Conference Circuit

A Mega Internet Convention hosted by The Marker will take place over a two-day period at The Avenue Convention Center, Airport City.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Sunday, March 18 SUPERNATIONALISM is the European Union Experience Unique? Is the subject of a two-day conference in English to be held in Room 501, Maiersdorf Faculty Club, Mount Scopus campus, under the auspices of the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University and the Delegation of the European Commission to Israel. Sessions include: "The development and sustainability of federal systems;" "The effect of European regionalism in Asia-Pacific - the cases of APEC and ARF;" "Regional cooperation and regional integration;" and "Winning Left-Wing support for currency unions." Key speakers include: Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal, head of the European Commission Delegation to Israel and Dr. Harald Kindermann, German ambassador to Israel. For further details, call: (02) 588-2312. A MEGA Internet Convention hosted by The Marker will take place over a two-day period at The Avenue Convention Center, Airport City. The convention will be co-chaired by Yossi Vardi, chairman International Technologies, and Guy Rolnik, editor of The Marker. Among the topics tabled for discussion are: How organizations and businesspeople use on-line communities and blogs to do business; The way Web 2.0 challenges Web 1.0; Is wireless Internet on the verge of rapid growth?; A venture capital view of the risks of investing in Internet startups; and Hottest Internet trends in 2007. For further details and registration, call: (03) 513-3650. THE ISRAEL Cancer Association is hosting a symposium for people with colon cancer and members of their families. The symposium to be held at Kfar Hamaccabiah, Ramat Gan, from 9 a.m. will deal with issues as to how colon cancer develops, different methods of treatment, new trends in treating colon cancer, treatment when the illness is in an advanced stage and the possibilities of living a quality-filled existence despite the effects of the illness. For further details and registration, call: Yonina (03) 572-1615, Zahava (03) 571-9576 or Ayala (03) 572-1619. Monday, March 19 THE OPENING address at the three-day Jerusalem Conference at the Regency Hotel will be delivered by Likud leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu. Other speakers listed include Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Jerusalem Post and Makor Rishon columnist Caroline Glick, Prof. Robert Wistrich, head of the Center for Studies on Anti-Semitism, journalist Ben Dror Yemini, plus numerous rabbinical figures, jurists, academics, politicians, communications experts and business people who will discuss issues such as the new anti-Semitism; the strategic threats to Israel's existence; the policy of unilateral withdrawal and realities vs expectations; leadership in crisis; Shabbat with the family in the mall: does public observance of the Sabbath require re-evaluation; Jerusalem's central force as the capital of Israel; educational challenges facing Israel today; conflicting values between the individual and society in general in confrontation with mass communications. For further details and registration, call: (03) 918-5588. WHO IS responsible for social justice in Israel? Is it the State, civil society or the business sector? An attempt to answer this question will be made at the First Haifa Conference on Social Responsibility to be held over a two-day period in the Hecht Auditorium of the University of Haifa. The Social Justice Index and the Jewish-Arab Relations Index will be made public in the course of the conference. For further details and registration, call (03) 512-1748. THE THIRD Annual Prof. Nehemia Levtzion Lecture in English on "The transition from Islam as a cosmic order to Islam as a legal order" will take place at 6 p.m. at the Van Leer Institute. Prof. Babar Johansen of Harvard University will deliver the lecture under the auspices of the Nehemia Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University. For further details, call: (02) 588-1541. Tuesday, March 20 THE 4TH National Israel Systems Engineers Association INCOSE IL conference will be held at the Daniel Hotel, Herzliya, on March 20 and 21 and will move to the Haifa Technion March 22. Topics to be discussed include integrated systems, programming, human factors in systems engineering, risk management and new product development processes. Organizers are expecting one hundred top ranking participants from overseas, some of whom will conduct workshops in their respective areas of expertise. KOSHER FOR Pessah certification has become big business, but also demonstrates the need for religious authorities to be completely conversant with all the rules governing what is permissible and what is not permissible for the holiday. Many rabbis are consulted by congregants or local eateries at literally the last minute to give rulings on some Kosher for Pessah issue. Towards this end, Tzohar, the association of user-friendly rabbis, is hosting a conference for communal and regional rabbis on kosher medications, kashrut in hotels, differences in Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions and many allied subjects. The conference will begin at 2:45 p.m. at the Jerusalem College of Technology. "WHAT DEFINES the welfare state in Israel?" is the question Dr. Johnny Gal from the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University will attempt to answer when he delivers the Dr. Arnolf M. Pines lecture at 4 p.m. at the Maiersdorf Faculty Club, Mount Scopus campus. For further details, call: (02) 588-1477. JUST BEFORE completing his term of office in Israel, Chinese Ambassador Chen Yonglong is constantly on the