The Association for Israel Studies (AIS) held the XXVIII annual international Conference "Multicultural Israel in a Global Perspective"from June 25 to 27, 2012 at the University of Haifa (Israel). About 600 researchers from different countries took part in the scientific forum. Every year the number of participants and their "geography" increases, but also the range of scientific topics and areas presented at the conference expands. AIAI is an international scientific organization that includes researchers from different countries who professionally study Israeli society. Historians and economists, sociologists and demographers, philosophers and politicians, cultural scientists, philologists, specialists in the field of religion, tender studies from leading universities and research centers in the USA, Canada, Israel, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Greece, Poland, Russia, as well as Turkey and China Representatives of the United States , Japan, Australia and other countries discussed the problems of modern Israel.

In his welcoming speech, AIAI President G. Barzilai emphasized that the aim of the conference is to explore the full range of theoretical, methodological and empirical issues related to the problems of Israeli multiculturalism. The interdisciplinary nature of the conference allowed specialists to go beyond the given topic and analyze a wide range of topical issues, such as the consequences of the "Arab Spring" for Israel, developments in the region, and many others.

Thanks to the organizers of the conference-the leadership of the University of Haifa, as well as its co-founders: the Jewish National Fund of Israel, the Municipality of Haifa, Bar-

Ilan University (Israel), the University of Texas (USA) and many others - such a large-scale scientific forum was held successfully, at a high scientific level.

Within the framework of the conference, several plenary sessions, round tables, seminars, as well as 150 scientific sections were organized, where about 600 reports were presented and discussed. The AIII conference was a significant event in the scientific life of the country and attracted public attention. With a welcoming speech, the Mayor of Haifa, I. Ya'ahav, took part in the plenary session, emphasizing the relevance of research in modern Israel. Israeli Nobel laureates D. Shechtman and A. Tsehanover from the Technion (Haifa, Israel) were invited to the plenary session "Education, Higher Education and Science in multicultural Israel". Sami Michael, President of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, a well-known Israeli public figure and writer, spoke at the plenary session dedicated to the problems of social inequality, the struggle for equality and justice.

In this review, it is impossible to cover all the participants ' presentations, but, in our opinion, it is necessary to present and reveal all the variety of problems discussed during the conference, highlight its main scientific areas, thematic blocks, and show the novelty and relevance of the presented reports, which open up the entire panorama of Israeli society.

The topic of multicultural features of Israel is reflected in the sections "Israeli society in the 1950s, multicultural society" and "Multicultural trends in Israeli society". Presentations were made by Israeli researchers A. Helman, K. Kaplan, O. Ichilov, A. Kasher, I. Reuter, as well as American specialists B. Robey and R. Cohen-Almagor. Using concrete material, the participants of the sections convincingly showed that neither the "melting pot" theory nor the policy of multiculturalism were completely "rooted" in Israeli soil; they emphasized the disunity and impossibility of bringing together representatives of the multi-faceted Israel: Orthodox Jews, Palestinian Arabs, Ashkenazim, Sephardim and many others. In the speeches of the participants of the sections, the idea was voiced that in Israeli society everyone lives "as if together, but at the same time - apart."

In addition to discussing the central theme of the conference - the peculiarities of Israel's multiculturalism - the reports covered research in various fields: the history of the creation and formation of the State of Israel; problems of the Holocaust and historical memory; Israel in the Arab world; Palestinian-Israeli relations; features of Jewish identity; the role of religion; immigration; foreign and domestic policy; gender studies; socio-political issues; Israeli art, culture, literature, etc.

The traditional thematic block of the conference has always been sections devoted to the history of the emergence and development of the State of Israel. The reports of Y. Ben-Bassat (Israel), Y. Olweil (USA), G. Coetz (France) reflect the stages of the history of the Jewish Yishuv in Palestine; the difficulties of coexistence of Zionist Jews and Palestinians in Ottoman Palestine are revealed.

In the section "New Perspectives on the Palestinian-Jewish conflict, 1920-1949", Israeli experts analyzed the Arab revolt in 1921 and its impact on relations between Jews and Arabs (T. Goren); I. Radai focused the audience's attention on the rise and decline of the Palestinian middle class during the British mandate period in 1920-1948; M. Abbassii considered the question of how the Jewish-Arab conflict was resolved. the situation of Arab refugees in 1948-1949; K. Peled illustrated the events of this period with a critical analysis of the memoirs of eyewitnesses of Palestinian Arabs.

