When Prof. Nachman Ben-Yehuda, director of the HalbertCentre for Canadian Studies,asked me to act as the Chair of theCentre’s Academic Committee, Iwanted to understand its vision

and mission. Fortunately, Idiscovered that this mission can be summarized in one sentence:The Centre should build bridgesbetween the Hebrew Universityand Canadian academia, in allfields of humanities, socialsciences, law, education and socialwork — or, as we call them at theHebrew University, the non-experimental sciences.

Indeed, this mission is the basicguideline for what we strive toachieve at the Centre in thefollowing channels:

• The Peter Lougheed Fellowshipin Canadian Studies supportsIsraeli MA and PhD studentsworking on a dissertation orthesis that has significantCanadian content.

• The Post-Doctoral Fellowshipin Canadian Studies enablesrecent Hebrew University PhDrecipients working on post-doctoral projects with significantCanadian content to carry outtheir research at any universityin Canada.

• The Halbert Centre Israeli-Canadian Academic ExchangeProgram is designed to facilitateHebrew University facultymembers’ study of topics withsignificant Canadian content andcollaboration with Canadianresearchers.

• Visiting professorships allowCanadian scholars to teachshort-term courses withsignificant Canadian content atthe Hebrew University.

Halbert Centre

F O R C A N A D I A N S T U D I E S

Fall 2015

Building bridges TWO HALBERT MAINSTAYS REFLECT ON THE CENTRE'S INNER WORKINGS

This year, Prof. Rehav (Buni) Rubin, Chair of the Halbert Centre Academic Committee, and Prof. DavidCameron, Chair of the Halbert Centre Advisory Committee, were asked to provide their personal insightsinto the inner workings of the Centre. Their responses are below and on page 3.

L IVING UP TO THE HALBERT CENTRE MISSION

Prof. Rehav (Buni) Rubin, Member,Canadian Chair, Halbert Centre Academic CommitteePhoto: Rehav Buni Rubin

Public lecturesThe Halbert Centre PublicLecture Series addressesCanadian topics and issuesbefore an Israeli academicaudience and the general public.

Prof. Suanne Kelman, RyersonUniversity, visiting professor atthe Hebrew University department of communication

and journalism, gave a publiclecture titled “Shooting themessenger: Canada’s mania forsecrecy” (November 25, 2014).

Prof. Adam Dodek, University ofOttawa, visiting professor at theHebrew University faculty of law, gave a publiclecture titled “The Canadianoverride: Constitutional model or

bête noire of constitutionalpolitics?” (January 13, 2015).

Prof. Stephen Toope, director ofthe University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and the 2015 HalbertCentre Bullock Chair, gave apublic lecture on “Israel and theUnited Nations system” (May 19, 2015).

The current membership of the Halbert Centre Academic Committee at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is:

• Prof. Rehav (Buni) Rubin (Chair), Department of Geography • Prof. Mimi Ajzenstadt, School of Social Work & Welfare• Prof. Nachman Ben Yehuda, Department of Sociology & Anthropology• Prof. Edit Doron, Department of Linguistics• Prof. Amalya Oliver, Department of Sociology & Anthropology

2

• Joint Israeli-Canadian researchworkshops are mutually plannedand carried out by seniorCanadian and Hebrew Universityscholars and faculty members.

In each of these channels, theCentre publishes a call for papersand employs a full process ofevaluation in order to choose onlythe best proposals. Evaluatingthese proposals is the main task ofthe Academic Committee.

Since the proof of the pudding isin the eating, I would like topresent some examples of thehigh level of the achievementsthat these “bridges” have produced in recent years:

• Among the six recipients of the Arieh Shachar doctoralfellowships, two serve today asfaculty members at the HebrewUniversity, one is at Tel AvivUniversity, one is at ZefatAcademic College, and one iscompleting her post-doctoral

studies at the University ofToronto, with a wonderful recordof achievements.

• Sociology and anthropologyscholar Prof. Tamar Elor travelledto Canada to study a shoe-making firm as part of herresearch. The outcome of thisstudy was published in English inthe prestigious journal AmericanAnthropologist and in Hebrew inher wonderful book on theanthropology of Israeli sandals.

