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The IDC
Herzliyan
PlanningfortheFuture
S p r i
n g 2 0 1 1 U p d a t e
THE LAUNCH OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR IDC HERZLIYA
IDCHUMANITARIANLAWCHAMPIONS
ZELLFELLOWSMEETWARRENBUFFETT
ENTREPRENEURIALINCUBATORTOBELAUNCHED
SPECIAL FEATURE: 11TH ANNUAL
HERZLIYA CONFERENCE
THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR IDC HERZLIYA
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On the Cover:Pro. Reichman discusses IDCs expansion.
Editor and Producer:Yael YativDepartment of External RelationsIDC [email protected]
Deputy Editor and Producer:Lara [email protected]
Chie Journalist and Sub-Editor:Joy [email protected]
Photograph Contributions:Alon GilboaKfir BolotinYotam FromYuval Chen
Graphic Design & Print Production:
Roitman Design
03-522-2562
www.zrdesign.co.il
CONTENTS
The Capital Campaign for IDC Herzliya:
Pre-Launch Interview with Prof. Uriel Reichman 4
IDC Alumni Campaign: Heart & Soul 8
The Zell Entrepreneurship Program Celebrates its First Decade 12
Zell 2011 Meet Warren Buffett 14
IDC Team Wins International Humanitarian Law Competition 15
Featuring the American Friends of IDC 16
Featuring the Israel Friends of IDC 20
The UK Friends of IDC has been Busy Lately 23
Media Innovation at its Best: miLAB 24
NoCamels.com: Local Solutions to Global Problems 26
The 11th Annual Herzliya Conference 2011 28
RRIS Honor Students: Rising Above the Challenge 42
IDC Student Union in Service to Israel 46
IDC Executive Education Course Takes to the Mountains 50
The Avshalom Palm Tree on IDCs Campus: A Heros Story 54
Shlomo Ben-Elkanah 56
IDCs Legal Aid Clinic Helping the Community 58
Spotlight on Alum: Oren Fono 60
Academics in Action 62
New Mentorship Seed Investment Program at IDC 70
Athletic Champions Make IDC Proud 86
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Providing the physical structures or our expanding needs, coupled with
the security with which to develop academic initiatives, will guarantee
a vital campus experience worthy o our students, and the capacity to
contribute innovative solutions.
Reaching the northern edge o the campus. Reichman stretches out his hand,
motioning westward.
UR: Our oremost Campaign goal is to address our physical needs. Just
as IDC Herzliya changed the ace o higher education in Israel, this
Campaign will change the ace o our campus. It begins with a blueprint
to build thousands o added square meters o newly constructed space,
practically doubling our active areas and transorming the campus
into a city community that never sleeps, brimming with academic and
intellectual activity. Our immediate needs include a building or the
School o Psychology and a new building or the School o Law, and
laboratories to house the R&D incubators or our students entrepreneurial
and research projects in the Schools o Business, Computer Science andCommunications. We need to build dormitories or international as well
as Israeli students. Our plan includes a Student Union which will house
a caeteria, shopping center and synagogue and a library open 24 hours
a day. Between that and the planned Sports Center, ully equipped with
a fitness acility, the campus will be truly all-encompassing, busy with
activity day and night.
TH: What about development in academic spheres? How can IDC
Herzliya build upon its accomplishments?UR: Dynamic academic growth rests on the continued nurturing and
cultivation o IDC Herzliyas most precious asset: our human capital.
Our contributions to Israels academic, intellectual and public lie have
made us the institution o choice or renowned scholars the world over.
Freedom rom regulatory bureaucracies has allowed us to recruit andattract international scholars by offering competitive remuneration. Tis,
in conjunction with academic partnerships with leading institutions,
such as the Wharton School o Business, Maxwell School o Government,
and SMU University o Singapore, to name only a ew, has built a vibrant
international standing.
o ensure continued reedom to enrich our students learning experience
and beyond, we require investment. We must endow academic Chairs to
secure and enable the intellectual output o the prestigious incumbents
who will occupy them. Continued innovations and breakthroughs rom
our research institutes and centers require similarly firm oundations in
order to be able to continue to attract leading figures rom across Israel
and the world.
TH: What other immediate needs hold high priority?
UR: Our students stand at the center o all priorities. Te high-quality
blend o individuals who call IDC Herzliya their alma mater is another
result o the reedom o being a private institution. We take pride in our
unconventional, unique admissions policy that recognizes high potential
in students rom elite IDF combat units as well as talented candidates
rom underprivileged areas overlooking bureaucratic test scores in
avor o giving talent a chance. o add to that, the over 1,400 students
rom 80 countries who come to pursue academic degrees in English
at IDCs Raphael Recanati International School urther advance the
Zionist dream by making us the largest academic absorption center and
most international campus in Israel. Our alumni have played a role in
keeping Israels high-tech industry at the international oreront, making
a difference in representing Israel to the world, deending its national
security and improving lie within cities and communities.
For many o our students, higher education would have been beyond their
reach without financial assistance. Te IDC Herzliya experience depends
on the generous support o scholarship unds, to provide them with the
encouragement to see them through. Endowed scholarship unds can
ensure the opportunity or uture generations.
TH: Why launch the Campaign for IDC Herzliya at this particular
moment in time?
UR: It is true that the need is ever present and ever worthy. Yet I seethis as the opportunity to guarantee the promise and cement the legacy.
In less than two decades, IDC Herzliya grew rom a pioneering non-
establishment venture to become a vibrant symbol o the entrepreneurial
Zionist spirit. Te Campaign or IDC Herzliya will lay the oundation to
continue this enterprise, or the benefit o Israels security and the worlds,
our business rontiers and governance; or the benefit o the Zionist
hub we have created and its contribution to Jewish peoplehood; and or
cultivating the best in Israeli society and giving back.
Tose who share the vision that brought us this ar understand that this
is an opportunity to secure an investment and take part in a venture with
dividends like no other. I see this Campaign as our legacy to the next
generation and those to come.
TH: What is your message in looking ahead?
UR:Tis campaign will succeed because o the momentum o what we havealready built and the track record we have earned. I turn to our partners
to take part in the Campaign for IDC Herzliyasar-reaching two-yeargoal. Let us restate the commitment to our undamental values o liberty
and responsibility so that our university can maintain its international
standing as the avant-garde o academic institutions, and can continue
its ground-breaking impact on the State o Israel, the region, the Jewish
people and the world in a manner true to the spirit o Zionism.
- Jennier Roskies
I see this Campaign as
fulfilling the promise we made,a legacy to the next generationand those to come.
FEATURES/ The Capital Campaign for IDC Herzliya
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I
ts a stormy morning in February, and Adv. Gill Goshen, co-ounder
o the IDC Alumni Association, and Adv. Adi Peled-Olmert, the
associations director, and I are huddled inside Peled-Olmerts cozy
office on the IDC campus. As umbrellas stand dripping in the corner, thethree o us gather around the desk to talk about Makom Balev (Place in
the Heart), the IDC Alumni Associations groundbreaking initiative to
provide student scholarships.
Makom Balev is the first time that the whole concept o undraising
originated rom the alumni o IDC, begins Goshen, a business consultant
and partner in one o Israels largest diamond manuacturing companies.
Until now, IDC has been supported by its ounding members, Friends
o IDC and donors rom around the world. As students and alumni we
always knew that there were good people making significant donations in
order to keep this place alive, but until now there was always a sense o
separation between them and us.
Te remarkably successul Makom Balev has effectively shattered those
walls o separation, and brought students, alumni and IDC Friends all
into one strong amily o supporters, each o whom shares the same goal
o ulfilling the vision o IDC and its ounder and president, Pro. UrielReichman.
Troughout the years, says Peled-Olmert, who graduated in 2000
rom IDCs Radzyner School o Law and has worked or the Alumni
Association ever since, we have received alumni donations, but starting
two years ago we decided to establish the Makom Balev project and invest
all o our energies into its success. We wanted all o our alumni to know
that we have several special projects that enable deserving but financially
challenged young people to study at IDC and ulfill their dreams in lie.
Te campaign, in 2009, quickly met its first-year goal to raise 1 million
shekels. Tis amount was doubled the ollowing year, as alumni came
together to raise over 2 million shekels in scholarship unds that support
economically disadvantaged students at IDC, enable outstanding
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION / Makom Balev
In establishing Makom Balev, we wanted all of ouralumni to know that we have several special projectsthat enable deserving but financially challenged youngpeople to study at IDC and fulfill their dreams in life.
Adv. Adi Peled-Olmert, director o the IDC Alumni association
What I find so attractive about Makom Balev is that Iknow for a fact that nearly every shekel I donate actuallyreaches the students in need.
Adv. Gill Goshen, business consultant and co-ounder o the IDC Alumni Association
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Adv. Gill Goshen, 1998 Radzyner School o Law graduate, staunch donor o theMakom Balev program and co-ounder o the IDC Alumni Association.
Adv. Adi Olmert-Peled, director o the Alumni Association and 2000 graduateo IDCs Radzyner School o Law.
