Larry Abramson | Gidi Grinstein | M.K. Avshalom "Abu" Vilan | Rabbi Elisha Wolfin
Michel Kichka | Chen Zimbalista |Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak

Larry Abramson

Larry Abramson , an artist and scholar, immigrated to Israel from South Africa in 1961 and since 1984 has been teaching at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem . He has received the Kolliner Prize for a Young Israeli Artist (Israel Museum, 1979), America-Israel Cultural Foundation Award (1988), Jacques O'Hana Prize for a Young Israeli Artist (Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 1991) and Minister of Education and Culture Award (1998).

Since the establishment of the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem , in 1906, Israeli visual culture has maintained a complex relationship to the Zionist ideology of national Jewish revival in the land of Israel . On the one hand, artists identified with this collective national goal and strove to give it a clear and communicative visual expression; On the other hand, these same artists identified with the new modernist avant-garde ideas emerging from Europe , and wished to use innovative revolutionary forms to express themselves as individuals. Today, artists in many disciplines are returning to the original canonic icons in order to question the ideology that produced them, and to present an alternative and critical ("Post-Zionist ") point of view.

Over the past 100 years the tension between collective and personal identity has produced a fascinating art of hybridization, an art which is the subject of Larry Abramson's lecture. Larry Abramson, an Israeli artist who has exhibited extensively in Israel and abroad and was the Chairman of the Bezalel Academy 's Fine Art department during the 1990's, will survey the development of Israeli visual culture from the early days to these, in pursuit of the "scopic regimes" which shaped the values and practices of each period.

Gidi Grinstein

Gidi Grinstein , founder and president of The Re'ut Institute. Gidi served in the Office and then in the Bureau of PM Barak as the Secretary and coordinator of the Negotiation Team of the Government of Israel to the Permanent Status negotiations between Israel and the PLO (1999-2001). Gidi has extensive background in policy-planning in the ECF (1995-99, 2002-03); is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2002) and Tel-Aviv University Schools of Law (1999) and Economics (1991). Gidi is a Captain (Res.) in the Israeli Navy. The Re’ut Institute is a unique, non-partisan Zionist think-tank designed to strengthen the vision of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and prosperous state. Our approach is structured to enhance the Government of Israel’s capacity to generate effective, systemic long-term policies.

About Re'ut

The word “Re’ut” in Hebrew means sight or vision. The Re’ut Institute is an Israeli, Tel Aviv-based think tank:

Zionist - Our work serves the goal of strengthening the Zionist Vision to meet the Jewish state’s evolving challenges in the second century of the Zionist endeavor.

Think-tank - We create systemic, long-term analysis on current policy issues. We focous on bridging gaps between policy and reality.

Non-partisan - We are not associated with any political party or movement, thus we are able to work with any elected government. Our team and experts are of diverse political affiliations coming from all levels of government, non-profit, and for-profit organizations.

Non-profit - The Re’ut Institute is a registered, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. We are funded by individuals and foundations interested in the vitality of the Zionist Vision and the State of Israel.

M.K. Avshalom "Abu" Vilan

Avshalom "Abu" Vilan, co-founder of the internationally acclaimed Israeli peace movement, PEACE NOW, is a veteran Israeli peace activist, kibbutz manager and educator, as well as a former campaign director for the "Mapam" and "Meretz" parties. Vilan is a member of Knesset from Yachad party.

A member of Kibbutz Negba, where he was born in 1951. Vilan served in a special unit of the Israeli defense forces before joining, with others reserve soldiers, in 1977 to found Israel's first active peace movement. He served Peace Now as press liaison, represented the organization at international colloquia and meetings with heads of state in Israel and abroad, and functioned as a key spokesperson for the movement.

Between 1977 and 1980 Vilan served the Kibbutz Artzi Federation of Kibbutzim as director of the Kaf's Young Adults Division. He also was an educator and secretariat member for the federation. In 1984 he graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy; and from 1984 to 1988 he served as Economics Manager for Kibbutz Negba, directing all economic enterprises and educational services, and overseeing the establishment of "Hamei Yoav", a hot spring resort.

In 1988 he was Campaign Director for Knesset elections on behalf of MAPAM, Israel's Democratic Socialist's Party; the next year he held a similar post for Histadrut (Israeli General Federation Of Labor) elections on behalf of MAPAM.

From 1990 to 1992 he was general secretary of MAPAM, and in 1992 was Co-Director of the elections campaign for MERETZ) a coalition of MAPAM, RATZ, SHINUI, and other progressive political parties (which resulted in the election of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

From 1993 to 1996 Vilan was the central "Shalich" (emissary) of Hashomer Hatzair- Kibbutz Artzi to North America and represented the MERETZ coalition.

