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Select Faculty Presenters in Israel

Thabet Abu Ras is a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at Ben Gurion University of the Negev and Co-Director of New Horizon – an Arab-Jewish Institute for Shared Society in Israel.  His areas of expertise include ethnic relations, land and planning and regional development. Dr. Abu Ras previously served as Director of Shatil's Beer Sheva office and as Director of Development for the recently-recognized Bedouin villages in the Naqab. 

Mustafa Abu Sway is Associate Professor and former Director of the Islamic Research Center at Al-Quds University.  Prof. Abu Sway also served at the University as the Coordinator of the MA Program in Contemporary Islamic Studies.  He was Associate Professor and head of the Department of Philosophy at the International Islamic University Malaysia and taught at Boston College and Bethlehem University.  Prof. Abu Sway was also a Visiting Fulbright Scholar-in –Residence at Florida Atlantic University.  His areas of expertise are Islamic philosophy and epistemology and studies on Al-Ghazzali and he is the author of many publications including Islamic Education Textbook for Seventh Grade, Islamic Education Textbook for Eleventh Grade, and Islamic Culture.

Michael Avera Samuel is the Director of Professional Training at Fidel – the Association for Ethiopian Jews in Israel.  She is also a volunteer at the Center for Abused Women, counseling Ethiopian immigrant women, and has worked in an immigrant absorption center helping newly-arrived Ethiopian Jews.  Born in a small village in Ethiopia, Ms. Avera Samuel immigrated with her family to Israel in 1984 during Operation Moses, after having spent a year in a Sudanese refugee camp.

Shirley Avrami is the Director of the Research and Information Center at the Knesset.  She is also a lecturer on Social Work at Ben Gurion University and previously served as a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  At the Knesset, Dr. Avrami has served as Director of the Parliamentary Research Committee on the Implementation of the Health Insurance Act and Director of the Committee of Labor and Social Affairs and Health.  She was also an advisor to former Ministers of Labor and Welfare.  Dr. Avrami is the author of the book His Last Letter Remains (in Hebrew) and many articles.  She has a BOT from the School of Occupational Therapy and an MSW from the School of Social Work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Social Work from Haifa University.

Maoz Azaryahu is an Associate Professor of Cultural Geography at the University of Haifa.  His research focuses on urban and landscape semiotics as well as on the cultural and historical geographies of national myths and public memory in Israel and in Germany, landscapes of popular culture, the politics of street names and the cultural history of places and landscapes. His books include State Cults: Celebrating Independence and Commemorating the Fallen in Israel 1948-1956 (Hebrew) and Tel Aviv: Mythography of a City (2006). His book on the history and politics of street names is forthcoming.

Aharon Barak, the former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, is currently a Professor at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya.  He served as Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Attorney General of the State of Israel, and Justice of the Supreme Court.  Prof. Barak was Dean and Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Law School and a Visiting Professor at the Law Schools of Harvard, Yale and Michigan University.

Nimrod Barkan is the Head of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affair's Research Center and former Head of the World Jewish and Interreligious Affairs Bureau.  He previously held a variety of positions at the Foreign Ministry including Policy Advisor to the Director General of the Ministry, Director of the Bureau for Strategic and Economic Affairs at the Ministry's Policy and Research Center, Director of the Department of Arms Control and Regional Security and Director of the Egypt Division.  Mr. Barkan also served abroad as Israel Consul to the Mid-Atlantic Region of the U.S., Israel Consul-General to the Pacific North-West Region of the U.S., Minister for Public Affairs at the Israel Embassy in Washington, and Political Counsellor at the Israel Embassy in Cairo.  He has served as a Consultant to the Ministry of Defense and was a lecturer on International Relations at the National Defense College and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Dan Ben-David is the Executive Director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, an independent, non-partisan, socioeconomic research institute based in Jerusalem.  He also serves as a faculty member of the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University.  Prof. Ben-David is a Research Fellow at CEPR (Centre for Economic Policy Research) in London and previously was a Faculty Research Fellow at NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) in Cambridge.  His areas of expertise include macroeconomics, economic growth, international trade and the Israeli economy.  Prof. Ben-David has served as an advisor to the World Bank, the Director-General's Office at the World Trade Organization and the Israeli government.  He is a recipient of Tel Aviv University's "Outstanding Teacher Award" and was ranked among the 100 most influential people in Israel in 2010 by HaAretz newspaper. 

Hana Bendcowsky is the Programs Director at the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations. She has been involved in interfaith activities in Israel and overseas for 14 years.  Ms. Bendcowsky is a professional tour guide, educator and lecturer, focusing on the Christian Communities in the Holy Land, in particular for Israeli Jewish audiences. 

