Inter-Agency Task Force Education Day (LOS ANGELES) – June 7, 2007

The Task Force hosted an educational briefing in Los Angeles on Jewish/Arab relations in Israel and the current political and social climate in Israel. Guests included Dr. Shimshon Zelniker of the Van Leer Institute and Jessica Balaban, Executive Director of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues.

Guest: Dr. Shimshon Zelniker, Van Leer Institute

Dr. Shimshon Zelniker has served as Director of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute since 1997. He was an Associate Professor in Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and from 1980-1996 Head of the Department of Social Science at Beit Berl College in Israel.

Educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (B.A., 1963) and the University of California, Los Angeles (M.A., 1964, and Ph.D., 1971), Dr. Zelniker has taught at Tel Aviv University, Claremont College, Hebrew University, and UCLA.

Between 1982-1991 he served as Special Adviser to Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and as Chairman of the Israeli Program of the Center for Foreign Policy Options (CFPO) (1984-1991); and directed a major anti-apartheid leadership training program in South Africa.