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CONTACT USISRAELRaphael Recanati International SchooIDC Herzliya
PO Box 167, 1 Kanfei Nesharim StreetHerzliya, Israel 46150Attention: MA RegistrarTel 09-952 7658Fax 09-952 [email protected]
NORTH AMERICARaphael Recanati International Schoo116 East 16th Street, 11th FloorNew York, NY, US 10003Tel +1 212 213 5962Fax +1 212 213 6436
www.idc.ac.il/GlobalMBA
World Renowned Faculty
CareerDevelopment Services
Professional Networking
InternationalStudent Body
ExchangePrograms
Study Tripsto India and China
Global EntrepreneurshipProgram (GEMBA)Global Entrepreneurship is a full-time program.
Global MBA Program (GMBA)Global Management, GMBA Track
Strategic Management, GMBA Track
New Media Innovation, GMBA TrackThe Global MBA Program has part-time and full-time tracks.
MBA
Program
GLOBAL
I like the small, intimate
classes. It gives you more one-
on-one time with the lecturer
and the opportunity to connect
with people from different
cultures.Julio Schwartz,
MBA, Venezuela
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ARISON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Jonathan Davis, VP or External Relations and head o the Raphael Recanati International School at IDC, Pro. Rafi Melnick, IDC Provost; Dr.Oren Zuckerman; Pro. Uriel Reichman, ounder and president IDC Herzliya; Sam Zell, Chairman Equity Group International Investments and Zell
program ounder and supporter; and Sami Sagol, IDC 2010 Honorary Fellow and staunch IDC riend and supporter and chairman o Keter Group.
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Daniel al (Zell July 2008), CEO oWibiya, a Zell 7 venture.
Eran Abramson (Zell June 2007), CEO o Walyou.com, a Zell 6 venture, and Yotam Cohenand Zohar Dayan (Zell September 2010), ounders o Wibbitz, a Zell 9 venture.
Gil Goldstein, Adam Friedler, Roy Friedman, Ohad Kedar, Johann Dahan, Litan Yahav,Boaz Bachar, Liel Aharon and Erat almon, Zell 10-2011 classmates.
ZELL CELEBRATES A DECADE
Yossi Vardi, Israeli hi-tech entrepreneur; Pro. Uriel Reichman, ounder and president IDC Herzliya; Helen Zell, Sam Zell, Chairman Equity GroupInternational Investments and Zell program ounder and supporter; and Pro. Rafi Melnick, IDC Provost.
Liat Aaronson, Executive Director o the ZellEntrepreneurship Program.
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IDC Team Wins International Humanitarian Law Competition
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Dr. Daphn Richemond-Barakwho has institutionalized IDCs
participation in the competition.
Students o the Radzyner School o Law and the Raphael Recanati
International School at IDC won, or the second consecutive
year, first place in the international competition in international
humanitarian law. Te competition, known as the Jean Pictet Concours,
brings together students rom universities worldwide to compete and
debate as i in a real war situation. Te week-long competition is the most
prestigious in the world in the field o humanitarian law. It took place in
France this year, and over orty teams o students flew rom all over the
world to take part in the event.
On the day that the IDC team won the
Pictet prize, Judge Richard Goldstone
retracted himsel rom the report he
wrote accusing Israel o having com-
mitted war crimes during the 2009
Cast Lead Operation. At this impor-
tant time, the IDC teams victory dem-
onstrates Israels superior knowledge
o the laws o war and its ability to
apply it to the most challenging situ-ations.
Tese challenging situations orm
the basis on which the students are
evaluated at the competition. For ex-
ample, at this years final event, the
IDC team had to deal with the ques-
tion o whether humanitarian law and
human rights law apply beyond the borders o a state a question with
much significance to Israel when it carries out counter-terrorism activities
abroad or even in Gaza or the West Bank. Much like in real lie, the teams
are required to come up with the appropriate legal and diplomatic answers
to this question.
Tis is only the second year that IDC has participated in this competi-
tion. IDCs participation has been institutionalized by Dr. Daphn
Richemond-Barak, rom the Radzyner School o Law, who also teaches
international law in the Lauder School o Government and in the Raphael
Recanati International School. ogether with Ido Rosenzweig, the teams
coach, Dr. Richemond-Barak selected the students and put together a
9-month training program. Tis year, they selected six students to par-
ticipate in this challenging and intense adventure only three o whom
eventually competed in the Pictet competition in France.
Te winning 2011 IDC team included Yael Bar Hillel, a student in the
Radzyner School o Law, as well as Katja Knochelmann rom Germany
and Los Angeles native Brandon Weinstock both students in the Ra-
phael Recanati International School at IDC. In the finals, the team pre-
vailed against the Geneva Academy o Humanitarian Law and Human
Rights, one o the most renowned institutions in this field. Te jury at the
final event included Christopher Raffi rom the Prosecutors office o the
Special ribunal or Lebanon, which is currently investigating the murder
o ormer Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Harriri, and Chris Gosnell rom
the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Te victory o IDC students or the second consecutive year is an unprec-
edented achievement in the history o this competition. Other than IDC,
no Israeli team has ever won the competition let alone two years in a
row. As de acto representatives o Israel, the students ofen have to ace
inquisitive questions rom their peers in the inormal discussions taking
place during the week o the competition. But the riendly spirit o the
competition makes it possible or Israelis to sit with Iranian or Jordanian
students and discuss complex political and legal issues. Tis type o in-
teraction, at the heart o the task awaiting the students taking part in the
Pictet competition, calls or diplomatic as well as solid legal skills.
Dr. Richemond-Baraks experience has taught her the importance o mas-
tering international laws smallest details. In 2003, she worked at the In-
ternational Court o Justice, at the time when the Court was consideringthe legality o the security ence built by Israel. She believes that this and
last years victories carry very positive implications or IDC, which has
now positioned itsel as a top-level institution in this field. Beyond this
academic resonance, the competition also trains the leaders o tomorrow,
with these victories set to bear ruits or years to come.
What accounts or the success o IDC in this competition? According to
Richemond-Barak, a combination o a great pool o students, passion or
the field, a tailor-made training program and Israels reality in which these
issues are lived on a daily basis and orm an integral part o the public
discourse.
For urther inormation, send an email to [email protected].
Yael Bar Hillel, rom the Radzyner School o Law; and Brandon Weinstock andKatja Knoechelmann, rom the Raphael Recanati International School, were theIDC participants in the Jean Pictet Concours Humanitarian Law Competition.
Yael Bar Hillel, rom the Radzyner School o Law; and Katja Knoechelmannand Brandon Weinstock, rom the Raphael Recanati International School, werethe IDC participants in the Jean Pictet Concours Humanitarian LawCompetition.
IDC TEAM WINS LAWS OF WAR COMPETITION FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
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and neighbors. On a beautiul April evening, guests rom the community
joined Proessor Reichman, Jonathan Davis and Felicia Steingard or
dinner and drinks and an evening o discussion on Israels current affairs.
Many attendees were happy to hear how IDC has developed and grown
and applauded Pro. Reichman on his strong stance in building andmaintaining IDC independent o government support. Many new riends
were made in the Bay Area thanks to Noga and Israels hospitality.
Phil Blazer, president and CEO o Caliornia based Jewish Lie elevision
(JLV), interviewed IDC Herzliyas Jonathan Davis on his weekly talk show
Main Street during a recent visit to the Los Angeles studio. Discussing
everything rom American Jewish baseball heroes like Sandy Kouax to
Zionism to IDC Herzliyas 1,400 international students, Jonathan Davis
and Phil Blazer were able to share their love o all things Jewish. Phil Blazer
has had a long standing career in television and radio and is the pioneer
who created JLV, the first 24/7 Jewish television channel, which reaches
tens o millions o viewers. Phil hopes to work with the Sammy Oer
School o Communications at IDC Herzliya to develop ongoing content
to be aired in the US.
A group o talented IDC students, gifed in public speaking, all possessing
excellent English skills and o Ethiopian Israeli descent, came to the UnitedStates to promote Israel amongst Arican Americans on high school and
college campuses. Sponsored by Joey Low, champion o the Israel at Heart
Ethiopian Program at IDC, the students spread themselves out in small
groups to cover exas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington DC,
New York, and Boston. IDC student Adam Bashar, a reugee rom Darur
Sudan, also joined the group to tell his stories about the ways in which
Israel helped to save his lie and how his studies at IDC are preparing him
or the uture. During their time in NY, students were able to meet with the
Friends o IDC in NY or an intimate evening to tell their personal amily
stories, the ways in which Israel has transormed their lives or the better
and how IDC is helping to make their dreams come true.
FRIENDS ASSOCIATIONS / American Friends
Jonathan Davis, IDC vice president and RRIShead, being interviewed by Phil Blazer, JewishLife V CEO, for the news show Main Street.
Alexandra Fuchs and Geoff and Laura Rehnert,Shlomo Argov Fellows supporters, at the annualevent in Boston.
