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Peres is the only person to date to have been both President and Prime Minister of Israel. His career in public service has spanned the decades. In the 1950s, he was responsible for starting Israel on its nuclear weapons program. Peres earned the Nobel Peace Prize together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in 1994.

An Israeli artist from Jerusalem, Landau studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design before spending several years working in the US and the UK. Her artistic work can be categorized as multi-media; this includes drawing, sculpture, video, and performance-based pieces. Landau draws her inspiration from such topics as the human condition, banishment, and […]

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Eban served as a diplomat, politician, and writer. During his political career, Eban served in various ministerial posts and as Ambassador to the United States, United Nations and Foreign Minister. His “Churchillian” English gave his oratory great value as Israel’s public face, particularly after the June 1967 War.

Each day, it seems, there are new stories and discussions in both traditional and social media concerning the lack of civility in the current political discourse. This is also true in conversations, both within the Jewish community and among people of all faiths, regarding Israel.

The 7th President of Israel from 1993 until 2000, Weizman was Minister of Defense under Menachem Begin, negotiating at Camp David in 1978. In 1980, he resigned from the Cabinet over Likud party resistance to achieve peace in the region, eventually starting his own left of center party. He spent the remainder of his career […]

Israel is only 70 years old. It is certainly more developed and different than the US was in 1846. What are the domestic and foreign policy issues that remain open-ended? Which issues have settled into consensus acceptance? CIE President and Founder Professor Ken Stein explores these questions and more in this webinar from May 2018.

An Israeli singer, actress, martial artist, and model, Gal Gadot sent shockwaves through the film industry with her role as Wonder Woman in 2017. Gadot made the transition from modeling to acting in 2009 with her breakout role in the Fast & Furious franchise (2009), before going on to cement herself as one of Hollywood’s […]

With reams of evidence secured by Israeli intelligence, the PM calls out Iran for lying about their nuclear activities both before and since signing the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement with six countries.

Kaplan was born in Minsk (present day Belarus), where he became an active member of the Socialist Zionist party. He immigrated to Palestine in 1919, where he was elected to the Zionist Executive Committee. In 1948, Kaplan became one of the original signatories of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, before being elected as Minister of […]

An immigrant from South Africa (1975), Fassberg worked for 33 years for Intel Israel where she eventually rose to the position of CEO. She completed her graduate education at Hebrew University before continuing on to teach both chemistry and physics. A fierce advocate for diversity in the workplace, Fassberg was one of 14 women to […]

​Israel is only 70 years old. It is certainly more developed and different than the US was in 1846. What are the domestic and foreign policy issues that remain open-ended​? Which issues have settled into consensus acceptance?

Originally from Moscow, Joseph Sprinzak was one of the early leaders of the Zionist movement. After immigrating to Palestine during the second Aliyah, Sprinzak founded both Hapoel Hatzair, a Zionist socialist faction, and Histadrut, a key trade union. In 1948 Sprinzak was elected as first speaker of the Knesset, a position he held until his […]

Shlomo Avineri is one of Israel’s premiere political scientists. His written work covers topics such as Hegel, Marx, Herzl, Zionism, Colonialism, and the former Soviet Union. Over the course of his distinguished career, Avineri has received numerous awards such as the Israel Prize, the Solomon Bublick Award, and the EMET Prize in Political Science. Avineri […]

Etgar Keret is an internationally renowned Israeli author. Although born in Israel, Keret is the child of Holocaust survivors from Poland, where he also holds citizenship. Keret’s work focuses on short stories, graphic novels, and screenplays. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature. Keret’s influences include Franz […]

Miriam Ben Porat was the first woman appointed to the Israeli Supreme Court. A native of Lithuania, Ben Porat immigrated to Palestine in 1936. She went on to have a long and accomplished judicial career, including as President of the Jerusalem District Court, a Law Professor at Hebrew University, and the Knesset-elected State Comptroller. Ben […]

Assembled by Ken Stein and Eli Sperling Emory University and Center for Israel Education kenstein@israeled.org or kstein@emory.edu Anna Ahronheim, “Russian Supply of S-300 Systems to Syria Major Threat to IAF,” Jerusalem Post, April 15, 2018. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Russian-supply-of-S-300-systems-to-Syria-major-threat-to-IAF-549837  Shehab al-Makahleh, “Jordan Between Regional Threats and Internal Pressures: The Economic Key,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, April 11, 2018. […]

The highest ranking Druze officer in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Alian is a native of the Galilee town of Shfaram. He notably served as the first non-Jewish commanding officer in Israel’s Golani brigade. He has seen combat in the First Intifada, numerous clashes in Lebanon, Operation Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense, and Protective Edge.

