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Israeli Presidential Conference Facing Tomorrow
Each “tomorrow” - Jewish, Israeli, and world - will be examined through a set of three critical lenses: The leadership necessary to navigate the challenges ahead, the values that are meant to guide our journey, and the creativity required to Embrace the new and keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

The Israeli Presidential Conference works in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is based in Jerusalem, Israel.

Its annual meeting titled Facing Tomorrow takes place every eighteen months in Jerusalem, Israel's Capitol.

The meeting brings together the world top leaders and thinkers in a wide variety of fields and courses including policy, energy, science, economics, culture, art, religion and thought to navigate the most pressing global challenges ahead.

History
The conference was inaugurated in May of 2008 through the vision of Israel's ninth President Shimon Peres. His vision was to create a conference bringing together the world's best minds to examine the "tomorrow" we are all facing. To investigate the crisis' and solutions, trends and innovations, visions and ideals that are shaping our collective future by exploring actions that could and should be undertaken towards the betterment of "tomorrow" for Israel, the Jewish people and the world at large.

The aim of the conference was the development an annual event that not only ‘talks’ but also drives action. To encourage practical initiatives intended to positively shape our future.

The 2008 Israeli Presidential Conference Steering Committee partnered with The Jewish Policy Planning Institute, Promarket Group, and Edan Hadash to develop and produce the conference.

The 2009 Israeli Presidential Conference Steering Committee partnered with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Promarket Group, Edan Hadash, and Debby communications to develop and produce the conference.

The 2011 Israeli Presidential Conference Steering Committee partnered with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Promarket Group, Edan Hadash, and Debby communications to develop and produce the conference.

Previous conferences have been privileged with the presence of global leaders, international scholars and activists, poets and scientists, artists and clergy, entrepreneurs, economists and industrialists including: George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Václav Havel, Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech Kacinsky; Nobel Peace Prize Laureates including Elie Weisel and Henry Kissinger, Nobel Prize Laureate for Chemistry Professor Ada Yonath; Rupert Murdoch, former World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn, Professor Eva Illouz, Baron David de Rothschild, economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer, Yahoo! CEO Susan Decker, Google Founder Sergei Brin, Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, futurist Ray Kurzweil, philosopher and writer Bernard Henri-Levy, Abby Joseph Cohen, Professor Ruth Gavison, Professor Michael Walzer, writer Amos Oz, filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, conductor Zubin Mehta and many more.

Conference Structure
Each conference assembles heads of state, thinkers and people of action, poets and scientists, artists and clergy, businessmen and entrepreneurs, as well as representatives of the next generation of leaders - promising young people with immense talent and originality. The deliberations of the select group of the world’s best minds take place in the Conference’s plenary meetings and within a diverse array of panels dedicated to a wide range of significant issues

Each conference consists of plenary sessions, distinct panels, and an exhibition

The Israeli Presidential Conference 2008 Facing Tomorrow
The conference is multifaceted and thus represents the myriad challenges facing Israel, the Jewish people and the world in general on the exciting path towards the future. The conference was structured in a manner that allowed participants to take their own course of exploration and interaction with the fields which most appeal to them.

Topics of discussion

 * 1) 	THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD ECONOMY
 * 2) 	IS THE GEOPOLITICAL ARENA NEARING A TIPPING POINT?
 * 3) 	CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS OR CLASHES WITHIN CIVILIZATIONS?
 * 4) 	IS JEWISH CIVILIZATION THRIVING OR DECLINING?
 * 5) 	JEWISH EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: IS IT IMPORTANT?
 * 6) 	HOW CAN THE JEWISH PEOPLE STRENGTHEN ITS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE CHINESE GIANT?
 * 7) 	THE CHALLENGE OF JEWISH-ARAB COEXISTENCE IN ISRAEL
 * 8) 	BLUE, WHITE AND GREEN: IS A GREEN ISRAEL POSSIBLE?
 * 9) 	FOREIGN POLICY: STRATEGIC DILEMMAS AND MORAL CONSIDERATIONS

