Walzer, Halbertal to Keynote at Joint Shalem - Princeton University Conference

July/August 2008 | Tammuz/Av 5768

Shalom from Jerusalem. Welcome to the summer edition of the Shalem Center’s E-News. In it you’ll find updates on news about the Center and its scholars, staff and supporters as well as the Essential Reading section - briefs on Articles from further afield that are of interest to our community. We welcome feedback and comments and encourage you to share E-News with friends, family and colleagues. Please send us any name and email addresses of those you think would like to receive it (e-news@shalem.org.il) and we’ll send them E-News fresh from the server.

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Walzer, Halbertal to Speak at Shalem Joint Conference with Princeton University
Noted philosopher Michael Walzer of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and Hebrew University Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Thought Moshe Halbertal are slated to keynote the third international conference on political Hebraism. Co-sponsored by the Shalem Center’s Hebraic Political Studies and the Program in Judaic Studies at Princeton University, the conference, titled “Political Hebraism: Jewish Sources in the History of Political Thought” will be held September 7–9, 2008 at Princeton. A wide range of issues related to the Jewish political tradition and its influence on the broader Western tradition of political thought will be addressed. Click here for further information about the conference:

Adelson Institute Chair Sharansky Meets President Bush
An unannounced, private meeting was held in June in Washington between Adelson Institute Chairman Natan Sharansky and US President George Bush, with the Washington Post reporting on the “friendly and intriguing relationship” between the two. Sharansky's 2004 book, The Case for Democracy is said to have influenced Mr. Bush’s foreign policy agenda. The President and some of his most senior advisors granted Sharansky a forty minute audience in the Oval Office, and received a copy of his newest title, Defending Identity (Public Affairs.) The book makes the case for an important and powerful connection between freedom and identity. Click here to read further reviews of the book:

Contribution of $500,000 Pledged for Shalem College
An anonymous gift of $500,000 has been pledged by a couple from New York to assist in launching Shalem College. In a statement made to E-News, the donors said “We are delighted to assist in establishing Israel’s first liberal arts college, which we see as absolutely crucial to the future of the Jewish state. In the past few years, we have come to know the Shalem Center’s leadership and vision, and we are delighted to express our confidence in the idea of establishing Shalem College through this gift.” Click here to read more about the educational philosophy behind Shalem College:

Shalem’s Conflict of Visions Presented by Prime Minister Olmert to Israeli Cabinet
Copies of Shalem Press’ original Hebrew translation of Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles were recently presented to each of the 26 members of cabinet in Israel’s governing coalition. The books were purchased from Shalem and distributed to the cabinet as a gift from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Conflict of Visions, translated as part of Shalem Press’ Democratic Thought Series, examines the two competing visions of human nature seen to underlie many of the ideological struggles of our times. Click here for more about Shalem Press:

Crisis in Higher Education: Tel Aviv U Humanities Faculty to Consider Canceling Philosophy Dept. Enrollment
On July 7 Israeli daily Yediot Ahranot reported on “another expression of the deep crisis of Israel’s higher education system” when the faculty of the Humanities at Tel Aviv University announced that, due to budget constraints, it will consider canceling registration for its Philosophy program in the coming academic year. Subsequently on July 13, an appeal circulated by Israel’s supervisory Council for Higher Education to university lecturers warns of a Treasury plan to justify cuts through “personal and general slanders and accusations of lack of transparency” and encourages academics to write about “the distress of the system caused by lack of funds... on the brain drain and its effects, on the lack of books in libraries.” Click here to read more about Israel’s crisis in higher education:

$4.5 Million Tikvah Fund Grant Strengthens Study of Jewish Thought at Princeton University
A $4.5 million grant to Princeton University from the Tikvah Fund will help to strengthen undergraduate interest in Jewish thought and bring Jewish history and ideas into dialogue with other historical, philosophical and theological traditions. "We are very grateful to the Tikvah Fund for their generous support," said Professor of Religion, Leora Batnitzky, the project's director, in a news release issued by the University. "We believe the Jewish tradition has an important contribution to make to the humanities as a whole." The Tikvah Fund, based in New York City, is a foundation devoted to promoting Jewish ideas and culture, and has been instrumental in generously supporting the work of the Shalem Center. Click here to read Princeton University’s news release:

Billion Dollar Campaign at Brandeis Includes Focus on Liberal Arts Tradition
Following the launch of a campaign begun in 2003, trustees at Brandeis University have voted to boost their total fundraising goal to $1.2 billion within the next five years. Major gifts include a $22.5 million gift in 2007 from the Mandel Foundation which established the Mandel Center for the Humanities, “based on a belief that society must support the liberal arts tradition… for education to be truly complete it must be broadly constructed on a solid humanities foundation.” Click here to read more:

Shalem Senior VP Gordis on the Future of Zionism: ‘Getting Beyond Argumentation’
In a recent Jerusalem Post column, Shalem Senior Vice President Daniel Gordis recorded some reflections inspired by The Zionist Idea, a volume of essays edited by Arthur Herzberg. “The first phase of Zionism was one of those periods in which the Jews did well what they’ve long done best; they engaged in the honing and exchange of ideas,” he writes. “How is it possible that 60 years after its creation, Israel still does not have its first liberal arts college? … The people of the book has created a state that robs its young people of the opportunity to think.” Click here to read the article:

Philanthropy Magazine: “Private Philanthropy Sharpening the Public’s Knowledge of the Middle East”  
A feature article in the magazine Philanthropy examines Middle Eastern Studies programs at American Universities. “Clash of Cultures” argues that many of these programs have come to be dominated by ideologues and are no longer in a position “to build expertise in a region, so that government officials could draw on academic specialists.” One solution, suggests the article, can be found in supporting alternative programs that provide a more balanced view, noting specifically that “Another example of private philanthropy sharpening the public’s knowledge of the Middle East and its challenges is the work of Michael Oren at the Shalem Center.” Click here to read the article:

