From 23 to 25 June 2014, the xxxth Annual Conference of the Israel Studies Association was held at the D. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Sde-Boker, Israel).

The Association for Israeli Studies (AIS), established in 1985 in the United States, brings together researchers from different countries who study various aspects of the history and current state of the State of Israel (including the history of Zionism and the Jewish community of Palestine in the pre-state period) in various areas of social and humanitarian sciences.

AIS is a member of the North American Association for Near East Studies and holds special sections at conferences of the Association for International Studies and the American Political Science Association.

Ben-Gurion University was founded in 1969 as part of the Negev Desert development plan proposed by Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, in the mid-1950s.Ben-Gurion considered the development of the Negev a key element of Israel's development and a path to prosperity. Currently, the university has about 20 thousand students and 4 thousand teachers and employees. The University is actively developing, and the number of students in it has almost doubled over the past 15 years. It is one of the fourth hundred best universities in the world, and in computer science and engineering - in the second. The University has three campuses: in Beersheba, Sde Boker and Eilat. The Sde Boker campus is located near Kibbutz Sde Boker, where D. Ben-Gurion lived until his death in 1973 and was buried there next to his wife Paula. The campus has a research status and is home to the Desert Research Institute. Jacob Blaustein Institute for Israeli and Zionist Studies and the David Ben-Gurion Archive.

The conference was attended by more than 400 scientists. Most of them represented various Israeli universities and research centers, and there were many researchers from the United States, including Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, UCLA, and other universities, as well as from the United Kingdom (Oxford and Cambridge) and other English-speaking countries (Canada, Australia, and New Zealand New Zealand). A representative group of Chinese scientists held a section on Israeli-Chinese relations. A special section was organized by a group of scientists from the University of Bucharest and was devoted to the problems of Jewish emigration from Romania to Israel in the 20th century. The conference was attended by scientists from Western and Eastern Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Ukraine), Turkey and Mexico, as well as Palestinian researchers and public figures. Among the participants of the conference were well-known representatives of world Israeli studies: I. Galnur, A. Doughty, E. Inbar, I. Lastik, B. Morris, A. Naor, I. Peleg, Y. Peri, I. Rabinovich, S. Smukha, R. Friedman, A. Halamish, Z. Shalom, A. Shapiro and others. Russia was represented by employees of the Israel Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences D. A. Maryasis and E. Y. Usova. The conference included more than a hundred sections, including five field sessions, 15 round tables, and two plenary sessions.

The overall theme of the conference is "Israel: Leadership and Critical Decisions". The topics of the sections covered numerous aspects of the history of Israel, Zionism and the Yishuv (the Jewish community of Palestine in the pre-state period), modern Israeli society, domestic and foreign policy, national security, problems of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ways to resolve it, Israeli culture and art, religion and education. The list of subjects included political and social history, sociology, general and comparative political science, gender issues and Diaspora studies, international relations and Middle East studies, economics, geography and demography, law, communication and education studies,Hebrew literature, fine arts and cinematography. However, the interdisciplinary scope of issues related to Israeli studies was significantly broader. Some reports related to the fields of conflict studies, social anthropology, religious studies, general cultural studies, theater studies, urban studies, and urban culture.

In this review, it is impossible even to describe in general terms not only the content of all reports, but also the work of all sections and round tables, but it is possible to identify and consider the main trends and directions of Israeli research presented at the conference.

The largest number of sections and reports were devoted to Israeli society, its historical past and current state, primarily socio-economic, socio-cultural, gender and demographic problems (among the latter, special attention was paid to the problems of immigration and emigration). The main subject of the conference participants ' research was the phenomenon of a high degree of heterogeneity in Israeli society, which creates all sorts of difficulties in relations between different groups of the population, primarily between Jews and Arabs, as well as between the secular and religious parts of society. So, two participants of the conference - K. Kaplan (Bar-Ilan University)