• One example, and its successfuloutcomes, combines the visitingprofessorship program and thejoint workshops program.Following his tenure at theHalbert Centre, visiting professorPaul Kay, of the University ofWaterloo’s department ofenvironment and resource studies,proposed a joint workshop —“Managing water in the face ofuncertainty” — with HebrewUniversity geography professor

Eran Feitelson. The seminar ranin 2012, with eight Canadiansand nine Israelis participating.Based on academic connectionsthat began there, Canadianpostdoctoral scholar Dr. ChristinaCook came to Jerusalem andparticipated in a water researchgroup led by Prof. Feitelson. Aswell, Hebrew University PhDcandidate Amit Tubi visited Prof.Robert de Loë at the University of Waterloo; they subsequently co-authored a paper comparingToronto’s and New Orleans’srecent experiences with floods.

I could provide many moreexamples of the ways in which theHalbert Centre for CanadianStudies continues to live up to itsmission of building strongacademic bridges betweenCanadian and Hebrew Universityscholars. Suffice it to say that I amproud of the rigour, vision, andexcellence of these academicpartnerships.

My first directexperience ofIsrael was thanksto the HalbertCentre forCanadian Studies.It was 1996, andI was invited to theHebrew Universityand the Centre as aHalbert Fellow for

six weeks in the spring. While notat that time a student of Israel orthe Middle East, I found my timethere unforgettable. I was startled,therefore, but honoured, when Iwas invited just two years later notonly to join the Centre's CanadianAdvisory Committee, but also tobecome its Chair, a position I haveheld with pleasure ever since.

My visit to Israel in 1996 was thefirst of many, both under theauspices of the Halbert Centre andin connection with some extendedpolicy work I was doing with theJerusalem Old City Initiative from2006 to 2012. From January toJune 2005, I was a visitingprofessor at the Halbert Centre.

The Canadian AdvisoryCommittee supports the Centre

and its Academic Committee in thebridge-building efforts describedon pages 1 and 2 by Buni Rubin,the Academic Committee Chair.Composed of Canadian academicsfrom across the country, thecommittee advises its Israelicolleagues on Centre programmingand activities, on the design of themajor Canadian Studiesconferences that are heldperiodically at the Mount Scopuscampus, and on the selection ofdistinguished fellows and visitors.

The Committee meets annually inthe spring in Toronto to performits tasks, and most membersparticipate in the periodicconferences. Many are active morewidely in academic circles in Israel.If the consistently high rate ofattendance at the meetings is anyguide, Advisory Committeemembers take their role seriouslyand enjoy executing theirresponsibilities, believing that themaintenance and development ofstrong academic links betweenscholars and students in the twocountries — building bridges — isof capital importance for both.

Prof. DavidCameron, Chair, Halbert Centre Advisory Committee

The current membership of the Halbert Centre Advisory Committee is:

David Cameron, Chair, University of Toronto

Ralph Halbert, Founder

Roz Halbert, Founder

Dan Halbert

Irving Abella, York University

Carl Amrhein, Deputy Minister of Health, Alberta

Pierre Anctil, University of Ottawa

Danny Ben-Natan, Israel Association for Canadian Studies

Nicole Côté, Université deSherbrooke

Irwin Cotler, McGill University

John Courtney, University ofSaskatchewan

Bruce Elman, University of Windsor

Noreen Golfman, MemorialUniversity

Frieda Granot, University of BritishColumbia

Renée Hulan, Saint Mary’sUniversity

Janice Stein, University of Toronto

Joe Wong, University of Toronto

3

Strong academic linksDepartmentalseminarsSome of the Hebrew Universityvisiting professors supported bythe Halbert Centre helddepartmental seminars foradvanced students and academicstaff of their hosting departments.

Prof. Thanasis Stengos, Universityof Guelph, visiting professor at thedepartment of economics andfinance, presented a departmentalseminar on “Structural thresholdregression” (January 21, 2015).

Prof. Jeffery Kopstein, Universityof Toronto, visiting professor atthe department of internationalrelations, presented adepartmental seminar titled “Why do we read the classics? Or, international relations andcomparative politics” (January 28, 2015).

Prof. Ron Gillis, University ofToronto, visiting professor at thedepartment of sociology, presenteda departmental seminar on“Managing madness in 19th-Century France: A time-seriesanalysis” (March 16, 2015).

4

WORKSHOPS IN 2014–15

Prof. Tammar Zilber chats with a workshop participant.

