H.E. Mr. Isaac Herzog                
President of the State of Israel         

Moshe Lion                 
Mayor of Jerusalem           

Mr. Moshe Lion was elected the 10th Mayor of Jerusalem, the eternal and undivided capital of the Jewish people, in 2018, and realected in 2023 for a seconed term. As Mayor, his priorities include improving the quality of life for the city's diverse residents, empowering local economic growth, rapid development of housing throughout the entire city, and strengthening international connections to the city for people of all faiths.

Mayor Lion has vast experience in public service. For the five years preceding his election as Mayor, Mr. Lion served as a City Councilman and as Chairman of Jerusalem’s 28 community committees.

Mr. Lion, among other positions, also served as Chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority and Chairman of Israel Railways.

Mr. Lion's first governmental appointment, in 1997, was as Director General and Senior Economic Advisor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Mayor Lion’s public service history is rooted in his previous work as a businessman and CPA.  He was the founding partner of Lion, Orlitzki, and Partners, a leading CPA firm in Israel, and member of the Moore Stephens International Partnership, one of the world's largest CPA and consulting firms.

Adv. Amit Becher is the president of the Israel Bar Association.In addition, Adv. Becher is the co-head of the white-collar crime practice at one of Israel's largest law firms (S. Horowitz & Co.), in which he specializes d in handling criminal and administrative cases in capital market, and white-collar cases. Prior to joining the law firm, Adv. Becher served for 12 years as a senior attorney and head of division at the Tel-Aviv District Attorney (Finance & Taxation), where he gained extensive experience in the white-collar field.
Adv. Becher handled a large number of high-profile and complex cases, dealing – among others – in stock manipulation, the use of inside information, reporting offenses, bribery, money laundering, criminal liability, Ponzi scams and various financial scams.
Adv. Becher extensive public activity stretches to his early days as a law student at Tel-Aviv University, in which he served as President of the Student Union and was member of the University’s Executive Board.
In 2019, Adv. Becher was elected as chair of the Tel-Aviv District at the Bar Association, and in June 2023 he was elected as president of the Israel Bar association. Since he took office, Adv. Becher is heavily involved at strengthening the independence of the Israeli legal system.
As one of the leaders of the efforts against the judicial overhaul, Adv. Becher is leading a civil campaign which emphasizes the importance of separation of powers in a democracy, and the rule of law, and led the Israel Bar to stand tall and support firmly with supporting the rule of law by submitting a petition against the reform, aimed to reduce the Reasonableness cause, maintaining the independence of the committee for selecting judges and an uncompromising fight for maintaining the position of the Bar Association in the committee for appointing judges.
Adv. Becher spoke before every possible forum – including official ones in the Israeli parliament and judicial system, and being interviewed daily about this issue.
Adv. Becher gain an LL.B. from Tel-Aviv University (2002), and a master's degree in public administration (MPA) from Harvard University (2018).