In the sections "Jews, Arabs and Progress in mandatory Palestine" and "Palestine and Israel", scientists from various universities and research centers in Italy presented reports on the Jewish Yishuv. A. Terentzi reviewed the process of establishing Jewish settlements in the Yishuv and focused on the issue of historical memory. This topic was continued by C. de Martino; F. Petrucci spoke about the immigration of Jews from Tunisia, their plans and disappointments after arriving in Israel.

The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 occupies a special place in the country's history. In the section "Recollections of eyewitnesses of 1948 Palestinians and Jews", the participants ' reports presented the shock of the events and their interpretation from both sides from opposite positions.

The theme of historical memory is reflected in the following sections: "Collective Memory of Arab Palestinians in Israel", "Memory and Reality in Israeli Society", " Israel-

Russian writers form historical memory", "Memory, History and Country in Contemporary Israeli and Palestinian cinema" , etc.

L. S. Livni (Israel)presented a report on the Holocaust "Alternative directions in collective memory: new memorial ceremonies dedicated to the Holocaust Day"; Israeli researchers I. Cohen, B. Brutin, E. Nahsion considered the Holocaust as a reflection of the collective memory of several generations and showed the impact of the catastrophe on Israeli art.

Reports on historical topics covered almost the entire period of the country's development-from the creation of the State of Israel to the present. The difficulties and trials of the first years after the creation of Israel were discussed in the reports of American researchers: F. Maton - on the electrification of the Jaffa area; D. Herzog - on the creation of a system of national water resources from north to south; S. Rosen (Israel) addressed the topic of the rise and decline of Baha'i settlements in the Jordan Valley (from 1880 to 1950)..

A landmark event in the recent history of both Israel and the entire Middle East is the Six-Day War in June 1967 and its aftermath. At the "War of 1967" section, D. Dalsheim (USA), N. Zadoff (Germany), and M. Schoenhav (France) presented their interpretation of these events.

The audience was very interested in the sections devoted to the place and role of Israel in the modern world, foreign policy issues, relations with Arab countries, the European Union and the United States, and Palestinian-Israeli relations. In the sections "New perspectives in the history of Arab-Jewish relations", "Problems of Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel", "Palestinians and the State of Israel", the participants ' reports comprehensively examined the current situation of Israel in the Middle East in the light of the events of the "Arab Spring", and showed the historical perspective of Palestinian-Israeli relations.

American scholar A. Jacobson focused on Jewish-Arab relations in mandatory Palestine; his Israeli colleague H. Cohen continued the topic of Jewish-Arab contacts during the 1929 Palestinian uprising; H. Heyman analyzed the positions of the United States and Israel regarding the problem of Jerusalem in 1948-1967; the difficulties of Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel were discussed in the following sections: dedicated to the speech of M. Schani (Germany).

Many speakers paid attention to the situation of national minorities in Israel. A. Amara (USA), discussing the right of Bedouins to land in Israel, stressed the need for changes in local legislation. I. Jabarin (Israel) attempted to analyze and compare the rights of Arab-Palestinians in Israeli society at the local level with international standards. I. Shdema revealed the problems He also showed that they are in two worlds - "between the Jewish and Muslim societies".

The scientific forum also focused on topical issues related to the "Arab Spring" - Israel's relations with the countries of the Middle East region and problems of Israeli foreign policy. N. Aridan (Israel) analyzed the main stages, downturns and ups of Israel's foreign policy, considered the issue of differences and coincidences in the positions of D. Ben-Gurion and others. M. Shareta in relation to the Jewish diaspora. M. Silver (Israel) turned to the period 1948-1967 and relations between Israel, Poland and Polish Jewry. G. Laron (Israel) devoted his report to the topic of Israeli-Soviet relations in 1963-1967 before their rupture in connection with the Six-Day War in 1967.