Ricki and Zvi Alon with Prof.Uriel ReichmanandJonathanDavis. Marilyn Okonow, Lior Zagury, and Dale Okonow. Te Okonows are ShlomoArgov Fellow supporters while Lior is a Shlomo Argov Program fellow.
Dr. Alisa Rubin Peled, Argov program directorwith Brett Robbins and Fran Slutsky, programsupporters, at the Boston event.
BobGrinberg,hostandsupporteroftheShlomoArgovEventinBoston,withNormLevensonandArthurWinn.
Aryeh Davis, IDC supporter, with ShalomMaidenbaum, RRIS parent.
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Bruno Jamais withCorinne Arazi, IDCSupporter.
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FRIENDS ASSOCIATIONS / American Friends
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF IDC116 EAST 16TH STREET, 11TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10003
T: 212-213-5961 F: 212-213-6436 [email protected]
WWW.IDC.AC.IL/ENG / WWW.AFIDC.ORG
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MicheleandBrigitteScheinmannwithDebbie
Lewis,supporterandhostessoftheShlomo
ArgovFellowsEventinBoston.
Boaz Ganor, executive director Institute orCounter errorism (IC) with Gerry Cramer,chairman AFIDC.
AllenRosenshineandAnnette Rubin, AFIDC board
members,atthe springcocktail in NewYork City.
Shimon opor, AFIDC Board Member and wieHava opor.
Shlomo Argov Fellows event in New York City hosted by Carol and Gershon Kekst withMarty Geller and Gideon Argov, program ounder.
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FRIENDS ASSOCIATIONS / Israel Friends
IDC SPRING2011> 21
FriendsofIDC
Dvora Schocken, IDCs art curator with GaliaAlbin, IDC riend and supporter.
ali Angel, Sara Ilin, Avi Angel, all IDC riendsand supporters, with Bilha Hochman, IDCdirector o Public Affairs.
Dr. Yossi Vardi, keynote speaker or the eveningand a well-known hi-tech guru and investor.
agreed annous, IDC graduate and supportero the Makom Balev program, with hermother, Suheir.
Avri Vardi, a graduate o IDCs RadzynerSchool o Law talking with Adv. Adi Olmert,
Alumni Association director.
Liat Aaronson, Zell Entrepreneurship ProgramExecutive Director, with two Zell alumnientrepreneurs, brothers Eyal Gura o PicScoutand recently sold Picapp, and Ron Gura o theGif Project. Both ventures started in the Zell
program at IDC.
Nir Small, second degree BusinessAdministration graduate, with his girlriend.
Eli Landau and Menachem (Menta) Atzmon,IDC riends.
Leora and Eli Landau, IDC riends.
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Proud alumni rom IDCs Raphael Recanati International School reminisceat the IDC alumni evening in London.
IDC alums Amir and Shani Levy, supporters o IDC, during a nostalgicmeeting with Pro. Reichman and Jonathan Davis.
Pro. Uriel Reichman, IDC ounder and president, and Jonathan Davis, IDC vice president and head, RRIS,
with IDC UK Alumni at the recent get-together in London.
FRIENDS ASSOCIATIONS / UK Friends
has been busy lately
T
he UK Friends o IDC has been busy lately. In March 2010,
IDC held a unique evening, dedicated to IDC and Israel, at
the home o Amnon and Malka Lion, long-time supporters
and riends o IDC. Pro. Reichman captivated the crowd
by speaking about Israels current contemplations, while
Asa zachor, an IDC alum who is now a graduate student
at Oxord University, spoke about his journey From IDC
to Oxord. Pro. Reichman and VP Jonathan Davis held an
extensive series o meetings, spending time with Richard Mintz, Baron
David Alliance, David Lewis, Amb. Ron Prosor, Amir Levy, Yariv Cohen,
Jacob Agamm, Felix Posen, Sir Paul Judge, Maurice Helgot and Michael
Gee, among others. o top it all off, an IDC UK Alumni get-together was
held on the last evening, during which IDC alums took a break rom their
rigorous schedules to have drinks and compare notes about their careers,
lives and dreams or the uture.
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TheUK FriendsofIDC
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receive a unique hands-on learning experience in rapid
prototyping and design thinking that will enable them to
lead the development o unique media and technology
experiences.
Along with core MBA courses, students will take courses
in Human Computer Interaction, Design Tinking and
the Business o Media, as well as a series o lab courses
to learn the innovation process and get amiliar with the
prototyping tools necessary to realize their ideas. Tey
will then embark on a number o real-world Innovation
Sprints in which leading companies will present actual
challenges they ace, and ask the students to devise
innovative solutions. Project prototypes will include elements o gaming,
mobile platorms, natural user interaces and more. Te program will
culminate in a final project that has students use all the skills they have
learned to orm and maniest an original idea.
While previous technological training is a plus, anyone with a creative bent
or background can apply, including engineers, science majors, designers,
artists, architects even students o psychology and other social sciences
as the program incorporates special classes and workshops that allow
non-technical people to jump in and start inventing.
All they need is to be willing to learn and have passion or an idea, saysZuckerman. I they love to imagine and build things, we want them in
our lab.
CREATING ENHANCED HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION
One o miLABs core motives is to enhance the teamwork between humans
and technology, rather than create a world in which technology takes
control away rom humans and diminishes our abilities and perceptions.
Within the technological arena, says Hoffman, it is vital to maintain a
humanistic angle and I see us as representatives o humanity in technology,
rather than purveyors o technology among people. We take into account
human psychology and behavior, looking to find the elements that make
us human, that help us eel better, or that simply improve the way we
communicate, and then take technology in that direction.
ake a GPS system, adds Zuckerman. Its planning and
tracking the navigation o my trip, which is a task I used
to perorm, but is that a good thing? While it allows
me to listen to music and be with my thoughts without
distraction, I end up knowing less about my environment.
We think there are alternative ways to design a GPS, in
which it will involve more interaction and involvement
on our part, thus not reducing the humans intellectual
ability.
According to Hoffman, such alternative GPS equipment
might take into account specific eatures like hills or local
traffic caused by a weekly fleamarket. His vision includes
a GPS that acts more as a partner with a person. And
what about one that offers directions based on personal memories? urnright at the coffee shop instead o go 2 kilometers and turn right. Its an
enhanced human computer interaction, and it encourages the driver to be
more connected to his or her environment.
Another exciting project at the aculty level, sponsored by the Human
Machine Interace group at the General Motors Advanced echnical
Center in Israel, explores ways in which to enhance user experience.
ake a amily going or a long drive together - whereas today each rider
tends to be isolated in his or her own world, miLAB is designing a way
to promote better interaction between the riders, and greater connection
with the environment. One application, simple to operate, involves
parents plotting their course o travel beore the trip, using Google map,
and hiding virtual creatures along the route. Afer setting out on their
journey, the children get warnings when they are approaching a creature,and the car pulls over to allow them to capture the creature using their
mobile phones. Now unlocked inside their phones, the creatures can offer
stories and inormation about the surroundings. Connected to the cars
real-time driving data, the creatures may even develop a headache i the
driver is going too ast!
Te principles and guidelines o our work are different than traditional
innovation, which seeks short-term commercial success, explains
Zuckerman. Our prime motive is to enrich the human experience with
technology. And by ocusing on that, we ree ourselves to arrive at the
most radical innovations imaginable, many o which may ultimately lead
to commercial success.
Tanks to miLAB, we can al l look orward to a world in which technology
exists to enhance the human aspects in all that we do, and the relationship
between humans and machines becomes a positive, productive and
healthy partnership.
- Joy Pincus
25IDC SPRING2011>
IDC Launches the Media Innovation Lab
I SEE US AS REPRESENTATIVES OF HUMANITY IN TECHNOLOGY, RATHER THAN PURVEYORS OF
TECHNOLOGY AMONG PEOPLE. WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR,
LOOKING TO FIND THE ELEMENTS THAT MAKE US HUMAN, THAT HELP US FEEL BETTER, OR
THAT SIMPLY IMPROVE THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE, AND THEN TAKE TECHNOLOGY IN THAT
DIRECTION.Dr. Guy Hoffman, co-director, miLAB
ALL [STUDENTS] NEED IS TO BE WILLING TO
LEARN AND HAVE PASSION FOR AN IDEA. IF THEY
LOVE TO IMAGINE AND BUILD THINGS, WE WANT
THEM IN OUR LAB.Dr. Oren Zuckerman, ounder and co-director o miLAB
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ith the vast majority o news involving Israel
being about its conflicts, and a large portion
o that coverage portraying Israel in a negative
light, a ragmented and biased image has been
ormed in the global perception o Israel. In
act, a recent BBC study showed that Israel is
grouped with Iran, North Korea and Pakistan
as the most disliked countries in the world.
NoCamels.com is seeking to show a different ace o Israel, one which
goes beyond the military conflict. NoCamels goal is not to hide Israels
conflicts rom the world, but rather to show the world the other sides
o the country leading to a uller, broader reality that can help redress
the current imbalance. NoCamels covers those aspects o Israel, just as
important, that impact the world in a positive way.
