Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

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Not to be confused with Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
JCPA logo.gif
Founder(s) Daniel J. Elazar[1]
Type Public Policy Think Tank
Founded 1976[1]
Headquarters Beit Milken, 13 Tel Hai St. Jerusalem[2]
Key people Dore Gold (President)[3]
Method "a multidisciplinary, independent non-profit think tank for Israel policy research and education, bringing together the best minds in the political, strategic, diplomatic and legal arenas, in Israel and abroad."[3]
Website www.jcpa.org
Beit Milken
JCPA building in Katamon

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is a public policy think tank devoted to research and analysis of critical issues facing the Middle East. The center is located in Jerusalem, Israel.[4] Research focuses on international law, paradigms for regional diplomacy, and the connections between local and global terrorism.[4]

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a leading independent research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy. Founded in 1976, the Center has produced hundreds of studies and initiatives by leading experts on a wide range of strategic topics. Dr. Dore Gold, Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, has headed the Jerusalem Center since 2000. [5]

Contents

History[edit]

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs was established in 1978 by Daniel Elazar as an umbrella organization encompassing the Center for Jewish Community Studies and the Jerusalem Institute for Federal Studies. As a policy research and education organization, the center attracted leading scholars from a variety of geographical, disciplinary, and political backgrounds. Elazar personally raised most of the funds for the operation of the organization and the restoration of an historic building on Tel Hai Street in Jerusalem, named in honor of the Milken family.[6]

Organizational Goals[edit]

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs research focuses on Israeli foreign policy and Israel's rights under international law in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. [7] The current president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is former Israeli ambassador Dore Gold who has represented Israel in several diplomatic posts and served as adviser to prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu.[8]

Programs[edit]

The Institute for Contemporary Affairs (ICA) was founded in 2001 with the Wechsler Family Foundation. The stated aim of the ICA is to provide "a forum for discussion of Israel’s strategic, defense and national security challenges". The Institute hosts events and provides analyses and information on issues in Israel and the Middle East for diplomats and foreign media representatives based in Israel and visiting foreign government officials.[9][10]

The Iran and the New Threats to the West program involves the preparation of a legal document to initiate legal proceedings against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran for "incitement to commit genocide and participate in genocide".[10]

The Global Law Forum program supports academic writings, position papers, workshops, conferences and symposia and public briefings that explain the legal dimensions of current regional controversies of concern to Israel and the Middle East.[11][10]

The Defensible Borders Initiative was created to outline a "set of basic principles for a defense policy focused on Israel maintaining defensible borders". The program was carried out by a group of senior Israeli generals and included a conference, an informational video, a website and a book distributed to politicians, academics and journalists.[10][12]

Daily Alert is a newsletter and website produced for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The newsletter contains excepts of Israel-related news and has been provided by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs since 2002.[10][13]

The Institute for Global Jewish Affairs was established in 2008 and consists of several long-running programs that deal with Jewish issues. The Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism Project (PHAS) addresses "restitution, the academic boycott, Holocaust denial, and anti-Semitism in the Arab world, European countries, and post-Soviet states." The Changing Jewish Communities program investigates recent developments in Jewish communities. The Institute also produces the journal Jewish Political Studies Review which examines Jewish political institutions and behavior.[10][14]

Original Web Content[edit]

Besides publishing written materials on topics pertinent to Israeli security, as well as stability throughout the greater Middle East, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs publishes original videos and infographics. Typically edited down from briefings at the Center or other sponsored events, original video content features strategic analyses from Israeli political and defense leaders.[15] Original videos and infographics largely consist of in-depth mappings of Israel and the greater Middle East. Depending on the study for which the map is produced, each map focuses on a distinct problem or topic of study. A video describing the functionality and effectiveness of the Iron Dome, for example, illustrates mappings of Israel and its neighboring countries with renderings of potential missile threats and Israel’s defensive capabilities.[16] Other maps include defensive analyses of Israel’s borders to the North and South, as well as 3D topographical renderings, and military capabilities of Israel’s neighbors.[17]

Landmark Building[edit]

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is located in a landmark building dating from 1932. From 1957 to 1980, it served as the Embassy of Uruguay. In 1989, the 1,200-ton building was moved 16 meters to new foundations on the southern side of the lot. A crew of experts was brought in from Poland for this purpose. The building was raised by hydraulic jacks and pushed along rails to reach its new location.[18]

Jerusalem Center Fellows[edit]

