• Participation by invitation only

Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society 2017

The 24th annual Israel Democracy Institute’s Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy and Society, the leading economic conference in Israel, is being held this year under the banner, “Two Economies – One Society.” It will focus on challenges and opportunities connected to the modern high-tech vs. traditional economy, the future workforce, improving regulation and doing business, and reconsidering the pension system.

The Hurvitz conference serves as a meeting point for public discourse and professional knowledge on economy and society with the goal of improving government decision making and the quality of Israel’s socioeconomic and economic policies, benefiting the entire public.

IDI President Yohanan Plesner and Conference Chair Prof. Eugene Kandel, Director-General of Start-up Nation Central, will open the conference, which will deal this year with:

  • The challenges of government and economy;
  • How the state and private sector are preparing for the job market of the future;
  • Issues ailing the Israeli pension system;
  • How to decrease the burden of bureaucracy and regulations; and
  • The accessibility of small and mid-size business to credit.

As in the past, government leaders, decision makers, public sector VIPs, leading academicians, and chair-people and director-generals of corporations and companies from the manufacturing, finance and high-tech arenas will participate.

View the full Eli Hurvitz website (Hebrew).

Participants (in alphabetical order):

Yossi Abu, CEO, Delek Drilling
Aharon Aharon
, Head, Israel Innovation Authority
Prof. Hu Angang, Tsinghua University
Yarom Ariav, Chair, Lavi Capital LTD
Daphna Aviram-Nitzan, Director, Center for Governance and the Economy, Israel Democracy Institute
Noam Bardin, Chief Wazer at Google
Yehuda Ben-Assayag, CEO, Menora Mivtachim Pension and Provident Funds
Shai Babad, Director General, Ministry of Finance
Dr. Adi Brender
, Head of Macroeconomics and Policy Division, Bank of Israel
Shraga Brosh, President of Manufacturers' Association of Israel
Dr. Assaf Cohen, Economic Advisor, Compass Lexecon and Lecturer at Ruppin Academic Center at Tel Aviv University
MK Eli Cohen, Minister of Economy and Industry (Kulanu)
Roi Cohen
, President, Lahav
Yisrael Danzinger, Director-general, Environmental Protection Ministry
Prof. Zvi Eckstein
, Dean, Arison School of Business and Tiomkin School of Economics at The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya – IDC
Ziva Eiger, Director, Foreign Investment and Industrial Cooperation Department, Ministry of Economy and Industry
Yulia Eitan, Vice President, The National Economic Council
Prof. Yuval Feldman
, Co-Director, Labor Market Reform Program, Israel Democracy Institute
Michal Fink, Deputy Director General of Strategy and Policy Planning, Ministry of Economy and Industry
Dr. Karnit Flug
, Governor of the Bank of Israel
MK Roy Folkman, Chair, Kulanu
Ira Friedman, Vice President, Social Finance Israel
Esti Goldhammer, Managing Partner, Kav Project – Management Consulting
Prof. Daniel Gottlieb, Deputy Director General for Research and Planning, National Insurance Institute
Arik Grebehlsky, Industrialist and Chair, The Israel Small and Medium Enterprises Authority
Eli Groner, Director-General, Prime Minister’s Office                                                                                   

Prof. Shmuel Hauser, Chairman of the Israeli Securities Authority
Amir Hayek, President, Israel Hotel Association
Rony Hizkiyahu, Accountant General, Ministry of Finance
Dr. Ido Kallir, 
Researcher of pensions and long-term finance, Ono Academic College
Prof. Eugene Kandel
, CEO, Start-Up Nation Central
Ran Kiviti, Director, Small & Medium Businesses Agency, Ministry of Economy and Industry
CPA Yair Lapidot
, Joint CEO, Yalin-Lapidot
Amir Levi, Director of Budgets Department, Ministry of Finance
Anath Levin
, Deputy CEO, Clal Financial Management
Adv. Mayer Levin, Deputy Attorney-General (Economic Law)
Adv. Avi Licht,
Deputy Attorney General
Chen Lichtenstein, Deputy CEO, Adama
Dr. Augusto Lopez-Claros, Senior Advisor, Development Economics, World Bank Group
Dalia Narkys, Former Chair, ManpowerGroup Israel and Director of East Mediterranean Countries, ManpowerGroup Global
Yohanan Plesner, President, Israel Democracy Institute
Rakefet Russak-Aminoach, CEO of the Leumi Group
Dorit Salinger, Director of Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Department, Ministry of Finance
Prof. Eytan Sheshinski, Senior Researcher, Center for Governance and the Economy, Israel Democracy Institute
Prof. Avi Simhon, Director, National Economic Council, PMO
Prof. Nathan Sussman, Director, Bank of Israel Research Department
Imad Telhami, Founder and CEO, Babcom Centers
Dr. Ron Tomer, Owner, Unipharm and Chairman, Economics and Regulation Committee, Manufacturers' Association
MK Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, Member, Knesset Finance Committee
Michal Tzuk, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services
Eran Wolf, Founder and CEO, Direct Finance
Yoram Yaacovi, CEO, Microsoft Israel’s R&D Center
Eran Yakov, Supervisor of Wages and Labor Agreements, Ministry of Finance
Ifat Zamir, CEO, Transparency International Israel 
Prof. Ephraim Zedaka
, Tel-Aviv University
CPA Shahar Ziv, Managing Partner, BDO Consulting firm