go, participating in economic conferences, along with political, social and cultural events that demonstrate the continuously growing and diversified relationship between Israel and China. The ambassador is one of the participants in a conference beginning at 4 p.m. at the Tel Aviv Hilton co-hosted by the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) of China and The Infinity Fund aimed at conveying the message to Israel's hi-tech companies that SIP is the ideal vehicle for greater Israeli penetration of the Chinese market. For that reason, the conference title is "The Proven Partner in China for Israeli Technology and Innovation." SIP is one of China's leading partners for technology development and has attracted commitments of more than $100 billion from international investors. Nearly half of those commitments have been honored and are already invested in more than 20,000 active projects. Among the people coming from China for the occasion are Wang Jinhua, Deputy Party Secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee; and Sun Yanyan, Vice Chairman of Suzhou Industrial Park, who will join the ambassador in a Q&A session on China's economic potential. The Q&A will be hosted by Avishai Silvershatz, managing partner of The Infinity Fund. Speakers will also include Avi Fischer, deputy chairman of the IDB Group. The Infinity-SIP partnership has an established track record for enabling Israeli companies to enter the Chinese market through rewarding and reliable alliances and practical partnerships. NADAV MEANS benefactor in Hebrew. Nadav is the name of the Israeli Center for Training and Management of Youth Volunteerism Professionals, and is Israel's leading organization in this field. This week, beginning today, Sunday, Nadav will celebrate Volunteerism Week 2007 and will highlight the week's activities with a breakfast meeting on Tuesday at the Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv where Lt. Gen. (Res) Moshe Yaalon, former Chief of General Staff, and currently Distinguished Fellow at the Shalem Center, will speak on security and Strategy following the Second Lebanon War. The Nadav Citation of Appreciation for unique and exception activity in volunteerism, a painting donated by acclaimed artist Arik Brauer, will be presented to Ofra Strauss - Chair, Strauss Group; Benny Landa - Founder, Indigo-HP; Arnon Mantver -Director General, JDC-Israel; and Ilan Ben Dov - General Manager, Suny Electronic. Volunteerism week events will be held between March 18 and 23 at both the Dan Panorama Hotel and the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center in Tel Aviv. The meetings will be dedicated to practical and theoretical discussions with volunteerism directors from various organizations and institutions. Attendance must be confirmed with Dani Keiper (054) 240-0098. Entry tags to the hotel can be obtained by phoning Aaron Schwartz (052) 522-3348. Wednesday, March 21 HEBRON - HOME of the Patriarchs - City of Conflict; What's happening on the ground in Hebron? Mustafa Natshe - Mayor of Hebron - and Ofir Feuerstein - B'tzelem - will discuss the situation at the Ambassador Hotel, East Jerusalem, at 3 p.m. Space is limited. Participation may be confirmed with IPCRI by fax (02) 676-8011, phone (02) 676-9460 or via e-mail at david@ipcri.org. Thursday, March 22 THE KONRAD Adenauer Foundation, together with the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies and Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University will conduct an all-day symposium beginning at 9 a.m. on "Disengagement: a missed opportunity or an historic turning point?" The symposium will be held at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center, Mishkenot Shaananim, Jerusalem. As space is limited, pre-registration is required. Call: (02) 563-0175, ext. 11 or 13. Sunday, March 25 THE FIRST in a three-part series of lectures on Jewish Mysticism will be delivered by Prof. Rachel Elior, head of the Hebrew University's Department of Jewish Thought at 6 p.m. The lecture, in English, will take place at the new club room of the Jerusalem Friends of the Hebrew University in the Sherman Building on the Safra campus, Givat Ram. Entry to each lecture is NIS 90. For further details, call: (02) 563-2387 or (02) 563-8227. Tuesday, March 27 INVESTMENT CONSULTANTS representing Israel's leading companies will participate in an investments convention at the Tel Aviv Hilton. For details and registration, call: (03) 513-3651. Thursday March 29 THE ANNUAL conference for the promotion of life science industries will be held at the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Haifa Technion, with the participation of senior representatives of Oxford BioScience Partner, Boston Scientific, Eastman Kodak Health Group and Boston Harbor Angels. Participants will discuss international innovation and cooperation in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology aimed at advancing bio-medical products; and bio-medical companies on the international market. The main focus will be on advanced imaging technologies, cell therapy and regenerative medicine and biological based therapeutics. The conference has been organized by the Haifa Center for Encouraging Initiative and Business Development and the Haifa Economic Corporation. For details, call Milana Bar 1-800-33-44-77. Friday, March 30 A Gallery Talk by Australian photographer Angela Lynkushka, based on her exhibition Dreaming in English - Portrait from the Jewish Community in Melbourne 1989-2006, will take place at 11 a.m. at the Lady Sarah Cohen Exhibition center at Beth Hatefutsoth. The talk will be in English. Admission is free of charge. The exhibition, which opens on March 27, was developed in cooperation with the Jewish Museum of Australia, Gandel Center of Judaica, Melbourne.