
Jews and
Muslims -
Is Religion
at the Heart
of the
Problem
or the
Heart of the
Solution?
How
the Jewish
People Can
Strengthen
its
Friendship
with the
Chinese
Giant
Foreign
Policy -
Strategic
Dilemmas
and Moral
Considerations
How Can
Israel
Preserve Its
Position of
Leadership
in the Realm
of Scientific
Research?
A Jewish
State -
What
is its
Content?
What is its
Meaning?
Break
Break
Dinner Reception
Break
12:30 - 14:30
14:30 - 15:00
15:00 - 16:30
16:30 - 17:00
17:00 - 18:30
18:30 - 20:00
20:00 - 21:30
12:15 -12:30
Ussishkin Hall
(Main Plenary)
Teddy Hall
(Noon Plenary)
Exhibitions Hall
(Noon Plenary) HOUR DAY Oren
1 Hall
Oren
2 Hall
Oren
3 Hall
Oren
4 Hall
Schwartz
Hall
Eshkol
2 Hall
Eshkol
3 Hall
75
Morning Plenary Session:
“The Revolution of the
Internet and the
New Media”
Closing Plenary Session
“Israeli Leaders
Discussing Tomorrow“
Noon Plenary
Session (I):
“Path Breaking
Leadership“
Noon Plenary
Session (II):
“Global Perspectives
on Tomorrow” - B
Education
in Israel -
How to Solve
the
Problem,
Rather Than
Establish
Another
Committee?
How do
we Translate
Medical
Innovation
in Israel into
Successful
Business?
Haredi
Jews
in Israel -
Living
Together
While
Living
Apart
Europe,
Israel
and the
Jews
The Future
of Global
Institutions -
Towards an
Effective
World
Government
or Collapse
of the
Existing
System?
Clash of
Civilizations
or Clashes
within
Civilizations?
Historic
Decisions
in Israel - A
Matter for
Israelis or
for Jews at
Large?
Israel and
the
Diaspora-
Aliyah
and the
Special
Relationship
The Jewish
People - In
Need of a
Good
Publicist
Fixing the
World -
Mission or
Pretension?
Innovation
and
Creativity
in Action
Robots,
Gadgets
and other
Animals -
Tomorrow’s
Technology
in Daily Life
True
Equality
for Women
in Israel -
What
will it take?
Break
Break
Break
Break
08:45 - 10:15
10:15 - 10:45
10:45 - 12:15
12:15 - 12:30
12:30 - 14:30
14:30 - 15:00
15:00 - 16:30
16:30 - 17:00
17:00 - 18:30
8:8:45 Registration and Gathering
Ussishkin Hall
(Main Plenary)
Teddy Hall
(Noon Plenary)
Exhibitions Hall
(Noon Plenary) HOUR
08:00 - 08:45
Oren
1 Hall
Oren
2 Hall
Oren
3 Hall
Oren
4 Hall
Schwartz
Hall
Eshkol
2 Hall
Eshkol
3 Hall
To What
Extent is
Jewish
Tradition
Relevant in
the World of
Tomorrow?

Israel 60th Birthday Peres Presidential Conference - Facing Tomorrow

2008-05-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Israel 60th Birthday Peres Presidential Conference - Facing Tomorrow

By David Marcus
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ----- May 7, 2008 ....... The idea could only have started with Israel President Shimon Peres, the man who has witnessed up close and person more historic events during Israel's first six decades of statehood than arguably any other person alive today, going back to 1948 when he was one of founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion closest, and youngest advisers.

Peres decided last year that it was not enough to review the Jewish state's achievements, challenges and milestones reflectively. Rather, the emphasis for Israel must be on looking forward. Thus was conceived the first annual Israel Presidential Conference, a three-day unparalleled assembly of some of the world's "best and brightest," including equally large representations of Presidents and Prime Ministers, current and past, and Nobel Laureates, to name but two special categories that will be fully represented at the gathering in Jerusalem, Israel from May 13 to May 15.

Thus was the flagship international event commemorating Israel's 60th Anniversary celebrations was born, with Israel President Shimon Peres hosting his premiere “Facing Tomorrow” Conference which will welcome many international leaders to Jerusalem including President George Bush. The Conference was initiated personally by Israel President Peres to address the three main “tomorrows:" the Israel tomorrow, the global tomorrow and the Jewish tomorrow.

Israel President Shimon Peres. One of Israel's founding fathers
and the catalyst for the first Israel President's Conference.

