• Participation by invitation only

Israel Speaks: Human Dignity | Council of 20

The Israel Democracy Institute
Jerusalem

By invitation only

On June 17–18, 2013 twenty representatives of Israeli society assembled at the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem to share their perspectives on human dignity as the first step in a historic, nation-wide effort to draft a Declaration of Human Dignity. This civic council proposed a common theoretical and moral basis for deliberations in public forums that will be comprised of representatives of Israeli society as a whole. 

The members of the Council of 20

Members of the Council

  • Rabbi Haim Amsalem, Former Member of Knesset, Shas Party
  • Rabbanit Adina Bar- Shalom, Founder and Executive Director, The Haredi College of Jerusalem
  • Mr. Michael Biton, Head of the Local Council, Yerucham
  • Dr. Meir Buzaglo, Former Head of the Department of Philosophy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Chairman of the Tikkun Movement
  • Mr. Eli Elalouf, Former Executive Director of the Rashi Foundation
  • Rabbi Mordechai Karelitz, Former Mayor of Bnei Brak*
  • Attorney Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Executive Director,  The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism
  • Mr. Yoav Kraiem, Disabled Rights Activist; Chairman of the National Council for the Rehabilitation in the Community of Persons with Mental Disabilities
  • Attorney Imran Kinana, Head of the Local Council, Yaffa of Nazareth
  • Rabbi Dr. Benjamin (Benny) Lau, Head of IDI's Human Rights and Judaism in Action Project and Rabbi of the Ramban Synagogue, Jerusalem
  • Rabbi Tzahi Lehman, Tzohar Rabbinical Organization
  • Attorney Orna Lin, Orna Lin & Co; Board Member of the Abraham Fund Initiatives
  • Prof. Fadia Nasser-Abu Alhija, Associate Professor, School of Education, Tel Aviv University
  • Mr. Eshkol Nevo, Author
  • Rabbanit Malka Puterkovsky, Director of the Halakha Program, Midreshet Lindenbaum
  • Mr. Ori Reshtik, Chairman, of the National Union of Israeli Students
  • Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, Director General, National Insurance Institute
  • Ms. Karen Tal, Co-Founder and CEO of "Tovanot Bachinuch" –  Education Insights
  • Mr. Muki Tsur, Author, Historian
  • Mr. Pinchas Wallerstein, Former Leader of Gush Emunim and Director of the Yesha Council*
  • Ms. Dana Weiss, Journalist

The Declaration of Human Dignity will highlight the common values that bind all Israeli together regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender, or ideological difference and demonstrate the potential for articulating a shared, normative foundation for Israeli society.

Find out more about the process here.

* Asterisks indicate participants who did not lend their names to the final document that emerged from this event. 

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Israel Speaks: Human Dignity