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Jerusalem

Israel

1-3 Nov, 2026

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Speakers

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*Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name

Greetings

                 

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

Isaac Herzog is the 11th President of the State of Israel.
The son of Israel's sixth President, Chaim Herzog and grandson of Israel's first Chief Rabbi, Yizhak Isaac Halevi Herzog, President Isaac Herzog was born in Tel Aviv in 1960, trained as a lawyer and became senior partner in one of Israel's leading Law firms.
In 2003, Herzog was elected member of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, after serving as Government Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak (1999-2001). Throughout his 15 years in the Knesset, Herzog held several parliamentary and ministerial posts, among them Minister of Housing and Construction; Minister of Tourism; Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Society and the Fight Against Anti-Semitism. Herzog's revolutionary term as Minister of Welfare & Social Services is considered his crowning achievement in the Government of Israel. Herzog was a Member of Israel's Security Cabinet, in addition to serving as Government Coordinator for the Provision of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza.
In 2013, Herzog was elected Chairman of the Israeli Labor Party, the founding party of the State of Israel, becoming Leader of the Opposition. Two years later he led the alliance between the Labor Party and the Hatnua Party to form Israel's largest center-left political party of that time – the Zionist Union, which made him a leading candidate for Prime Minister during the 2015 national elections.
In June of 2018, Herzog was appointed Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the historic organization which laid the foundations of the State of Israel and the largest Jewish NGO in the world. As JAFI Chairman he led the process of restructuring the organization, which reinvigorated it, reaffirmed its prominence within world Jewry, and solidified JAFI's status as a bridge to Jewish communities worldwide and the State of Israel.
On July 7, 2021 Isaac Herzog was sworn in as the 11th President of the State of Israel, following an overwhelming majority vote at the Knesset which constituted a historic landslide victory.
President Herzog published numerous books and articles in Israel and worldwide, and is a sought after speaker in different fields all over the world. He is married to Michal, also a lawyer by profession and an expert in philanthropy, and they have three sons.
Photo Credit: Avi Ohion

Mayor of Jerusalem - Moshe Lion         

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.

Moderators/Speakers

David Benjamin          

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            

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. 

Ofir Dayan              


                        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.

Ariela Di Gioacchino           
Ariela Di Gioacchino is President of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), representing more than 800,000 Jewish students worldwide. She also serves as an ex officio Vice President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and sits on the Advisory Committee of ACCESS Europe at the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Prior to her election, she worked as a Policy Officer at the European Union of Jewish Students in Brussels and served as Secretary General of the Italian Union of Jewish Students. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Governance and International Relations from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and a Master's Degree in International Relations: Crime, Justice and Security from the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy).

Fabiana Di Porto             

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             

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               

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 Georges Haddad           

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.

James Libson               

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

Adv. Meir Linzen             
Adv. Meir Linzen has served as President of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL) since 2018. Under his leadership, the IJL has actively advanced legal advocacy on the global stage, submitting briefs and legal opinions to national courts—including in Poland and Germany—constitutional courts such as the U.S. Supreme Court and Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, the European Court of Justice, and international tribunals at The Hague, including the ICC and ICJ. He is Chairman of Herzog Fox & Neeman, one of Israel’s foremost law firms, where he previously served as Managing Partner for over two decades. He currently leads the firm’s Tax Department. A summa cum laude graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Law (1980), Adv. Linzen was later awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy by the university in recognition of his contributions to academia and public life in Israel. Adv. Linzen has held visiting professorships at Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He served on the Executive Board of Tel Aviv University for nearly ten years and continues to serve on its Board of Trustees. He also chairs the Board of Trustees of the university’s Faculty of Law.  A senior figure in the Israel Bar Association, Linzen chairs both its International Relations and Tax Committees and represents the Association on various public and governmental bodies. Born to Polish Holocaust survivors, Linzen’s personal history informs his deep commitment to justice and human rights. His mother, Ita Linzen (née Weisman), survived the Warsaw Ghetto, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen. Adv. Linzen remains actively engaged in legal efforts to combat antisemitism and defend the State of Israel in International legal arenas.
Adv. David Lipkin              
Adv. David Lipkin is a lawyer from Riga, Latvia. He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Jewish Volunteers’ Association and pro-Israel diaspora Association JEWNITED.LV based in Riga, Latvia. Leading the association’s initiatives to strengthen Jewish identity by fostering meaningful connections with Israel, advocating for Israel, and countering anti-Israel propaganda through strategic communication and legal frameworks. Since 2007, he has served as Senior In-house Lawyer for LNK Industries, (Riga, Latvia) specializing in corporate and commercial law, real estate and construction projects and providing a wide range of legal services. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences “Legal Sciences” from the University of Latvia Faculty of Law (2009) and a lawyer qualification from the same university. He is currently an applicant for advocate’s license with the Israel Bar Association. He is fluent in Latvian, English, Russian and has a basic understanding of Hebrew.
Dr. Shlomit Lir                  

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.

Adv. Talia Naamat                  

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).