and N. Fischer (Open University of Israel) - presented reports on one of the most acute debates that has been going on in Israel for almost all of its modern history-the discussion on the topic "Who is a Jew?". It is based on deep divisions between the secular and religious segments of Israeli society on the issue of the right to Israeli citizenship. Religious circles insist that this right should be granted exclusively on the basis of traditional religious (halakhic) standards, which a significant part of Israelis do not meet (for example, many immigrants from Russia and other countries of the former USSR have non-Jewish maternal ancestors, which automatically makes them "non-Halakhic"). This position contradicts the policy of the Israeli state aimed at attracting as many Jewish immigrants as possible to the country. Leading Expert on Jewish demography S. Della Pergola (University of Jerusalem) He addressed the problem of mixed marriages between representatives of various religious movements based on the analysis of the results of the 2008 census. Greenberg (University of California, Los Angeles) analyzed various social, geographical, and political factors that contribute to the relatively high birth rate in Israel.

A large number of reports were devoted to the situation of refugees from African countries, migrant workers, their families and children, victims of criminal crimes and human trafficking, women in sexual slavery, etc. Among the speakers were M. Tamir (Shaare Mishpat College), D. Pugach (Ono Academic College), a group of researchers from the University of Haifa (K. Snyder, D. Canetti, Y. Yishai), N. Gale (Ashkelon Academic College), H. Yaron (Tel Aviv Yafo Academic College), H. Zubida (Ashkelon Academic College). Max Stern), R. Harper (New York University), and others. Increased attention to this topic reflects the trends of recent years, when Israeli society in the context of globalization is facing fundamentally new problems. So, if earlier immigration to Israel consisted almost exclusively of Jews and their family members, now Israel is attracting more and more labor migrants and refugees from disadvantaged countries who seek official asylum in this country.

Reports on the problems of Arab citizens of Israel touched upon the Arab protest movement and the reaction of the Israeli State to it (O. Abu, im. Ben-Gurion University); professional integration of Arab women teachers teaching in Jewish primary schools (J. Elnashef and W. Cohen, Tel Aviv University). I. Shdema (Tel Aviv University) offered a comparative analysis of Jewish-Arab relations in two Israeli cities with mixed populations - Lod and Ramleh S. Smucha (Haifa University), after analyzing the changes in the relations of Israeli Arabs and Jews to each other and to the Israeli state, revealed the existence of multidirectional trends in the development of Jewish and Arab public opinion in Israel, which creates additional problems for maintaining civil harmony in Israeli society. The main topic of the special section devoted to the problems of Arab citizens of Israel was two opposite trends that are observed in this segment of Israeli society: alienation and integration.

A series of reports and a visiting section in the Bedouin village of Avdat were devoted to the problems of Bedouins living in Israel. The special focus on this topic was primarily due to the location of the conference - it is in the Negev Desert that the Bedouin population of the country is mainly concentrated. The topics of the reports included the study of entrepreneurial activity of Bedouin women as one of the ways to overcome poverty (N. A. Elkhuzail, Sapir Academic College); the use of solar panels in Bedouin households as a way to overcome dependence on infrastructure (E. Bakkalbasioglu, Washington State University, USA). Two reports were devoted to leadership issues in the Bedouin society of modern Israel. One of them was presented by S. Abu Rabia, one of the most prominent representatives of the new Israeli Bedouin intellectual elite, and the other was presented by a group of scientists from the Institute for National Security Studies - E. Abramovich. Galili, N. Hilu1and M. Hreib.

¹ Nadia Hilu is known in Israel not only as a scholar, but also as a public and political figure; in 2006-2009, she was a member of the Knesset from the Labor Party of Israel; today, she remains the only female deputy in Israel who represented the Christian segment of the Arab population in the country's legislature.