For the world to be open to hearing about Israels other sides, NoCamels
is dedicated to highlighting Israeli innovations that have global benefits.
Israel has a higher density o start-ups than any other country in the world,
a large number o which are ocused on finding viable, creative solutions
to global problems, and NoCamels covers those creative solutions in the
fields o health, environment, security, technology and liestyle.
Led by Dr. Noam Lemelshtrich Latar, dean o the Sammy Oer School o
Communications, and Anouk Lorie, director o the Asper Institute or
New Media Diplomacy and CNN journalist, two dozen student journalists
rom all o the schools at IDC are being sent around the country to
interview some o the leading individuals and companies ocused on
solving todays pressing global problems. Te student journalists cover the
stories in creative ways, using text, image and video, and several articles
are uploaded daily on the NoCamels rolling news site.
By providing appealing, proessional content that can easily be
redistributed, NoCamels is able to appeal to its growing distribution
network o 800 specialized international journalists and bloggers. Always
on the lookout or interesting new stories, these journalists link to and
distribute the NoCamels content to their vast international audiences.
NoCamels student marketing team also uses an array o cutting-edge
marketing strategies, primarily though social networks, to increase traffic
to its stories. NoCamels has launched successul Facebook, witter, Digg
and Linkedin pages, with over 2,000 ollowers and growing. Te site has
also entered into a content-sharing agreement with the Jerusalem Post.
Currently, 60 percent o NoCamels readers are rom outside o Israel,
some rom countries as ar as Pakistan, urkey and Indonesia. One blog
in urkey has even taken to translating NoCamels stories into urkish!
And the sites most popular story to date, entitled Israeli Doctors each
Male Circumcision to Arican Doctors to Combat Aids was re-publishedon almost a dozen international blogs and received nearly 1,000 Facebook
Likes.
At the end o 2011, NoCamels is planning to hold its first annual
NoCamels Innovation Awards Show at which IDC students and
aculty will vote on the most innovative start-ups in the fields o health,
environment and technology.
According to Lemelshtrich Latar, special thanks must go to the Asper
amily, who had the wisdom and generosity that made it possible or us to
impact Israel, the Jewish People and the world at large.
With special thanks to Danita and Michel Aziza for their help and support
with NoCamels.
Launched in December 2010 under the auspices
of the Asper Institute for New Media Diplomacy,
NoCamels.com is an interactive student-led news
website that is dedicated to improving Israels
image and legitimacy in the world.
SPECIAL THANKS MUST GO TO THE ASPER FAMILY,
WHO HAD THE WISDOM AND GENEROSITY THAT MADE
IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO IMPACT ISRAEL, THE JEWISHPEOPLE AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.
Dr. Noam Lemelshtrich Latar
Asper Institute
Te screenshot o the NoCamels.com home page.
Te NoCamels journalism team.
W
Dr. Noam Lemelshtrich Latar,head o the Asper Institute,
ounder o NoCamels, deano the Sammy Oer School oCommunications.
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HERZLIYA CONFERENCE / SPECIAL EXTENDED FEATURE
LET THE REPRESENTATIVES OF
LEADING COUNTRIES FORM AN
ECONOMIC QUARTET TO ROOT OUT
POVERTY, INVEST IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES AND CREATE JOBS
IN HI-TECH. Shimon Peres, president o the State o Israel
In the very last interview he granted, recalled Shimon
Peres, president of the State of Israel, David Ben-
Gurionwas asked about the prospects of peace with Egypt.
Ben-Gurion replied that peace would come when a younggeneration of Egyptians would arise and demand freedom
and equality. The words of Israels first prime minister
37 years ago took on a prescient quality as they echoed
in the opening session of the Herzliya Conference. This
years conference took place at a moment suspended in
time, with protests in Cairos Tahrir Square about to oust
Hosni Mubarak from office. Poised between the turmoil
in Egypt and the outbreak of demonstrations across the
region soon to follow, speakers were unanimous only in that
the outcome of such an unprecedented chain of events was
impossible to predict. Maj. Gen. (res.) Danny Rothschild,
director, Institute for Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliyaand chair of the Annual Herzliya Conference Series, in
presenting the Herzliya Assessment, acknowledged that
this had occasioned last minute program changes. 2011
will leave its mark as dramatic, changing the Middle East
and bringing with it dangers on all fronts, including an
even more forceful eruption of the Iranian brand of radical
Islam, he remarked. The four days of discussion and wide-
ranging analyses reflected a full spectrum of concerns and
possible scenarios.
ISRAEL WILL NEVER TRIUMPH OVER THE STRUGGLES IT FACES ONSO MANY FRONTS IF IT IS BESET BY INTERNAL VIOLENCE, ENVY AND
CORRUPTION. WE MUST REINSTATE THE VALUES WE PROCLAIMED IN
OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Prof. Uriel Reichman, founder and president, IDC Herzliya
29IDC SPRING2011>
Prof. Uriel Reichman greets Shimon Peres, president of the State ofIsrael, about to deliver inaugural keynote address.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Danny Rothschild, director, Institute or Policy and Strategy,
IDC Herzliya and chair o the Annual Herzliya Conerence Series, inpresenting the Herzliya Assessment.
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HERZLIYA CONFERENCE / SPECIAL EXTENDED FEATURE
AMERICAN POWER AND SHIFTING GLOBAL ALLIANCES
Gen. (ret.) James L. Jones, ormer US national security advisor and ormercommander, US European Command and supreme allied commander
Europe, addressed the unpredictability o todays strategic moment,
saying, What happens in Egypt doesnt stay in Egypt. Now is not the time
or passivity; the stakes are too high. He indicated that our o President
Obamas key speeches his inaugural address, his speech in Cairo, at West
Point Academy and his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech provide
the blueprint o the United States oreign policy strategy o engagement.Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary general o NAO, underscored theWestern worlds common duty, urging, a speedy transition in Egypt with
respect or human rights so that it can continue as a orce or peace and
stability. Amb. Alexander Vershbow, US assistant secretary o deense orInternational Security Affairs, underscored balancing the need or stability
with standing up or our universal values. It is not a zero-sum game. Or
as Dr. Liam Fox, MP, secretary o state or Deense, UK, put it, We haveto ensure that there are building blocks or democracy across the Middle
East. Te things that give us a higher moral authority are something we
cannot deny other nations, adding, Successul nations will be those who
look orward and outward, not backwards and inward.
Dr. Boaz Ganor, executive director, International Institute or Counter-errorism (IC) and deputy dean, Lauder School o Government,
Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, cautioned that current US policy is
creating a paradox in the Arab world. Te so-called moderate and pragmatic
leaders are losing the support o their constituents or being perceived as
pro-American, and then they lose US support or being non-democratic.
Agreeing with Amos Gilead, Ganor added that the only ones winning thegame are the jihadists. Mary-Beth Long went urther, noting that current
policy sends a terrible message to our allies in the region who play equally
instrumental roles in stability Jordan, UAE, Lebanon, Bahrain and
also sends a message to our oes, encouraging radical movements. Our
credibility problem will only get worse i we do not stop Iran rom getting
nuclear weapons. At the same time, she expressed belie that this situation
presents tremendous potential or the US to give our allies support.
Shifing alliances and their geopolitical ramifications came into sharp
relie in discussions regarding urkey. Te changes we see represent the
enormity o the deeat o Western interests, claimed Pro. Barry Rubin,head o the GLORIA Center, IDC Herzliya; or all practical purposes,
urkey is allied with Iran in its oreign policy. Is urkey doing anything
that blocks ehrans way or that ehran doesnt like? he asked. urkey
is aligned with Syria and training Syrias army. Te once-hailed urkish
Model is now recognized as a road to Islamization. Dr . Ariel Cohen,senior research ellow, Heritage Foundation, US, agreed that there are grave
causes or concern, pointing to urkeys reusal to allow the US 4 thArmored
Division to station in its territory, delaying shipments o humanitarian aid
to Georgia. urkey has become an enabler o terrorism, opposing sanctions
against Iran, allying with Brazil, Russia, Venezuela and China, he said. Te
effect, according to Pro. Soli zel, proessor o International Relationsand Political Science, Bilgi University, urkey, is o living in a revolution
in slow motion. o Dr. Constanze Stelzenmller, senior transatlanticellow, German Marshall Fund, Germany, We are seeing a loosening o the
ties in the Western alliance. Te West has ailed to recognize the tensions
stemming rom the ossification o Kemalism and secularization. What
can Europe do to prevent the situation rom going rom passive-aggressive
to toxic? Dr. Michael Leigh, director general or Enlargement, EuropeanCommission, explained that with the slowdown in talks regardingurkeyjoining the EU, the urkish government eels ar less incentive to adopt
the reorms necessary or its acceptance and is giving them no particular
priority.
