JERUSALEM, May 28, 2019 – In its latest initiative, the Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies, along with the Israel Association for Canadian Studies, recently hosted the 16th Jerusalem Conference in Canadian Studies at Hebrew University. The gathering, whose theme this year was Globalization and Innovation: Canada and Israel in Comparative Perspective, attracted numerous scholars from both countries.
Over the course of two days in late May, people participated in four assemblies and six sessions, featuring 51 speakers and chairs. In total, 84 people (including 30 who arrived from Canada) attended the conference which took place at HU’s Mount Scopus and Givat Ram campuses.
The rich academic program was based on responses to an open call for papers from scholars in different fields in Canada and Israel. The proposals were reviewed academically by the conference committee chaired by Prof. Gili Drori of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, and Prof. Dafna Kariv, Director of HU’s European Forum and College of Management.
At the opening session, attendees were greeted by Daniel Ben-Natan, President of the Israel Association for Canadian Studies; Prof. Asher Cohen, Hebrew University President; Deborah Lyons, Canada’s ambassador to Israel; and conference co-chair Prof. Gili Drori, Hebrew University.
Prof. Janice Stein, from the University of Toronto, chaired the keynote session in memory of Dr. Ralph Halbert, a major supporter of CFHU who passed away last December and whose generosity and vision led to the creation of the Halbert Centre.
Off-campus highlights included a tour of Start-up Nation Central in Tel Aviv followed by a reception at the Canadian Embassy and a special dinner at the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem.
Professor Barak Medina, Rector, Hebrew University; Prof. Nachman Ben-Yehuda, Acting Director of the Halbert Centre; and Prof. Dafna Kariv, College of Management, concluded the conference before attendees took part in the tour Innovation and Entrepreneurship Jerusalem-Style at HUstart.