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As people await a resolution on Israel’s proposed judicial overhaul backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Israel and the U.S. — including in the Bay Area.

But what does it all mean? Will the plan really strengthen democracy, as right-wing Israeli leaders say? What motivates people to protest? What is the impact on different communities? And what does the political future look like?

“Covering the Social and Political Crisis in Israel” is a yearlong series of virtual public lectures presented by UC Berkeley’s Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, with eminent Israeli and U.S. scholars talking through the proposed changes in the judicial system.

The free series will kick off on Oct. 11 with a look at the legal and constitutional dimensions with professors Netta Barak-Corren of Hebrew University and Shahar Lifshitz of Bar-Ilan University. The two will be in conversation with Kenneth Bamberger, co-director of the Diller Institute.

For the second session, on Oct. 16, social psychologist Eran Halperin of Hebrew University will address the psychology of the crisis with Masua Sagiv, a visiting professor at UC Berkeley. They’ll also discuss the demographics and motivations of the protest and counterprotest movements.

On Nov. 15, Haviv Rettig Gur of the Times of Israel will talk with Bamberger about the latest developments and look at the effect of the legislative-judicial crisis on different communities, such as the ultra-Orthodox. It is the second in a miniseries of three talks between the two colleagues called “Report on the Ground.”

Beyond the series, the institute is hosting several live, in-person lectures, including a talk on Oct. 30 with New York Times Correspondent Isabel Kershner on her new book “The Land of Hope and Fear: Israel’s Battle for its Inner Soul.”

Register here.