Alterman was a playwright, poet, and journalist whose influence on Labor Zionism and socialist Jewish policies left him remembered for contributions to politics, despite never holding office. After the Six Day War, he was one of the founders of the Movement for Greater Israel which advocated keeping the newly conquered territories and settling them with […]

A native of Poland, Urbach studied in Rome and Breslau before immigrating to Palestine in 1937. He would go on to become one of Israel’s preeminent scholars. He taught Talmud at Hebrew University and launched an unsuccessful bid to be Israel’s President (1973). Urbach’s seminal work, The Sages, focuses on the evolution of Jewish religious […]

Alberstein was born in Poland and moved to Israel in 1950 when she was three years old. Alberstein is one of Israel’s most popular and influential singers, releasing over 50 albums during her career. Alberstein is also well-known for championing liberal causes and as an ardent peace activist.

Israel’s current President since 2014, Rivlin was born in Jerusalem in 1939. A lawyer by profession, Rivlin was a member of the Knesset for Likud from 1988 until he became President, twice serving as Speaker of the Knesset. As President, Rivlin has been a staunch defender of Israel’s democratic principles and has protected the civil […]

As Israel’s Attorney General from 1960 – 1963, Hausner served as the chief prosecutor for the Adolf Eichmann trial in 1961. He was born in Poland and made aliyah with his family in 1927. In addition to his term as Attorney General, Hausner spent four terms as a member of the Knesset. At the conclusion […]

Por el Profesor Ken Stein En enero de este año, el veterano periodista árabe, Rami Khouri, evaluó la región del Medio Oriente de esta manera: “Nunca antes el mundo árabe había estado tan fracturado, tan violento, tan volátil y tan vulnerable a los caprichos de ciudadanos desesperados, de autócratas poderosos, de activistas belicosos, de resistentes […]

Described by the New York Times as an “Israeli Faulkner,” Yehoshua is one of Israel’s most acclaimed writers of fiction. Best known as a novelist and playwright, Yehoshua won numerous international and Israeli literary awards. His books have been translated into 30 languages and adapted for television, theater, and film.

Serving as Prime Minister from 1999-2001, Barak is a decorated military hero, most notably for his work as tank battalion commander during the Yom Kippur War. As Prime Minister, Barak ended the occupation of Southern Lebanon and resumed peace negotiations with the Palestinians at the failed 2000 Camp David Summit. He was defeated by Ariel […]

Almog was born in Petach Tikvah in 1936 and is one of Israel’s most decorated authors. An educator by training, she published her first short story in 1967 and her first novel, The Exile, in 1970. Almog’s father passed away when she was fourteen, and many of her works explore the relationships between fathers and […]

A politician, lawyer, writer, and 6th President of Israel, Herzog was born in Ireland and immigrated to Israel in 1935. After the War of Independence, he headed the IDF Military Intelligence and later served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, famously shredding in 1975 the UN Resolution 3379 which equated Zionism with racism. He […]

Gal Fridman is an Israeli Olympic athlete. A windsurfer, Fridman is the only Israeli athlete to win multiple Olympic medals and the first and only Israeli Olympic gold medalist. Fridman won a bronze medal in Atlanta in 1996 and a gold in Athens in 2000. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of […]

A decorated military veteran and former Prime Minister, Sharon is often a controversial figure in Israel’s history. He was a commander in the Six Day and Yom Kippur Wars and as Minister of Defense launched the first Lebanon War in 1982. He championed Israeli settlement growth, however as Prime Minister, Sharon was responsible for the […]

(20 November 1977) Israel. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Speech by Egyptian President Sadat to the Knesset.”  Israel’s Foreign Relations: selected documents, 1977-1979. Ed. Medzini, Meron. Jerusalem: Ahva Press, 1981. 182-90. Print. We Truly Welcome you to Live Among us in Peace and Security In the name of God, Mr. Speaker of the Knesset, ladies and […]