Selected speakers from 2008

 * 1) 	Mikhail Gorbachev
 * 2) 	George W. Bush
 * 3) 	Sergey Brin
 * 4) 	Rupert Keith Murdoch
 * 5) 	Henry Kissinger
 * 6) 	Eli Wiesel
 * 7) 	Tony Blair
 * 8) 	Ehud Olmert
 * 9) 	Susan Deker
 * 10) 	Lech Kaczynski
 * 11) 	Dominic Strauss Khan
 * 12) 	Vaclav Havel

Exhibition: “Tomorrow’s Spaces”
Those who wish to shape tomorrow face myriad challenges: developing alternative energy sources, conserving Nature’s resources, prolonging and improving human life and much more. One can find Israeli initiatives aiming to address nearly every one of these challenges. “Tomorrow’s Spaces” is a selection of the most mature ideas, those already in various stages of implementation and with proven concepts. Ideas that purport to provide a unique, pioneering solution to the problems and challenges they seek to address. Of the hundreds of applications the panel of judges reviewed, sixty projects were selected.

The Israeli Presidential Conference 2009 Facing Tomorrow: Our Mutual Tomorrow
The year 2009 presented numerous major crises and difficult dilemmas that demand action: the economic crisis, ecological deterioration, instability in the Middle East, Iran’s continuous efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The impacts of these issues are far-reaching at the levels of national security, community life and the individual. The discussions investigated the parameters of the various crises, assessed the threats and opportunities that may surface, and considered the policies and decisions that should be implemented to address these grave challenges. The speakers and organizers focused on ways we can make today’s crises an opportunity - a gateway for positive change on our journey towards tomorrow.

Topics of discussion
2009 Topics
 * 1) 	Looking Towards Tomorrow- Turning Crisis into Opportunity
 * 2) 	Islam: Between Moderation and Extremism
 * 3) 	Tomorrow's Cities: How can we build sustainable and functioning cities?
 * 4) 	Coping with the Iranian challenge
 * 5) 	The Jewish World and the Global Economic Crisis
 * 6) 	Jewish Peoplehood – A Unity of Opposites
 * 7) 	Is "Jewish Continuity" just a Slogan?
 * 8) 	Israel 2020 – The Visions of our Leaders
 * 9) 	Will We Ever See Peace in Our Region?
 * 10) 	Israel as a Global Hub

Speakers

 * 1) 	H.E. Mr. Tony Blair
 * 2) 	Ms. Susan Rice
 * 3) 	Mr. Jimmy Wales
 * 4) 	Mr. Ray Kurzweil
 * 5) 	H.E. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu
 * 6) 	Bernard Henri Levy
 * 7) 	Josh Silverman
 * 8) 	Alex A. Weber
 * 9) 	Mr. James D. Wolfensohn
 * 10) 	Professor Stanley Fischer

2009 Summation

 * Introduction
 * Essays
 * 1) 	The Global Economy: One Year Later
 * 2) 	Challenges Facing the Jewish People
 * 3) 	Israel and the World: Friends, Enemies, Neighbors and Strangers
 * 4) 	Youth
 * 5) 	New Technologies - Reshaping Our World and Ourselves
 * 6) 	Crises into Opportunities

Exhibition: “Tomorrow’s Industries”
"Tomorrow's Industries"

In cooperation with The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, The Israeli Presidential Conference hosted an array of handpicked initiatives - the fruits of revolutionary and courageous Israel inventors and entrepreneurs. The initiatives featured provided the Israeli Presidential Conference participants as well as an Israeli and global audience, a glimpse of the huge potential concealed in modern Israeli industries – its innovation, creativity, and even the "blessed chutzpah" that are - in the words of President Peres "illustrating the Israeli face of tomorrow"


 * Alternative Energy
 * Water Technology
 * Stem Cells
 * Advanced Learning Applications
 * Anti-Terror Countering Solutions
 * Information and Communications Technology

The Israeli Presidential Conference 2011 Facing Tomorrow: A thriving tomorrow or a declining tomorrow?
The Conference will take place at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, attended by approximately 3500 people from around the world. During the two and half days, 200 of the world’s best minds (half from abroad) will embody the Conference’s plenary sessions and remarkably diverse array of panels, dedicated to designing a better tomorrow.