Special attention was paid to gender issues, the situation of women in Israeli society, especially in the context of the great influence of religious and traditionalist circles, as well as the situation of Arab women. Ten sections were devoted to gender issues, not counting individual reports, for example, on the participation of Israeli women in public and political life in Israel (P. Lahav, Boston University, USA; H. Herzog, Tel Aviv University; E. Lachover and S. Nagarron, Sapir Academic College; Ts Grebelsky, Moscow State University).Lichtman, Ono Academic College; E. Gedalya Lavi, M. Shamir and E. Weiss, Tel Aviv University and others); on women's service in the Israeli Army (T. Karazi-Presler and N. Rothem, Jerusalem University). The relationship between Jewish religious orthodoxy and feminism is discussed in the reports of R. Irshai and T. Zion-Waldox (Bar-Ilan University), G. Yanai-Ventura (Academic College named after the Russian Orthodox Church). Max Stern University). D. Mala (Columbia University, USA) presented a report on the position of religious Zionist leaders on women's civil and political rights.L. Lurie (Bar-Ilan University) focused on gender equality in labor relations. You can take revenge on T.'s report. Meler (Safed Academic College) on the problems of Palestinian families in Israel and the X report. Tal (Un-t im. Ben-Gurion) "Gender, Immigration and Leadership: Organizing local Communities among immigrant women from the former USSR". One section was devoted to women activists and leaders of various Jewish social and political movements and organizations in Palestine at the end of the XIX - first half of the XX century, where presentations were made by: E. Carmel Hakim (University of Haifa), S. Sinai (Research. center for the United Movement of Kibbutzim Yad Tabenkin), T. Kaminsky (J. Herzog Pedagogical College) and O. Ya'al (Kinneret College).

The section "Women's History" included reports by D. Ofer (Jerusalem University) on the social and psychological rehabilitation of women who survived the Holocaust; M. Jungman (Israel Open University) on the leadership of American Women's Zionist organizations in the first half of the 20th century; B. Margalit Stern (Institute of Jewish Studies named after the Russian Academy of Sciences). Shechter) - about the role of the outstanding political and state activist, associate of G. Meir-A. Fishman in the national and state construction of Israel.

The gender aspect was also emphasized in a number of reports related to other areas. Thus, the report of M. Greenberg Raanan (Institute of Peace Studies named after V. I. Abramovich). Truman University of Jerusalem), dedicated to the problems of daily life of Palestinian and Israeli women in Jerusalem, presented in a certain way the gender aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian problem, primarily territorial and political. The gender issue was also widely covered in reports on Israeli culture (literature, art, cinema). Thus, Sh. Marnin-Disterfeld (Safed Academic College) spoke about the situation and creativity of Arab women artists in Israel during the section "Women in Art".

The central topic of the conference's political science section was the problems and paradoxes of Israeli democracy. This topic has long been considered one of the main ones in the political science field of Israeli studies. Its essence lies in the fact that Israel, on the one hand, is a fully developed modern democracy, on the other - in the Israeli political system there are a number of serious deviations from democratic norms and principles, as well as trends that are regarded by many political scientists as threatening the future of Israeli democracy. These negative phenomena are primarily related to the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the terrorist threat, the disproportionately high level of political influence of religious parties, and the activities of radical nationalist circles. This topic was covered by the program report of Professor of the University of Jerusalem I. Galnur, presented at the first plenary session, followed by a special "round table" presentation of the fundamental two-volume work of I. Galnur. Galnura and D. Blander "The Political System of Israel". According to I. Galnur, to the question " Is Israel a democratic state?" One can answer "Yes, but ...". In addition to the ethnic (Jewish) nature of Israeli democracy traditionally noted by political scientists (democracy is majority power, but in this case it is only the Jewish majority), Galnur points out that in the hyper-multi-party political system of Israel, there are practically no really large parties - only medium and small ones, which creates big problems when forming coalitions and making coalition decisions. In addition, three special political science sections were devoted to the challenges facing Israeli democracy, the political structures of Israel, as well as issues of political representation and political leadership in Israel.

Another group of political science sections considered the problem of making strategic decisions, especially in a crisis situation. Speakers, including A. Stern (Tel Aviv University), N. Hagiladi (Haifa University), S. Turgan (Israel College of Security Studies), A. Burstein (Concordia University), G. Balash (Jewish University of Hungary), reviewed the decision-making process examples of the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956 and 1973, the operation in the Gaza Strip "Pillar of Cloud" (2012) and other episodes of Israel's struggle against Palestinian extremism, as well as the history of the project to create an Israeli fighter jet "Lavi" and abandon it. J. Constance (St. Anselm College, USA) presented a report on decision-making in the framework of American-Israeli cooperation in the field of missile defense. I. Blau (Tel Aviv University) reviewed the incident that occurred in 1954. in Ma'agana (Galilee), when a plane participating in a ceremony dedicated to the memory of paratroopers who participated in World War II crashed into a crowd of participants and spectators. As a result, 13 people were killed, including the wife of one of the Knesset deputies, and 25 people were injured. The then Prime Minister of Israel, M. Sharet, miraculously escaped unharmed, led the rescue operation on the spot. Using this example, the speaker investigated the features of the decision-making process of the Israeli leadership in the social and legal sphere.