In attendance, in addition to many national presidents and heads of state will be dignitaries from the worlds of business and academia. Among them are Sergey Brin, founder of Google and Susan Decker of Yahoo. Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson will be serving as the honorary chairpersons for the Israel 60th Birthday Presidential Conference which has enthusiastically attracted the attention of Jewish leaders and others worldwide.

The entire cost of the Israel Presidential Conference has been raised privately through a historic fundraising initiative chaired by Elliot Broidy, Chairman of Markstone Capital Partners and supported by a committee of two-dozen business people from across the international community.

US President George W. Bush will be a headline guest of the conference, serving as keynote speaker at a celebratory dinner marking 60 years of Israel - American friendship. A multi-media gala event will pay tribute to the historic alliance between the two countries featuring entertainment acts from both countries and addresses by US President George W. Bush and Israel President Shimon Peres as well as Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Present and former presidents, prime ministers and senior officials from 27 countries will take part in the conference.

Jewish Nobel Prize winners will pool their brain power to offer insights about what tomorrow will look like. Key luminaries in economics, science, technology, medicine and philosophy will take part in the major plenary sessions, as well as in 35 panels that seek no lesser a goal than to help shape the face of tomorrow.

Facing Tomorrow will be a conference of focused exploration, a synergistic gathering of major world leaders, Jews and non-Jews, thinkers and doers, poets and physicists, rabbis and entrepreneurs, including the next generation of leadership - young men and women of exceptional promise and originality.

In addition to plenary meetings, working groups and a host of keynote speakers, 39 panels will span a broad spectrum of topics, from Economic Strategy as an Engine of Peace to Wrestling with Creation: Medical Ethics and New Discoveries in Research and Treatment; from The Jewish Self and Jewish Collective Identity in an Era of Multiple Identities to Constructing Dialog with Islam, New Roles for Religious and Cultural Leaders. Most panels, plenary meetings and keynote addresses will be simulcast on the World Wide Web.

Each “tomorrow” - Jewish, Israel, and world - will be examined through a set of four critical lenses: The value systems that are meant to guide our conduct, the leadership necessary to navigate the challenges ahead, the creativity required to embrace the new, and the notion of evolving, mutable, and sometimes multiple identities as we attempt to keep pace with a rapidly changing and digitally interconnected world.

Participants at the Israel Presidential Conference Facing Tomorrow will grapple with the forces and trends, global and local, that are redrawing the contours of the future. This, however, is only one aspect of the conference's work. Facing Tomorrow will also be a laboratory for practical initiatives intended to nurture the thriving of Israel, of the Jewish people, of humanity.

Across the millennia, the echoes of the Jewish biblical prophets have been heard, repeated, and often gone unheeded. Envisaging a just and peaceful tomorrow, they charted our thorny way forward, and gave us the moral armor for the journey. With great passion, they instructed us to explore and shape a better future, and continue to provide us with the inspiration and commitment to do so. In the spirit of the magnitude of the prophets' vision, and yet with all due humility, Facing Tomorrow will address the challenges and opportunities that await us.

Even well before the Israel 60th Birthday Presidential Conference, it is already nearly impossible to find an available hotel room in Jerusalem. Eight Israel hotels in Jerusalem have announced that they are at full capacity. Ben Gurion Airport is readying itself for non-stop arrivals as President's Conference guests from around the world stream in to Israel.

At Binyanei HaUma, the Israel President's conference site, employees are working non-stop to transform this Jerusalem, Israel convention center into a world-class venue for the various plenary and panel sessions. Hundreds of stewards and students will host the conference attendees, and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to welcome and assist the many world leaders.

The Israel Presidents Conference communications team includes 50 seasoned spokespeople and public relations professionals to serve the hundreds of journalists from Israel and abroad expected to cover this extraordinary event. A media center has been built at the convention site that can serve around 400 members of the media.

"This Conference is one of those rare larger than life assemblies, totally imbued not only with history and reflection, but with important insights into how we can create a better future for all mankind," said Charley J. Levine, the international media consultant to Facing Tomorrow and perhaps Israel's leading and most respected international PR professional.

"The global media will help convey these exciting discussions to every corner of the earth," said Levine. "There is something unique and deeply meaningful about this event, as very wise people from different walks of life resume the prophetic function that has been associated with Jerusalem, Israel for millennia - truly the word will be coming out of Jerusalem in May in a significant manner for the Jewish people and all humanity."

The Israel President's Conference has been identified by Israel President Shimon Peres as the ideal avenue to communicate Israel's many accomplishments to the international community. A major highlight of the three day event will be an extensive exhibition featuring 60 of Israel's leading companies whose innovations are seen as positively benefiting humanity in truly revolutionary ways.