In the 2014–2015 academic year,the Halbert Centre held two jointresearch workshops with Israeliand Canadian researchers andscholars. The workshops, held at the Hebrew University, areaimed at

• strengthening academic tiesbetween Hebrew Universityresearchers and their colleaguesat Canadian universities

• promoting the exchange anddevelopment of ideas andknowledge with Israeli andCanadian content, and

• remaining at the forefront of thelatest developments in academia.

“Institutions and individual, organizational and “field-level”identities, was led by Prof.Tammar Zilber, HebrewUniversity School of Business, and

Prof. Michael Lounsbury, AlbertaSchool of Business, University ofAlberta (April 2015).

“Constitutionalism in crisis:Multiple dimension,” was led byDr. Margit Cohn and Prof. AlonHarel of the Hebrew University’sfaculty of law, and by Prof. DavidDyzenhaus and Prof. Kent Roachof the University of Toronto’s faculty of law (June 2015).

Joint Israeli-Canadian workshops

WORKSHOPS IN 2015–16

In the 2015–2016academic year, theHalbert Centrewill host threejoint workshops:

1.“Political parties in Israel andCanada: How degrees ofcentralization and decentralizationinfluence the organization ofpolitical parties,” led by political

science professors Gideon Rahat(Hebrew University) and WilliamP. Cross (Carleton University). October 2015.

2.“Typical and atypicaldevelopment of numericalcognition: Evidence from brainand behaviour,” to be led by Dr.Sarit Ashkenazi (School ofEducation, Hebrew University)and Prof. Daniel Ansari(University of Western Ontario’sdepartment of psychology &Brain and Mind Institute).

The workshop is scheduled forFebruary 2016.

3.“Globalization,internationalization and thegovernance of higher educationin Canada and Israel,” to be ledby Profs. Gili Drori (HebrewUniversity department ofsociology and anthropology) andGlen A. Jones (Ontario Institutefor Studies in Education,University of Toronto). Theworkshop is scheduled for May 2016.

Prof. Michael Lounsbury

5

Visiting professors

The Halbert Centre offers fundingto visiting professors to teachcourses with significant Canadiancontent at the Hebrew University’sfaculties of humanities, social science and law, and in the schoolsof social work and education.

During the 2014–2015 academicyear, the Halbert Centre fundedvisits by five professors:

Prof. Jeffery Kopstein, of theUniversity ofToronto’sdepartment of

international relations, was hostedby the Hebrew University’sinternational relations department,and gave a three-week course on“Civil-Military Relations.”

Prof. Suanne Kelman, of theRyerson University journalismdepartment, was hosted by theHebrew University’scommunications department for afour-day visit, during which shepresented her research.

Prof. Adam Dodek,of the University ofOttawa faculty oflaw, gave a courseon “The Supreme

Court of Canada and Canadianconstitutionalism,” hosted by theHebrew University faculty of law.

Prof. Ron Gillis, ofthe University ofToronto sociologydepartment, washosted by the

Hebrew University’s sociologydepartment and taught a course on

“Cities, social pathology, anddeviance service centres.”

Prof. ThanasisStengos, of theUniversity ofGuelph departmentof economics and

finance, was hosted for a shortvisit by the Hebrew University’seconomics department, anddiscussed his research oneconometric theory — inparticular non-parametriceconometrics — with thedepartment’s research students.

During the 2015–2016 academicyear, the Halbert Centre and theHebrew University will welcomethree visiting Canadian professors:

Prof. Lin Fang, of the University ofToronto’s Factor-InwentashFaculty of Social Work, will behosted by the Hebrew University’sschool of social work and welfare,and will give a short course on“Substance abuse: Interventionand prevention strategies.”

Prof. Avigail Eisenberg, of theUniversity of Victoria’s departmentof political science, will be hostedby the department of internationalrelations, and will give a shortcourse on “Minority rights andidentity politics.”

Prof. Randall Morck, of theUniversity of Alberta’s departmentof finance & statistical analysis,will be hosted by the HebrewUniversity’s school of business, and will give a short course on “30 unanswered questions incorporate finance.”

SUPPORT FORVISIT INGCANADIANSCHOLARSThe Halbert Centre for CanadianStudies supports visits by prominentCanadian scholarsto the Hebrew University.

