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Conference Program
Conference Chair: Prof. Karnit Flug | Conference Director: Daphna Aviram-Nitzan | IDI President: Yohanan Plesner
08:30AM-9:00AM
Conference Opening
Registration 08:30-09:00
09:00 | Opening Remarks
Yohanan Plesner
President, Israel Democracy Institute
Mr. Isaac Herzog
President of the State of Israel
9:20AM-11:20AM
Morning Session: Budgetary Frameworks and Priorities for the Coming Years
Chair: Prof. Karnit Flug, VP of Research, Israel Democracy Institute; William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy; Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Former Governor of the Bank of Israel
New Priorities for the 2025 State Budget
Prof. Karnit Flug
Defense budget
Prof. Manuel Trajtenbereg
Tel Aviv University (Former Executive Director, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS))
Lead-off speakers
Yogev Gardos
Budgets Director, Ministry of Finance
Dr. Shmuel Abramzon
Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance
Shay Aharonovitz
Director of the Israel Tax Authority
Dror Bin
CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority
Responders
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Maharan Frozenfar
former Financial Advisor to the IDF Chief of Staff; former Head of the Budget Division of the Ministry of Defense (MOD)
Col. (Res.) Dubi Amitai
Chair, Business Sector Presidium; Chair, the Farmers Association of Israel
Dr. Ron Tomer
Chair, Organization of Businesses and Employers in Israel; President, Manufacturers' Association of Israel
Shachar Turjeman
President, Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce; Chair of the Board of the Brill Group
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Zafrir
Founder of TEAM8; Former Commander of IDF 8200 Unit
Alan Feld
Founding Partner, Vintage Investment Partners; Founder of Power in Diversity Israel
Eran Yaacov
Former Director of Israel Tax Authority; Commissioner of Wages at the Ministry of Finance
Open Discussion
11:20AM-12:00PM | Break
11:40AM-12:45PM
The Capital Market as a Source of Financing for Rehabilitation and Growth
Session Chair: Prof. Karnit Flug
Lead-off speakers
Seffy Zinger
Chair, Israel Securities Authority
Amit Gal
Acting Director General, Israel Capital Market, Insurance & Savings
Responders
Ilan Raviv
CEO, Meitav Investment House
Yoram Naveh
CEO, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings
Avner Hadad
CEO, Phoenix Investment House and KSM Funds
Open Discussion
12:45PM-01:00PM
Yohanan Plesner with Jack Lew, U.S. Ambassador to Israel
01:00PM-02:00PM | Lunch
02:00PM-03:40PM
Noon Session: Economic and Social Ramifications of Burden Inequality
Chair: Yohanan Plesner
Minister Benny Gantz
Chair, National Unity Party
Israel Democracy Institute Researchers Present: The Economic Significance of Demographic Trends
Dr. Gilad Malach
Head of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel Program
Dr. Itamar Yakir
Researcher, Economic Reform Program
The Cost of the Unequal Burden of Service in the IDF
Adv. Shlomit Ravitzky Tur-Paz
Director, Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society
Gabriel Gordon
Researcher at the Economic Reform Program and the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel Program
Lead-Off Speakers
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Orna Barbivai
Former Head of the Manpower Directorate, IDF; Former Minister of Economy and Industry
Eyal Nave
One of the leaders of Brothers in Arms
Noam Zussman
Principal Researcher, Research Division, Bank of Israel
Adv. Avraham Yustman
Vice President, Kemach Foundation
Prof. Itai Ater
Senior Fellow, the Israel Democracy Institute
Open discussion
Session Closing Remarks
Shlomi Heizler
Director General, Ministry of Finance
3:40-04:00PM Break
04:00PM - 06:00 PM
The Challenge of Israeli Civil Service
Session Chair: Adv. Rita Goldstein-Galperin, Head of Civil Service Reform Program, Center for Governance and Economy, Israel Democracy Institute
