Former Israeli intelligence official Avi Melamed will explore Israel’s strategic predicament in a daylong study session next weekend. Titled “A New Understanding for a New Middle East,” the event will take place on Oct. 19 at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.
Melamed’s talk will be divided into a pair of two-hour sessions. The first, starting at 9:30 a.m., will be on the subject of the Arab Awakening and its impact on Israel; the second, starting at 12:30 p.m., will be on Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
A fluent Arabic speaker, Melamed has served as a senior official on Arab affairs for the Israeli government, and as deputy adviser on Arab affairs to the mayor of Jerusalem. He is a frequent guest on news outlets, including the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera.
His talk at Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., S.F., is co-sponsored by the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation and AJC San Francisco. The cost is $45 for both sessions with lunch, $35 without lunch or $20 for one session. For more information visit www.bit.ly/sf-melamed, call (415) 957-1551 or email Dani Mahrer at [email protected].
Also while in the Bay Area, Melamed will speak Oct. 20 at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael and Oct. 21 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.
The Marin JCC talk, titled “Winds of Change in the Middle East,” is free and will run from 7 to 9 p.m. It is co-presented by Congregations Kol Shofar and Rodef Sholom and the JCRC. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/marin-melamed or call (415) 444-8000.