Some of the most prominent figures in U.S.-Israel diplomacy, Israeli national security and the American Jewish community are gathering at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, to help train a new generation of leaders confronting Israel’s evolving strategic challenges.

The university is hosting a two-week pilot leadership program, which ends on Thursday, bringing together a select group of mid-career professionals from Israel and the United States with backgrounds in public service, diplomacy, national security and policymaking. The initiative is designed to serve as the foundation for a broader academic program focused on preparing future decision-makers in Israel and abroad. A university spokesperson declined to provide information about the participants, telling eJewishhilanthropy that they “have asked not to be exposed to the general public at this time.”

Among the faculty is former Ambassador Dennis Ross, the veteran Middle East negotiator who advised four U.S. presidents; Howard Kohr, the former longtime executive director of AIPAC; and Malcolm Hoenlein, who for decades served as executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Other faculty members include Yaakov Amidror, Israel’s former national security advisor; Yitzhak Molcho, former chief negotiator and senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Zohar Palti, the former head of the Political-Military Bureau at Israel’s Ministry of Defense; Tal Becker, the former legal advisor to Israel’s Foreign Ministry; former Knesset member Einat Wilf; and Bar-Ilan President Arie Zaban, among others.

The program, titled “Key Dilemmas in Israel’s National Security: Shared Opportunities and Challenges for Israel and the Free World,” examines issues including U.S.-Israel relations, foreign policy, national security, societal resilience, diplomatic negotiations and the role of religious and ideological conflict in shaping global affairs. 

In addition to classroom instruction, participants are meeting with senior Israeli officials and taking part in study tours designed to expose them to the practical realities of strategic decision-making.

The initiative was conceived by Zaban and is being led by Avinoam Bar-Yosef, president emeritus of the Jewish People Policy Institute, with Ross and professor Shalom Saar serving as senior academic advisors. Funding for the program was provided by the university, the Bar Ilan spokesperson told eJP.