Interdisciplinary executive with 15+ years of experience in government relations, public diplomacy, international law, and nonprofit leadership. Proven ability to lead large-scale initiatives, shape narratives, and mobilize coalitions across sectors. Committed to defending Jewish communities and Israel’s legitimacy through strategic, legal, and diplomatic action at both national and international levels.
Professional Experience
July 2025 – Present – CEO, The International Assosiation of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
July 2024 – Present – Founder, NAG Strategy
2022 – 2025 – VP, Voices of Israel – Israel’s National Civil Advocacy Initiative (PBC)
• Strategy and execution of national advocacy initiatives with a $10M+ budget.
• Cross-sector project managment.
• Led multi-platform campaigns responding to the global rise in antisemitism post-October 7.
• Supervised cross-functional teams delivering measurable policy and perception impact.
2021 – 2022 – Director, Jewish Pluralism Watch, The Masorti Movement
• Directed the Knesset Watchdog Program monitoring legislative equality and religious freedom.
• Cultivate alliances with lawmakers and social change groups.
• Initiated campaigns promoting pluralism in Israeli public life.
2019 – 2021 – Attorney, Office of the Deputy Attorney General (International Law)
• Team-member on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Justice in negotiations on international trade and privacy agreements.
• preparation of legal briefs and policy position papers on international economic issues. Work included legal analysis, comparative research, and interagency coordination.
• Provided legal counsel for international regulatory frameworks.
2019 – Project Manager, Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy
• Managed the InnoDip Award initiative combining diplomacy and innovation.
2017 – 2018 – Legal Intern, Office of the Deputy Attorney General (International Law)
• Conducted legal research and drafted memoranda on international law, human rights, and national security.
• Contributed to preparation of state legal positions for High Court petitions and intergovernmental processes.
2014 – 2017 – Director of Communications, Masorti Movement in Israel
• Crafted national media strategy and advised executive decision-making.
• Oversaw international press relations during moments of public scrutiny.
Education
2023 – 2024 – M.A. in Law, Technology & Business Innovation, Cum Laude, Reichman University
2014 – 2017 – LL.B., Honors Program in Law and Government, Reichman University
• Argov Fellowship for Leadership and Diplomacy
• Volunteer Legal Assistant, Shurat HaDin
• StandWithUs Fellowship Alumna (2013–2014)
Academic Roles
2018 – 2021 – Reichman University
• Research and teaching assistant in international law, human rights, and security at Reichman University.
• Contributor to the ICRC 'IHL in Action' project and legal trainer at the Moot International Criminal Court in Germany and Poland.
Public Engagement & Leadership
2024 – Present – Council Member, Omer Local Council
• Chair of the Committee for the Advancement of the Child
• Leads education and equity projects for underserved communities in the Negev
Military Service
2008 – 2013 – IDF Spokesperson’s Unit (Captain, Reserve Duty)
• Spokesperson for Gaza Division; led operational communication strategy
• Conducted briefings for international media and diplomatic delegations
• Graduate of NATO Public Affairs Officers Course (2012)

          Photo credit:
Judiciary Spokesperson's Office

David Benjamin is an Israeli attorney and international consultant specializing in International Law, the Law of Armed Conflict and Counterterrorism.

He has lectured widely on these subjects, both in Israel and abroad and has been a frequent commentator in the Israeli and international media.

He is a former career-officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Advocate General's Corps (MAG) where he ultimately served as Chief Legal Advisor for the Gaza Strip and as Director of the Strategic and International Branch in the International Law Department. He continues to volunteer as a reservist in the IDF holding the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Parallel to his legal practice, since retiring from the IDF in 2009, David studied towards the Rabbinate and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in 2018. Today he serves as Rabbi of the Israeli Reform Congregation in Kiryat Ono.

He is a member of the Israel Bar Association, holds a Master's degree in Law from Tel-Aviv University and Bachelor's degrees in Law and Political Science from the University of Cape Town.

Laurie R. Blank is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the International  Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law, where she teaches the law of armed conflict and works directly with students to provide assistance to international tribunals, non-governmental organizations and militaries around the world on cutting edge issues in international law and armed conflict.  During the 2022-2024 academic years, she served as Special Counsel to the General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Defense. Professor Blank’s latest book is International Conflict and Security Law, and she is co-author of International Law and Armed Conflict: Fundamental Principles and Contemporary Challenges in the Law of War, a casebook on the law of war. She is also the co-director of the End of War Project, a multi-year project exploring a range of legal, policy, moral and strategic challenges in ending complex counterterrorism and counterinsurgency conflicts. Professor Blank has served as a Senior Fellow at the Lieber Institute for Law and Land Warfare and at the Stockton Center for International Law, and was a core expert on the Woomera Manual on International Law of Military Space Operations and the Oslo Manual on Selected Problems in the Law of Armed Conflict. 

She is the author of numerous articles and opinion pieces on topics in the law of armed conflict, including targeted killing and drone strikes, the classification of armed conflict, implementation of the law of armed conflict during military operations, cyber war, and law and legitimacy in armed conflict.  Before coming to Emory, Professor Blank was a Program Officer in the Rule of Law Program at the United States Institute of Peace.  At USIP, she directed the Experts’ Working Group on International Humanitarian Law, in particular a multi-year project focusing on New Actors in the Implementation and Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law. Professor Blank received an A.B. in Politics from Princeton University, an M.A. in International Relations from The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The Johns Hopkins University, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. 