American researcher I. Migdal paid attention to the relations of the United States with its strategic partner in the Middle East - Israel. Israeli experts have identified a number of " key " issues in Israeli foreign policy. 3. Ley emphasized the peculiarities of American-Israeli relations in the context of the nuclear threat in the 1964-1970's. U. Petrushevsky focused on the policy of modern Russia in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. U. Bar-Yosef presented his position and interpretation of the October War of 1973. The report of A. Ratz (Great Britain) contained a critical assessment of Israeli peace initiatives after the Six-Day War in June 1967.New trends in the development of the situation in the Middle East and Arab countries, the strengthening of Islamic fundamentalism, and the destabilization of the situation, according to the speakers, had an extremely negative impact on the situation of Israel. This was stated by Israeli researcher B. Berti, who stressed that the negative impact of the growing Islamic factor has certainly complicated Israel's position in the region. The main topic of the report of Tzar Liebman (Israel) was the attitude of Europeans towards the United States.-

leading Arab countries to the Arab Spring: possible risks, challenges, and lack of alternatives for Israel.

The audience was very interested in the presentations of 3. Shalom (Israel) on US-Israeli relations and their prospects during the Obama administration and M. Bard (USA) on the role and influence of the Arab and Israeli lobby on the 2012 US presidential election.

I. Diduch (Poland) and her French colleague Caroline Joshot du Plessis presented reports on new trends in relations between Israel and the EU countries. Yie Luofu (China) spoke about China's participation and assistance in the development of the Palestinian Authority.

Numerous sections were organized in the following thematic areas: economics and social problems; immigration policy; gender studies; religious issues, Jewish identity, etc. Stages of the country's economic development, the situation in agriculture, social problems of workers and the struggle for equality were discussed in many sections. The Israeli researcher Ya. Jaffe presented a report on the economic development of the Yishuv from 1900 to 1948; the problems of the modern Israeli labor market - the role of ultra-orthodox Jews and Arabs were reflected in the speech of his Israeli colleague R. Natanson. The role of Kibbutzim in the development of agriculture in the country was shown by the Polish scientist K. Kropotkin. Vishnevskaya street. Israeli experts also paid attention to this topic: T. Elmaliyah, using the example of Kibbutz Ha'artzi, traced its history and development from 1956 to 1977; A. Gan emphasized the role of the United States, Russia and Germany in the formation of the kibbutz movement.

The problems of social inequality and the struggle for equality were the focus of attention of American researchers G. Barzilai, S. Larry, N. Milman, T. Sorek. Israeli scientists continued their exchange of views on this topic: A. Avigur analyzed the situation of the middle class in Israel; R. Gerlitz and S. Abu Rabia considered forms of social protest and the demand for equality of Arab citizens.

Jewish immigration played and continues to play a huge role in the creation and development of Israel. The features and significance of immigrant "waves"; their number and stages; the immigration policy of the ruling circles in different periods of the country; the situation of labor migrants in modern Israel and other problems were discussed in many sections devoted to this topic. Among the reports of Israeli experts, the following papers aroused interest: A. Plocker's "Polish Jewish immigration to Israel in 1968"; S. Klor's "Aliyah from Argentina to Israel, 1948-1967"; A. Pickard's (USA) "Relations of D. Ben-Gurion to immigration from Morocco, 1955-1956". Yehudai analyzed the reverse process of Jewish emigration from Israel in the 1950s.

The problems of Jewish immigration were considered in various "planes". Thus, I. Pupko (Israel) believes that modern Jewish immigration has a transnational character, which increases in the period of globalization.

Several reports reflect the role and significance of Russian-speaking immigration from the former USSR. I. Riss (Israel) Based on extensive statistical data, he compared immigration flows to Israel from the United States and the USSR; analyzed their number and social structure; and characterized the established immigrant organizations. I. V. Masyukova (Russia) in her report "Post-Soviet Jewish Immigration and Multicultural Israel" considered Russian-language immigration as a factor of Israel's multiculturalism. In the process of integration, the mass Russian-speaking immigration of the 1990s preserved the Russian language and culture and did not break ties and contacts with the country of origin. The number of immigrants from the former USSR is more than 1 million people; they managed to create their own political parties and various public organizations (professional, cultural, educational, etc.); the Russian - language press and mass media; schools, theater; and the service sector-created a kind of "Russian-speaking world" in Israeli society. The latest wave of immigrants from the CIS countries has reinforced the secular character of Israeli society. A characteristic feature of modern Jewish immigration (primarily post-Soviet) is the growth of non-Jews arriving in mixed families, who are granted Israeli citizenship, but despite this, they have problems with registration of marriage, divorce, burial, etc.

