219 S Harrison Rd
East Lansing, MI 48824
USA
The Jewish Studies Program at Michigan State University Presents
Israel at 70: Complexity, Challenge, and Creativity
Sunday, September 16, and Monday, September 17, 2018
MSU Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
219 S Harrison Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824
Schedule (subject to change):
Sunday, September 16, 2018—Lincoln Room
8:15-8:40 a.m. Registration
8:45-10:15 a.m. Origin Stories: A Roundtable on Literature, Cinema, and Pedagogy
Moderator: Eric Aronoff, Michigan State University
Sayed Kashua, Washington University (Reflections on His Work), Rachel Harris, University of Illinois (“Warriors, Witches, Whores: Women in Israeli Cinema”), Ilana Blumberg, Bar Ilan University (“Literary Pedagogy for Teaching Diverse Students”), Marc Bernstein, Michigan State University (“The Denial of Despair: Kletzkers in Israel”)
10:25 a.m.-11:55 a.m. Roundtable: Reflections on Israeli Society, Nationalism, and Security
Moderator: Myron Aronoff, Emeritus, Rutgers University
Donna Robinson Divine, Smith College (“#Hashtag Israel at 70: Blessing or Curse?”), Naomi Chazan, Hebrew University (“Israel at 70: Democratic Shifts”), Nadav Shelef, University of Wisconsin (“Israel at 70: Transformations in Israeli Nationalism”), Yael Aronoff, Michigan State University (“Israel’s Changing Security Environment”)
12:10-1:30 p.m. Lunch, Keynote by Oded Shoseyov, “Nature’s Gift; Materials for the Future”
**Complimentary lunch, pre-registration required, space is limited
1:40-2:55 p.m. Panel: U.S.-Israeli Relations
Chair: Yael Aronoff, Michigan State University
Robert Freedman, Johns Hopkins University (“US-Israel Relations 1948-2018”), Scott Lasensky, INSS Tel Aviv University (“The Peace Puzzle: Can America Still Be Effective at Arab-Israeli Peacemaking?”), Tamara Cofman Wittes, Brookings (“Shared Values: Democratic Challenges and the US-Israel Relationship”)
3:05-4:20 p.m. Panel: Boundaries of Israel Criticism
Chair: Benjamin Lorch, Michigan State University
Amy Elman, Kalamazoo College (“Pinkwashing Antisemitism”), Ken Waltzer, Professor of History Emeritus and Former Director of Jewish Studies, Michigan State University (“When AntiZionism Becomes Antisemitism: Insights from American Campuses”), Yore Kedem, Michigan State University (“Boundaries of Israel Criticism: Understanding Yeshayahu Leibovich”)
4:30-6:10 p.m. Roundtable: Lessons and Prospects for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Moderator: Gilead Sher, INSS Tel Aviv University
Saliba Sarsar, Monmouth University (“Uncommon Pairs: The Making of Unique Peacebuilding Leaders in Israel/Palestine”) Alan Dowty, Notre Dame University (“Israelis and Palestinians: Has the Gap Narrowed?”) Miriam Elman, Syracuse University (“Negotiating Jerusalem: Visions for Dividing & Sharing a Contested City”), Ilan Peleg, Lafayette College (“Narratives of Victimization & Victimhood Among Israelis & Palestinians: A 70-Year Saga”) Yuval Benziman, Hebrew University (“Normalization with Arab States and Israeli-Palestinian Peace”)
6:25-7:25 p.m. Dinner
**Complimentary, pre-registration required, space is limited
7:30 p.m. Keynote lecture, Gilead Sher, “The Israeli-Palestinians Negotiations: Prospects for a Two-State Reality”
Monday, September 17, 2018—Red Cedar Room, Kellogg
8:15-8:50 a.m. Registration
9:00-10:30 a.m. Panel: Israeli Environmental Innovation and Its Use as a Foreign Policy Tool
Chair: Michael Kaplowtiz, Michigan State University
Giora Rytwo, Tel Hai College and MIGAL Research Institute (“Coping with Water Crises: New Cleantech Water Technologies”), Micah Guy, Ben Gurion University (“Agriculture at the Ramat Negev Country: Survival and the Introduction of New Crops”), Itai Fishhendler, Hebrew University (“Natural Resources as Foreign Policy Tool: A Legitimate Israeli Policy?”)
10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Roundtable: Israeli Biotechnology and Medical Innovation
Moderator: Erik Shapiro, Michigan State University
Assaf Gilad, Michigan State University (“Science in Israel – Evolution and Evaluation of Dynamic Patterns”), Amnon Bar Shir, Weizmann Institute (“Multicolor’ Sensors: Beyond ‘Black & White” MRI”), Galit Pelled, Michigan State University (“From Fish Navigation to Neuromodulation”), Benny Hochner, Hebrew University (“Why Can Octopuses Help Us Build New Types of Robots?”), Drorith Celnikier-Hochner, Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center (“Hadassah for Everyone, Everywhere”)
1:00-2:00 p.m. Lunch
**Complimentary, pre-registration required, space is limited
2:05-3:30 p.m. Panel: Israel’s Remarkable Agricultural Experience: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Chair: Ronald Hendrick, Dean of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Alon Tal, Visiting Serling Professor, MSU and Tel Aviv University (“Israeli Agricultural Policy and Yields: What a Long Strange Trip Its Been”), Bill Slott, Columnist, Times of Israel (“Israel’s Grand Socialist Agrarian Experiment: The Evolution of Israel’s Kibbutzim”), Dr. Shoshan Haran, Founder, Fair Planet Seeds (“How Israel’s Agritech Innovations are Affecting Africa”)
3:45-5:45 p.m. Roundtable “The 70-Year-Old Startup that Sets the Global Direction in Entrepreneurship”
Moderator: Neil Kane, Michigan State University
Tsahy Shapsa, Israeli entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Cloudlock, Inc., Parag Amin, Founder of Indian I-create, Gal Wainer, Vice-President of she-codes, Doron York, Chairman of City Side Ventures, Harry Yuklea, Visiting Scholar at MSU, Israeli entrepreneur