Professor Irwin Cotler is the International Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, Emeritus Professor of Law at McGill University, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, served as "Canada's first Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism" and longtime Member of Parliament, constitutional and international human rights lawyer and counsel to Prisoners of Conscience. Prof. Cotler is a Lifetime Member of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL).

Israeli President Isaac Herzog conferred upon Professor Cotler the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, characterizing him as “a world-renowned human rights advocate who has made a special contribution in the field of the struggle for human rights, and in the fight against antisemitism, hate crimes, and racism.” (Jerusalem, Sept. 2023).

                    Photo: Efrat Eshel

Ofir Dayan is the Head of the Antisemitism and Delegitimization Research Team at the Institute for National Security Studies and the author of Intifada Globalized, published by Yedioth Books and Gefen Publishing. She was born and raised in Maale Shomron, a small community in the Samaria Region of Israel. She was an instructor, Head of Branch, and a full-time volunteer for the Betar Youth Movement.

She served as an officer in field positions in the IDF Spokesperson Unit and was awarded by the IDF Head of Operations for her role during Operation Protective Edge. Throughout the operation, she served as the spokesperson of the 188th Brigade (armored corps), accompanying them at the Gaza border. After Protective Edge, she became an officer and was the spokesperson of the biggest division in the IDF, the 80th Division, facing ISIS in Sinai. In the Swords of Iron War, she served as spokesperson of the 252 devision, the first reserves division to partake in war since 1982.  

Ofir holds an MIA in International Security Policy and a BA in International Relations from Columbia University. At the university, known to be one of the most anti-Israeli universities in the US, she spearheaded the fight for Israel as the President of Students Supporting Israel. 

Currently, she is writing her PhD and is a board member of Forum Dvorah. Ofir is also a frequent commentator and panelist on radio and television shows in Israel.

Fabiana Di Porto is an Italian lawyer, legal scholar, an Associate Professor of Economic Law and Tech at Unitelma Sapienza University and Adjunct professor of Innovation law and regulation at Luiss University of Rome, where she researches digital regulation, competition law, and artificial intelligence.

She is President of AGE – the Italian Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, leading the Association's legal and policy initiatives to combat antisemitism and discrimination through strategic litigation, advocacy, and legal education.

She also serves as Member of the Board of Governors of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL) and as Member of the Board of Arbitrators (Collegio dei Probiviri) of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI).

A frequent speaker at international conferences, formerly Forchheimer Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, her recent work focuses on legal responses to antisemitism, hate speech, and the protection of fundamental rights in the digital age.

Sir Clive Freedman was in practice as a barrister in London until 2018.  He was appointed Queen’s (now King’s) Counsel from 1997, specialising in commercial law, international arbitration, banking and finance, professional negligence and civil fraud.  He was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2018 where he sat until November 2025 in the King’s Bench Division and as an additional Judge of the Chancery Division. 

He is now in practice as an international arbitrator and has chambers at 7 King’s Bench Walk, London.  His profile is at https://7kbw.co.uk/profile/sir-clive-freedman/  He is a member of the ICC United Kingdom and ADR Committee.  He has lectured and is about to lecture on arbitration related subjects in Switzerland, South Africa, France, Israel and Dubai.

He is a Visiting Professor in Private International Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  He is a committee member of the British Legal Friends of the Hebrew University.   He was chair of the Bench and Bar committee of the UJIA which founded the Lord Taylor Voice and Music Therapy Clinic at David Yellin College, which continues to serve all people of Jerusalem and surrounds.

In March 2025, Clive became Chair of the UK branch of the IJL and thereafter became a member of the executive committee of the IJL.  Since then, the UK branch has held speaker events, namely Sir Richard Dearlove (former head of MI6), Daniel Taub (former Ambassador), Lord Hermer KC (then UK Attorney General) and Lady Simler (Supreme Court Judge).   As part of the UK branch involvement in legal initiatives to combat antisemitism, there will be a high profile event in October about this with a panel including a TV personality, a former (Conservative) Attorney General, a government adviser on anti-terrorism legislation and a Times journalist.  The UK branch is also seeking to provide mentoring to legal students and young lawyers.

