The war that began Oct. 7 with Hamas’ killing of 1,200 people and abduction of more than 240 others shook Israel and Israelis to their core. Particularly impacted was Israel’s vibrant economy. With hundreds of thousands of Israelis internally displaced or serving in the military and most foreign workers unavailable, labor is short. International investors are worried. Government spending is up, tax collections down. Discussing the war’s economic effects, comparable effects in past conflicts and the future of the Start-Up Nation are Dr. Itai Ater of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University, Talia Rafaeli of venture capital firm KOMPAS, and Danielle Abraham of Volcani International Partnerships and ReGrow Israel. Moderating CIE’s 18th weekly webinar on the war Feb. 14 is Dr. Ken Stein, CIE’s president and an Emory University emeritus professor of Middle East history, political science and Israel studies.
Latest articles from CIE
Moshe Shertok, “Palestine — A Jewish Commonwealth”
A key figure in the Jewish Agency’s Political Department, Shertok, later Moshe Sharett argues for a Jewish commonwealth/state in Palestine. Pragmatically he realizes Arabs in Palestine oppose Jewish presence, yet he fully rejects a potential binational Arab-Jewish state, suggesting that the end of WWII will be a turning point in favor of a Jewish state.
Explainer: Zionist/Israeli Music
April 15, 2025 Dr. Eli Sperling © Center for Israel Education, 2025 Israeli music offers a powerful lens through which we can understand the country’s cultural and political evolution, serving as both a unifying force…
August 2025 — Being Safe, Smart and Jewish on Campus: Resilience Prep for College Students
August 10, 2025 College can be a challenging experience for anyone at any time. But for Jewish students, whether entering their first year or returning to campus, rising antisemitism and anti-Israel protests can threaten their…
Trump, Netanyahu Share Vision for Iran and Gaza, July 2025
Before a White House dinner, President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk about Gaza, Iran, Syria and Middle East peace.
June 2025 Pew Research Center Surveys on Israel
Divided at home and condemned abroad, public opinion of Israel sinks in response to war and domestic politics.
Explainer: Land in Palestine and Land in Israel
When the British and the French decided on the borders of some modern Middle Eastern states in the Levant in the 1915-1922 period, no Palestinian, Syrian, Iraqi, Jewish, Lebanese or Jordanian state existed. Before the…
Asher Susser, Jordan and the Islamic State Challenge
December 27, 2015 Asher Susser, “Jordan and the Islamic State Challenge,” Institute for National Security Studies, December 2015. Jordan faces internal challenges and economic hardships that are feeding off each other. Many young people are…
Bibliography — Foreign Relations: U.S. and Israel
June 2025 CIE has compiled the following list of books and articles, including some available on our website, to guide understanding of U.S.-Israel relations. Books Alteras, Isaac. Eisenhower and Israel: U.S.-Israeli Relations, 1953-1960. Gainesville: University…
Bibliography — Religion and Identity
June 2025 CIE has compiled the following list of books and articles to guide understanding of the connections between religion and Israeli society. Books Abramov, S. Zalman. Perpetual Dilemma: Jewish Religion in the Jewish State….