What oreign policy should Israel adopt in light o all this? It may be true
that Israel puts all its eggs into the one basket o its alliance with the US,
said Pro. Gabriela Shalev, Ono Academic College and ormer permanentrepresentative o Israel to the UN, but we have no other basket. Americas
veto power in the United Nations is critical. Amb. Zalman Shoval, ormer
ambassador o Israel to the US, voiced a similar sentiment, saying thatAmericans might be able to live with diminished American power and
influence on the international scene, but Israelis could not. Dr. Josef Joffe,editor, Die Zeit, Germany, on the other hand, noted that Israels almost
exclusively America-directed oreign policy or the past many years may
come at the expense o potential ties it could cultivate in Europe.
31IDC SPRING2011>
FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES,
TURKEY IS ALLIED WITH IRAN
IN ITS FOREIGN POLICY. IS IT
DOING ANYTHING THAT BLOCKS
TEHRANS WAY OR THAT TEHRAN
DOESNT LIKE? THE CHANGES WE
SEE REPRESENT THE ENORMITY
OF THE DEFEAT OF WESTERN
INTERESTS.Pro. Barry Rubin, head o the GLORIA Center, IDC Herzliya H.E. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General o NAO: the Western worlds
common duty to peace and stability.
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HERZLIYA CONFERENCE / SPECIAL EXTENDED FEATURE
100% growth. Sanctions are essential in that they keep the ocus on Iran
and its nearious role, Javedanar maintained. Tis keeps them in the
penalty box.
Mehdi Khalaji, Next Generation ellow, Washington Institute or Near
East Policy, US, ocused on the regimes crackdowns on its opponents.
Tere has been a huge rise in executions in recent months, he said and
called or the West to expand the sanctions campaign into a human rights
issue. All members o the regime responsible or these crimes should
be persona non grataand banned rom travelling to Europe, Canada or
elsewhere. Te impact o sanctions will not harm the Green movement.
Backing the cause o human rights is the best way to show the people o
Iran that we in Israel are with them, he said, with Javendanar adding,
Ahmadinejad is viewed as bad luck by his people, an Iranian Stuxnet.
o Mark Dubowitz, executive director, Foundation or Deense o
Democracies, US, sanctions can go much arther and be implemented
with much greater severity, but claimed that Israel needs to be more
Catholic than the Pope in this matter, taking the lead in sanctions. Do not
allow companies doing business with Iran to do any business with Israel.
With respect to the spread and impact o radical Islam and jihadist ideology,
AyaanHirsi Ali, author and resident ellow, American Enterprise Institute
(AEI), US, shed light on the process o indoctrination to radicalism. She
described the spectrum o adherence to Islam, rom spiritual practice,
where social Sharia is applied as a legal concept mainly to amily affairs,
to the cultivation o political Islam, which calls or expanding the Islamic
caliphate, by means o terrorism i necessary. No criticism o Islam can
be tolerated, she emphasized, with Dr. Shmuel Bar, director o Studies,
Institute or Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, elaborating, Islam is the
only monotheistic religion that did not go through a reorm that would
enable alternate interpretations o the Koran. Tus, there is no firewall
between mainstream and radical Islam. According to Hirsi Ali, this
literal interpretation leaves the door open to radicalization. Tere are ofen
gaps between parents and children, who become increasingly radicalized.
Judith Miller, contributing editor, City Journal, US, reported positive
news, that the number o American Muslims accused o terror-related
activity decreased by 50% over the past two years. In addition, she
reported on important inroads in the prevention o home-grown terror,
bringing the example o the Muslim community o Minneapolis, which
helped bring a case rom within the local Somali community to justice.
How the community responds will determine much o the success, she
said, leaving a question or law enorcement officials o at what point is
it proper to intervene within a communitys affairs? However, as Hirsi
Ali noted, in order to really succeed, we need the same resources as the
Muslim Brotherhood and the Wahabis, and exhorted, Tis is not just
the job o Muslims. Why does Western aid to Islamic countries have to be
value-neutral?
33IDC SPRING2011>
Gen. (ret.) James L. Jones, ormer US National Security Advisor, and ommySteiner, senior research ellow, Institute or Policy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya.
I EXTEND A HEARTY WELCOME TO ISRAEL FOR JOINING
THE CLUB OF OFFSHORE DRILLING. THIS MARKS ALMOST
A SECOND ISRAELI DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.Gov. Haley Barbour, Mississippi
US Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham: Dilemmas in US policy in theMiddle East regarding stability versus democracy.
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35IDC SPRING2011>
THE DYNAMICS OF ECONOMIC RENEWAL
Compared to the many storm clouds sighted on the regional horizon,
global economic orecasts at the Conerence provided a measure o
optimism. In a keynote address, Pro. Lawrence Summers, Kennedy
School o Government, Harvard University, ormer assistant to the US
president or Economic Policy and director o the National Economic
Council, ormer US secretary o the reasury and ormer president
o Harvard University, asserted that the dynamics o renewal are well
underway in the United States. Part o the process rests on Americas
capacity to adapt to the transition rom an industrial to a knowledge-
based economy. Jobs will move rom General Motors to e-Bay, he
said. As or the issue o American debt, I would rather live in a country
that capital was trying to get into than the other way around. Summers
addressed questions regarding American prominence on the world
stage and recalled that President John F. Kennedy died believing that the
Soviet Unions economy would surpass that o the United States. Tere
is no reason that progress o developing countries should threaten the
prosperity in developed countries, he maintained, and there is every
reason to see Chinas emergence as a major orce as an opportunity rather
than a burden.
One aspect that binds America to Israel, according to Summers, is that
were both ractious democracies. Tey are not always nice to watch, they
can move slowly, but they have tremendous resilience. Te resilience o
American society is the reason that the prophecies o American decline
have proven and will continue to prove wrong.
Pro. Stanley Fischer, governor o the Bank o Israel, provided an assuring
message as well, overall, yet noted that any country that came out o the
global financial crisis relatively well, as Israel did, may be experiencing
exchange problems. Although the economy is strong, he urged prudence
in order to handle inevitable turbulence, such as potential increases in
deense expenditures rom a position o resilience and not weakness.
Realizing an economys ull potential rests on engaging its human capital.
Sessions on womens empowerment and on employment within the Israeli
Arab sector discussed current realities, advances and challenges. Pro.
Galia Golan, Lauder School o Government, Diplomacy and Strategy,
IDC Herzliya, ramed the question as whether ull equality or the fify
percent o the population composed o women means adapting to male
norms, or whether women bring inherently different qualities to work and
to positions o leadership. Mohammad Darawshe, co-executive director,
Te Abraham Fund Initiatives, noted that womens employment issues
orm one o the major concerns in the Arab sector as well.
Former Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Jacob Frenkel with Maj. Gen. (res.) Danny Rothschild and IsraelMakov, Chairman of the Institute of Policy and Strategy, IDC.
MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance,forecasts challenges and opportunities.
Prof. Stanley Fischer, Governor, Bank of Israel and Prof. Rafi Melnick,Provost, IDC Herzliya, listen to Prof. Giulio remonti, Italian Minister ofFinance and Economy on challenges to economic governance.
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HERZLIYA CONFERENCE / SPECIAL EXTENDED FEATUREHERZLIYA CONFERENCE / SPECIAL EXTENDED FEATURE
37IDC SPRING2011>
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
I want to extend a hearty welcome to Israel or joining the club o offshore
drilling, the Hon. Haley Barbour, governor o Mississippi proclaimed.
Tis marks almost a second Israeli Declaration o Independence energy
independence. Gov. Barbour, visiting Israel as a guest o the Republican
Jewish Coalition, noted that energy independence may have its risks, as
the world saw with last years BP oil spill. Yet, he noted, the spill was the
result o not ollowing procedures properly, and that the Gul seems to
have digested the disaster naturally, leaving little residual effect. Energy
dependence, he asserted, poses a ar greater risk.
In addressing the strategic implications o ongoing increases in the
demand or oil, Yossie Hollander, chairman o the Israeli Institute or
Economic Planning, stated that the world is headed toward a mega oil
shortage. Some o the most alarming ramifications concern developing
economies in Arica, where shortages will spell severely reduced
commerce, transportation, or even the ability to send aid and ood.
Pro. Eugene Kandel, head, National Economic Council o the Prime
Ministers Office, outlined the Government o Israels program to reduce
oil dependency, which has won the approval o all relevant government
ministries, private industry and local bodies. Israel has much to offer
the world in terms o academic expertise and business know-how, he
said. Te new government policy will make Israel a catalyst in all related
research, technology and implementation.
R. James Woolsey, chairman o Woolsey Partners LLC and ormer
director o the CIA, pointed to other ramifications o our addiction to
ossil uel, asking, Who is teaching young boys to be suicide bombers?
You and I, through our consumption o oil that uels the Wahabi schools
which propagate these philosophies worldwide. o Woolsey, theocratic
dictatorships and al Qaeda do not differ when it comes to the substance
o their doctrine, only on who should be in power. Dr. Brenda Shaffer,
energy expert, School o Political Sciences, University o Haia, injected
a note o optimism in projecting that the 21stcentury will be the era o
natural gas and alternate uel. Agreeing with Eugene Kandel, she stated
that this will lead to great opportunities or Israel, competing as the
bridge to renewable sources o energy, reassuring that echnology is on
our side.