Conversion to Judaism (giyur) is an important component in solving life's problems. Famous American scientist X. Waxman looked at ways to solve the problem of conversion to Judaism, a process that involves a certain amount of preparation and acceptance of a religious lifestyle. In Israel, this problem is solved for many women during their military service in the army.

German researcher D. Katz made a report on the increase in the number of non-Jews, primarily women, in the immigrant flow from Germany. J. Harpaz (USA) raised the issue of dual citizenship of Israelis. I. Spizman (Israel), analyzing the immigration policy in 2000-2010, concluded that in addition to a universal approach to the issue of immigration there are selective trends in the policy of the ruling circles.

Several reports were devoted to the specifics of labor migration as a phenomenon typical for many countries in the era of globalization. E. Sheli-Newman (Israel) focused on the methodology and practice of recruiting labor migrants. The specific nature of the use of labor resources in Israel is that traditionally Romanian workers predominate in construction; Thai workers in agriculture; Filipinos take care of the elderly, clean rooms, and help around the house. The topic of organizing and arranging foreign workers in Israel was continued by Sh. Weinbloom (Belgium). Israeli specialist R. Mann emphasized the role and importance of the Israeli media in overcoming the language barrier and establishing communication with new immigrants.

The traditional theme of each conference is gender studies. Among the reports on the status of women before the establishment of the State of Israel, the following Israeli scholars are interesting: M. Shilo on the struggle of women suffragettes in mandatory Palestine in 1917-1926; L. Rosenberg-Friedman on the problem of abortion and how to prevent it in the Yishuv; N. Taitelbaum on the role and participation of women in religious life.

At the section" Mandatory Palestine through a gender lens", the conference participants continued their discussion on this topic: M. Sagiv (USA) expressed her position on the struggle for control in Israeli religious education; L. Perry-Hazan (Israel) presented her point of view regarding Israeli ultra-Orthodox schools as a result of the policies of ultra-religious parties. He concluded that funding ultra-religious education is a failure of the policies of ultra-religious parties. B.-S. Margalit Stern (USA) came to the conclusion that women's political activity is a way of forming a new socio-political order in Israel; N. Dehan (Israel) raised the issue of the problems of single mothers in the Orthodox environment.

The rise of Judaism in Israel and its consequences in the recent period, in turn, cause increased tensions and conflicts with the secular part of the population. This topic was discussed by S. Shapiro (USA). Continuing the discussion on the place and role of Judaism, G. Malach (Israel) reviewed the attempts of the ruling elite to find new approaches for interaction with Israeli religious circles. T. Grigoriadis (USA) assessed the process of complex relations between religious circles and local self-government in the Netanya and Nazareth districts. A. Kaie (USA) emphasized the negative attitude of religious communities to the state of Israel. Zionists to non-Jewish Israelis.

The participants of the sections paid attention to the importance of mass media in Israeli society, Israeli culture, art, sports, cinema and many other issues.

XXVIII International Conference of the Institute of Israel Studies - a new stage in modern Israeli studies. The fruitful work of the scientific forum — presentations, exchange of views with the participation of leading and young scientists-was aimed at finding solutions to the current problems of modern Israel. The conference participants were able to address many new issues that require scientific analysis and further study.

Within the framework of the conference, many foreign research centers and universities offered participants to get acquainted with their scientific projects and programs, as well as view the catalogues of the world's leading publishers. The scientific forum under the auspices of the Association allows you to expand scientific contacts and contacts with colleagues from different countries. According to the results of the conference, awards are given in three categories: best scientific monograph; best dissertation and best report among young scientists. The conference participants are always provided with a wide selection of periodicals, and first of all, the official interdisciplinary journal of the Institute of Israel Studies - "Israel Studies Review" with a variety of articles on topical issues of modern Israel.

The next annual conference under the auspices of the AIII is scheduled to be held from June 24 to 26, 2013 at the University of Los Angeles, California (USA).

Holding such a large-scale international conference allowed us to expand the range of scientific research, raise scientific research to a higher level and open up opportunities for new scientific projects.

Permanent link to this publication: