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Tocqueville's Masterpiece Published in Hebrew by Shalem Press
December 18, 2008 | 21 Kislev 5769
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Shalem Press Publishes First Full Hebrew Translation of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
The Shalem Press has published the first complete Hebrew translation of Alexis de Tocqueville’s classic work Democracy in America. Written originally in French between 1835 and 1840, Tocqueville’s book describes democratic society in America and the American way of life with both an admiring and a critical eye. Israel Prize-winning author and translator Aharon Amir translated the book for Shalem Press, and Shalem associate fellow Ofir Haivry wrote the introduction. Tocqueville’s masterpiece will be taught at the liberal arts college that the Shalem Center is working to set up, and will be on the reading list for freshmen taking Introduction to Modern Politics classes as well as History of the West and Mideast: Mohammed to the Cold War. Click here to read more about Shalem Press publications:
Global Terror Experts Attend Adelson Institute Counterinsurgency Conference
More than two hundred people, including prominent public figures and representatives from the military, the judiciary, and the media, came together in Tel Aviv on December 8, 2008 for the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies’ conference, “Twenty-First Century Wars: Counterinsurgency and the Challenge of Global Terrorism.” Attendees included Lt. Col. John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security, co-author of the U.S. Army/USMC Counterinsurgency Field Manual, Middle East scholar Prof. Bernard Lewis and former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Adelson Institute, noted that the “tragic events in Mumbai are a harsh reminder that the free world must focus and develop a comprehensive strategy together – one that combines political, judicial, social and media strategies - as well as military options.” To read the extensive media coverage of the conference in the English and Hebrew press click here:
Society of Biblical Literature Creates Unit on the Hebrew Bible and Political Theory
Recognizing the contribution to be made by examining the biblical text through the lens of political theory, the Society of Biblical Literature has accepted the request of Prof. Steven Grosby of Clemson University and Dr. Joshua Berman of Bar-Ilan University (who is a Shalem Associate Fellow) to establish a unit devoted to the topic of Hebrew Bible and Political Theory. The SBL encourages scholarly papers to be delivered in a variety of sub fields at its annual conference, held each November in the United States, and attended by over 5,000 scholars from around the world. Click here to read more about units at SBL:
In Manhattan, Shalem’s Baylene Wacks Reaches Out to the Center’s Supporters
Baylene Wacks, the Shalem Center's Director of Leadership Development, has relocated from Jerusalem to New York City, and will be continuing her work from there. "Transitioning my role from Jerusalem to Manhattan will enable us to more effectively keep Shalem lay leadership informed of and engaged in our efforts, as well as to expand Shalem's network of supporters by being a part of the New York community," Wacks told E-News. Among other projects, Wacks will be working to expand the Manhattan Seminar, and perhaps to bring this model into other communities in North America. She can be contacted at baylenew@shalem.org.il. Click here to read more about the Manhattan Seminar:
Weizmann Institute, Hebrew University Ranked Top in List of Best Places for Scientists to Work in Academia
The Scientist magazine has ranked the Weitzmann Institute and the Hebrew University first and second respectively in its annual Best Places to Work in Academia survey. The ranking, which covers life sciences at institutions outside the United States, is based on a survey the magazine carried out among more than 2,300 life scientists from academic institutions around the world. Among the 41 criteria, participants of the ranking were asked to rank institutions according to the overall job satisfaction of the scientists there, the condition of the facilities, and the availability of resources for research. Hebrew University President Menachem Magidor said he is proud that two Israeli research institutions were ranked at the top of a list of best academic work places outsides the United States. "The Hebrew University is a leading research institution in Israel and the world, and its researchers benefit from mutual inspiration, through a spirit of creative thought and research excellence." Click here to read news of the announcement at MarketWatch:
What’s Liberal? And Why Arts?