Hon. Haley Barbour, Governor o Mississippi: I extend a hearty welcome toIsrael to the club o off-shore oil drilling and energy independence.
R. James Woolsey, ormer director o the CIA and Dr. Uzi Arad. Woolsey: Ourdependence on oreign uel acts to uel the spread o radical Islam.
AHMADINEJAD IS VIEWED AS BAD LUCK BY HIS
PEOPLE, AN IRANIAN STUXNET. SANCTIONS ARE
ESSENTIAL IN THAT THEY KEEP THE FOCUS ON
IRAN AND KEEP THEM IN THE PENALTY BOX.Meir Javedanar
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ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE:
SECURING THE FUTURE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
Attacks on Israels legitimacy pose a distinct threat to Jewish communities
around the world, Danny Rothschild stated. Te Jewish people must
have its own policy as well. Numerous sessions discussed the connection
between Israels security and that o the Jewish people and how best to
ensure unity and cohesion, including a session chaired by Pro. Mikhail
Chlenov, Secretary General o the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Russia
on multiple Jewish identities. According to Dr. Ruth Calderon, ounder
and executive director o Alma Home or Hebrew Culture, the key to
national resilience lies in Jewish identity available within the culturalriches o the Jewish bookcase, noting the privilege that Zionism granted
us o a total Jewish liestyle in the public sphere. Rabbi Dr. Benjamin
(Benny) Lau, director o Jerusalems Center or Judaism and Society, Beit
Morasha and rabbi o the Ramban Synagogue in Jerusalem agreed, saying,
Just as we share a common destiny, we share a common book, adding,
Te Zionist revolution restored our language, our geography and history
it is a revolution without precedent. One may be postmodern, but one
still needs a home.
Yet, as Pro. Jonathan Webber, UNESCO chair in Jewish and Interaith
Studies, University o Birmingham, UK, noted, Jews through the millennia
have had to negotiate their inherent otherness. Speakers, including Sir
Ronald Cohen, chairman o the Portland rust, expressed the grave
concern about prospects or the uture, between the challenges o
assimilation and the threats o delegitimation. Te solution applauded
by many was the Israel Experience. Jonathan Davis, vice president or
External Relations and head o the Raphael Recanati International School
(RRIS), IDC Herzliya, presented organizations that partner in bringing
young Jews to Israel high school programs, Birthright-aglit or ull-
year programs noting with pride that the RRIS success story has made
IDC Herzliya the largest academic absorption center and international
campus in the country.
o understand the impact o the Israel Experience, Natan Sharansky,
chairman o the Executive o the Jewish Agency or Israel, described a
recent metamorphosis in the relationship between Jewish communities in
the Diaspora and in Israel. For years, our relationship to one another could
be called paternalistic, he said, yet in recent years, we have recognized
a mutual need. Trough Diaspora Jewry, young Israelis discover what it
means to be a Jew by choice and o communities being responsible or
one another. And in the Diaspora, even the most liberal and assimilated
Jews understand that a trip to Israel is the single most effective means o
building Jewish identity. What takes place or these young Jews during
this experience? Te sense o coming ace to ace with history and the
discovery o being part o an exciting society created by and or Jews, a
story that is bigger than they are.
Jonathan Davis (far right), V.P. for External Relations and Head of theRaphael Recanati International School, IDC, moderates discussion onleveraging Israel Experience programs with panelists (l to r): AmiraAharonovitz, Head of Strategic Division, Jewish Agency for Israel, Ayelet
Shilo-amir, CEO, Masa Israel, Eyal Dagan, Head of Diaspora Affairs,Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, Gideon Shavit,Chairman, Lapid Coalition, Michal Frank, Head of Department for PolicyImplementation, Prime Ministers Office.
Multiple Jewish identities (l to r): Rabbi Dr. Benjamin (Benny) Lau,Director of Jerusalems Center for Judaism and Society, Beit Morasha;Rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue, Jerusalem; Dr. Ruth Calderon, Founderand Executive Director, Alma Home for Hebrew Culture; Prof. Jonathan
Webber, UNESCO Chair in Jewish and Interfaith Studies, University ofBirmingham, UK; Prof. Mikhail Chlenov, Secretary General, Euro-AsianJewish Congress, Russia with moderator Nadav Peri, Channel 10.
WHAT TAKES PLACE FOR THESE YOUNG JEWS DURING THIS EXPERIENCE? THE SENSE OF
COMING FACE TO FACE WITH HISTORY AND THE DISCOVERY OF BEING PART OF AN EXCITING
SOCIETY CREATED BY AND FOR JEWS, A STORY THAT IS BIGGER THAN THEY ARE.Natan Sharansky, chairman o the Executive o the Jewish Agency or Israel
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ONE ASPECT OF THE UNITED STATES THAT BINDS US TOISRAEL IS THAT WERE BOTH FRACTIOUS DEMOCRACIES.THATS NOT ALWAYS NICE TO WATCH AND IT CAN MOVESLOWLY, BUT WE HAVE RESILIENCE.Prof. Lawrence Summers, Harvard University, former assistant to the US president for economic policy and former Secretary of the reasury
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42 < IDC Spring2011
RRIS Honor
Students Rising Above theChallenge
RAPHAEL RECANATI
International
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TRAVELLING TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY TO EARN
ONES UNIVERSITY DEGREE IS NO EASY TASK. RRIS
STUDENTS, LIKE OTHER UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, MUST DEAL WITH CLASSES,
EXAMS AND BEING IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT, NOT TO
MENTION ISSUES OF CAREER AND LIFE DIRECTION.
BEYOND THAT, HOWEVER, RRIS STUDENTS LIVE IN A
COUNTRY WHERE THE LANGUAGE IS DIFFERENT, THE
BUREAUCRACY IS COMPLEX AND THE CULTURE IS
STRANGE, WITH THEIR USUAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS OF
FAMILIES AND FRIENDS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY.
IN ADDITION, MANY OF OUR STUDENTS TAKE ON THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF PERFORMING COMMUNITY SERVICE,
PARTAKING IN ONE OF THE MANY EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES OFFERED ON CAMPUS OR PARTICIPATING
IN ONE OF IDCS SPECIAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.
EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS DESERVES
CONGRATULATIONS FOR HAVING THE PERSEVERANCE
AND DETERMINATION TO STRETCH THEIR PERSONAL
LIMITS AND REACH FOR NEW HEIGHTS OF SUCCESS.
RAPHAEL RECANATI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
As provost of IDC Herzliya and as a former
immigrant from Chile, it always gives
me great pleasure to witness the great
academic achievements of our studentsinthe Rapahel Recanati International School whomeet the criteria for the Deans List.Prof. Rafi Melnick, IDC Provost
43IDC SPRING2011>
School (RRIS)Founded in memory of Rapahel Recanati (1924-1999)
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RIS Hon
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r Student
Following graduation, Weinstock plans to stay in Israel and pursue more
education. Hes already been accepted at IDC or the masters degree pro-
gram in government. When I ask how he manages everything on his plate,
he doesnt hesitate beore answering: I take it one day at a time.
MARINA HRAPOTKIN
third year Arison School o Business student, Ukraine
Born in the Ukraine, Hrapotkin made Aliyahat age 8 and at age 14 moved to Canada with
her amily. Afer high school she began taking
courses at York University, but always the call
o Israel reverberated strongly in her head and
heart. Afer discovering at the local Aliyah Cen-
ter that she could receive a bachelors degree while
studying in English at the RRIS, she applied immediate-
ly. And the moment her acceptance letter arrived, I packed my bags and
now Im here! laughs Hrapotkin.
Now a third year student o Business, Hrapotkin has worked or the Forex
trading company radonomi since her second year o school. Starting out
as a customer service representative, today she is a senior representative in
charge o training, as well as a bookkeeper in the accounting department.Besides her busy schedule between classes and work, she also finds time
to participate in IDCs business panels, in which third year and masters
students speak to younger students about their studies and careers, and
she represents IDC beore organized groups o young Russian speakers
visiting Israel and contemplating doing their studies here.
Tats all I have time or now, says Hrapotkin. But my first year I was
not working, so I did a lot o things basically I took part in everything! I
went on bike trips, went to Eilat and all the smaller trips organized by the
school. I was on the debate team and in the drama club and represented
IDC at the World Jewish Congress. Tat was very exciting I even got to
shake hands with the prime minister at the time!
Besides the perks o meeting governmental celebrities, Hrapotkin was ex-tremely impressed with the quality o RRIS education - as a first year stu-
dent, she ound hersel taking classes that were offered to third year stu-
dents at her previous university. A star student in Canada, ranked number
one in accounting and number 2 in marketing out o a class o 200, she
still never expected to earn a place on the Deans list in Israel. Neverthe-
less, Hrapotkin decided to give it her very best.
Im 28 years old, she says, so or me its serious. Im not taking anything
lightly. I work very hard and put my heart and soul into everything I do.