Panels

 * 1) 	From Cairo to Tehran – Will we miss the "old" Middle East?
 * 2) 	Resetting the Global Order?
 * 3) 	Stopping Nuclear Proliferation - Reality or Illusion?
 * 4) 	How well does the Science of Economics Understand Economics?
 * 5) 	The Economic Future - Is Pessimism the new Optimism?
 * 6) 	A Hungry and Thirsty World – How can we feed 7 billion people?
 * 7) 	Space: Mystery, Opportunity, and Danger
 * 8) 	The University of Tomorrow
 * 9) 	Cutting-Edge Medicine – so what will kill us tomorrow?
 * 10) 	The Drama of Brain Research in the 21st Century
 * 11) 	Crossing the Border: Dilemmas of Migration in Today's Global Village
 * 12) 	Thin Ice – Criticism vs. Loyalty in Israel-Diaspora Relations
 * 13) 	The Jewish Dimension of a Peace Agreement
 * 14) 	Where is Jewish Philanthropy Headed?
 * 15) 	The Future of European Jewry – Thriving or in Decline?
 * 16) 	Jewish Identity: the Young Generation vs. Ancient Tradition
 * 17) 	Conversion: Who Keeps the Gate for the Jewish Nation?
 * 18) 	Israel and the Diaspora: Relationship Among Equals?
 * 19) 	Contemporary Israeli Art – Looking at Tomorrow
 * 20) 	Visions of Jerusalem
 * 21) 	Can Co-Existence Exist in Israel’s Mixed Cities?
 * 22) 	De-legitimization: Who is at Fault? Them or us?
 * 23) 	The Israeli Economy - A Small Leading Market?
 * 24) 	Israeli Wealth: Does a Minority Monopolize the Economy?
 * 25) 	Israel and America – Has the Love Cooled?
 * 26) 	Inter-Generational Dialogue
 * 27) 	In-Depth Discussions with Renowned Leaders, Statesmen and Economists.

Plenary
Designed as conference wide events to challenge participants on global questions of tomorrow.
 * 1) 	Looking Towards Tomorrow
 * 2) 	Tomorrow’s Ride: Energy Options for the Future
 * 3) 	Who Will Triumph in the Marketing Battle of Tomorrow?
 * 4) 	The New Media - New Challenges, New Dilemmas
 * 5) 	Where is the Global Economy Heading?

Speakers

 * 1) 	Rt. Hon Tony Blair
 * 2) 	Dr. Henry Kissinger
 * 3) 	Mr. Leo Apotheker
 * 4) 	Professor Eric Maskin
 * 5) 	Ms. Abby Joseph Cohen
 * 6) 	Mr. Rene Obermann
 * 7) 	Ms. Christine Lagarde
 * 8) 	Professor Irwin Cotler
 * 9) 	Professor Niall Ferguson
 * 10) 	Mr. Bernard-Henri Lévy
 * 11) 	Mr. Maurice Levy
 * 12) 	Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali
 * 13) 	Mr. Tom Rogers
 * 14) 	Mr. James D. Wolfensohn
 * 15) 	Mr. Peter Loscher
 * 16) 	Mr. Ivan Seidenberg
 * 17) 	Ms. Sarah Silverman
 * 18) 	Sir Martin Sorrell
 * 19) 	Mr. Jean-Claude Trichet
 * 20) 	Lord David Trimble
 * 21) 	Mr. Jimmy Wales

Similar Key words
Israel

Middle East