Marc Brettler is the Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies and former Chair of the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University.  He has taught at Yale University, Brown University, Wellesley College, Middlebury College, Hebrew College, Skidmore College and Shandong University as well as in various adult Jewish education settings, including the Wexner Heritage Program and the Me'ah Program. Prof. Brettler has published and lectured widely on metaphor and the Bible, the nature of biblical historical texts, and gender issues and the Bible. He is co-editor of The Jewish Study Bible, which won the National Jewish Book Award, author of How To Read the Bible, contributor to My People's Prayer Book, and has published many other books and articles on the Bible.

Ethan Bronner is the Jerusalem Bureau Chief of The New York Times.  He previously served as the newspaper's deputy foreign editor, assistant editorial page editor, education editor and national education correspondent.  Mr. Bronner was also a Jerusalem-based correspondent for The Boston Globe and Reuters.  He is author of the book Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America. 

Amir Dajani is the Deputy Managing Director of Bayti Real Estate Investment Company and coordinator of donor participation for Rawabi, the first planned Palestinian city now in development.  Mr. Dajani previously worked in the private enterprise office of USAID's West Bank and Gaza Mission in Tel Aviv, where he was responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring of multi-million dollar institution and capacity building programs.  Mr. Dajani has designed and launched a number of business development initiatives in different economic sectors, including the Palestinian tourism sector, where he developed a business plan and conducted a feasibility study for a successful tourism investment project in Jericho.

Mohammad M. Darawshe is the Co-Executive Director of the Abraham Fund Initiatives.  He is also the trustee of the Bishop Riah High School in Nazareth.  Mr. Darawshe previously served as Director of Resource Development at the Abraham Fund Initiatives and as Director of Public Relations and Deputy Director at Givat Haviva.  He also served as Director General and Elections Campaign Manager of the Democratic Arab Party, Executive Director of the Young Leadership Forum, an organization fostering Arab-Jewish coexistence and cooperation, Director of the Nazareth Arab Institute, and Middle East Program Consultant to Legacy International USA, where he operated an international program of youth exchange.  He is a political analyst for Middle East and Israeli TV and radio and was editor of News of Arabs in Israel magazine.  Mr. Darawshe was also a Leadership Fellow of the New Israel Fund and is the recipient of many awards in recognition of his work for peace, including the UNESCO Prize for Education.

Dani Dayan is Chairman of the YESHA Council (Council of the Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria), an umbrella organization representing communities where a total of 350,000 Israelis reside.  A successful businessman, Mr. Dayan served as Chairman and CEO of several  information technology firms.

Shaul Goldstein is the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council.  He is serving his second term as mayor and is a member of the central committee of the Likud Party.  Mayor Goldstein served as a Major in the Israel Air Force where he commanded an engineering unit.   He later founded and operated a construction company, employing 70 workers.  Mayor Goldstein lives in the Neve Daniel community in Gush Etzion.  He has a B.Sc. in Engineering from Ben Gurion University.

Jack Habib is the Director of the Myers-JDC Brookdale Institute, Israel's leading center for applied social research.  He is a Professor Emeritus of Economics and Social Work at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Prof. Habib has served on many national commissions established to improve various aspects of the social service system.  He served as Associate President of the World Council of Jewish Communal Service in Israel and was a consultant to the United Jewish Communities.   He also headed an international study on developing long-term healthcare policy for the World Health Organization. Prof. Habib lectures extensively on economics and social developments in Israel and is the author of numerous books and publications in the field of social welfare in Israel and internationally. 

Shalom Halevi is the Acting Secretary of Sderot.  He previously served at the Sderot Municipality in a variety of other positions, including Internet Director, Spokesperson, Head of the Economic Development Unit, and Deputy Mayor.  He also served as an elementary school principal.

Eve Harow, a former member of  the Efrat City Council,  is a spokesperson on behalf of the Jews in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  She recently served as Assistant Director of the Israel Office of One Israel Fund, which supports the Jews of Yesha through hasbara, fundraising and missions, and currently directs Am Hanetzach.  Ms. Harow was a member of an American Jewish Committee Jewish leadership program.  Born in the U.S. and now residing in Efrat, Ms. Harow has a B.A. in Psychology from Washington University and an M.A. in Psychology from Pepperdine University.

Tova Hartman is the co-founder of Kehilat Shira Hadasha ("a new song"), an orthodox congregation organized to increase women's participation and leadership within traditional Jewish prayer and halakha.  She is also a Professor of Gender Studies and Education at Bar Ilan University, specializing in gender and religion, and gender and psychology.  The daughter of a rabbi, Prof. Hartman is the author of several books including Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism: Resistance and Accommodation, which won the National Jewish Book Award, and Appropriately Subversive:: Modern Mothers in Traditional Religions. She has been a lecturer at Harvard University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ono Academic College. 

Youssef T. Jabareen is a legal advocate fighting for the rights of the Palestinian minority in Israel.  He was a staff attorney for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Director of the Equality for Arab Citizens of Israel project.  A resident of Umm al-Fahm, Dr. Jabareen has been involved in important judicial cases for Palestinians in Israel, including cases determining land rights, fair representation in governmental bodies and the use and legal status of the Arab language.  He has concentrated his work on fighting discrimination and inequality in the education system, the workplace and housing.