Hrapotkin advises any student wishing to excel to come to every single
lecture and just listen and take notes. For me, the key is to take as many
notes as possible, because my memory is not that great. Ten, when I go to
study or the exam I can relive the lecture through my notes and it makes
everything resh.
Hrapotkin also extols the virtues o group learning, insisting that beore
exams its very important to have a study group and to go over the material
together. So many things are revealed during the study group, and i you
dont understand something, someone else does and thats helped me a lot.
Te RRIS has been everything Hrapotkin hoped it would be and more. I
remember being at the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem and thinking
to mysel, here I am, I just came to Israel and Im already meeting the
prime minister. IDC just rocks!
LIOR GERSHENMAN
third year New School o Psychology student, Israel
Born and raised in Israel, Lior Gershenman
speaks English without the trace o an ac-
cent, a gif rom having lived or 3 years
in America. Now a third year Psychology
student, Lior is one o the ambitious native Is-
raelis who opted to join the RRIS and study their
degree in English.
I actually started university in New York, returning to Israel beore I fin-
ished, says Gershenman. IDC suggested to me that I would continue mystudies in English it was the first year o the Psychology program and
it sounded great to me, especially i I would later want to do my masters
degree abroad.
Despite a demanding job as an English teacher or Wall Street, the in-
ternational institute or English as a second language, Gershenman has
managed to excel academically and make the Deans list or both her first
and second year o studies. Her advice or other students wishing to excel
is straightorward: First o all, I think that its very important to attend
classes to not just cram or the exam but learn the material throughout
the semester. Tat also means studying and doing the work all along, rath-
er than procrastinating and waiting until last minute to get things done.
I honestly think anyone can do it - I manage with a job thats 75% o ull
time, and I got married in the middle o my studies, so its about doing thework required, i its important to you. I you do what you have to do when
you have to do it, theres no reason you shouldnt make it.
As she comes to the end o her third and final year at RRIS, Gershenman
is looking to the uture and hoping the great times dont need to end.
She is planning to go or her masters in Clinical Psychology, and hopes
it will be at IDC. Te Psychology Program here is simply great, says
Gernshenman, and i they open a masters program theres no place Id
rather study.
- Joy Pincus
Its about doing the work required, if itsimportant to you.If you do what you have to dowhen you have to do it, theres no reason youshouldnt make it.Lior Gershenman, Raphael Recanati Deans List student
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RAPHAEL RECANATI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
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I think the Raphael Recanati International School is one othe biggest Zionist programs in Israel today, says Yair Itzhar
Belachovsky, chairman o the IDC Student Union. Weve met
in his office at the Student Union building on campus, where
the immense number o issues to be dealt with has created a
whirlwind o activity around us.
Serious and intense, with wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes,
Belachovsky is leadership personified, and as our interview begins Im
reminded o the words he wrote ollowing last years Student Union trip
to Poland: We take Israel or granted, but or our oreathers back then it
was a distant dream. Tis dream became reality and it our responsibility
to take care o it - to take responsibility o the present, to believe in and
take care o the uture, to change what needs to be changed, and to love
and appreciate what we have.
Tese ew sentences aptly sum up the Student Unions goals this year,
which all aim to take more responsibility or the school, its students, and
the country itsel.
Led by Belachovsky, the union first tackled the issue o advancing
integration between Israeli and international students. Using every means
at their disposal, Belachovsky and Vice Chairman Omri Ariav have since
helped create a strong sense o unity on campus and strengthened the ties
between the native Israelis and their ellow RRIS students.
Tere are more than 1,000 students today in the international school,
says Belachovsky. Tey are a part o us and one our aims as Israeli
students should be that when these students finish their degrees, they
will decide to stay in Israel and become part o Israeli society. In order toachieve this, we want to help them to integrate as much as possible with
Israel, and to eel that they are welcome and have ound a new home. And
in doing this, we are helping them to help us because these people have
a lot to contribute to Israeli society, rom their own lives and cultures.
One o the first projects Belachovsky established was to produce Living
in Israel: Te Beginners Guide, at the start o the school year. Created by
ina Silber, the welare coordinator on the unions RRIS committee, the
user-riendly brochure provides a wealth o vital inormation or any new
resident everything rom finding housing and setting up ones phone
and Internet, to opening a bank account, learning Hebrew and ordering
take-in ood.
Beyond this, says Belachovsky, Almost 90% o our emails are in Englishand Hebrew. We invested money to translate our ull website into English,
and this is also the first year we have offered microfinance tutorials in
English.
Te results have been tangible ollowing the Carmel fires in late 2010,
student volunteers travelled to Kibbutz Bet Oren to help rebuild and clear
away damage. I was proud to see that 50% o the busload rom IDC was
students rom the RRIS, says Belachovsky. It was wonderul not only
to be helping the Kibbutz, but to see international and Israeli students
working side by side to do so.
Making the Case for Israel
Another goal the Union set this year was to help advance Israels positive
image in the world. On this ront, the Union held its first Israel Week
STUDENT UNION
We take Israel for granted, but for our forefathers back then it was a distantdream. This dream became reality and it our responsibility to take care of it - to takeresponsibility of the present, to believe in and take care of the future, to change whatneeds to be changed, and to love and appreciate what we have.Yair Itzhar Belachovsky, chairman o the IDC Student Union
Student Union Carmel Forest Fire Volunteers
47IDC SPRING2011>
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STUDENT UNION
49IDC SPRING2011>
ARISON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
ORGANIZATIONALBEHAVIOR OB
Taught by leading scholars withextensive teaching and researchexperience in universities in Israeland worldwide.
Supervised by senior Israeliprofessionals with comprehensive
experience in organizationalcounseling and development.
Courses in: organizational diagnosis,development, and interventions;counseling skills; executive coaching;team developments; and leadership.
Emphasizing the interface betweenorganizational behavior, socialpsychology, positive psychology,
counseling, and businessadministration.
Providing graduates with the besttools for careers in counseling forprofit and non-profit organizations aswell as organizational counseling anddevelopment.
A BA degree in Psychology is alsooffered.
LIVEin Israel
MA degreein
CONTACT USRaphael Recanati International School
Interdisciplinary Center (IDC)
1 Kanfei Nesharim Street, Herzliya
srael 46150
Tel 09-952 7248
Fax 09 952 7334E-mail [email protected]
c/o American Friends of IDC
116 East 16th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY, US 10003
Tel +1 866 999 RRIS
+1 212 213 5961
+1 212 213 6371Fax +1 212 213 6436
E-mail [email protected]
www.rris.idc.ac.il
STUDYin Englishwww
.janisdesign.net
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Executive Education Bike Riding
IDC EXECUTIVE
EDUCATION COURSETAKES TO THEMOUNTAINS
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IMAGINE YOU ARE MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDING ON THE BEAUTIFUL SLOPES OF THE
GOLAN AND THE PATH BEGINS TO CLIMB. YOUVE BEEN RIDING FOR 4 HOURS AND
YOU FEEL YOUR STAMINA BEGINNING TO WANE, BUT THERE ARE TWENTY OTHER
RIDERS DEPENDING ON YOU TO KEEP UP THE PACE. YOU REACH DOWN INSIDE
AND SOMEHOW FIND THE STRENGTH TO GO ON AND REACH YOUR DESTINATION.THIS IS NOT SIMPLY ANOTHER WEEKEND OUTING FOR SENIOR EXECUTIVES
YOUVE FOUND YOURSELF INSIDE THE IDC EXECUTIVE EDUCATION UNITS
GROUNDBREAKING NEW ONE-OF-A-KIND COURSE: LEADERSHIP AT LARGE
MANAGING CHALLENGES THROUGH MOUNTAIN BIKING.
Executive Education Bike Riding
I
IDC SPRING2011 > 51
nitiated and led by avid mountain biking enthusiast, Pro.
Shimon Schocken, the ounding dean o the Efi Arazi School o
Computer Science at IDC, the course opened its first year with
thirty participants, each a top executive in his or her field and
comprising a cross section o industries and proessions. Te
program is co-run by Schocken and Oer Levi, a management
consulting expert. Mountain biking has risen to recent popularity in Israel,
with some 250,000 riders across the country many o them leaders rom
the business and public sectors. According to Schocken, this is no accident.
Besides the requisite financial investment, mountain biking is an activity
that demands the ability to ace significant challenges, as well as the arts o
planning and decision-making all qualities that any leader should have,says Schocken.
Te group meets once a month or a 40 kilometer ride through some o
Israels most remote and desolate locations, rom the Judea Desert to Mount
Hermon. In keeping with IDCs interdisciplinary nature, Schocken ofen
reads poems during the days ride, a practice he calls poetry in motion.
At the end o the ride, the group is met by a guest lecturer, and participants
discuss the days experiences, with Schocken and Levi using anecdotes rom
the ride to convey crucial lessons on leadership.