The foreign policy section of the conference covered Israel's bilateral relations with various countries, as well as Israel's position in the regional and global international arena. Reports on various issues of Israeli-American relations were made by J. R. R. Tolkien and J. R. R. Tolkien. Rinhold (Bar-Ilan University), A. Walter (im. Masaryk, Czech Republic), etc. The reports of H. Heyman, University of Jerusalem ("Relations between Israel and the European Economic Community in the late 1950s-first half of the 1960s") and p. Pseya, Un-t im. Masaryk ("Contemporary Problems of Israeli-European Relations"). Reports by Chinese scientists from Peking ^University2, Yunnan Provincial University, and Shanghai University of International Studies covered various problems in the formation and development of these relations from the late 1940s (the time of the emergence of both Israel and China) to the present day. G. Lindenstrauss (Israel Institute of National Security Studies) spoke about Israel's relations with Azerbaijan, and A. Shishkin (Israel Institute of National Security Studies) spoke about Israel's relations with Ukraine. Zakharchenko (Odessa National Bank). university named after him. Mechnikov), and on Israel's policy in Africa, especially in the field of knowledge and technology transfer, - D. Clouds (Between-nar. University of Florida).

Many of the reports focused on various external factors affecting Israel and its relations with other countries. A significant part of them covered the problems of the influence of the Jewish community and pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United States on Israeli-American relations and American Middle East policy. Waxman, New York University, and B. Sasley, Texas University; M. Verbit, Touro College, USA; H. Cohen, New School for Social Research, USA). Separate reports were made on pro-Israel lobbies in Germany and Mexico (D. Kranz, Wuppertal University, and A. K. Guggenheim, Iberoamerican University). The influence of Islamism and anti-Semitism on the approaches of certain political forces in Turkey to the Palestinian problem was highlighted by U. Uzer (Istanbul Tech. University of Israel), the influence of the famous American economist M. Friedman on the economic policy of Israel - D. Shifman (Ariel University, Israel). The report by R. Ben-Levy and A. Kavari (Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya) analyzed attitudes towards Israel in various countries, including Russia, based on public opinion polls.

Israel's position in the regional arena is the subject of speeches by J. Merom (Sydney University) and A. Friedman (JFK University). Mason University, USA). A number of reports have examined Israel's regional foreign policy from a national security perspective (e.g., sh. Zohar, University of Ottawa, Canada). Two reports were devoted to the problem of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East: A. Cohen (Monterey Institute of International Relations. research, USA ) - about the Israeli nuclear project, and E. Solingen (University of California, Irvine) - about the Iranian nuclear program. The report by D. Paikowski and E. Eiran (Haifa University) focused on the Israeli space program, and the presentation by D. Monk (Colgate University, USA) focused on the Israeli deterrence strategy.

² Gan Zhen She, a researcher from Peking University, is currently writing a doctoral dissertation at Brandeis University, so he was listed as its representative in the conference program.

Much attention was paid to the problems of Israel's relations with its closest Arab neighbors, primarily with the Palestinians. Despite the extreme tension in Israeli-Palestinian relations, scientists strive to build research in the traditionally accepted paradigm of "conflict and cooperation" in modern social sciences, analyzing the factors that separate the two peoples and contribute to building good-neighborly relations. Charles Kerner (Tel Aviv University) analyzed the training programs of Palestinian doctors in Israel. L. Fleishman (University of London) and J. Simons (Indiana State University, USA) will address the Israeli peace movement at the present stage and the work of Israeli human rights defenders against the use of torture and in support of Palestinian families who have lost their loved ones.

