Israel in the Middle East The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute is led by Dr.
Assaf David, and its approach in its studies of the Middle East is based on a view of Israel as an inherent member of the region, rather than an outlier or a "villa in the jungle". As such, the Israel in the Middle East research cluster focuses on Israel's regional context, "examining the political, cultural, social, and economic factors tying Israel and its population to states and populations in the Middle East."
Research Activity The Israel in the Middle East cluster is host to a binational interdisciplinary group that aims to "explore the circumstances required to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians based on political, communal, economic, and spatial partnership, rather than on separation."
Ofek for Arabic Media In partnership with the Forum for Regional Thinking, Ofek makes content from the Arab and Palestinian media and public discourse accessible to Hebrew readers, through translation as well as original analyses and opinion pieces.
The Maktoob Book Series The Maktoob Book Series is an independent, non-commercial and non-profit cultural project, dedicated to translating Arabic prose and poetry into Hebrew. Maktoob places an emphasis on implementing mutual sovereignty in translation – each text is assigned two translators, one of whom is always Palestinian.
Sacredness, Religion, and Secularization The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute's Sacredness, Religion, and Secularization research cluster is led by Dr. Yochi Fischer and focuses on two main concepts. First, it examines the meaning of secularism, as a simultaneous political ideology, philosophical worldview, and set of social practices. Second, it investigates the place and meaning of sacredness in a post-secular world. In both of these endeavors, it places an emphasis on a critical, non-binary agenda. Notable projects include "Secularism in Israel", a documentary series produced in collaboration with television channel
Kan 11 and a consequent seminar for educators working in Israel's public school system; and "Conversations of Secularity: a festival of ideas and conversations".
Science, Technology, and Society The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute's Science, Technology, and Society research cluster, led by Dr. Hagai Boas, focuses on two leading relationships. First, it examines the relationship between
Man and
Nature, investigating the narrative of
climate change and concept of the
Anthropocene, and through them - the ideas of responsibility, destiny, religion, humanity and so on. One product of this research is "Anthropocene: The Era of Humankind", a textbook which offers fundamental texts by notable philosophers and scholars of the Anthropocene throughout the world –including
Bruno Latour,
Elizabeth Kolbert,
Timothy Morton, and
Elizabeth Povinelli. Second, it examines the role of societies, communities, and collectives in contending with health challenges. A particular emphasis is placed on the idea of
solidarity in
healthcare, and several research groups led by this research cluster explore the role of solidarity in overcoming different health challenges, such as organ donations, biobanks, international aid organizations and surrogacy. One notable product is the "Patterns of Giving" project: a series of conversations between surrogate mothers and organ donors, discussing in depth different aspects of giving. This project culminated in a public panel as well as a recently published paper in "SSM - Qualitative Research in Health".
The Challenge of Living Together The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute's "Challenge of Living Together" research cluster is led by Prof.
Nissim Mizrachi and directed by Ben Bornstein. It seeks to reexamine prevalent normative and analytical assumptions, as pertaining to a challenge faced by many democracies and by Israel in particular - the challenge of how to "how to live together in a deeply divided society". Through this reexamination, it seeks to form a new "liberal grammar of critical discourse," in order to extend liberal thought and to explore innovative ways of bridging religious, ethnic, and political differences. The cluster works on the academic and theoretical levels as well as the social and political, in collaboration with the
Shaharit Institute.
Feminism and Gender The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute's Feminism and Gender research cluster is headed by Ronna Brayer-Garb and co-directed by Dr. Miri Rozmarin. Its Research Lab for Contemporary Feminist Political Subjectivities reexamines existing theory and practice and aims to provide a "space for interdisciplinary feminist thought" and "new theoretical tools for addressing the gender reality today". Two notable products of this research are "She Knows (Yoda'at)", a Digital Knowledge Center on Women and Gender in Israel, led by Prof.
Hanna Herzog, Prof.
Naomi Chazan, and Hadass Ben Eliyahu; and the Gender Index, an annual publication which monitors, analyses and details levels of
gender inequality across diverse issues in Israel.
Previous Fields of Involvement and Research Advanced Studies The Advanced Studies Unit was headed by Dr. Yochi Fischer and is committed to multidisciplinary and comparative research in the fields of humanities and social sciences. Activities include research groups, workshops, international conferences, and a summer seminar with participants comprising senior scholars in Israel, their international colleagues, and young scholars and intellectuals. The unit focuses on issues of religion, secularism, and democracy; equality, pluralism, and racism; the state of higher education, especially in the humanities; and issues of history, memory, and reconciliation from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective.
Mediterranean Neighbours The Mediterranean Neighbours Unit was headed by Dr. Abigail Jacobson. Based, inter alia, on the
1995 Barcelona Declaration and on the establishment of the
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, it was established to promote the study of the region, to influence the way in which the region is portrayed and understood, and to encourage understanding and dialogue between Israelis and their neighbours. Israeli and Palestinian scholars led pioneering studies and cross-border projects including academic discussion groups, workshops, conferences, and publications. Specific areas of activity included research, the Journal of Levantine Studies, regional dialogue, and involvement in the
Anna Lindh Foundation.
Manarat: The Van Leer Center for Jewish-Arab Relations The Manarat Center, headed by Dr. Yonatan Mendel, was established in 2015 to highlight a variety of issues, including the status and rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel, the ramifications of the protracted Israeli-Arab conflict for both Jewish and Arab societies, and Israel's place in the Middle East. The center was involved in research and discourse regarding the challenges facing Israeli and Palestinian society in an attempt to discover the methods and principles likely to promote understanding, a shared life, mutual respect, reconciliation, justice, and peace. The Manarat Center aimed to promote partnerships between Jewish and Arab organizations.
Jewish Culture and Thinking The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute's Jewish Culture and Thinking Programs established in 1995, was headed by Rabb Prof.
Naftali Rothenberg and promoted interdisciplinary research and public events concerning Jewish culture and thought in Israel and the Diaspora. The programs focused on the identity of communities, the streams and phenomena of contemporary
Judaism, Judaism and democracy, and expressions of Jewish culture, thought, and creativity. The Jewish Culture and Thinking Program was a home for both established and young scholars in the humanities and social sciences, as well as thinkers, rabbis, and educators from Israel and abroad.
Israeli Civil Society The Israeli Civil Society Unit, headed by Prof. Moshe Justman, focused on creating a body of knowledge on citizenship and civic policy to be incorporated in public discourse and used by decision-makers. Projects – including research groups, discussion groups, round-tables on key current issues relating to social change, local and international conferences, and public symposiums – were thematically clustered around the basic issues of citizenship, social justice, relations between the state and civil society, Arab society in Israel, gender, economics, and education. == Organisation & staff==