Conference Circuit

The ADL will host a conference on "Poisoning the Web: Hate on the Internet."

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Monday November 12 IN ANTICIPATION of upcoming reforms in International Covenants and Conventions, the Hebrew University's Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations, together with the university's International Law Forum, will conduct a symposium on the Government, the Knesset and the termination of international covenants. Discussions begin at 6 p.m. in room 502 of the Maiersdorf Faculty House on Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus, where issues will be discussed by some of Israel's leading experts in international law. THE AMBASSADOR of the Ivory Coast, Prof. Koudou Kessie Raymond has organized an Ivory Coast week to be held over a four-day period at the Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv, with the participation of Simone Gbagdo, the First Lady of the Ivory Coast and the Minister for Mining and Energy. The event will include a Business to Business symposium on Agro-Industry, Mining and Energy. THE ANTI-Defamation League will host a conference on "Poisoning the Web: Hate on the Internet." The conference, with participants from abroad, will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Daniel Hotel, Herzliya. Simultaneous English/Hebrew translations will be available. Among the speakers will be Christopher Wolf, chairman International Network Agency Against Hate. For further details, contact: Arieh O'Sullivan Director of Communications ADL Israel Office, (02) 566-7741 (ext. 27), mobile: (054) 493-0977. BASED UPON new scholarly studies, a two-day Hebrew conference on "Haredim and Haredism in Israel: Encounters, Influences and Changes" will attempt to uncover the ongoing and multi-faceted encounter of haredi society and its many groups and movements with Israeli society, the various sub-cultures of this society, the state institutions, its economy, the ways in which it is influenced by this encounter and the changes taking place in it and as a result of this encounter. This is believed to be the first conference of its kind and scope on haredi society, and it will include a broad range of viewpoints and disciplines. As a result, it will offer many contributions to the public discourse on haredi society, and to a broad-based understanding of the character of the haredi phenomenon in Israel. For further details, call: Dr. Kimi Kaplan (02) 560-5264. THE SECOND Root & Branch Association Jerusalem Ecology Conference has a huge line-up of speakers. Co-Chairs Professor Richard Schwartz and Naomi Tsur will lead discussions on |"Responding Jewishly to Global Warming and Other Environmental Threats;" "If Not Now, When? Jewish Environmentalism in Jerusalem" will be the theme of Small Group Learning and Guided Discussion by Leiba Chaya David, director, Ru'ach HaSviva, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (S.P.N.I.), Center for Jewish Environmental Learning and Living (1:00-2:00 p.m.); Other topics to be addressed include: "How University Students are Responding to Israel's Environmental Problems" by Gidon Melmed, Director of Development and International Relations, Green Course, Israeli University-based Environmental Group (2:10-3:10 p.m.); "Applying Jewish Values in Response to Israeli and Global Environmental Crises" by Richard H. Schwartz, Ph.D., Author, Judaism and Vegetarianism, Judaism and Global Survival, Mathematics and Global Survival; President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America (3:20-4:20 p.m.); "Jewish Peoplehood in the Light of Global Warming: A Common Goal for Israel and the Diaspora" by Naomi Tsur, Director of Community Development, S.P.N.I.; Coordinator, Sustainable Jerusalem (4:30-5:30 p.m.); "S.P.N.I.'s Response to the Threat of Global Warming" by Michelle Levine, International Relations & Development Department, Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (5:40-6:40 p.m.); World Premiere of Documentary Film "A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Save the World," produced by Lionel Friedberg. This one-hour documentary film considers environmental threats to Israel and other countries and how Jewish values can be applied in response. After the film, there will be short talks by: Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Haifa; Rabbi David Rosen, Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, International Director of Religious Affairs, American Jewish Committee; Alon Tal, Leading Israeli Environmentalist; Professor Richard Schwartz, President, Jewish Vegetarians of North America, all of whom are in the movie, followed by a general discussion about the issues in the movie. The event, beginning at 1 p.m, will be held at the Orthodox Union Israel center 22 Keren Hayesod Street, Jerusalem. THE THIRD Annual Israel Genealogical Society One-Day Seminar on The Wandering Jew: Jewish Migration between the 18th and 20th centuries will be held at Beit Wolyn, 10 Korazyn Street, Givatayim. Speakers will focus on different parts of Europe and on varying years of migration. Tuesday, November 13 THE EMBASSY of Peru in cooperation with the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, the Foreign Ministry, the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry and the Israel-Latin America Chamber