  • Alan Baker - Ambassador Alan Baker, Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is former Legal Adviser to Israel's Foreign Ministry and former Ambassador of Israel to Canada.[19]
  • Freddy Eytan - Ambassador Freddy Eytan, a former Israeli Foreign Ministry senior advisor who served in Israel's embassies in Paris and Brussels, was Israel's first Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. He heads the Jerusalem Center's Israel-Europe Project, focusing on presenting Israel's case in the countries of Europe.[20]
  • Jonathan D. Halevi - IDF Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi is a senior researcher of the Middle East and radical Islam at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is a co-founder of the Orient Research Group Ltd. and is a former advisor to the Policy Planning Division of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[21]
  • Zvi Mazel - Zvi Mazel served as Israel's Ambassador to Sweden between 2002-2004. From 1996 to 2001 he was Israel's Ambassador to Egypt. He has also held senior positions in Israel's Foreign Ministry as director of the Eastern European division and head of the Egyptian and North African department.[22]
  • Jacques Neriah - IDF Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah, a special analyst for the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, was formerly Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Deputy Head for Assessment of Israeli Military Intelligence.[23]
  • Michael Segall - IDF Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael (Mickey) Segall, an expert on strategic issues with a focus on Iran, terrorism, and the Middle East, is a senior analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and the Terrogence company.[24]
  • Shimon Shapira - IDF Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira is a senior research associate at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.[25]
  • Nadav Shragai - Nadav Shragai is the author of Jerusalem: The Dangers of Division - An Alternative to Separation from the Arab Neighborhoods (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2008); and At the Crossroads, the Story of the Tomb of Rachel (Jerusalem Studies, 2005). He was a reporter for Ha'aretz between 1983-2010 and currently writes for Yisrael Hayom.[26]
  • Justus Weiner - Justus Reid Weiner received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law and his BA from Colgate University. He is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. His professional publications have appeared in leading law journals and intellectual magazines. In the U.S Weiner practiced law as an associate in the litigation department of the international law firm White & Case. Weiner also served as a senior attorney at the Israel Ministry of Justice specializing in human rights and other facets of public international law.[27]

Jerusalem Center Expert Contributors[edit]

Researchers and public figures who have contributed to publications of the JCPA and participated in briefings include:[28]

Major Topics[edit]

The Center has many specialists whose work exclusively covers their respective areas of interest. Below is a listing of fields covered by the JCPA in its published material:

Iran[29][edit]

  • Iran Terrorism[30]
  • Nuclear Warfare[31]

Radical Islam[32][edit]

  • Al-Qaeda and Global Jihad[33]
  • Muslim Brotherhood[36]

The Middle East[38][edit]

  • Other Middle East[44]

Israeli Security[49][edit]

  • Israel Defense Forces[50]

Diplomacy – Peace Process[51][edit]

  • Europe and Israel[52]
  • International Law[53]

Jerusalem[56][edit]

Anti-Semitism[57][edit]

World Jewry[58][edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: About Daniel J. Elazar". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  2. ^ "Contact Us". JCPA. 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010. 
  3. ^ a b "About the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs". JCPA. 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010. 
  4. ^ a b "ETH Zürich". Isn.ethz.ch. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  5. ^ "About the Jerusalem Center". jcpa.org. Retrieved 2013-04-14. 
  6. ^ "The Intellectual World of Daniel Elazar". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  7. ^ "ETH Zürich". Isn.ethz.ch. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  8. ^ "Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: Dore Gold". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  9. ^ "Welcome to the Institute for Contemporary Affairs". JCPA. 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f "About The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (slideshow)". Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  11. ^ "Global Law Forum: About Us". JCPA. 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  12. ^ "About the Defensible Borders Initiative". JCPA. 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  13. ^ "DAILY ALERT". JCPA. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  14. ^ "Institute for Global Jewish Affairs: About us". JCPA. 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 
  15. ^ http://jcpa.org/media/videos/
  16. ^ http://jcpa.org/video/how-does-iron-dome-protect-israel-from-rockets/
  17. ^ http://jcpa.org/article/maps-and-graphs/#
  18. ^ "Our building: A Jerusalem Protected Landmark". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2011-11-11. 
  19. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/alan-baker/
  20. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/freddy-eytan/
  21. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/lt-jonathan-d-halevi/
  22. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/zvi-mazel/
  23. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/jacques-neriah/
  24. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/lt-col-michael-segall/
  25. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/dr-shimon-shapira/
  26. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/nadav-shragai/
  27. ^ http://jcpa.org/researcher/justus-reid-weiner/
  28. ^ Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs website www.jcpa.org. "Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs: Researchers". Jcpa.org. Retrieved 2012-07-02. 
  29. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/iran/
  30. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/iran/iran-terrorism/
  31. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/iran/nuclear-warfare/
  32. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/
  33. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/al-qaeda-and-global-jihad/
  34. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/hamas-radical-islam/
  35. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/hizbullah-radical-islam/
  36. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/muslim-brotherhood/
  37. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/radical-islam/terrorism/
  38. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/
  39. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/egypt/
  40. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/iraq/
  41. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/jordan/
  42. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/lebanon/
  43. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/lybia/
  44. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/other-middle-east/
  45. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/palestinians/
  46. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/saudiarabia/
  47. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/syria/
  48. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/the-middle-east/turkey/
  49. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/israeli-security/
  50. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/israeli-security/idf/
  51. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/diplomacy-peace-process/
  52. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/diplomacy-peace-process/europe-and-israel/
  53. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/diplomacy-peace-process/international-law/
  54. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/diplomacy-peace-process/settlements-2/
  55. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/diplomacy-peace-process/u-s-policy/
  56. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/jerusalem/
  57. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/anti-semitism/
  58. ^ http://jcpa.org/main-issues/world-jewry/

External links[edit]

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