He and his wife live in Tel Aviv and in London.  They have four children, two of whom live in Israel with their families and two in London (both lawyers).

Email address: cfreedman@7kbw.co.uk

Alyssa N. Grzesh is a New York attorney and Executive Director of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ), a national legal organization focused on antisemitism, human rights, and international law. In this role, Alyssa works with attorneys, judges, academics, policymakers, and Jewish and legal organizations to strengthen the legal response to antisemitism and advance AAJLJ’s human rights mission.

Alyssa leads AAJLJ’s national programming and strategic initiatives addressing antisemitism, Holocaust history, civil rights, and international law. She builds partnerships with legal and advocacy organizations and coordinates and contributes to amicus advocacy, including briefs before the United States Supreme Court involving Holocaust restitution and international law. Under her leadership, AAJLJ has significantly expanded its membership, programming, and national reach.

Alyssa has also worked with the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL), including helping organize a United Nations side panel highlighting the work of the Dinah Project and addressing conflict-related sexual violence arising from the October 7 attacks. Her broader work focuses on strengthening relationships among Jewish lawyers and legal organizations in the United States, Israel, and internationally, and creating opportunities for the legal community to engage with issues affecting Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.

In addition to her work with AAJLJ, Alyssa serves as Vice President of Programming of the Jewish Lawyers Guild, where she develops legal and educational programming bringing together members of the judiciary, government officials, attorneys, academics, and community leaders. She is active in New York’s broader legal and bar association community and has participated in judicial screening and selection processes.

In her legal practice, Alyssa has handled complex commercial litigation, employment matters, institutional accountability claims, and Holocaust-era restitution matters. Her experience includes litigation involving major financial institutions as well as Holocaust-era art restitution and property recovery matters.

Alyssa also writes on legal, international, and Jewish affairs. Her work has appeared in Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) and legal publications including the New York State Bar Association Journal and NY Litigator. Her writing has addressed international affairs, institutional responsibility, terrorism-related litigation, antisemitism, and issues affecting Israel and the Jewish community.

Alyssa received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Wellesley College.

Professor Emeritus.
Honorary President of Panthéon-Sorbonne University

Professor Georges Haddad is a mathematician and academic leader whose career has spanned pure
and applied mathematics, university governance, and international education policy. Born in La Goulette, Tunisia, in 1951, he pursued his studies at the École Normale Supérieure (rue d'Ulm) in Paris, earning a Master's degree in Mathematical Sciences from Université Paris VII (1972), a
Diplôme d'Études Approfondies in Mathematics from Université Paris VI (1973), the Agrégation de Mathématiques (1974), and a Doctorat d'État ès Sciences Mathématiques (1983).
His academic career began as an Assistant at the Université de Tours (1975-1976) and continued at Université Paris-Dauphine (1976-1983). He became Maître-assistant at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in 1983, was appointed Professor at the Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis in 1984, and returned to Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne as Professor in 1987, where he later attained the Classe Exceptionnelle. His research has focused on mathematics applied to decision theory and on the theory of dynamical systems and complexity, notably in the field of viability theory, and he founded the "Marin Mersenne" Research Laboratory for mathematics, computer science and interdisciplinary applications. He is the author of numerous scientific publications in leading international journals, including the Israel Journal of Mathematics, the Journal of Differential Equations, and the Annales de l'Institut Henri Poincaré.
Professor Haddad was twice elected President of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (1989 1994 and 2016-2020), and since December 2018 has served as President of the Panthéon-Sorbonne University Foundation. Within French higher education governance, he served as Vice-President (1990-1992) and then Chairman (1992-1994) of the Conference of University Presidents of France (CPU). He holds the title of Honorary President of Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. At UNESCO, Professor Haddad held a series of senior responsibilities over nearly two decades. He chaired the Advisory Committee on Higher Education and the Steering Committee of the
World Conference on Higher Education (1994-1999) and served as a member of the World Bank UNESCO Task Force on Higher Education in Developing Countries (1999-2000). From April 2004 to November 2010 he was Director of the Division of Higher Education in UNESCO's Education Sector, and from December 2010 to September 2013 he was the founding Director of the Research and Foresight Unit in Education (ED/ERF). Through these roles, he has been a leading international voice on the mission, governance, and future of higher education, and on
universities' responsibility to society. He has served on numerous scientific and administrative boards, including the Scientific Council of the Œuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE), the Board of the Maison de Tunisie en France, the Scientific Council of the World Knowledge Dialogue Forum (Switzerland), the International Scientific Council of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the Board of the Fondation La République Européenne des Lettres, the Council and Bureau of the United Nations University
(as UNESCO's representative), and the Observatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum, among others. He has also contributed articles to the four-volume Dictionnaire Culturel de la Langue Française (Éditions Le Robert, 2005).
Professor Haddad is a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (France) for scientific research, a Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (France) for education, a Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Ecuador, and holds an honorary doctorate (Docteur Honoris Causa) from the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique of the Université du Québec, Canada.