of Commerce will hold a round-table discussion at IEI headquarters in the Israel Hall, 5th Floor, 29 Hamered Street, Tel Aviv, on Peru's water management, irrigation, agricultural development, economic policy and short- and long-term plans with regard to local and international markets. The presentation, at 5 p.m., will be made by Peru's Minister for Agriculture Ismael Benevides Ferreyros, who will also discuss business opportunities in irrigation, greenhouses, livestock, water and environmental technologies for agriculture, etc. YAKAR'S CENTER for Social Concern in cooperation with the PalestineIsraelJournal will present a discussion on "Lords of the Land" with Akiva Eldar Chief Political Columnist, Ha'aretz, Talia Sasson Former head of Special Tasks Division in State Attorney's Office, and author of the "Outposts Report" delivered to Prime Minister Sharon at his request; Suhail Khalilyah, Head, Monitoring Settlements Unit, Applied Research Institute, Jerusalem. The event, marking the English publication of "Lords of the Land: The War for Israel's Settlements in the Occupied Territories, 1967-2007," by Idith Zertal & Akiva Eldar, will be chaired by Benjamin Pogrund, Yakar. Discussion will be in English. Admission is free of charge but organizers reserve the right of admission. The event will take place at Yakar, 10 HaLamed Heh Street, Jerusalem. THE NATIONAL infrastructures minister, together with The International Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT), will host a conference on Global Terrorism and International Crime as well as the World Anti-Criminal and Anti-Terrorist Forum (WAAF). The conference begins at 9 a.m. at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Kanfei Nesharim Street, Herzliya, Ivcher Hall. Participants will include: Anatoliy S. Kolikov, Chairman of the WAAF Board; Deputy Chairman of the RF State Duma Committee for Security; General of the Army, Russia; National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer; Boaz Ganor, Executive Director, the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC); Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni; Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter; Yaacov Perri, former head of the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), and other dignitaries. THE ANNUAL Jewish-Arab Business Conference in Israel will be held at the Dan Accadia Hotel, Herzliya Pituah from 9:30 a.m. Speakers will include: Helmi Kittani, Director, The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development; Lars Hänsel, Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Israel; Yael German, Mayor of Herzliya; Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer; Muhammad Abdallatif, owner of the Um al-Fahm Mall; Dov Lautman, chairman of the Board of Directors, Delta Galil Industries; Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai; Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaleb Majadele; Raanan Dinur, director-general of the Prime Minister's Office and many others who will address topics such as The Arab Population and Israel's Economy - Exclusion and the Challenge of Integration. Wednesday, November 14 THE VAN Leer Institute, together with the National Insurance Institute will co-host a symposium on Health, Aging and Retirement in Israel. The event, which begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, 43 Jabotinsky Street, is part of a SHARE project. For further details, call Van Leer (02) 560-5222. THE NATIONAL two-day Business Conference on Construction and Real Estate will be held from at the Meridian Hotel on the Dead Sea with the participation of Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. Thursday, November 15 COLLINS STEWART Israel has issued the invitations for a breakfast seminar on the future of AIM and the LSE to be hosted by the London Stock Exchange at the residence of British Ambassador Tom Phillips. Speakers will include the ambassador Richard Salt, Director of Trade and Investment, British Embassy, Graham Dallas, London Stock Exchange, Paul Miller and Jonathan Morris, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, Joel Plasco, CEO Collins Stewart, Harel Gillon, CIBC, Yaron Har-Zvi, Ernst & Young, and Dalia Black, Delek Group. PRESIDENT OF Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko will address The Israel Council on Foreign Relations on "Ukraine-Israel: A Dialogue in the Name of the Future." The meeting, at the David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem, will be chaired by Michael Schneider, Secretary General, World Jewish Congress. Admission by invitation only. GOSSIP COLUMNS in newspapers frequently run items about the crisis situations in which practitioners of the visual and performing arts may find themselves. Fear and depression may often drive them to drug and alcohol abuse and in the most severe cases may also make them suicidal. Voyeurs lap up these stories without paying too much attention to the mental torture of the celebrities involved. It takes a lot of courage to talk about these psychologically and emotionally painful experiences, but some artists have agreed to do so - primarily Gila Almagor, Assi Dayan and Michal Bat Adam who will participate in a frank discussion in the auditorium of the Hecht Museum on the campus of the University of Haifa at 7 p.m. A LECTURE on Elements of