Lectures | amnonzohar

The winds of social and political change in Israel and the Middle East

Lecture Series

Amnon Zohar is a hi-tech business entrepreneur and founder of internet and social media companies. Amnon was born and educated in Israel and is a graduate of the Israeli Academy for Computer Sciences. After 40 years in Canada, Amnon went back for a sabbatical year in Israel as a student at Tel-Aviv University majoring in International Relations, Islamic and Middle East and Global Security studies. Amnon possesses an in-depth understanding of the political and social environments in Israel and the Middle East and his lecture series “The winds of social and political change in Israel and the Middle East” offers a unique perspective that would appeal to all Canadians.

The lecture series includes the following topics:

The fragile nature of Israel’s social fabric – a comprehensive review of the social tensions, conflicts and challenges that have caused the recent social unrest and popular protestations in Israel.
The potency of Social Media in the Boycott, Divestiture and Sanctions (“BDS”) war against Israel – A review of the increased role of Social Media by Israel’s detractors and strategies and tactics to combat the BDS movement

Israel the Start-up nation – Why and how Israel has become a hot-bed for technological innovation and a power house in technology applications.
Cracking the Israeli Code – understanding why Israelis behave the way they do. A primer for foreigners who engage with Israelis on a business or social level in Israel and abroad.
What season best describes the so called “Arab Spring” – A comprehensive review of the dramatic changes that are taking place in the Middle East and a state-by-state (e.g., Iran, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan etc.) review of the forces of change and the prospects of the “revolutions” and their effect on Israel’s security and foreign policy.
Why is Israel the favorite “punching bag” of political “scientists” in Academia? – Academia in general and political science faculties in particular have perfected the “science” of demonizing Israel and framing it as a pariah state. Why and how do they do it? De-coding the “science” from a first-hand experience.
Jewish Identity in Israel and the Diaspora: Israeli view of Jewish Identity in contrast with that of the Diaspora Jewry. The 5 legged table of Jewish Identity according to Avram Infeld.
The 2nd and 3rd generation dilemma of Israelis abroad -The number of Israelis living abroad is reaching close to 1 million and this population is mainly secular. This means that close to 15% of Israeli seculars live abroad and most of them are not planning to return to live in Israel. As this population ages and with them the “Israeli experience”, what identity will this “Israeli Diaspora” pass on to the 2nd and 3rd generation?
Social Media – A generational gap? - The impact of social media on almost every aspect of life in the global village continues to grow exponentially. Our kids embrace it naturally and enthusiastically, the Gen X, and Gen Y are struggling to keep up with it, the “baby boomers” are mostly ambivalent but recognizing the need to remain relevant and the seniors remember better days of personal face-to-face socializing and are intimidated by it. What is social media and why are some of us afraid to engage?