Irit Kohn, an Israeli lawyer, served as President of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (2011–2017).

She is a recognized expert in international criminal law, extradition, and universal jurisdiction, and has lectured at Bar-Ilan University and the College of Management (2005–2008).

From 1995 to 2005, Kohn was Director of the International Affairs Department at Israel’s Ministry of Justice. She took part in international criminal litigation for the State of Israel, including extradition, mutual legal assistance, prisoner transfer, and child abduction under the Hague Convention. She led treaty negotiations with foreign governments, advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and represented Israel before international bodies, including the Council of Europe.

Kohn chaired Israel’s defense team in Belgium in a landmark universal jurisdiction case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, founded an intergovernmental-academic committee on universal jurisdiction, and was a member of Israel’s committees on the International Criminal Court and the ICJ advisory opinion on the security fence.

Kohn served as Deputy Director of the department (1989–1995) and as Legal Officer in the State Comptroller’s Office (1971–1989).

She authored the extradition chapter in International Law (2003) and has published and lectured widely on international law, human rights, and terror.

Kohn holds an LL.B. from Hebrew University (1968), served as an IDF officer, and has been a member of the Israel Bar since 1968.

She is a widow since 2021, and has three children and four grandchildren.

Founder and Advisor, Levitan Sharon & Co. Law Offices

Rachel Levitan is the founder and former Senior Partner of Levitan Sharon & Co. Law Offices, a leading Israeli law firm specializing in insurance and reinsurance. The firm is ranked Tier 1 for Insurance by The Legal 500.

Following a distinguished legal career, Rachel expanded her academic work in the field of Holocaust Studies. After completing an additional M.A. in Holocaust Studies at the University of Haifa, cum laude, she developed and taught a full academic course on Law and the Holocaust at several Israeli law faculties, including Tel Aviv University, Reichman University, and the College of Management Academic Studies.

The course combines the study of Holocaust history with an emphasis on its legal dimensions and their relevance to contemporary legal and societal issues. Among the subjects addressed are the Nuremberg Trials and the prosecution of Julius Streicher, publisher of the antisemitic Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer, considered alongside contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and incitement through social media.

The course also examines legal issues concerning property looted during the Holocaust and the legal frameworks and mechanisms that have enabled restitution and recovery efforts in subsequent decades.

In 2023, Rachel was selected as an Outstanding Lecturer by the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University.

For several years, Rachel was responsible for Holocaust Remembrance Day activities at the Israel Bar Association, and also led educational courses and programs on Holocaust-related legal issues within the Bar.

Rachel serves as Vice Chair and a member of the Board of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL). In this capacity, she recently initiated a scholarship program for young law lecturers who incorporate Holocaust-related perspectives and issues into their academic courses.

Rachel is a member of the Audit Committee of Reichman University, having previously served as a member of the University's Board.

She is also a member of the Helsinki Committee of Ichilov Hospital (Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center).

Education: LL.M., Law & Business Administration, cum laude Tel Aviv University

M.A., Holocaust Studies, cum laude University of Haifa

James Libson has been at Mishcon de Reya since 1991.  He established and led its Employment practice as well as chairing the Disputes and Private Departments. James served as Managing Partner of from 2020 to 2026 and is now the firm's Senior Partner. 