Robert A. Weisbuch, president of Drew University, a distinguished scholar of American literature and former president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, has authored several Articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education addressing the crises in the humanities and liberal arts. In 'What's Liberal and Why Arts?', published August 24, 2007, he argues the benefits of “using learning to meet social urgencies” and concludes that “the notion of reaching beyond the self is the liberal arts.” Redefining the university by that “messy but potentially muscular idea” he writes further on the purpose of higher education,” If we had a name for the liberal arts that engaged students and grant makers rather than baffled or vaguely repelled them, it would be of benefit… From now on, how about we just call it college." Click here to read the article:
Israeli Students’ Math and Science Skills Slide Down International League Tables
In what the Jerusalem Post called "yet another indication of the country's troubled education system" and Ynet referred to as a showcase of "mediocrity", Israeli students ranked lower than their peers in Western countries in math and science. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) exams were taken by 4,300 Israeli students aged between 9 and 13. Israel placed 24th out of 49 nations in math, coming in behind Malaysia, Norway, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. In science, Israel was in 25th place. Click here to read the article:
Two Peoples, Two Narratives – New Book Studies Interface Between Memory and Politics in Middle East
In an insightful and wide ranging account, Jacob Lassner, a Professor of Jewish civilization at Northwestern University and S. Ilan Troen, a Professor of Israel Studies at Brandeis University and Director of the newly established Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, describe the differing narratives of Jewish and Arab history and their role in the Middle East Conflict. In Jews and Muslims in the Arab World: Haunted By Pasts Real and Imagined, Lassner and Troen observe that “no other conflict has been scrutinized so closely…yet this surfeit of attention has not led to a profound understanding of the issues." The book focuses on the historical narrative of Jewish and Arab attachment to the Land of Israel and describes anti-Israel comparisons of Israel to Apartheid or colonialism as making "for a concoction that tastes flat to a cultivated historical palate." Hebrew University Professor Shlomo Avineri describes Jews and Muslims in the Arab World as "a fascinating study of the interface between memory and politics." Click here to read further reviews of the book:
Shalem PPR Fellow, R. Joseph Isaac Lifshitz Speaks and Publishes on Charity
R. Joseph Isaac Lifshitz, a Senior Fellow in the Shalem Center’s Institute for Philosophy, Political Theory and Religion, spoke in November at the book launch of On the Economy and Sustenance, at the Beit Avi Chai cultural and social center in Jerusalem. Rabbi Lifshitz spoke alongside the Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan and Nobel Prize winner Robert Aumann in front of a select audience of fifty attendees. Lifshitz’s paper, 'Charity and welfare, the Individual and the Community' appears in the book and explores the idea of private property in Jewish thought. Click here to read more about R. Joseph Isaac Lifshitz:
Shalem Economists Selected to Attend Global Research Forum
Senior Fellows Omer Moav and Eric Gould of the Shalem Center's Institute for Economic and Social Policy were selected to take part in the National Bureau of Economic Research's Summer Institute: Labor Studies workshop, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in July 2008. The NBER, which was founded in 1920, is the largest economics research organization in the United States, and its summer institute is among the most prestigious events at which economists compete for the opportunity to present. Moav and Gould's paper, ‘When is “Too Much” Inequality Not Enough? The Selection of Israeli Emigrants" noted that job opportunities in the U.S "entice higher ability Israelis to leave the country" and caution that "even if a country has a high level of inequality, like Israel, it should be careful about reducing it in ways that will lead to a significant brain drain." Click here to read the paper, When is 'Too Much' Inequality Not Enough? The Selection of Israeli Emigrants:
Kramer and Oren Examine Significance of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas
Shalem Senior Fellows Michael Oren and Martin Kramer were both invited to participate in a day-long event in November at the Hudson Institute Center for Middle East Policy in Washington D.C. A series of panel discussions, entitled ‘'Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas: Tehran's war against the West by proxy?’ also included David Schenker, Director of the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Meyrav Wurmser, Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Hudson Institute. Martin Kramer, Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center's Adelson Institute for Strategic studies spoke on 'Iranian Ideology and Strategic Ambitions' while Oren discussed ‘The Iranian threat in the Levant: an Israeli perspective.' Click here for a description of the event at the Hudson Institute Center for Middle East Policy:
Christian-Muslim Seminary Draws More than 200 For Event with Yossi Klein Halevi
A wide coalition of groups came together at the Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut to sponsor and hear Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center's Adelson Institute for Strategic studies, speak on a 'Journey of Reconciliation: A Religious Jew’s Spiritual Encounters with Christianity and Islam in the Holy Land.’ At the event, co-sponsored by the American Muslim Peace Initiative, the Anti- Defamation League as well as the Church of St. Timothy in West Hartford and the local Office for Black Catholic Ministries, Halevi argued that "we live in a time of intensifying fear, even dread for the future, in which religion will play an increasingly pivotal role." Halevi noted that the reason peace remains elusive is the Arab world’s refusal to accept the legitimacy of Israel but added that "Islam has within it the capability of accepting Jewish sovereignty." Click here to download Yossi Klein Halevi’s lecture in mp3 format:
‘The U.S. Will Continue to Lead’, Haivry Op-Ed Published in Israeli National Daily, Yediot Achranot
An opinion piece published in Israeli daily Yediot Achranot by Ofir Haivry, Associate Fellow at the Shalem Center's Institute for Philosophy, Political Theory and Religion, says that despite the economic crisis, America will retain its position of leadership in the world for years to come. Haivry, who wrote the introduction to the Shalem Press' translation of Tocqueville's monumental work Democracy in America (see story above) notes that America’s unique combination of political freedom, religious belief, and work ethic are values that reinforce one another to keep America strong. Click here to read Haivry’s insights (in English) on the book:
Sharansky Outlines Approach to Peace from Bottom Up
Adelson Institute Chairman Natan Sharansky writes in the Jerusalem Post outlining the Institute’s strategy for achieving peace through a “bottom up” approach that encourages the transformation of Palestinian society as a precursor to a stable and lasting peace. The approach is a feature of the best selling memoir of Adelson Distinguished Fellow Gen. Moshe Ya’alon, The Longer Shorter Way. “[Reform] will demand policies based on the type of hard-headed pragmatism that Moshe Ya’alon offers in his book.” Sharansky writes. Click here to read the article:
Shalem Senior Fellow Eilat Mazar Named to The Jerusalem Post ‘People of the Year’ List
The annual Jerusalem Post ‘People of the Year’ issue profiles Shalem Senior Fellow Eilat Mazar, and writes: “She has been at the forefront of a series of back-to-back Jerusalem archeological finds, including what she believes is the biblical palace of King David, a discovery which led her to international prominence. She has also been at the epicenter of a public campaign against Islamic destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount, and has repeatedly and unflinchingly criticized - and clashed with - the Israel Antiquities Authority for overlooking and turning a blind eye to the past desecration of Judaism's holiest site, which has earned her the reputation of something of a black sheep in the local archeological world. Meet Dr. Eilat Mazar.” Click here to read the article:
David Keyes to Coordinate Adelson Institute Democracy Programs
David Keyes has been named as coordinator of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies’ programs in democracy. Prior to joining the Institute in 2008, Keyes assisted former ambassador to the U.N Dore Gold, served in the Strategic Division of the Israeli army and conducted research on terrorism at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He has written for The New Republic, National Review and the Jerusalem Post. On graduating with honors from UCLA in Middle Eastern and North African Studies he completed a Masters degree at Tel Aviv University in Diplomacy. Keyes recently organized a demonstration at the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv on behalf of imprisoned blogger Kareem Amer, who was sentenced to four years in prison for criticizing the regime. Keyes remarked; "cyber dissidents throughout the Arab world and Iran are imprisoned for nothing more than speaking their minds… It remains an unassailable truth that no one is free when others are oppressed. " Click here to read about the protest in Jerusalem Post:
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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