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Center for Israel Studies
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Washington, DC 20016-8038
United States
CIS Events
Meltzer Trone ConferenceReimagining Shared SocietyJewish and Palestinian Citizens of Israel Challenging Fear, Mistrust, and Polarization
November 15–16, 2026
Full Details & RSVP
The 2026 conference features keynote speakers, Aziz Abu Sarah, Maoz Inon, and Shir Nosatzki.
Overview: The conference will analyze the political, legal, and institutional forces shaping division, while highlighting grassroots initiatives and civic efforts working to bridge deep social divides. Israeli society is a complex mosaic of ethnic, religious, and political communities, shaped by divergent histories and lived realities. 21% of Israeli citizens define themselves as Palestinians or Arabs. Contacts between Jews and Palestinians in everyday life are often restricted to business transactions, professional services, or hostile encounters. Despite growing political polarization and increasing violence, numerous organizations in Israel work towards a better understanding of the two communities.
2026 Conference Schedule
Sunday, Nov. 15
Keynote The Future Is Peace
Aziz Abu Sarah & Maoz Inon
Monday, Nov. 16
Integration through Education
Shahaf Gal, Dikla Tomer-Kaial, Ran Kuttner & Mohammed Wattad
Striving for Social Equality
Mohammad Darawshe, Mickey Gitzin & Mona Khoury
KeynoteBeyond the Ballot: Building Jewish-Arab Political Partnership
Shir Nosatzki
The Changing Political Framework
Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, Anwar Mhajne & David N. Myers
What Can Americans Do for Shared Society in Israel?
David Heller, Sami Jinich, Jude Massaarwa & Erica Shaps
The 2026 Annual Meltzer Trone Conference, hosted by the Meltzer Schwartzberg Center for Israel Studies at American University and co-chaired by Mohammad Darawshe, Visiting Professor at AU and Director of Strategy at the Center for Shared Society at Givat Haviva, will present a variety of views from academics, journalists, policymakers, and civil society leaders who strive for a more integrated Israeli society in these challenging times. Over two days, the conference will analyze the political, legal, and institutional forces shaping division, while highlighting grassroots initiatives and civic efforts working to bridge deep social divides. By convening diverse perspectives, the conference seeks not only to diagnose the challenges confronting Israeli society, but also to illuminate practical visions for a more resilient and genuinely shared future.
Recent Events
- A Virtual Debate: "Is America Different? A Debate on the 'Myth of American Exceptionalism' for American Jews," Oct. 15
Part of AU's 250+ Series with Dr. Tony E. Michels, Dr. Kenneth D. Wald, and Dr. Lauren B. Strauss. - "Agents of Change" Book Talk with Professor Adam Ferziger, Oct. 5
Ferziger Book Talk Video - "Palestine 1936" Book Talk with Professor Oren Kessler, Sept. 24
Kessler Book Talk Video
Panel Discussion with Audience Q&A
Peace Talks without Leadership:
Israel 30 Years after Rabin's Assassination
Chuck Freilich (former Israel national security advisor and professor political science at NYU, Columbia, and Tel Aviv) and Aaron David Miller (senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, formerly with the US State Department) in conversation with Guy Ziv (AU Professor of Foreign Policy & Global Security), October 29, 2025.
2025 Meltzer Trone Conference
Franklin Foer, The Diaspora Blues:
Where American Jews Go from Here
Evening keynote with Franklin Foer, November 16, followed by a conversation with novelist Joshua Cohen, introduced by Professor Lauren Strauss.
From the 2025 Meltzer Trone Conference: American Jews and Israel: A Complicated Relationship — see full Meltzer Trone Conference Video Playlist.
2025 Helen & Daniel Sonenshine Lecture
1:19:53
Pigs and the World Jewish Conspiracy:
Meat and Jews in the Nazi Mind
On October 22, 2025, the Helen and Daniel Sonenshine Lecture featured John Efron and Joan Nathan in discussion with Center Director Michael Brenner.
View more videos from the Center for Israel Studies.
Bulletins
Associate Director Guy Ziv has a new article in War on the Rocks on how the Gaza War is reshaping Israeli civil-military relations. He argues that religious Zionists have suffered disproportionate casualties in the war, giving the community outsize influence over Israeli political leaders.
Ziv was also quoted in a Washington Jewish Week story regarding Netanyahu’s recent visit to Washington, recent developments in US-Israel relations, and the current situation in Iran/Gaza.
Michael Brenner published an article in Forward contemplating how his Holocaust survivor parents, who revered the United States as a symbol of democracy and safety, would be disheartened by the nation's current political climate. He also discussed the origins of Zionism on NPR's Throughline.
Pam Nadell discussed her new book Antisemitism: An American Tradition at various book talks, including ones with the Center for Israel Studies, with Senator Ben Cardin at Politics and Prose, and in Pittsburgh with New York Times columnist Bret Stephens.
Guy Ziv spoke with LAist about the Israeli Supreme Court ruling on compulsory military service for the Ultra Orthodox.
Join the Center for Israel Studies
- We invite AU students to learn more about us in the website, attend events, or Minor in Israel Studies and apply for the Waisman Scholarship.
- We invite the public to be a part of the growth of our center by attending our programs and offering your support. Your commitment and generosity will ensure that CIS will continue to serve as a model throughout the nation in this growing field.
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