Tel Aviv Review

Prof. Uri Ram, a sociologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and author of the recently published The Return of Martin Buber: National and Social Thought in Israel from Buber to the Neo-Buberians, sheds light on an oft-forgotten chapter in the life of the celebrated Jewish theologian and political thinker. Appointed in 1947, Buber was the first chair in sociology in Israel, and introduced ideas that were quickly sidelined but have taken center stage in recent years. Song: Meir Ariel - Neshel Hanachash This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Professor Carlo Ginzburg, one of the greatest historians of our time, is in Israel this week participating in an event at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute marking the 100th birthday of his mother, renowned novelist Natalia Ginzburg. He joins Gilad Halpern to discuss the historian's role in the digital age, the tenets of "micro-history" (the school his work "The Cheese and the Worms" was instrumental in founding), and the fine line between historical narrative and fiction. Song: Aviva Dese - Shorashim This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. William Kolbrener, professor of English literature at Bar-Ilan University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his recently published book The Last Rabbi: Joseph Soloveitchik and the Talmudic Tradition. It presents a critical evaluation of the work of one of the greatest Jewish theologians of the 20th century, who can be credited almost single-handedly with laying the foundations of Modern Orthodoxy. Song: Ivri Lider - Ha'ahava Hazot Shelanu This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, policy fellow at Mitvim - The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, discusses parallels between the ongoing Cyprus and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and reflects on the benefit of comparing the two. Song: Shlomo Artzi - Vehaemet This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Oded Gilad, the director of the newly founded One World - The Movement for Global Democracy, explains to host Gilad Halpern how shortcomings of the present international system could be addressed with a different, thoroughly democratic approach to dealing with global challenges such as climate change and poverty. Song: Ovadia Hamame & Gad Elbaz - Mode Ani This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Lev Grinberg is a sociologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a visiting lecturer at Dartmouth College in the United States. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern his book Politics and Violence in Israel/Palestine: Democracy vs. Military Rule and tries to establish why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, compared to other seemingly intractable conflicts of the 20th century, has proven so resilient. Song: Dori Ben Ze'ev - Sof Shavua Bakfar This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Gad Yair is a professor of sociology and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern his forthcoming book The Unruly Mind, which analyzes how - and why - Israeli scientists go about their business in such a different way to their international peers. Song: Marina Maximilian - Tango This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Dr. Yarden Enav, an anthropologist at Israel's Open University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his book Israeliness in No Man's Land: Citizenship in the West Bank of Israel/Palestine. He analyzes the ongoing attempt to establish normative Israeliness amid legal and political uncertainty. Song: HaClick - Incubator This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Dr. D Gershon Lewental, an Israel Studies professor at the University of Oklahoma, gives host Gilad Halpern an overview of the Baha'i religion - an offshoot of Shi'a Islam that set up shop in the Holy Land (albeit not in Jerusalem, thankfully). They discuss its relationship with the local ethnic groups under the different regimes. Song: Ethnix - Tutim This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Prof. Zvi Ziegler is Professor Emeritus of mathematics at the Technion and Chairman of the Israeli inter-university forum to combat academic boycotts. He assesses with host Gilad Halpern the threat posed to Israeli academia by international calls for a boycott, and explains how Israel tries - and in most cases succeeds - to thwart them. Song: Geva Alon - Days of Hunger This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel

Nimrod Lin, a doctoral fellow in history at the University of Toronto, tracks back the emergence of the demographic discourse in Zionism. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern how, at different stages in Zionist history, the leadership tried to cope with this ongoing challenge. Song: Liron Amram & HaPanterim - Hashahar This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Meital Regev, a doctoral fellow at the archaeology and land of Israel studies department at Bar-Ilan University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern Israel's sometimes ambivalent attitude towards the prospective immigration of Ethiopia's centuries-old Jewish community, since the enactment of the Law of Return in 1950. Song: Hanan Ben Ari - Ima Im Haiti This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Michael Levin is a historian of architecture at Shenkar College for Engineering, Art and Design, and co-editor of Richard Kaufmann and the Zionist Project. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern the life and works of the Jewish-German architect, who was hired in 1920 as the chief planner of the Zionist community and who single-handedly shaped the landscape of modern Israel. A launch event, complete with a tour of Jerusalem guided by Prof. Levin, is organized by the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute on Monday, September 26. Song: Ester Rada - Ata Pele This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Ori Goldberg, a scholar of political Islam and lecturer at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, analyzes with host Gilad Halpern the novelty of the Islamic State group. Dr. Goldberg explains why IS poses new threats and offers new opportunities to the West. Song: Shlomi Bracha - Tsav This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Gabriel Mitchell, a doctoral fellow in government and international affairs at the University of Virginia Tech, discusses with host Gilad Halpern how Israel balances security interests and economic opportunity, in light of the recent discovery of huge offshore gas fields. Song: Hadag Nahash & Yehudit Ravitz - Ad Hasof This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

