Born in Israel to American parents, Danny Maseng first came to the United States to star on Broadway in 'Only Fools Are Sad.' A playwright, actor, singer and composer, Danny has served as Evaluator of New American Plays/Opera-Musical Theater for the National Endowment for the Arts, as the Director of the Spielberg Fellowships for the FJC, as Spiritual Leader of URJ congregation Agudas Achim in NY and as Cantor of Temple Israel of Hollywood in California. Danny is most excited to now…

Join us on Wednesday May 5, 2021 at 10:00 AM PDT/ 1:00 PM EDT for a conversation between Rachel Korazim and Meir Shalev, one of Israel's most preeminent and popular novelists, about his influences, his writing and his approach to storytelling. Shalev’s work, which includes works for both children and adults, is saturated with love of man and nature and brings to the forefront the magic of everyday life. His novels chronicle the experience of the settlers in the Jezreel Valley in…

The origins of Dubai trace back to the 7th century, however, few people associate the largest city of the United Arab Emirates with ancient times. Dubai is best described as "the City of the Future": nowhere else on the planet you will find so many incredible architectural constructions that are ultra-modern and even ahead of our times.  In this virtual tour of the United Arab Emirates, Dan Feferman digs into the nation’s geopolitical, religious, and economic significance in the region…

Since 1967, more than 60,000 Jewish-Americans have settled in the territories captured by the State of Israel during the Six-Day War. Comprising 15 percent of the settler population today, these immigrants have established major communities, transformed domestic politics and international relations, and committed shocking acts of terrorism. They demand attention in both Israel and the United States, but little is known about who they are and why they chose to leave America to live at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian…

Join Dr. Julia Wagner as she unravels the latest season of Shtisel. This presentation brings a psychoanalytical perspective to explore the themes of doubles, dreams and death as they play out in the yearnings and frustrations of the Shtisel family. No prior reading is necessary, but familiarity with Shtisel is recommended. Season 3 of Shtisel, starring Michael Aloni (Akiva), Doval’e Glickman (Shulem), Neta Riskin (Giti) and Shira Haas (Ruchami), is available to view at this LINK. Dr. Julia Wagner is a London-based lecturer and writer…

Blood Money from Germans: The Reparations of 1952 Thursday July 1, 2021, 12:30 PM PDT (3:30 PM EDT, 23:30 Israel Time) Israel was deeply divided over the issue of reparations from Germany to compensate for the loss of Jewish property during the Shoah and to assist immigrant absorption in the early 1950s. The left and right fervently opposed negotiating with Chancellor Adenauer and receiving German money while the centrist Mapai looked at the pragmatic needs of the young state and…

Join us for a special 3-part summer virtual visit with some of the amazing communities and personalities of the Negev desert town of Yeroham. Modern Yeroham was founded on 9 January 1951 as Ma'aberet Tel Yeroham (Hebrew: מעברת תל יְרֻחָם), a transit camp for new immigrants, and became one of Israel's first development towns, created to settle frontier areas in the early days of the state. It was located near the Yeroham Makhtesh (formerly: Large Makhtesh), an area that supplied natural…

Where We Are Now and Prospects For Peace and the 2-State Solution - Since the War of 1967 until 2008, there were some other possibilities to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which unfortunately has been rejected by the Palestinian leadership. If we will take, as an example, the historical visit of the former Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, to Israel in 1977, Sadat told Arafat 'if you will come with me, you will get a state.' Not only did Arafat not go,…

Join us on Sunday August 29, 2021 at Noon PDT/ 3:00 PM EDT for a conversation between Danny Maseng and David Broza, one of Israel's most preeminent and popular musicans. An international recording star and poet whose songwriting inspiration stems from his eclectic roots — Spanish, Israeli, American, you name it — Broza is committed to the idea that music is a platform for dialogue and tolerance. Broza’s charismatic, vibrant, and passionate energy is far-reaching and carries global impact. His presence as…

Even as it has taken its place among the world’s most powerful nations, Israel also continues to exert a potent influence on the imagination. In this hour-long multimedia lecture, scholar Ted Merwin traces the evolution of the U.S.- Israel relationship in visual art, photography, performing arts, film and TV. From the 1940s theatrical pageant “A Flag is Born” to the 1960s Paul Newman film, “Exodus,” to American magazine covers during the Six Day War, to the current crop of binge-worthy…

In the Middle East, minority groups find themselves in difficult situations.  Israeli Arabs grapple with conflicting identity issues as well as often feeling that they are second class citizens.  At the same time, they have experienced significant upward mobility in the last decades, particularly in the case of women.  Paul Liptz, a social historian and CSP’s recent 19th Annual One Month Scholar in Residence, was on the Tel Aviv University faculty for 40 years, teaching graduate and undergraduate students in…

Join us on Sunday September 26, 2021 at Noon PDT/3:00 PM EDT/22:00 Israel time for a conversation between Robbie Gringras and Sha'anan Street, one of the most influential and respected cultural voices in Israel today. The lead singer and songwriter of Hadag Nachash, Israel's most popular hip hop band, Sha'anan has released 7 albums with the band, as well as 2 albums of his own. He is a screenplay writer (“The Wonders”), a former columnist (Time Out Israel), a peace and social activist…

Over the past two years, the members of the European Research Council funded research group Beyond the Elite: Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) headed by Elisheva Baumgarten met with seven Israeli artists presenting their historical sources and conclusions of their research concerning the lives of medieval Jews who lived among Christians in the urban centers of northern France and Germany. Seeking to communicate the intertwinedness of Jews in medieval life alongside their distinctiveness as a religious minority as…