Pamela S. Nadell                 

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

Adv. Hernán Najenson              
Adv. Hernán Najenson is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in private, academic, and public sectors. In 2000, he graduated from the University of Buenos Aires with a focus on Public International Law and pursued a Master's degree in Corporate Law at Universidad Notarial Argentina. He was appointed as a senior advisor for the third round of the FATF/GAFI evaluation by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the U.S. Department of Justice and Treasury. In his professional practice, he specialized in Corporate and Insolvency Law and founded his own law firm.  In the academic field, he is an associate professor of Human and Constitutional Rights at the University of Buenos Aires and holds the professorship for the subject "New Paradigms of Corporate Law." He also teaches Economic Legislation at the National Technological University and is the director of the Free Chair on Security, Justice, and Technology at the National University of La Plata. He is also a researcher in the project: "Judaism's Contribution to Human Rights" at the Law School of the University of Buenos Aires.  He is the author of books, academic articles, and journalistic pieces on his fields of expertise.  In the public sector, he has held positions as Director of the Public Registry of Commerce, Undersecretary of Operational Security, and Undersecretary of Justice of the City of Buenos Aires. He is currently the president of the Association of Jewish Lawyers of the Argentine Republic (AAJRA), a member of the Board of Directors and Legal Secretary of DAIA, represented Argentina before the World Jewish Congress, and is a member of IJL Board of Governors.

Dr. Gilad Noam                

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.

Justice Prof. Elyakim Rubinstein           
Justice Prof. Elyakim Rubinstein is a former Justice and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Attorney General and Government Secretary, as well as Legal Advisor to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense. He participated in peace negotiations with all of Israel’s neighbors: Egyptian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian. Inter alia he was a member of the Israeli delegations to the Camp David Accords and the Treaty of Peace with Egypt (1978/9), the autonomy and normalization agreements with Egypt (1979-82), the Israel-Lebanon agreement (1983), the Madrid Conference (1991). He served as chair of the Israeli Delegation to the negotiations with the Jordanians and Palestinians in Madrid and Washington (1991-1993), Head of the delegation to the Treaty of Peace with Jordan and implementation agreements (1994-1995). After retiring, he was a professor of political studies and public policy in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and chair of a number of public committees, including the Ministry of Justice Committee on the fight against racism. Until recently, he served as President of the Israeli Society of Public Law. He is currently the President of the Ashkelon Academic College, President of the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel (since 2023), and an IJL board member.

Dr. Roy Schöndorf                
Dr. Roy Schöndorf is one of Israel’s most eminent figures in international law, uniquely combining the perspectives of a leading practitioner, senior government lawyer, and institutional voice. Among the few Israelis ever to appear before the International Court of Justice, he currently heads the International Dispute Resolution practice at Herzog, Fox & Neeman, where he represents governments, multinational corporations, and private clients in complex cross-border disputes. In 2024, he was appointed to the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration, underscoring his international stature in the field. From 2013 to 2022, Dr. Schöndorf served as Israel’s Deputy Attorney General (International Law), the state’s highest authority on international legal matters. In that role, he represented Israel before the ICJ and the International Criminal Court, directed Israel’s participation in dozens of international proceedings, and advised on historic agreements including the Abraham Accords and the Lebanon maritime boundary settlement. He also spearheaded the drafting of Israel’s International Commercial Arbitration Law, aligning domestic regulation with advanced international standards. Dr. Schöndorf is a board member of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL) and was among the drafters of its recent submission to the ICJ. Earlier in his career, he practiced with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York, and he has taught international law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and Reichman University. A frequent speaker at leading global conferences, he is widely recognized for his expertise in state representation, dispute resolution, and the evolving role of international tribunals.
Colonel (res.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit-Baruch          
Colonel (res.) Adv. Pnina Sharvit-Baruch is a Senior Researcher  at the Institute for National Studies (INSS). She retired from the IDF in 2009 after serving in the International Law Department of the Military Advocate General Unit and heading the Department. In this capacity, she was responsible for advising commanders and decision makers on issues relating to international law. Pnina also served as a legal advisor in the negotiations with the Palestinians and with Syria. After 2009 she was a lecturer in international law at the faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University. She is vice president of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL), the chairperson of Forum Dvorah – Women in Foreign Policy and National Security, and a member of the Civil Society Advisory Panel to NATO on women, peace and security (WPS). Pnina holds an LL.B. degree (magna cum laude) and an LL.M. degree (magna cum laude), both from Tel Aviv University.
Professor Yuval Shany                  
Professor Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also currently serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and as a Research Fellow at the Ethics in AI Institute in Oxford. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee between 2013-2020 (chairing the Committee between 2018-2019).
Dr. Shlomit Wagma                
Dr. Shlomit Wagman is a former senior financial regulator, Harvard Fellow, Yale Ph.D., and expert on AI governance, financial crime, payments, and national security. She previously served as Chair of the Risk Group at the Financial Action Task Force, the global standard-setter for financial integrity; Chair of Israel’s Financial Intelligence Agency; Israel’s Data Protection Commissioner; and in C-level roles in fintech companies. She advises governments and international organizations and has testified before the U.S. Senate and other parliaments. She is the author of the forthcoming book Synthetic Agents, Real Money.
Adv. Ben Wahlhaus                 
Adv. Ben Wahlhaus is a partner at Herzog, Fox & Neeman, where he specializes in international corporate and commercial transactions, and also provides advice to individuals, corporations and governments on international law matters. Before joining Herzog, Ben spent over a decade in the International Law Department of the Israel Defense Forces, including as the legal adviser for the IDF’s agreements with foreign countries and international organizations. Ben has also been involved in negotiating and drafting international treaties and agreements on the national level and has represented the State of Israel in various international fora, including as a member of Israel's defense team before the ICJ in the Genocide case. 
Avraham (Avrumi) Yishai               

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                 

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                   

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.

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