He is a litigator who has been involved in a number of the highest profile cases of the last 30 years, including acting for Deborah Lipstadt in her defence of the claim brought against her by the holocaust denier, David Irving (which case was made into a film, Denial); for Gina Miller in both her Supreme Court challenges relating, in 2016, to Article 50 and, in 2019, to prorogation; for the Jewish Labour Movement in its referral of the Labour Party to the EHRC; posthumously for Ruth Ellis (the last woman to be executed in the UK) on her conditional pardon in 2026; and on several matters of national and international importance over the last 25 years or so.

His client base is comprised of private individuals, prominent families, corporations and sovereign interests.  

He received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Law in 2018 and in 2020 was named Lawyer of the Year by Legal Business for his central role in the growth of the Firm over the past 20 years, work in the Supreme Court ruling on R (on behalf of Miller) v The Prime Minister and in acting for Jewish Labour Movement on antisemitism in the Labour Party. In 2024, James was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. 

Using the law to fight antisemitism has been a constant of his practice and James acts for all of the main UK and several international Jewish communal institutions. 

 James has sat as a trustee and chaired several charities, including the UK's principal Israel supporting charity, UJIA and World Jewish Relief, the UK Jewish community's international aid agency which he continues to serve as Honorary Life President

Website: https://wikibiases.org | Phone: 052-3349112 | Email: lirshlomit@gmail.com

Dr. Shlomit Lir is a scholar and public expert on the politics of knowledge, Wikipedia, and bias in digital knowledge systems. A lecturer and researcher affiliated with the University of Haifa and Bar-Ilan University, her work examines how public knowledge is produced, mediated, legitimized, and contested through technological systems, community norms, source hierarchies, and relations of power.

Her interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of technology, media, culture, gender, and political communication. Her scholarship has developed from foundational research on gender bias, exclusion, and participation on Wikipedia to a broader investigation of political bias, minority-editor experiences, narrative manipulation, and the governance of contested knowledge. Across these areas, she examines how institutional and sociotechnical structures shape participation, visibility, voice, and the authority granted to particular forms of knowledge.

A central focus of her current research is English Wikipedia as a global knowledge infrastructure and as an arena in which political authority, cultural memory, and epistemic legitimacy are negotiated. Her work on Israel, Jewish identity, Zionism, antisemitism, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict examines both content and the mechanisms through which particular narratives acquire authority, including terminology, contextual omission, source selection, editorial access, consensus-building practices, enforcement procedures, and the marginalization of minority perspectives. She uses the concept of knowledge poisoning to describe forms of epistemic distortion that may operate not through demonstrably false information, but through the cumulative effects of framing, omission, asymmetrical terminology, selective organization of facts, and seemingly minor editorial changes with broader narrative consequences.

Her report on bias against Israel on English Wikipedia, commissioned by the World Jewish Congress, was presented at a special gathering at the United Nations in Geneva in 2024. Her subsequent research has expanded this work through the analysis of Wikipedia articles, editor communities, governance mechanisms, and the experiences of veteran Jewish editors. Her recent academic work examines the tension between Wikipedia’s ideals of open participation and neutrality and the processes of friction, deterrence, and withdrawal experienced by minority editors in politically contested areas.

Dr. Lir has published extensively in international academic journals on digital inclusion, gender, social justice, media representation, and Wikipedia. She is the author and editor of nine books addressing gender, age, identity, culture, and feminist politics, and has received awards for research excellence and for advancing women in science and technology.

Alongside her academic work, Dr. Lir provides strategic consulting on knowledge bias, gender and technology, Wikipedia, and the ethical governance of digital information systems. She is the founder of WikiBiases, a platform dedicated to documenting and analyzing bias on Wikipedia, and the creator of the international exhibition Manipulated History, which examines consequential changes to Wikipedia articles before and after October 7. Her work also addresses Wikipedia’s growing influence within the broader digital knowledge ecosystem, including search engines and artificial-intelligence systems that reproduce and amplify its content.