Many reports highlighted the role of subjective factors (cultural, psychological, etc.) in the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two sections were devoted to the problem of "honor and shame" - important value categories in Arab culture and analytical categories in studies of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The point is that from the point of view of Arab culture and the Arab mentality, it is important to preserve one's "honor" and not allow "shame", i.e. "loss of face", in the course of conflict and negotiations. According to a former Pentagon analyst, now an independent researcher, X. This lack of understanding was one of the reasons for the failure of all American peace initiatives in the Middle East. In the reports of R. Landes (Boston University, USA), F. Salzman (McGill University, Canada), G. Kressel (im. R. Landes also analyzed the perception of the" Arab catastrophe " (Nakba), which resulted from the defeat of Arab countries in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949, as a national phenomenon. shame.

The problems of perception, historical memory and other subjective factors of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are reflected in the report of A. Sletteland (University of Oslo) "On the problem of the clash of Israeli and Palestinian narratives", and D. Barnett (King's College, London) revealed the acute topic of comparing the Nakba and the Holocaust in historical literature for Israel. Several reports have provided critical analysis of the peace process and the reasons for its current impasse. E. Pode (University of Jerusalem) stressed that the Arab peace initiative of 2002, aimed at achieving a settlement, was missed (including through the fault of Israel). Y. Halabi (Concordia University) noted the weakness of the Israeli coalition Governments as one of the main factors hindering the achievement of agreements.

Two sections dealt with issues related to Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories and land that was recently confiscated from Arab owners. Reports were presented by O. Haklay (University of Queens, Canada), K. Brown (Institute of Research. problems nat. Israel), T. Goren (Bar-Ilan University), I. Radai (Tel Aviv University), and others.

In line with the overall theme of the conference, "Leadership and Critical Decisions", a number of sections and separate reports were devoted to political, social and religious leaders who have played a significant role in Israeli history. A. Halamish and I. Ben-Ami (Open University of Israel), L. Rosenberg-Friedman and A. Shilon (Bar-Ilan University), M. Hazan (Tel Aviv University) made presentations on the life, political activities, and views of D. Ben-Gurion and the role of his wife Paula in his political life. O. M. Beguine was narrated by M. Mark (Tel Aviv University), A. Goldstein (Tel Hai College), and C. Rubinovich (Haifa University). Information about R.'s views, activities, and spiritual heritage Ovadia Yosef, the former chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel and spiritual leader of the religious Zionist SHAS Party, who died in 2013, was included in the reports of J. R. R. Tolkien. Ringel (University of Maryland), A. Feldman, Ahva Academic College, Israel, and A. Moszkowski (Brandeis University). R. Yoel Teitelboim, one of the greatest figures of Hasidism in the 20th century and an active opponent of political Zionism, was mentioned by M. Inbari (North Carolina State University, USA) and D. Sorotskin (im. Ben-Gurion), M. Keren-Kratz and I. Hershkovitz (Bar-Ilan University). A number of reports covered various aspects of the life, activities and views of other statesmen of Israel and the Zionist movement (T. Herzl, Z. Jabotinsky, H. Weizmann, A. Eban, G. Meir, A. Fishman, S. Peres, I. Rabin, A. Sharon, E. Barak, etc.). A. Kook, one of the spiritual leaders of the Yishuv in the first decades of the twentieth century, and R. I. L. Magnes, a prominent Jewish religious and social activist.-

tel, one of the founders of the University of Jerusalem. Separate reports were devoted to foreign leaders who are actively involved in relations with Israel: American Presidents J. R. R. Tolkien and others. Ford and B. Clinton, the Palestinian leader Ya.Arafat, and the American economist M. Friedman.