The JPPPI, an independent think tank, supported in part by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), is the organizational body responsible for the conference. Israel Maimon, Israel's former Cabinet Secretary is the Conference Chairman and Israel Ambassador Avi Gil is the Director of Conference Content.

"This Conference is one of those rare, larger than life assemblies, totally imbued not only with history and reflection, but with important insights into how we can create a better future for all mankind."

Charley J. Levine, the international media
consultant to Facing Tomorrow.

Senior statesmen and world leaders scheduled to attend include Dr. Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, Va'clav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, Leonid Kuchma, former President of Ukraine, Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the USSR, Wahid Abdurraham, former President of Indonesia and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK.

Leaders in the fields of technology and the global economy include: Sergey Brin, founder of Google, Susan Decker, President of Yahoo!, Terry Semel, founder and former President of Yahoo!, Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, Rupert Murdoch, Chariman of News Corporation, Susan Greenfield, British scientist, writer, broadcaster, and member of the House of Lords, Morris Levy - CEO of Publicis Corporation and Martin Sorel - CEO of the WPP Advertising Group.

In addition, seven Jewish Nobel Prize winners will take part in a special Israel 60th Birthday First President's Conference discussion grappling with the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Other Jewish intellectuals participating include Bernard-Henri Le'vy, Professor Alan Dershowitz and Professor Todd Gitlin.

The above Israel News Agency story was edited and optimized SEO for the Internet by Joel Leyden.

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ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY

Facing Tomorrow - Israel Presidential Conference 2008

2008-05-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

" Facing Tomorrow :" The Israel Presidential Conference 2008

Sheldon & Dr. Miriam Adelson Named 60th Anniversary Mega-Event's Co-Chairs

JERUSALEM, Israel, March 10 / IsraelNewsAgency.com - Facing Tomorrow, the first annual conference of Shimon Peres' presidency will take place in Jerusalem, Israel, May 13-15, marking Israel's milestone 60th anniversary, at the International Convention Center.

World leaders both Jewish and non-Jewish, thinkers and doers, artists and scientists, rabbis and entrepreneurs including the next generation of leadership will take part in the Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday event.

The Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday Conference will examine what the future holds for the global community, the Jewish people and the State of Israel. It will also focus on Jewish and Israel contributions to humanity.

Confirmed Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday conference participants thus far include: former British PrimeMinister Tony Blair; French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner; formerPresident of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev; former US Secretary of State, Dr.Henry Kissinger; former Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Havel; President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili; Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Ambassadors MartinIndyk and Dennis Ross, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman and Professor Alan Dershowitz.

Business luminaries such as Google founder Sergey Brinn, Mark Zuckerman, founder of Facebook, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch and Ratan Tata, Chairman, the Tata Group have also confirmed their participation.

Honorary Chairs of The Israel President's Conference are: Dr. Miriam andSheldon Adelson. Sheldon Adelson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ofthe Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Miriam Adelson heads the Dr. Miriam andSheldon G. Adelson Drug Rehabilitation Clinics in both Tel Aviv and LasVegas. Yair Green, attorney-at-law, will serve as Co-Chair. Elliott Broidy,Chairman of Markstone Capital Group, is heading the Conference's Benefactor Committee.

The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (JPPPI) is developing the Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Birthday conference program. Ambassador Dennis Ross serves as the Chairman of the Board of JPPPI, Professor Yehezkel Dror is its Founding President, and Avinoam Bar-Yosef is the JPPPI's Director-General.

The Conference's steering committee is headed by Israel Maimon, former Israel Cabinet Secretary.

Eyal Arad, co-Chairman of the Euro Israel Group, will serve as spokesman.

Charley J. Levine, CEO of Lone Star Communications, is managing the conference's international media relations and public relations.

Yoni Sa'ar, CEO, Promarket, is in charge of production.

Contact: Elie Bennett, elie@lonestar.co.il, +972-54-4766393

SOURCE The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute

Contact: Elie Bennett, elie@lonestar.co.il, +972-54-4766393

==================

EarlySense Selected to Exhibit At Facing Tomorrow:
the Israel Presidential Conference

RAMAT GAN, Israel - (Israel News Agency) EarlySense, developer of the EverOn™, a continuous, contact-free, early detection, patient supervision system, announced today that it is part of a short list of sixty companies chosen to exhibit at Facing Tomorrow: the Israel Presidential Conference to be held at The Jerusalem International Convention Center in Jerusalem, May 13-15, 2008.

