Task Force All Members Meeting: Shared Society - Reality and...

Please join us on January 23, 2014 for the Task Force All-Members Meeting: "Shared Society - Reality and Vision" with Former Minister Dan Meridor, Professor Yoram Peri, and Dr. Asmaa Ganayem RSVP to [email protected] to register. Enhancing shared society between Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens is increasingly considered a necessity by leaders from all sectors of Israeli society. What does strengthening shared society mean in Israel today and how does the vision of shared society compare to current realities on the ground? Join Former Minister Dan Meridor, Professor Yoram Peri, and Dr. Asmaa Ganayem at the Task Force's All-Members meeting to explore the concept of Shared Society from government, media, and societal perspectives in Israel and how this concept reflects the priorities and role of North American Jewish communities. (http://pr.ak.vresp.com/09db87579/iataskforce.org/edu_au/Invitations/Meridor-wide.jpg) Former Minister Dan Meridor will discuss the government's role in promoting shared society, challenges posed by recent legislation, and the future of state-minority relations in Israel. (http://pr.ak.vresp.com/bfb2d64ea/iataskforce.org/edu_au/Invitations/Peri-wide.jpg) Professor Yoram Peri, Director of the Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies at the University of Maryland, will present discourse on shared society within Jewish society and media, and sociological trends and scenarios affecting Jewish-Arab relations. (http://pr.ak.vresp.com/881dbca5f/iataskforce.org/edu_au/Invitations/Ganayem-wide.jpg) Dr. Asmaa Ganayem, Head of Education for the Municipality of Baqa and manager of TEC (Technology, Educational & Cultural Diversity) at the Mofet Institute, will present on the discourse around shared society in Arab society and changing cultural trends. The meeting will also include updates on Task Force activities, communications, and plans for the coming year. We look forward to seeing you. Event details: January 23rd, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm New York City Location details to be provided upon RSVP. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Speaker Bios: Former Minister Dan Meridor Dan Meridor served as Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy from March of 2009 until March 2013. Prior to this, Meridor served as a member of Knesset from 1984-2003, holding posts of Minister without Portfolio, responsible for national defense and diplomatic strategy in the Prime Minister's Office from August 2001 until February 2003, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee from 1999-2001, and Minister of Finance from 1996-1997 in which he initiated sweeping reforms in the economy through massive budget cuts, liberalization and privatization. Dan Meridor was the Minister of Justice from 1988-1992 where he promoted human rights legislation and during which Israel's first (and so far - only) human rights constitutional laws were enacted, empowering the Supreme Court with judicial review of Knesset legislation. In 1982-1984 Meridor served as the Secretary of the Cabinet under Prime Minister Menahem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir. Alongside his career as Minister, Dan Meridor has served as Chairman of The Jerusalem Foundation, Senior Fellow at Israel Democracy Institute, and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the INSS (Institute for National Security Studies). Mr. Meridor is presently the Chairman of the Board of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Earlier he was the Chairman of the Public Council of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chairman of the Board of the Israel Museum and a member of the Board of the Gesher Theatre. Mr. Meridor is a graduate of the Faculty of Law in the Hebrew University and practiced law in Jerusalem and in Tel-Aviv for many years. Dan Meridor is a captain (res.) in the I.D.F. He fought as a tank commander in the Six Days War and in the Yom Kippur War. Professor Yoram Peri Professor Yoram Peri is the Abraham S. and Jack Kay Chair in Israel Studies, and Director of the new Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies, the University of Maryland at College Park. A former political advisor to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, founder and former head of Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society and Professor of Political Sociology and Communication in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University, and former Editor-in-chief of the Israeli daily, Davar. Professor Peri has held numerous prestigious positions, such as senior fellowship at the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC, Fulbright scholar at the American University's School of International Service, visiting professorships at Harvard University and Dartmouth College, senior fellowship at the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv University, and senior lecturer in the department of communication at the Hebrew University. In addition to his academic career, Prof. Peri was a journalist and is a political commentator. He published extensively in newspapers and magazines in and outside Israel, and also was an editor and host of TV and radio programs. During Golda Meir's term as Prime Minister, he was the spokesperson for the Israel Labor Party and its special emissary to Europe. Among his various public positions, Prof. Peri was president of the Association of the editors of Israel's Daily Newspapers and a member of the Press Council. Born in Jerusalem, Yoram Peri earned his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science and Sociology at the Hebrew University and his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. Dr. Asmaa Ganayem Dr. Asmaa Ganayem is the Head of Education Department in Baqa municipality since June 2013. Dr. Ganayem is an expert in the fields of technology integration in education and innovative pedagogy and has worked in these fields for the past ten years. She has initiated and led diverse technological initiatives, conferences and multicultural activities at Al-Qasemi Academy, Arab schools, hospitals and at the Mofet Institute in Tel Aviv. Dr. Asmaa has taught at the Al-Qasemi Academy (Teacher Education College) since 2000, where she lead its Department for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) until 2013. In addition, since 2009 Asmaa is the co-manager of TEC center at Mofet institute. She has initiated and led diverse technological initiatives, conferences and multicultural activities at Al-Qasemi Academy, Mofet Institute, in Arab schools, hospitals and within Arab society in Israel. In 2010 she launched her own consulting and training business: S.E.T -- Society, Education and Technology. Dr. Ganayem developed a Training Trainers program for the Palestinian Ministry of Education. This program, which is supported by Belgium (BTC), aims at training trainers for ICT integration in education. Over the last five years Asmaa has initiated and led more than ten conferences and study days, and more than five pedagogical initiatives. She has given presentations at various well known international and national conferences in the field of ICT, among them SITE, INTED, AoIR and others. Asmaa has published more than 20 papers, articles and research reports. Dr. Ganayem completed her doctoral dissertation in the field of information society at the University of Haifa's Graduate School of Management. Her dissertation focuses on Internet diffusion and adoption within Arab society in Israel. She received her BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Haifa and her MA in Computer Science from the Technische Universitt Berlin, Germany.