Much attention was paid to the problems of education and science in Israel. These areas have always occupied one of the priority positions in the state and budget policy of the country. Reports on this topic: W. Cohen (Tel Aviv University) and Sh. Katz (University of Jerusalem) - about the role of X. Weizmann's contribution to the development of scientific research activities. One of the sections was devoted entirely to critical analysis of decisions made in the field of scientific policy: reports by P. Abir-Am (Brandeis University), H. Fenichel and W. B. Jensen (Cincinnati State University), A. Ben-Dor (Jerusalem University). The author of the latest report, in particular, noted the tendency to discriminate against women in the distribution of financial support for technological innovations. A number of reports related to the development of Israeli studies. In particular, M. Bard, who represents one of the American-Israeli joint funds, spoke about the programs of financial support for students and scientists engaged in Israeli research. Separate sections dealt with the dissemination of Israeli studies in Germany, China, Poland, Egypt and other countries, as well as the teaching of Israeli studies in order to spread basic knowledge about Israel. A separate topic was the problem of so-called academic boycotts. We are talking about the periodic initiatives put forward by public organizations in some countries to boycott Israel, including in the field of scientific and educational cooperation, in response to its violent actions and human rights violations against Palestinians. A section was devoted to this topic, where presentations were made mainly by Canadian and American scientists and representatives of public organizations.

Special mention should be made of a number of reports that are in line with comparative studies, which is considered one of the main directions in modern socio-political sciences. For example, A. Leibler (Bar-Ilan University) analyzed the policies of Israel and Canada in the field of immigration and demography. Truman) gave a comparative analysis of the problems of Jerusalem and Kosovo. J. Becke (Oxford University) has researched the topic "Israel, South Tyrol and Western Sahara (as examples of religious irredentism in the Abrahamic religions)". Two reports were devoted to comparative studies of political processes: in Israel and in Italy (M Hayo-Hemo and D. Navot, University of Haifa), in Israel and in Canada (O. Haklay, University of Queens, and L. Norwich, University of Concordia); in the first case, the interrelationships between the political system and the political system are shown. competition, liberalization, and the phenomenon of political patronage; in the second, mechanisms for preventing ethnic-national parties from joining coalition governments. Ben-Gurion) compared the relationship between democracy and nationalism in Israel and India. Beatty (University of Chicago, USA) noted the role of masculinity among the political elites of the Zionist and Irish nationalist movements.

"Field" sections were organized in order to get acquainted with the issues discussed on the spot. Thus, a meeting of the section devoted to the problems of the Bedouin population of Israel was held in the Bedouin village of Avdat. A section on education and social leadership in the Yishuv and in Israel in the first decades of independence was held in the Ashalim settlement, established in the mid-1950s by members of the NAHAL youth organization. Now it is one of the main centers of solar energy development in Israel; in 2003, through the efforts of activists of the new Israeli youth movement Ayalim, the Kfar Adiel student village was founded here, whose residents-students of the D. Ben - Gurion University-carry out a number of social, educational and environmental projects. Speakers discussed the problems of forming new generations of leaders through the education system and youth organizations in the past and present. A visiting section on Ben-Gurion's political views, activities and leadership style was held at his house-museum in Sde Boker. Recently opened documents from its archive were shown during the meeting. Kibbutzim issues were discussed in Kibbutz Revivim, and immigration and immigration issues were discussed in Yeruham, one of Israel's first "development cities", established in the 1950s to accommodate new immigrants and develop backward areas of the country.

Round tables held within the framework of the conference were devoted to decision-making in the field of national security, problems of declassification of archival documents in inter-

sah of Science, 50th anniversary of the Lavon Affair and its impact on Israeli society3; problems of teaching Israeli studies in American universities, "Israel in the Modern World": a Discussion of Israel's Relations with the United States, China, Russia, Iran, and Central Asian countries; 50th anniversary of the publication of H. Arendt's book " Israel in the Modern World ".Eichmann in Jerusalem: the banality of evil"; the case of the disappearance of several hundred young children from families of Yemeni Jews who immigrated to Israel in the early years of its independence (according to the official version, the children died in hospitals, but many of their relatives still suspect that in fact they were given for adoption to rich families); anti-Israeli academic boycotts; problems of alienation and disunity in society: intellectualization of" otherness " in the past and present.