Opening
MK Avigdor Liberman
Chair, Yisrael Beiteinu Party
How did Civil Service Function after October 7th? Insights from the Field
Avichai Stern
Mayor, Kiryat Shmona
Sigal Moran
Strategic Advisor; Former Director General of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs
Presentation of Challenges
Adv. Rita Goldstein-Galperin
Session Chair - Mapping the Challenges and Barriers to Implementing Reforms
Dr. Itamar Yakir
Researcher at Economic Reforms Program at IDI - the Relationship between Public Systems and Citizens’ Wellbeing
Israel Democracy Institute Researcher Presentations: Proposed Changes to Improve the Civil Service
Tomer Lotan
IDI Policy Advisor
Prof. Yotam Margalit
IDI Senior Fellow
Dr. Assaf Shapira
Head, Political Reform Program at IDI
Adv. Edna Harel-Fisher
Head of Public Corruption Program at IDI
Maya Natan
CEO, Keshet Foundation
Symposium on the Function of the Civil Service – Former Directors General of the Prime Minister's Office
Eli Groner
Served during the period of Benjamin Netanyahu
Yossi Kuchik
Served during the period of Ehud Barak
Raanan Dinur
Served during the period of Ehud Olmert
Closing remarks
Yossi Shelley
Director General, Prime Minister's Office
An open discussion led by a forum of Former CEOs and Heads of Systems
09:00AM-09:40AM
Opening
09:00-09:30 | Registration
09:30 Opening Remarks
Conference Chair: Prof. Karnit Flug
Matanyahu Englman
State Comptroller
09:40AM-11:40
Morning Session: Effects of the War on the Israeli Labor Market
Chair: Prof. Yotam Margalit, Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute
Voices from the Field
Avi Ben Assayag
CEO, Osem-Nestle Group; Chair of the Economy Committee, Manufacturers Association of Israel
Raul Srugo
President, Israel Builders Association
Amit Yifrah
Secretary General, the Moshavim Movement; Chair, Israel Farmers Federation (IFF)
Rami Beja
Chair, the Self-Employed Forum
Tali Nir
CEO, 121 Association
Nawa Jahshan Batshon
CEO, Co-Impact
Outline for Implementing Flexible Employment in Israel in Times of Crisis
Michal Fink
Deputy Director of Strategy and Policy Planning, Ministry of Economy and Industry
The Future of the Labor Market
Kfir Battat
Deputy Budget Commissioner, Ministry of Finance
Employment Challenges in Mixed Spaces
Presenter: Dr. Ahmad Badran
Researcher, the Arab Society in Israel Program, Israel Democracy Institute
Responders
Amit Ben-Tzur
Director General, Arlozorov Forum
Susan Hassan
Deputy CEO, JDC-TEVET
Prof. Ofer Merin
Director General, Shaare Zedek Medical Center
Open Discussion
11:15AM-11:30AM | Break
11:45AM
Labor Relations Challenges Against the Backdrop of War
Efi Malkin
Commissioner of Wages, Ministry of Finance
Arnon Bar-David
Chair, the Histadrut (The General Federation of Labour in Israel)
12:00PM-01:00PM
How to Achieve Economic and Employment Revival in the North and South
Chair: Daphna Aviram-Nitzan, Director of the Center for Governance and Economy, Israel Democracy Institute
Opening Remarks
Dr. Itamar Yakir
Researcher for the Economic Reform Program, Israel Democracy Institute
Rani Dudai
Director, JDC-TEVET
Lead-Off Speakers
Michal Frank
Senior Advisor at the Takuma Administration; Former Director General of the Ministry of Transportation
Carmel Bardugo Shatzki
Director of Employment, Western Negev Regional Cluster
Inbar Bezek
CEO, The Economic Company for Development of the Upper Galillee
Prof. Nir Kedar
President of the Sapir Academic College
Idan Tendler
VP, Palo Alto Networks; Chairman and Co-founder of Place-IL
Open discussion
Closing remarks
Israel Uzan
Director General, Ministry of Labor
01:00PM-02:00PM
Lunch Break
02:00PM-04:15PM
Afternoon Session: Global Trends and their Impact on the Israeli Labor Market
Chair: Daphna Aviram Nitzan
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Labor Market and Education System
MK Gila Gamliel
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology
Israel Democracy Institute Researcher Presentations
Daphna Aviram Nitzan
The Impact of AI on the Labor Market, Forecasts by International Bodies
Prof. Yotam Margalit
Senior Fellow, Israel Democracy Institute – The Skills of the Future
Lead-Off Speakers
Dadi Perlmutter
Chair, the Committee to Increase Human Capital in High-Tech; Former Senior VP at Intel Around the World
Dr. Rachel Knoll
Chair, the Education Committee of the National Council for the Advancement of Women in Science and Technology
Hanan Brand
VP Startup Division, Israel Innovation Authority
Discussion Summary
Meir Shimoni
Director General of the Ministry of Education
The Impact of the Climate Crisis on the Israeli Labor Market
Idit Silman
Ministry of Environmental Protection
Guy Samet
Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection
Israel Democracy Institute Researchers
Daphna Aviram-Nitzan
Leader of the Climate Crisis Preparedness Project at IDI
Dr. Ruslana Palatnik
Visiting Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute; Academic at Yezreel Valley College; University of Haifa; IIASA
Nadav Porat Hirsh
Researcher, the Israel Democracy Institute’s Center for Governance and Economy
Lead-Off Speakers
Dr. Dov Khenin
Chair of the Israeli Climate Forum, the President's Residence
Ofra Chen
CEO Negev Industrial Minerals Ltd.
Ran Cohen
Deputy Chief Labor Inspector, Ministry of Labor
Ilya Katz
Deputy Budget Commissioner, Ministry of Finance
Yuval Hayu
Director of Government Ministries and Institutions, The State Comptroller’s Office
Responders
Adam Blumenberg
Deputy Director General of Economics and Policy, the Histadrut
Einat Zinger Dan
CEO, Founder and Head of the Employers and Human Capital Development Administration
Open discussion
04:15PM-04:30PM | Break
16:30 | Remarks from the Leader of the Opposition
Yair Lapid
Chair, Yesh Atid Party
4:40PM-06:00M
Regional Cooperation as a Lever for Prosperity and Stability
Chair: Dr. Jesse Ferris, VP of Strategy, Israel Democracy Institute | In English
Middle East the Day After: Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Eyal Hulata
Advisor to the IDI Regional Collaboration Project; Former Head of the National Security Council (NSC)
Lead off Speakers
Yohanan Plesner
President, Israel Democracy Institute
Yariv Becher
VP, Strategic Alliances, Startup Nation Central
Gidon Bromberg, Director, EcoPeace Israel in conversation with Andrea Pontiroli, Deputy Head of Mission, Delegation of the European Union to Israel
Presentation of Insights: How to Promote Regional Collaboration in Climatech
David Shurman
Researcher, Israel Democracy Institute
Regional ClimateTech Collaboration.pdf
Gary Soleiman
Climate Global Partnerships Manager, Startup Nation Central
Peleg Gottdiener
Advocacy Officer, EcoPeace Israel
Responders
Gil Shaki
Founder, InnoValue; CGO, Capital Nature
Rotem Arad
CBO, H2Pro; Climate Entrepreneurs Team Member
Carmit Oron
CEO of SaliCorp; Climate Entrepreneurs Team Member
Ambassador Yael Ravia-Zadok
Deputy Director General, Head of Economic Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sharon Hatzor
VP of Policy Planning and Strategy, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
Open Discussion
Led by a team of climate entrepreneurs to promote regional collaboration
About Eli Hurvitz
Eli was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Tel Aviv, where he completed his studies at Hacarmel elementary school and Ironi Alef municipal high school. With the outbreak of the War of Independence in 1948, he joined the Nahal (“Pioneering Fighting Youth”) Brigade together with a group of friends from the Hebrew Scouts youth movement. Following a short agricultural training program, the group founded Kibbutz Tel Katzir in the Jordan Valley, adjacent to the border with Syria. At Tel Katzir, Eli married Dalia, also a member of the group. In October 1953, the couple left the kibbutz and moved to Tel Aviv.
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