In 1996 Vilan was elected in national primaries as the General Secretary of K.A.F (Kibbutz Artzi Federation) He merged the too Kibbutzim movement TAKAM and KAF into one: The Kibbutzim movement.

In 1999 Vilan was elected to the 15th Knesset as a member from Meretz party. Today he is a member of the Finance committee, Economics commitee, the chairman of the parliament committee for violence in sports, the special committee for the national defense budget, the head of the Israeli farmers lobby and the reserve duty soldiers lobby in the parliament.

Vilan's wife, Naomi, is a professional educator and school principal, and today the general secretary of Kibutz Negba. They have two children: Avner and Itamar.

Rabbi Elisha Wolfin

Rabbi Elisha Wolfin - Elisha was born and raised in the secular Kibbutz Kfar Hanassi in the Galilee. He served as an officer in the Intelligence and Education Corps and earned his BA at Haifa University. Elisha spent many years in the Bay area of California, first as a shaliach at the Hillel of Berkeley and then as a Jewish educator. He began his rabbinic studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and then transferred to the Schechter Institute where he was ordained in December 2001. Elisha has begun to set up a fledgling Conservative community in Zichron Ya'akov, where he moved to recently with his wife Ronit. In conjunction with RIKMA, the Masorti Movement and Ha'Ogen, a local organization that brings together practitioners of alternative medicine, Elisha has established the Holistic Beit Midrash that offers a host of courses that combine Torah study with ancient kabbalistic, Hassidic and new age approaches.

Michel Kichka

A native Belgian and the son of Holocaust survivors, Kichka made aliyah to Israel in 1974 and has been a freelance illustrator of editorial and political cartoons, comic strips, children''s books and advertising. Currently, he serves as a senior lecturer of illustration and comic art at the Bezalel Academy 's Visual Communications Department. Kichka has staged solo exhibitions in Israel and overseas and participated in numerous group exhibitions and cartoon festivals all over the world.

Inbal Pinto

Inbal Pinto was born in Israel in 1969. She studied graphic design at The Bezalel Academi in Jerusalem . As a dancer, she first joined The Bat Sheva Ensemble and then The senior Bat Sheva Company. In 1990 she began her career as a choreographer. In 1997 and 1998 she was invited to The American Dance Festival to take part in its International Choreographers Program. In 2000 Inbal won The Bessie - a New York Dance and Performance Award for her creation Wrapped. Inbal also created the choreography for theater plays like The Chairs and Romeo and Juliet. In 2000 she was given The Ministry of Culture Award for Dance and the Tel Aviv Municipality Award for Artistic achievements.

Since 1992 Inbal Pinto has been working with Avshalom Pollak, with whom she founded The Inbal Pinto Dance Company. Together, they have created, choreographed and designed works to be performed by the Company:

1999- Oyster: which was given the Israeli Academy Theater Award (1999-2000) as “the best event in the performing arts”

2002 – Boobies: a co-production of The Inbal Pinto Dance Company, The International Center for the Performing Arts deSingel in Antwerp, Belgium and The Israeli Opera.

2004-What Good Would The Moon Be .

In 2004 Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak directed, choreographed and designed the set and costumes for the opera Armide by Christoph Willbald Gluck at the Opera House of Wiesbaden in Germany .

Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak travel extensively as their creations are performed in many parts of the world. They also teach and conduct special workshops in Israel and abroad.

Avshalom Pollak

Avshalom Pollak was born in Israel in 1970. He was trained as an actor and graduated from The Nissan Nativ Drama School, Tel-Aviv , Israel .

Avshalom acted in a large number of films and TV programs as well as many theatrical plays at The Habimah National Theater, The Cameri Theater, Gesher Theater and The Haifa Municipal Theater (Romeo in Romeo and Juliet; Casssio in Othello; Valere in The Miser; Tuzenbach in Three Sisters, Phillip in Orphans and more).

Since 1992 Avshalom Pollak has been working with Inbal Pinto, with whom he founded The Inbal Pinto Dance Company. Together, they have created, choreographed and designed, works to be performed by the Company:

1999 – Oyster: which was given the Israeli Theater Award (1999-2000 ) as “the best event in the performing arts”

2002 – Boobies: a co-production of The Inbal Pinto Dance Company, The International Center for the Performing Arts deSingel in Antwep, Belgium and The Israeli Opera.

2004-What Good Would The Moon Be .

In 2004 Avshalom Pollak and Inbal Pinto directed, choreographed and designed the set and costumes for the opera Armide by Christoph Willbald Gluck at the Opera House of Wiesbaden in Germany.