Arab Islamic Psychology by Prof Daniel Sibony, of the University of Paris will be held at 6 p.m. at the BESA Center Seminar Room (Building 202). THE ANNUAL conference of the Kibbutz Industry Association will be held at Kibbutz Maaleh Hahamisha at 8:30 a.m. with the participation of Shraga Brosh, President of the Israel Manufacturers Association, Defense Minister Ehud Barak (who is a former kibbutznik), Industry, Trade and Labor Ministe Eli Yishai, Strauss Group Chairman Ofra Strauss and other dignitaries. Sunday, November 18 FOREIGN MINISTER Tzipi Livni will deliver the keynote address on the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Israel-Egypt peace process. The event, commencing at 7 p.m. at the Begin Heritage Center, 6 Nahon Street, Jerusalem, will include an exhibition under the title "No more war." Other speakers at the event will include Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed Assem Ibrahim, and Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation founder and President Harry Hurwitz. MC will be Herzl Makov, the Head of the Begin Center. Monday, November 19 THE LESTER and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities,The Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, and The Goldreich Family Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture at Tel Aviv University will host a symposium to mark the publication of a special issue of Science in Context on Science and Scholarship in Yiddish. In addition to remarks by representatives of TAU and the sponsoring institutes, speakers will include: Rachel Rojanski, University of Haifa, whose topic is: The Transformation of Yiddish into a Field of Visnshaft; Alexandre Métraux, University of Mannheim who will present A Short History of Science in Yiddish; Mark Steiner, Hebrew University Jerusalem, who has titled his address in Yiddish - "Spinoza klept zikh zum materializm vi arbes tsum vant;" Reuven Agushewitz - the first and last Yiddish philosopher. The event which begins at 4:15 p.m. in Room 496 in the Gilman Building on the TAU campus will be include a general discussion after all the presentations have been made. All the lectures will be in English. Tuesday, November 20 The Fifth Annual Civic Leadership conference at Kfar Hamaccabiah, in the presence of Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog, and chairman of the State Controlling Committee and chairman of the lobby for the advancement of civic society Zvulun Orlev, will discuss transparency, regulation and public confidence in not-for-profit organizations. For registration and full details, call (03) 609-4199 or (03) 512-1748. Wednesday, November 21 DEFENSE MINISTER Ehud Barak, who is also a former IDF Chief of General Staff, and current Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will be the keynote speakers at a BESA conference that asks the question: "Is the IDF prepared for tomorrow's challenges?" The conference in memory of Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies associate the late Maj. Gen. Avraham Rotem, will be held in the Mintz Auditorium, Bar-Ilan University. Addresses will be in Hebrew but simultaneous translation into English will be available. The event begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 27 STRENUOUS EFFORTS are being made to improve the economic conditions of both Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. In the latter category, a two-day conference on Initiatives and Economic Development in Arab Society has been organized by the Mossawa Center with the assistance of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The first day of the conference will be devoted to tours of industrial zones and tourist sites with a view to finding ways to expand their economic potential. The second day, at the Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth, will be devoted to discussions on technology, science, infrastructure and construction, employment of women and the potential this holds for the economy, business initiatives and financing, Arab academics and their potential contributions to the high tech industry, international cooperation and investment, and utilizing communications resources. For further details, call (03) 513-2471. THE TEL AVIV Journalists Association in conjunction with the University of Haifa is hosting an international Journalists' Conference in Eilat over a three-day period with the participation of hundreds of journalists and people in the communications business from Israel and abroad. The conference, which will deal with issues such as the changing professional status of the journalist and the communicator, will culminate with the traditional November 29 address by the Prime Minister. Among the journalists, op-ed writers and other well-known people who have indicated that they will attend are: Ben Caspit, Ahmed Tibi, Amnon Dankner, Yossi Sarid, Daniel Ben Simon, Ron Ben Ishai, Dahlia Dorner, Carmela Menashe, Shalom Kital. For further details, access the TAJA Web site www.itonut.org. Thursday, November 29 A SYMPOSIUM under the auspices of The Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of Arts at Tel Aviv University will focus on "The oldest of Heroes: King Lear." The subject will be tackled from a number of thought-provoking angles. The program begins at 10 a.m in Room 206, Mexico Building, on the TAU campus.