I view these rides as a leadership laboratory, says Schocken, and the
outdoors give me ample opportunities to discuss the values that I think are
highly relevant to management and leadership in general. For example, I
am not a great believer in the notion o Being first. Rather, I believe in
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Executive Education Bike Riding
Besides the requisite financial investment, mountain biking is an activitythat demands the ability to face significant challenges, as well as the arts of
planning and decision-making all qualities that any leader should have.Pro. Shimon Schocken, the ounding dean o the Efi Arazi School o Computer Science at IDC
53IDC SPRING2011>
According to the courses participants, the enhancements provided by the
course both personally and proessionally are numerous. One rider,
Arnon Gat, a serial entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering
rom Stanord, calls the course a rare combination o physical challenge,
magnificent scenery, poetry at the right places and a wonderul group o
executives and managers that seem to enjoy many common interests. In
addition, the availability o intellectual discussions, ormal and inormal,
provides the ood that quenches the thirst or learning and growth.
o say that Pro. Gidi Paret, director o the Department o Pediatric
Intensive Care at Sheba Hospital, is accustomed to challenge would be an
understatement. Every day he and his staff struggle to perorm the miracles
that save childrens lives. According to Pro. Paret, the course
has taught me a great deal, and even more importantly, given me renewed
strength to deal with the situations I meet daily at work. Afer working or
25 years in critical care, the challenges we meet during a ride all resonate:
the need to have vision, to identiy potential problems, to make decisions
and to have endurance. Tere is also the need to lead, and to communicate
and work well with others all o this comes into play during our rides. I
was not an experienced rider when I began the course, so it was an even
greater challenge or me, but the eeling o overcoming each obstacle has
been priceless. Now, afer a day o bike riding, I return to my department
ull o energy and with greater expectations, knowing that I can meet and
overcome whatever challenges may arise.
As the sun sets and the days ride ends,
the participants head towards home, eeling that they have given their all
physically, mentally and emotionally and gotten back so much in return.
Since the challenges in leadership and lie never end, they will be back next
month to ace new obstacles, new terrain, and new lessons to be learned.
- Joy Pincus
Prof. Shimon Schocken is anofficer, gentleman, social activist,brilliant academic and an amazingmountain biking leader. One ofhis best lines is to tell us that he
will not always take us to placeswhere we can ride the bikes; andsometimes well have to carry themover treacherous terrain and suchis life.
Jonathan Davis, IDC VP o External Relations, head o RRIS and student o
the Executive Bike Riding Program
JonathanDavis,IDCVPofExternalRelations,he
adof
RRISandstudentoftheExecutiveBikeRidingPr
ogram.During the rides, each such occurrence serves toprovide
Schockenwithodderortheafer-ridediscussion,in
which
thegroup debries the days activities and discovers
what
lessonstheycantakehomeromtheirexperience.
Prof.GidiParet,directoroftheDepartmentofPe
diatric
IntensiveCareatShebaHospitalandstudentoftheExecutiveEducationprog
ram.
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54 < IDC Spring2011
The Avshalom Palm Tree on IDC Campus: A Heros Story
AvshalomThe
Palm Treeon IDC Campus:
A Heros Story
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The Avshalom Palm Tree on IDCs Campus: A Heros Story
I
n January o 1917, Avshalom Feinberg set out rom
Palestine or an illicit meeting with the British orces in
Egypt. Feinberg, a co-ounder o Nili, a Jewish movement
established to help ree the land o Israel rom its Ottoman
rulers, was planning to meet with British intelligence officers
regarding a collaborative effort to gather intelligence. Joined
by ellow Nili member Yose Lishansky and disguised as
Bedouins, the two set out on camels, intending to cross theSinai Desert and reach the British lines.
On January 20, Feinberg and Lishansky were ambushed by Bedouins
in the Sinai Desert. While Lishansky managed to escape, Feinberg was
murdered and his body buried in the sand. For fify years, the truth o
his demise remained shrouded in mystery. Ten, in 1967, Shlomo Ben-
Elkanah, a police investigator who was determined to unlock the truth o
Feinbergs death, began tracing Feinbergs ateul journey.
Afer a year o research and thorough investigation, Ben-Elkanah traveled
to the Sinai desert, where he was taken by Bedouins to a site where a lone
date palm tree grew in the sand. Called the Grave o the Jew the site was
considered sacred by the Bedouins, who had kept its secrets within their
old. Digging into the sand beneath the tree, Ben-Elkanah and his helpersound the remains o a body, which had become interwoven with the
roots o the tree. Afer a orensic investigation, the pathologist concluded
that the body was indeed that o Feinberg. Te tree that had watched over
him or 50 years had sprouted orth rom the dates he was carrying in his
pocket at the time o his death. Feinbergs remains were gathered and
given a proper burial in Mt. Herzl, Israels national cemetery or heroes.
For several years, Ben-Elkanah ensured that the Avshalom Palm would
be maintained, but afer Israels treaty with Egypt and the return o
Sinai, the tree was abandoned and eventually razed to make way or
new construction. Many years later, it was discovered that Jewish settlers
in Sinai, upon their evacuation, had taken with them a branch o the
Avshalom Palm and replanted it in their new home in Carmiel.
In January 2011, a cutting rom the tree in Carmiel, the offshoot o the
Avshalom Palm, was planted on the IDC campus and a moving ceremony
was held. Pro. Uriel Reichman was present, along with Nava Ben-
Elkanah, Shlomos daughter, and some members o the Feinberg amily.
Now a living part o the campus, this granddaughter o the Avshalom
Palm symbolizes the Jewish Peoples everlasting bond with their history
and commitment to their heroes.
55IDC SPRING2011>
Three seeds exist from thedate palm that grew from the spilled seeds fromthe pocket of the late Avshalom Feinberg, a Jewish hero
and Nili founder. Today, the grandchild offshoot of thatoriginal tree is growing strong and tall on IDCs campus.
As part o his research, Shlomo Ben-Elkanah traveled to the Sinai desert, where he wastaken by Bedouins to a site where a lone date palm tree grew in the sand. Called theGrave o the Jew the site was considered sacred by the Bedouins.
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The Avshalom Palm Tree on IDC Campus: A Heros Story
57IDC SPRING2011>
Fluent in Arabic and an expert in the traditions and customs o Arabs
and Bedouins, Ben-Elkanah attempted to contact the Bedouin tribesmen
in Sinai, then belonging to Egypt. Following the War o 1967, when Sinai
ell into Israeli hands, he went down to the desert in person to meet with
Bedouin tribal leaders. Breaking through their silence and allaying their
ears o revenge took an arduous effort, as the Bedouin code allows thatone may be punished or the deeds o ones ancestors. Reusing to give up,
Ben-Elkanah was eventually rewarded to hear first-hand, rom 80 year-
old men who had actually witnessed the event, the story o a man who
had been attacked and killed 50 years earlier by a group o Bedouins and
urks. Te place where his body had been laid was now marked by a date
palm tree, the only one like it in the entire area.
Ben-Elkanah brought some workers to dig beneath the tree and bring up
the bodys remains or identification. Disinterment was an excruciatingly
delicate process, the workers charged with preserving any evidence they
ound intact. In his daily diary, Ben-Elkanah noted each time they ound
a bone, and in what position the body was located. Slowly a picture began
to emerge, with all signs pointing to Feinberg: Te assumed age was a
match; the proportion o arms to legs coincided with a amily genetic trait;a broken finger bone matched an accident he had suffered as a child, and
a scar in one o the teeth was identical to the one Feinberg had carried
afer being hit by a piece o iron. Te pathologist conclusively ruled: these
were the remains o Avshalom Feinberg. Following the revelation, which
became national news, the Nili movement finally received the official
recognition it deserved. Its contributions to the uture State o Israel and
the remarkable heroism o its members were brought to public knowledge,
and Lishansky was cleared o any blame in Feinbergs death.
Avshalom Feinberg, afer lying or over 50 years in an anonymous desert
grave, was laid to rest in Mount Herzl Cemetery, alongside ellow Israeli
national heroes and allen soldiers, in a ceremony that honored his
contribution to the land he so loved, and or which he was willing to die
Ben-Elkanah went on to solve many other mysteries during the course o his
lietime, and to author two books and conduct several extensive researches.
He became an officer in the Israeli army and completed his Ph.D., specializing
in the history o the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In 1973, ollowing the Yom Kippur War, Ben-Elkanah was enlisted, first by
the Israeli Air Force and then by other units in the Israeli Deense Forces, to
find their missing soldiers. With a team he recruited o crack field specialists,
including geologists, researchers, navigators and field guides all working
in volunteer capacity he was able to locate hundreds o missing soldiers
and bring to their amilies some measure o comort and closure.
It was terrible, says Nava, remembering back to this difficult period in
which allen soldiers had to be identified by whatever remains were lef.
She alls silent or a ew moments, and in the silence I can eel that or
Nava, as or Ben-Elkanah, no case was ever devoid o the human actor.
Behind every missing person case was an individual, with hopes and
dreams, a amily and riends, and a uture cut short by tragedy. Ben-
Elkanah took these cases personally, and he passed down this sense o
empathy to his d