Several "round tables" were devoted to presentations of new books: M. J. Cohen's "Britain's Time in Palestine: A Retrospective and Perspectives, 1917-1948"; G. Ben-Porat's "Between the State and the Synagogue: Secularization in Modern Israel"; I. Galnur and D. Blander's "The Political System in Israel"; A. Shavit's "My Life". The Promised Land: Israel's Triumph and Tragedy"; I. Dothan "Defending the Rule of Law: Government Lawyers and the Development of the Judiciary in Israel"; J. Migdal"Creeping Sands: United States Policy in the Middle East". All books are published in English, except for the book by I. Galnur and D. Blander, published in Hebrew.

The final plenary session of the conference was chaired by prominent Israeli scientist and diplomat I. Rabinovich, now head of the Institute for Israeli Studies in Washington. It was attended by a well-known Israeli politician, former Knesset deputy and Minister D. Meridor (since September 2014, head of the Israeli Council on Foreign Relations at the World Jewish Congress), Mayor of Yeruham M. Biton and former judge of the Supreme Court of Israel D. Dorner.

Speeches by Russian participants D. A. Maryasis and E. Yu. D. A. Maryasis in the report " Long-term leadership in the innovation economy. The Case of Israel " examined the problem areas of the Israeli economic system, which may prevent the country from maintaining its leadership in the innovation economy in the long term. These areas include education, brain drain, significant dependence on foreign sources of funding, problems with the development of high-tech companies, isolation of innovation, and security. It is interesting that, despite the absolute importance of the Israeli economy, there were few actual economic reports: apart from the report of D. A. Maryasis, one can only mention the already mentioned report of D. Shifman on the influence of M. Friedman on Israel's economic policy.

Usova's report "Israeli Leadership in Promoting Gender Equality: Past, present and future" was dedicated to the revolutionary initiative of Golda Meir, who in the early 1960s, while serving as Israel's Foreign Minister, created a special training center for women from Asia, Africa and Latin America in order to give them the opportunity to work with women from other countries. they have the opportunity to participate in management activities in their respective countries. Thus, thanks to G. Meir, Israel was able to take a leading position in the implementation of the principles of gender equality. Currently, in addition to its educational activities, the Meir Center actively participates in the preparation of strategic decisions at a high international level in the field of gender equality, women's empowerment and enhancing their role in economic and social development processes in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000. The Center carries out a number of projects aimed at establishing peaceful good-neighborly relations between Israelis and Palestinians.

In conclusion, I would like to note an important distinguishing feature of the conference, namely the observance of the principles of academic freedom and correctness of scientific discussions. During the conference, activists of the struggle against academic boycotts of Israel (which many Palestinian and Israeli organizations call for) got along well.

³ The Lavon Affair was a political scandal that broke out in Israel in 1954, lasting a total of more than ten years, and eventually led to the exit of David Ben-Gurion with a group of supporters from the then-ruling Mapai Party. The scandal arose in connection with the failure of the sabotage operation of the Israeli military intelligence in Egypt, during which it was planned to organize a series of terrorist attacks in Cairo and Alexandria in order to prevent the withdrawal of British troops from the Suez Canal zone.

human rights defenders) and representatives of human rights organizations strongly critical of official Israeli policies, such as Bassem Eid, Executive Director of the non-governmental organization "Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group" (Al-Majmua al-Falastiniya lee Murakaba hukuk al-Insan), who presented a report on the problems of violence in the Palestinian territories, or Sammi Smucha, a member of the Public Council of the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, whom many representatives of the right-wing nationalist circles of Israel accuse of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli activities, calling for sanctions to be imposed on her and declaring her a "foreign agent" for receiving funding from foreign countries (mainly from Europe and America). Even the well-known American professor Ian Lastik, former president of the Association for Israeli Studies, was included in the American neoconservative organization "Center for the Defense of Freedom" (Center D). Horowitz) in the "black list of Jewish collaborators in the war against Jews" for allowing the possibility of solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem by creating a single bi-national state. At the conference, all participants had the opportunity to freely express their thoughts, which were accepted with tolerance and respect.

In general, the experience of our participation in the XXX Annual Conference of the Association for Israeli Studies has shown that Russian scientists certainly have something to say to their foreign colleagues. At the same time, Russian Israeli studies still faces many unexplored problems and unexplored areas, so this area of academic knowledge needs to be further expanded and developed.

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