EarlySense is also one of six companies selected from the sixty to be featured in the concluding visual presentation at the opening ceremony of the conference on May 13, 2008.

The conference will mark Israel’s 60^th birthday with a preview of what the future holds for the global community. The event will feature Jewish and Israeli contributions to humanity. Guests will include presidents and prime ministers, foreign ministers, statesmen, Nobel Prize winners, prominent journalists and leaders from the world’s business community.

“EarlySense’s technology promises to revolutionize patient care in hospitals, nursing homes and private homes. In fact, we are creating an entirely new industry: continuous, contact-free patient supervision, empowering clinicians to be at the right place at the right time. We are honored to be part of history in the making, by both participating in this historical international gathering and, in the long term, by positively influencing the future for patients and caregivers worldwide,” said Mr. Avner Halperin, CEO of EarlySense.

EverOn measures patient parameters from under the mattress on which the patient is lying. There are no leads or cuffs to connect to the patient, who has complete freedom of movement and need not suffer from any irritating attachments. EverOn detects heart and respiration rates as well as bed entries and exits, patient movement and quality of sleep. The device sounds an alert when a pre-set parameter threshold is crossed. EverOn also displays and records real time data on a continuous time-line. The time line is designed to help predict the deterioration of a patient’s health and consequently avert a critical event.

EarlySense also announced today that the company has begun clinical trials of the EverOn system in the U.S. The company has been and continues to conduct studies of the system in Israel at several prestigious clinical sites. The data generated to date prompted the company to begin clinical testing in the U.S.

“EarlySense plans to continue the clinical development of the system throughout 2008 and to launch the product into the market in 2009,” said Mr. Halperin.

EarlySense is developing a pioneering technology designed to advance proactive and preventive patient supervision to enable better patient outcomes. The flagship product, EverOn, is an automatic, continuous, contact-free patient supervision device. The base technology of the EverOn system was cleared by the FDA in November 2007.

EarlySense was founded in 2004 by Avner Halperin, Dr. Danny Lange, Yossi Gross, and Guy Shinar. The company is headquartered in Ramat-Gan, Israel. For additional information or to schedule an interview with Mr. Halperin, please contact Marjie Hadad, Media Liaison, at +972-54-536-5220 or marjie@netvision.net.il.

May 1, 2008

60th Independence guest list takes shape for Facing Tomorrow:
the Israel Presidential Conference

By Greer Fay Cashman
The Jerusalem Post

President Shimon Peres did not invite Syrian President Bashar Assad to Facing Tomorrow, the mega-conference he is organizing, which will be held in Jerusalem from May 13-15 in celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary - despite his belief in dialogue with adversaries.

However, several presidents who were invited - most notably US President George W. Bush - have confirmed their attendance.

Like Bush, some of the other dozen presidents on the list have been to Israel before, but this will be a first visit for Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, among others.

The agenda for the conference covers a myriad of topics, including the future of the world economy; the content and meaning of a Jewish state; the extent to which Jewish tradition is relevant in tomorrow's world; whether a green Israel is possible; the tipping point of the geopolitical arena; Israel's ability to continue to be a leading contender in the world of science; and cultivating future leaders of Israel and the Jewish people.

Expected presidential attendees include: Victor Yushchenko of Ukraine; Lech Kaczynski of Poland; Paul Kagame of Rwanda; Michael Saakashvili of Georgia; Stjepan Mesic of Croatia; Bamir Topi of Albania; Blaise Campoare of Burkina Faso; Danilo Türk of Slovenia, Tommy Remengesau Jr. of Palau; and Valdis Zatlers of Latvia.

The prime ministers of the Slovak Republic and of Hungary, Robert Fico and Ferenc Gyurcsany, will also take part, as will several former world leaders, among them Mikhail Gorbachev, Tony Blair and Henry Kissinger.

As a Nobel Prize winner, Peres thought it important to invite other Nobel Prize laureates, at least seven of whom will be coming to Israel to share their views of the future.

The influx of so many dignitaries will provide logistical challenges for the Foreign Ministry and the tourism industry, as hotels in Jerusalem will be fully occupied.

Facing Tomorrow Israel 60 Presidential Conference

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Facing Tomorrow - The Israel President's Conference 2008

Israel 60th Birthday Peres Presidential Conference - Facing Tomorrow

Facing Tomorrow - Israel Presidential Conference 2008

60th Independence guest list takes shape for Facing Tomorrow:the Israel Presidential Conference

60th Independence guest list takes shape for Facing Tomorrow:
the Israel Presidential Conference