Vardi Kahana is a photographer whose exhibition One Family has been displayed at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.  Other solo exhibitions of hers include Israeli Portraits (Artist's House in Tel Aviv), Beauty Has Cut Itself Off (The Museum of Israeli Art in Ramat Gan) and Photo: Vardi Kahana (Camera Obscura Gallery in Tel Aviv). She also has had her photos displayed in the following group exhibitions: Disengagement (Tel Aviv Museum of Art), Art of Living (The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco), The Poor, The State, The Rich (Bat Yam Museum), The Absent Photograph, An Exhibition of Press Photographs Documenting the Life and Death of the Late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (The Museum of Israeli Art in Ramat Gan).

Ephraim Kaye is the Director of International Seminars at The International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem.  He also teaches courses on the Holocaust at three colleges in Jerusalem and in Israeli high schools. Mr. Kaye has coordinated over 150 international seminars on the Holocaust in over 25 countries and headed many education trips to Poland.  He has published several books and articles on the Holocaust including The Image of Polish Jewry in the Interwar Period and Desecrators of Memory: Combating Holocaust Denial.

Naamah Kelman Ezrachi (Rabbi) is the dean of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. She previously served as Director of the Year-in-Israel Program for HUC's North American students.  A descendent of 10 generations of rabbis, Rabbi Kelman Ezrachi was the first woman to be ordained a rabbi by the Hebrew Union College.  She has been actively involved in the emerging education system of the Israeli Movement for Progressive (Reform) Judaism.  Among the founders of the first Progressive day school, Rabbi Kelman Ezrachi has overseen development of curricular materials, teacher-training programs, family education and rabbinic student training.  Born in the U.S., she is a board member of Rabbis for Human Rights, MELITZ and the Tali Education Fund and deeply engaged in interfaith dialogue and feminist causes.

Etgar Keret is a popular Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television.  He has published several books of short stories and novellas, two comic books, two feature screenplays and numerous teleplays.  His books, which were all bestsellers in Israel, have been translated into many languages and some are included in the literature curriculum for Israeli high schools.  Works of his which have been translated into English include The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be G-d and Other Stories, The Nimrod Flipout, Missing Kissinger, The Girl on the Fridge, Four Stories, Dad Runs Away With the Circus, Jetlag (comics), Pizzeria Kamikaze (comics).   Mr. Keret has also directed several films, including Jellyfish (Meduzot), a film based on a story by his wife which won the Golden Camera Award at the 2007 Cannes Festival.  He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literature in Israel and the Chevalier (Knight) Medallion of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Eran Lerman is Deputy for Foreign Policy and International Affairs at Israel’s National Security Council.  He previously served as Director of the American Jewish Committee’s Israel/Middle East Office and is a former lecturer at the Department of Political Science at Haifa University.  Col. (res.) Dr. Lerman also served as the Assistant for Analyses to the Deputy Director for Intelligence Production at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Directorate of Military Intelligence. He was a member of Israel’s arms control delegation to the Arab-Israeli peace talks from 1992 until 1995 and frequently conducts public briefings on strategic issues.

Nimrod Luz is a faculty member at The Western Galilee College.  His areas of research include the relation between culture, politics and the urban environment in the Middle East and the Muslim world.  His latest project focuses on the politics of sacred places among Palestinian communities in Israel.  Dr. Luz previously served as a Kreitman Research Fellow at the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.  He has also worked as a guide for numerous institutions in Israel and the Middle East.  Dr. Luz has a Ph.D. in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and Geography from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Shula Mola is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, a non-profit organization working to further the cause of equal access to educational and employment opportunities for Ethiopian immigrants and advance their absorption and integration into Israeli society.  She previously served at IAEJ as the Executive Director and has been on the forefront of protecting the rights of Ethiopian Israelis for more than two decades. Ms Mola currently works as a social science and history teacher at the Reut School in Jerusalem, where she has created a multicultural curriculum. 

Ehud Netzer is Professor (Emeritus) at the Institute of Archeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  He directed and participated in excavations at Herodium, Jericho,  Masada, Caesaria, Tsippori .  Prof. (Emeritus) Netzer is known as a world expert in the field of the architecture of Herod the Great.  He has located  the tomb of Herod at the Herodium site.  Prof. (Emeritus) Netzer has written many articles and several books, the most recent being The Architecture of Herod, the Great Builder.

Irit Numa is Cinema Workshops Coordinator at Beit Dani Community Center and Educational Coordinator at the Center for the Improvement of Learning Achievement.  Ms. Numa has produced various film documentaries, including a series on the people of HaTikva neighborhood. She was Events Coordinator at the Jewish Eye Festival, an international film festival.