Haifa University Politics Chairman to Distribute Booklet Describing Israeli Independence as ‘Nakba’ (“Catastrophe”)
20,000 booklets on the “Nakba” (the Arabic term for “the catastrophe,” as Palestinians describe Israel’s War of Independence) will be distributed outside Arab schools around Israel by Dr. Asad Ghanem, the chairman of the Government and Political Philosophy Division at the School of Political Science, University of Haifa. Ghanem initiated the project "to reaffirm Palestinian consciousness [among Israeli Arabs], and maintain and reinforce it among future generations." Ghanem is Click here to read the Ha’aretz report:

Professor David Schmidtz Speaks at Shalem
The Shalem Center’s new Visiting Scholar Series, designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas between Shalem scholars and leading scholars from overseas, welcomed its first participant in June. Philosophy Professor David Schmidtz, joint Professor of Economics and Director of the Philosophy of Freedom Program at the University of Arizona, spoke on the nature of property rights and on the prehistory of liberty. Both talks culminated in vibrant debate within the Shalem community and with professors of Philosophy and Economics from around Israel. Click here to read more about the series:

R. Isaac Lifshitz Presents Papers on Medieval Judaism at University of Leeds, Groningen
Shalem Senior Fellow R. Isaac Lifshitz recently presented research at two international conferences held at the Institute for Medieval Studies at University of Leeds and at Groningen University in Holland. Speaking in Leeds on ‘Nature, God, and the Law: The Jewish Medieval Scholar's Concept of Nature,’ Lifshitz examined and analyzed two approaches to nature and law raised by Jewish medieval scholars. At Groningen University, Lifshitz spoke on the angelology of Ofan LeNisuin, a poem Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (1215-1293). Click here to read more about R. Lifshitz:

Four Shalem Fellows Address Annual AIPAC Policy Conference  
Adelson Institute Chairman Natan Sharansky, and Senior Fellows Martin Kramer, Michael Oren and Daniel Gordis addressed the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington in June. Gordis spoke on the effects Israeli statehood has had on Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, arguing that Israel provides hope and a shared destiny to Jews of diverse backgrounds. “Israel has changed everything about the Jewish condition – its future demands effort and sacrifice from all of us,” he said. Click here to see Natan Sharansky and Michael Oren participate in a roundtable discussion on the evolution of Israel’s place in the world:

Michael Oren: Obama Should Learn from Kennedy
“The Lessons Obama Should Learn from Kennedy Before Talking to Iran” was the title of a recent op-ed by Shalem Senior Fellow Michael Oren, on George Mason University’s History News Network. Oren compares the historical contexts and personalities of the two politicians. “Kennedy approached the Middle East with a message of hope only to be disappointed. Obama offers the region a similar vision but, if tempered with realism, he may yet succeed where Kennedy failed.” Click here to read the article:

Baylene Wacks: Director of Leadership Development at Shalem
Baylene Wacks has joined the Shalem Center as Director of Leadership Development, and will be working with friends of Shalem to expand its community of supporters, especially through seminars in New York, Jerusalem, and elsewhere. Wacks, who brings 5 years of experience at AIPAC, told E-News: “Since moving to Israel, I have looked for an organization devoted to nurturing the country’s next generation of leaders. I’m thrilled to be at Shalem – an outstanding organization that is doing just that.”

Summer Interns at Shalem
Students from Princeton, Yale, Georgetown, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania have arrived at the Shalem Center for an intensive eight week summer internship. The six were selected from among a long list of excellent applicants and are spending this summer conducting original research under the mentorship of Senior Fellows Michael Oren, Yossi Klein Halevi, and Daniel Gordis. Click here to learn more about this year’s students:

New Brochure: “Israel Needs One College to Train its Top Leaders and Thinkers”
A short and attractive brochure has just been published highlighting half a dozen of the Shalem Center’s outstanding scholars, and focusing on the principal fields of intellectual endeavor that are slated for inclusion in Shalem College. We encourage friends and supporters to write to us at information@shalem.org.il if they would like copies of the printed brochure for distribution to friends, family and colleagues.  The Shalem Center can also arrange to send the brochures directly to recipients, together with a personalized message on your behalf. Click here to read Shalem’s brochure online:

Academic Programs Coordinator
Shalem is looking for a Coordinator for Academic Programs, to be responsible for conducting conferences and other initiatives with the international academic community. For more information, click here:

Shalem Mourns Galina Tocker
With deep sorrow the Shalem Center announces the sudden passing away of our friend and colleague Galina Tocker. Galina was an integral part of Shalem Press for seven years, and through her many talents and devotion helped to establish high standards of excellence. Before coming to Israel, she, together with her husband, were refuseniks in Soviet Russia, involved in printing and distributing outlawed books. Following her desire to live in Israel, Galina emigrated as soon as it became possible. Friends, family and colleagues of Galina mourn the passing of a woman who inspired others by her enthusiasm, wisdom and culture.

The following web addresses provide an easy to access directory of all Shalem Center sites:
The Shalem Center: www.shalemcenter.com
Azure: www.azure.org.il
Techelet: www.tchelet.org.il
The undergraduate program: www.shalemstudents.org
Hebraic Political Studies: www.hpstudies.org
Daniel Gordis: www.danielgordis.org
Michael Oren: www.michaeloren.com
IDF Lt. Gen.(Res.) Moshe Yaalon: www.mosheyaalon.com

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