Talia Naamat is an Israeli attorney and Head of the Legal Center for Combating Antisemitism at the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. Her work focuses on international human rights law, freedom of religion, and legal responses to antisemitism. At IJL, she leads strategic cases and legal research, including work involving campus antisemitism, incitement, discrimination, and the protection of Jewish communities.

 She holds an LL.B. from Bar-Ilan University and an M.A. magna cum laude in Comparative Religion from Tel Aviv University. She is also the co-editor of Legislating for Equality, a comparative legal compendium examining legislation on freedom of religion, non-discrimination, and minority rights across all UN member states.

Her publications include “Hate Speech and the First Amendment” (2022); “A Stunning Decision: Did the European Court of Justice Signal the End of Kosher Butchering Across the Continent?” (2021); “Are the New Forms of Antisemitism Prohibited in European Legal Systems?” (2021); “The Legal Significance of the Working Definition of Antisemitism: Recent Trends and Case Law” (2020); and “The Anti-Israeli Boycott as Discrimination against Jewish Groups and Israeli Persons: International, European and National Legal Trends” (2017).

Professor Pamela S. Nadell holds the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History at American University where she directs the Jewish Studies Program and received American University’s highest faculty award, Scholar/Teacher of the Year.              

Her new book, Antisemitism, an American Tradition (W.W. Norton, 2026; paperback 2026) won the National Jewish Book Award in American Jewish Studies.  The Wall Street Journal named it a “Book to Read.”  It was one of Hadassah Magazine’s Best Jewish Nonfiction Books of the Year and one of Religion News Service’s Top 10 Religion and Spirituality Books of the Year.  The Atlantic magazine writer Franklin Foer wrote: “This is the book that the world needs now, a bracing narrative of dark chapters from America’s past–history which continues to stalk the nation. Nadell writes with command and a detective’s sense for where buried episodes of antisemitism can be found.”

An earlier book, America’s Jewish Women: A History from Colonial Times to Today (W.W. Norton, 2019), won the Jewish Book Council’s National Jewish Book Award –Everett Family Foundation Book of the Year.  Nadell’s other titles include Women Who Would Be Rabbis: A History of Women’s Ordination, 1889-1985 (1998), which was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award in Women’s Studies.  

A popular lecturer on American Jewish life, she has riveted audiences across the US, Europe, and Israel.  Many will remember her congressional testimony as the fourth witness in the hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and University of Pennsylvania (December 2023). 

Past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and a member of the American Academy for Jewish Research, the American Jewish Historical Society recognized her distinguished service to the profession with its Lee Max Friedman Award. 

Her consulting to museums includes Tel Aviv’s ANU: The Museum of the Jewish People, Philadelphia’s Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, and Pittsburgh’s new Tree of Life complex under construction on the site of the deadliest attack on Jews on American soil.

Nadell earned a doctorate at The Ohio State University, a B.A. from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

pnadell@american.edu
www.pamelanadell.com
202.885.2425

Dr. Gilad Noam, Deputy Attorney General (International Law)
Ministry of Justice, State of Israel

Dr. Gilad Noam heads the Office of the Deputy Attorney General (International Law), which advises Israel's government on all aspects of public international law, including its interpretation and application within Israel's legal system. As Deputy Attorney General (International Law), Dr. Noam leads the State of Israel's representation in proceedings before international tribunals such as the International Court of Justice, and leads the department's participation in international forums, as well as Israel's bilateral
and multilateral negotiations, to promote Israel’s interests in various areas related to international law. He heads a department divided into eight dedicated divisions that
specialize in different areas of international law. These include core topics of public and private international law, international human rights law, the law of armed conflict,
international economic law, international technology law and international criminal law. Prior to his appointment as Deputy Attorney General (International Law), Dr. Noam headed the International Justice Division in the department. Dr. Noam has lectured on various areas of international law at several academic institutions. He has published
papers on a wide array of topics, including international criminal law, international economic law, the application of international law within the Israeli legal system and the
suppression of financing of terrorism. Dr. Noam clerked for Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinisch in 2000-2001 and later served as a legal assistant in her chambers.
Dr. Noam holds an LL.B. and a bachelor's degree in Arabic and Arab literature (2001), an LL.M. (2004) and a Ph.D. in law (2013), all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

