Former Fellows
Dr. Inbal Hakman
Fellow
Bio
Inbal is a Ph.D. student at the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is also a teaching assistant at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy and at the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government. She worked as a Content Director and a member of the steering committee of the Israeli President's Conference (2008-2009). She holds a master's degree (honors) from the academic program in Public Policy at the Hebrew University.
Articles by Dr. Inbal Hakman
Gabriel Abensour
Fellow
Bio
Gabriel Abensour grew up in France and made Aliyah in 2011. Gabriel is a PhD student in the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as a President's Fellow at the Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. His research lies at the intersection of Mizrahi studies, Jewish Law, and History. Gabriel earned his MA and a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Hebrew University where he was a student in the Amirim Interdisciplinary Honors Program in the Humanities. For the last two years, Gabriel worked as Research Assistant in the Center for Religion, Nation and State at the Israel Democracy Institute. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chen and their son Peli.
Articles by Gabriel Abensour
Dr. Einat Wilf
Bio
Dr. Einat Wilf, the Baye Foundation Adjunct Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, was Chair of the Education, Sports and Culture Committee, Chair of the Knesset Sub-Committee for Israel and the Jewish People, and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the 18th Knesset.
Previously, Dr. Wilf served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres, a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company. Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces.
Dr. Wilf is the author of four books that explore key issues in Israeli society. Her first book, “My Israel, Our Generation”, is about Israel’s past and future from the perspective of the younger generation. Her second book, “Back to Basics: How to Save Israeli Education (at no additional cost)“, offers a detailed and feasible policy proposal for improving Israel’s education system. Her third book, “It’s NOT the Electoral System, Stupid”, demonstrates through comparative analysis why Israel’s electoral system is no worse than those of other democracies and therefore should not be changed. Her fourth and most recent book, “Winning the War of Words”, compiles her key essays on Israel and Zionism.
Dr. Wilf has a BA in Government and Fine Arts from Harvard University, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge.
Articles by Dr. Einat Wilf
Rami Tal
Bio
Born in 1948 in Tel Aviv, studied law, general history and political science, and specialized in Political Philosophy. In 1977 he started to work at Yediot Acharonot newspaper as a news editor. From 1989 to 1993 he was Yediot Achranot's Washington correspondent.
Since his return to Israel, he has worked mainly at Yediot Acharonot publishing house, as the head of the political and security division, and as a member of the editorial staff. In this capacity he has edited books by Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, Ezer Weizman, Moshe Arens, Yossi Beilin, Moshe (Bogi) Ya'alon, Dan Halutz, Uri Sagi, Avraham Burg and others
Brig. General (Ret.) Michael Herzog
Bio
Michael Herzog is a Brigadier General in reserve. He was discharged in August 2010 from long service in the IDF, which included, among other things, combat as an infantryman in the Yom Kippur War, a long career in the Intelligence Division, the head of the Strategic Planning Division in the Planning Division (AGT), the military secretary to the defense minister and chief of staff Minister of Defense (a total of six years in the last two positions, with four defense ministers).
Herzog has been involved in all of Israel's peace talks with the Palestinians, Syrians and Jordanians since 1993. Between May 2009 and March 2010, he served as a special envoy of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense in efforts to drive the political process.
He has also served and is serving as a research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
In 2021 Herzog was named Israel's Ambassador to the US.
Articles by Brig. General (Ret.) Michael Herzog
Matthew Gerson
Intern
Talia Gorodess
Bio
Talia is a JPPI fellow on the team Jewish Peoplehood. In addition, she is a Kreitman Fellow and a doctoral student at the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at Ben-Gurion University. Her research deals with David Ben-Gurion's approach to American Jewry as part of his concept of statehood during the First and Second World Wars. In the past, she managed the Reut Institute for Strategic Thinking, where she led research and influence projects related to national security, the socio-economic development of the periphery, and relations between Israel and the Jewish world. Talia graduated with a master's degree in security studies from Columbia University, New York (with honors) and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Chicago (with honors).
Dan Feferman
Fellow
Bio
Dan Feferman recently completed his service with the IDF at the rank of major. For nearly a decade Dan served as a foreign policy and national security analyst and advisor to the General Staff, focusing on US-Israel strategic relations, as a special assistant to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and as a commander in an elite intelligence unit within the IDF's Research and Analysis Division, where he continues to serve in reserve duty. Through his various positions, Dan has been closely involved in Israel's most pressing strategic defense and political issues.
Dan also consults, lectures and writes on foreign policy, defense and intelligence matters .
Prior to his military service, Dan completed an MA in National Security Studies from Tel Aviv University and a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the School of International Service, at the American University, Washington DC, both with honors. Dan also completed a prestigious internship at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Articles by Dan Feferman
Dr. Gitit Levy-Paz
Fellow
Bio
Dr. Gitit Levy-Paz is a fellow at JPPI. She has a Ph.D. in Political Science from Bar-Ilan University, an M.A. in Hebrew Literature from Ben Gurion University, and a B.A. in Political Science and Communication from Bar-Ilan University. Her work focuses on contemporary Jewish American identity from an interdisciplinary – sociological, political and literary - viewpoint. In addition to her work at the JPPI, she is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University.
Gitit was selected as a research fellow for the Israel Democracy Institute's program on Judaism and Human Rights and has received several other fellowships. She worked as a literary editor and wrote literary criticism for the literary section of Haaretz.