After the fall of Communism, photographer Yuri Dojc returned to his native Slovakia to document the country's Jewish community, which remained intact in every respect except one: Its people. Dojc's new exhibition, "Last Folio," opens this week at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. It features photos of dilapidated books, abandoned synagogues and decrepit old people, symbolizing a once buzzing Jewish life. He and curator Katya Krausova join host Gilad Halpern. Song: Shalom Hanoch - An'Lo Yodea Eich Lomar Lach This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Colin Shindler, professor emeritus of Israel Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his book The Rise of the Israeli Right: From Odessa to Hebron, a comprehensive review of the evolution of the conservative and nationalist sections in Zionism. Song: HaBiluim - Ani Afrika'i This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Sara Shadmi-Wortman, chair of the community research and action programs at Oranim Academic College, discusses with host Gilad Halpern how the community - an ostensibly invisible social structure - can be engineered and constructed for the benefit of social cohesion and quality of life. Song: Ayala Ingedashet - Basar Vadam This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Mohammed Wattad, a legal scholar at the University of California at Irvine and Zefat Academic College in Israel, explores with host Gilad Halpern the cultural and professional orientation of Israel's highest legal instance, past and present. Song: Danny Sanderson - Khoshev Alayich This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Merav Ben-Nun, a lecturer at Oranim Academic College of Education and the founding principal of Haifa's first Jewish-Arab school, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the hopes and frustrations that the enterprise provides on a daily basis. Song: Hadag Nahash - Af Ehad This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Ilan Peleg, a professor of government, law and Israel Studies at Lafayette College, analyzes with host Gilad Halpern the recent shift in Israel's hegemonic discourse from confident self-reliance to radical victimhood. Song: The Apples ft. Jessie Evans - Purified This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Rachel Back, a poet, translator and lecturer in English literature at Oranim Academic College for Education, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the overlap between poetry, education and progressive social change. Song: Sivan Talmor - Circles This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Zachary Smith, a doctoral fellow in political science at the University of Pennsylvania, analyzes with host Gilad Halpern the critique leveled at the two pillars of classic Zionism - rootedness and a Western orientation - by contemporary Mizrahi radicals in Israel. Song: Teapacks - Ma Iti This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. William Miles, a political scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the challenges 21st-century Israel poses to the Druze - a largely integrationist indigenous group - against the backdrop of the tensions between Jews and Arabs, the turmoil in the Middle East, and life in a modern economy. Song: Yoni Rechter - Be'etsem At Po Leyadi This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Adina Hoffman, an Israeli-American writer, critic and essayist, discusses with host Gilad Halpern her new book Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City, which tells the story of three architects - a Jew, an Englishman and an Arab - who were instrumental in designing the skyline of modern Jerusalem in the first half of the 20th century. Song: Meni Beger - Ze Haya Beiti This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Azriel Bermant, a historian and international relations professor at Tel Aviv University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his book Margaret Thatcher and the Middle East, exploring the relationship of Great Britain's legendary prime minister with Israel and the Arab World. Song: Tuna - Gam Ze Ya'avor This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Rebeca Raijman, a sociologist at the University of Haifa, discusses with host Gilad Halpern her book South African Jews in Israel: Assimilation in Multigenerational Perspective, highlighting the distinctive characteristics of one of the English speaking world's largest Jewish communities, before and after their mass aliya. Song: Chava Albershtein - Karega Ze Nir'e Lo Tov This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Leah Gilula, a theater studies scholar, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the limits of satirical plays during the British Mandate period, and their contribution to the creation of a homegrown Israeli culture. Song: Funset - Wake up This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Guy Ziv, an assistant professor of international relations at the American University in Washington, DC, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the evolution of peacemaking policies among Israel's political and military circles, which are sometimes at odds with each other. Song: Danny Sanderson - Galshan This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Geoffrey Levin, a doctoral student in the Departments of History and Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern how Jewish Americans viewed Israel's treatment of its largest ethnic minority in the 1950s and 60s, when they were subjected to military rule. Song: The Paz Band - Without A Sight This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Kathryn David, a fellow at New York University's Jordan Center for Advanced Study of Russia, discusses with host Gilad Halpern how Jews and anti-Semitism have been utilized in the media war between Russia and Ukraine, against the backdrop of the Crimean crisis. Song: Kutiman - I Think I Am ft. Karolina This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. David Tal, a historian of the Arab-Israeli conflict at the University of Sussex, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the commonly-held belief that Israel could have avoided the devastating Yom Kippur War by accommodating to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's peace overtures. Is this no more than a myth created with the benefit of hindsight? Song: Arik Einstein - Kshe At Bocha At Lo Yafa This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Rachel Harris, an associate professor of Israeli literature and culture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, sits down with host Gilad Halpern to put the spotlight on a relatively obscure Israeli film genre - the Western. Song: Asaf Avidan - Love It Or Leave It This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Tony Michels, a historian of American Jewry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the changing attitudes of (predominantly Jewish) American Marxists towards Zionism during the Second World War and its immediate aftermath. Song: Shlomi Shaban - Ikea This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Shira Klein, a historian at Chapman University in California, discusses with host Gilad Halpern new approaches to teaching the complexities of Israel to American undergraduate students. Song: Sivan Talmor - I'll Be This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Ariela Keysar, a demographer at Trinity College, Connecticut, talks to host Gilad Halpern about the oft-ignored role of grandparents in shaping college students' political worldview. Song: Roy Dahan - Time To Leave This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Tamir Libel, a research fellow at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI), explains to host Gilad Halpern what "strategic culture" is and how it affects policy-making in the field of national security, in Israel and beyond. Song: David D'Or And Ehud Banai - Zman Ahava This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Uta Larkey, professor of German and the Director of the Center for the Study of Modern Languages at Goucher College in the United States, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the migration patterns of Jewish displaced persons from Germany in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Song: Guy Mezig - Mitorer Meuchar This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Csaba Nikolenyi, a political scientist at Concordia University in Canada and the director of the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies there, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the effects of the phenomenon of party swapping on political stability in Israel over the years. Song: Eitan Masuri - Elohim Natan Lecha Bematana This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Sam Fleischacker, a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his latest book The Good and the Good Book, which seeks to establish how valid sacred texts are for the modern, rational man. Song: Rona Kenan - Ani Va'atsmi This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Dov Waxman, a political science, international affairs and Israel Studies scholar at Northeastern University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern his new book Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict Over Israel, which explores the evolution of the Israel debate among Jewish Americans over the years. Song: J Views - Into The Light This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Aram Abu Saleh, a student at Jerusalem's Israel Arts and Science Academy, is the recipient of the Van Leer award for outstanding essays written by high school students. He talks to host Gilad Halpern about Abul 'Alaa al Ma'ari, a maverick 11th century Islamic theologian and poet, whose unconventional views remain hated and admired in equal measure. Song: Gili Yalo - City Life This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Russell Berman, a literary scholar at Stanford University, discusses with host Gilad Halpern the pedagogic rationale behind his undergraduate seminar "Zionism and the Novel," and how a critical study of literature can enrich the debate about Israel and Zionism. Song: OSOG - Who Who This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Motti Inbari, a religions scholar at the University of North Carolina Pembroke, is the author of the new book Jewish Radical Ultra-Orthodoxy Confronts Modernity, Zionism and Women's Equality. Prof. Inbari discusses with host Gilad Halpern the genealogy of the two most radical examples of Jewish ultra-Orthodoxy: Jerusalem's Neturei Karta and Brooklyn's Satmar Hasidim. Song: Sharon Lifshitz - Machshavot Hakaits This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Chandra Mukerji, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Communication and Science Studies at the University of California San Diego, is the author of the forthcoming book Reimagining Modernity. She discusses with host Gilad Halpern her thesis that traces the origins of modernity to the Black Death, which instigated a complete overhaul in the way society functioned and perceived itself. Song: Nechi Nech - Lamrot Hakol (Balada LePetach Tikva) This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Host Gilad Halpern speaks to Prof. Gili Drori, head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and co-chair of the international conference "Internationalization, Globalization and Governance of Academia," which was recently held at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. They discuss how universities have adapted to market forces and global capitalism with a mixture of accommodation and resistance. Song: Eatliz - Attractive This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Prof. Haim Yacobi, a political geographer at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, is the author of the recently published Israel and Africa: A Genealogy of Moral Geography (the Hebrew version was published by the Van Leer Institute). Prof. Yacobi explains to host Gilad Halpern how Israel's political and conceptual relationship with the African continent over the years contributed to the shaping of its own space and identity. Song: Karolina - Tsel Ets Tamar This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Uriel Abulof, a political scientist at Tel Aviv University, is the author of the new book The Mortality and Morality of Nations. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern the three case studies explored in his book - three national collectives that have been pathologically insecure about the validity of their identity and the viability of their polity: French Canadians, Afrikaners, and Jewish Israelis. Song: Hili Yalon - Habayit Hu Halev This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Itzick Shai, an archaeologist and lecturer in Israeli heritage at Ariel University, talks to host Gilad Halpern about the excavation of Tel Burna, in the coastal lowlands in southwestern Israel. There, he and his colleagues apply their inclusive "community" approach to archaeology. Song: Arik Einstein - Shavir This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.

Dr. Aidan Beatty, a post-doctoral fellow in Israel Studies at the Concordia University, Canada, is the author of the forthcoming book Masculinity and Power in Irish Nationalism, 1884-1938. He discusses with host Gilad Halpern the surprisingly many parallels between Zionism and Irish nationalism. Song: Dikla - Sheva BaErev This season of the Tel Aviv Review is made possible by The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, which promotes humanistic, democratic, and liberal values in the social discourse in Israel.