             Photo credit:
  Judiciary Spokesperson's Office

Former Senior Diplomat | US Affairs Expert | Crisis Management & International Regulation Expert

Current Roles
Public Policy Director, TikTok Israel
Adjunct Lecturer, Reichman University, (Diplomacy and Communications)
Strategic Consultant (Led high-profile international crisis responses, including serving as International Strategist for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Previous Experience
CEO, Voices of Israel (Koloteyha Shel Yisrael – Global Advocacy Organization)
CEO Israel & Global Vice President, The Israel Project (US Advocacy Organization)

Strategic Consultant for Global Brands & Organizations (Clients included Airbnb Israel, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Weizmann Institute of Science, and others)
Spokesperson, Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.
Chief of Staff, Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.
Spokesperson, Embassy of Israel in India

Avraham (Avrumi) Yishai is an expert in criminal law, with a particular focus on counter-terrorism.

He has extensive practical experience in developing legislation, legal frameworks and administrative measures that support effective counter-terrorism while maintaining an appropriate balance between national security and individual rights in democratic societies.

He holds an LL.B. (1994) and an LL.M. with distinction (2009) from Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Law. After completing his legal internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1995, he served as a legal adviser in Israel’s public service from 1995 to 2016. His work focused primarily on the legal aspects of counter-terrorism, including legislation, law-enforcement powers and administrative frameworks.

Until the end of 2025, he headed the Legal Center for Combating Antisemitism at the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL).

Professor Yaffa Zilbershats specializes in international law, constitutional law, human rights, and migration law. She has authored and edited several books, book chapters, and academic articles, and has participated in conferences in Israel and around the world.
She earned her LL.B. and Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University and her LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University.

From 2004 to 2007, Prof. Zilbershats served as Dean of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University, and from 2010 to 2015, she served as Deputy President of the University.

Prof. Zilbershats has served on several public committees, including the Committee for the Preparation of Citizenship Legislation, the Rubinstein Committee for Reviewing Israel’s Immigration Policy, the Ne’eman Committee for Drafting a Constitution for the State of Israel, and the Keshev Committee for Drafting New Legislation on Equality in Military and Civilian Service.
She also served as Academic Adviser to the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists and as a member of the boards of the Israel Democracy Institute and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

From 2015 to 2021, Prof. Zilbershats served as Chair of the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Council for Higher Education in Israel. In this capacity, she led the development and implementation of Israel’s six-year plan for higher education and oversaw an annual budget of more than NIS 10 billion. During her tenure, the budget increased steadily, reaching NIS 13 billion in 2022.
The six-year plan focused on advancing research at institutions of higher education, particularly in personalized medicine, quantum science and technology, data science, and artificial intelligence, as well as on developing research infrastructure at Israeli universities.

In response to the digital revolution and its impact on higher education, Prof. Zilbershats initiated the New Campus project. The initiative encompassed digital learning, entrepreneurship and innovation centers, courses combining academic study with practical experience in preparation for the labor market, and the restructuring of academic programs to facilitate personalized and lifelong learning.

Alongside the advancement of basic research and the New Campus initiative, Prof. Zilbershats worked to remove barriers between academia and industry and to enhance the broader contribution of academic institutions to Israeli society beyond research and teaching. The multi-year plan she led sought to make higher education accessible to all sectors of Israeli society, including Arab citizens, residents of Israel’s geographic periphery, and the ultra-Orthodox community.

Dr. Raz Zimmt is the Director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He is also the co-editor of the institute’s journal, Strategic Assessment. He holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history from Tel Aviv University. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on Iranian policy towards Nasserism and Arab radicalism between 1954 and 1967.

He is the author of the book "Iran From Within: State and Society in the Islamic Republic" published (in Hebrew) in 2022, and has published extensively on Iranian politics, society, and foreign policy. He has also regularly provided expert commentary to Israeli and international media. Dr. Zimmt is a veteran Iran watcher in the Israeli Defense Forces where he served for more than two decades.