University of Toronto politicalscience professors Janice Stein andEmanuel Adler were invited byHebrew University internationalrelations professor Arie Kacowiczto participate in the “Internationalconference: The relevance ofregions and area studies in aglobalized world,” held inDecember 2014.

The Honourable Justice RosalieSilberman Abella, Supreme Courtof Canada, was invited toparticipate in the Minerva Centerfor Human Rights Conference on“Women’s international rights incontested public spaces,” whichtook place in February 2015.Justice Abella was also invited toparticipate in the HebrewUniversity law faculty panel “Adialogue with justices: A panel ofSupreme Court Justices from theU.S.A., Canada and Israel,” inSeptember 2015.

Halbert fellowships

Peter Lougheed FellowshipThe Lougheed Fellowshipsupports MA and PhD studentsat the Hebrew Universityworking on a dissertation orthesis that has significantCanadian content. Recipientsreceive funding to collect data inCanada, meet Canadian expertsin their field, and/or takeadvanced courses at Canadianuniversities. The Peter LougheedFellowship is cosponsored by thePeter Lougheed GraduateFellowship and the IsraelAssociation for CanadianStudies.

In 2015–2016, fellowships wereawarded to three recipients fromthe Federmann School of PublicPolicy and Government:

Keren Borenstein-Nativ for herresearch proposal, “Theinstitutionalization ofproliferation of regulatory affairsdepartments in the bankingsector: A comparison betweenIsrael and Canada.”

Lauren Abecassis-Kandravy forher research proposal, “Anexamination of the understandingof levels of poverty and inequalityin Canada and their effects onpolicy preferences.”

Inbar Mizrahi for her researchproposal, “The development ofthe Canadian rating regime: Thewinners and losers.”

Arie Shachar Post-Doctoral FellowshipThe Arie Shachar Post-Doctoral

Fellowship was co-sponsored bythe Canadian Friends of theHebrew University of Jerusalem,the Halbert Centre for CanadianStudies and the IsraelAssociation for CanadianStudies. It enabled recentHebrew University PhDrecipients working on post-doctoral projects with significantCanadian content to carry outtheir research at any universityin Canada.

Since the original fundingcommitment has beenconcluded, no fellowship wasawarded for the 2015–2016academic year. However, giventhe past success of thefellowship, it has been decidedthat the Halbert Centre willcontinue to provide apostdoctoral fellowship inCanadian Studies once every twoyears.

Halbert Post-Doctoral Exchange Program at theMunk Centre, Universityof Toronto

The Halbert Post-DoctoralFellowship allows recent IsraeliPhDs working on post-doctoralprojects in any field toparticipate in an exchangeprogram with the University ofToronto.

The 2015–2016 fellowship wasawarded to three candidates:

Amy Birkan, department ofJewish thought, for her researchproposal, “The limited scope of

victimhood in rabbinic law: Theplaintiff must distance himselffrom harm.”

Avigail Ferdman, school ofpublic policy, for her researchproposal, “A distributive justicetheory for public goods: Betweenmulticulturalism and socialdivisions in Canada and Israel.” Mor Mitrani, department ofinternational relations, for herresearch proposal, “Theinternational community —What are you talking about?”

Faculty Israeli-Canadian Exchange Program

The Halbert Centre FacultyIsraeli-Canadian ExchangeProgram is designed to facilitatescholarly exchanges on topics withsignificant Canadian contentbetween Hebrew University facultyand researchers affiliated withrecognized institutions of highereducation in Canada. Offered onceeach semester, it is open to tenuredand non-tenured researchers at theHebrew University.

The 2015–2016 recipients were:Political science professor DanielSchwartz, for his researchproposal, “The moral rights ofgeographical discovery: Canada,Franklin and the NorthwestPassage.”

Social work professor MonaKhoury-Kassabri, for herresearch proposal, “Motivationsfor cyber bullying: Alongitudinal and multi-perspective inquiry.”

6

Hebrew U meets U of T: Prof. Meric Gertler

In April, University of Torontopresident Prof. Meric Gertlervisited the Hebrew University ofJerusalem as part of a specialdelegation from U of T. Prof.Gertler met with prominentscholars from the HebrewUniversity, as well as withgraduate and post-doctoralstudents. During his time at theHebrew University, Prof. Gertlerparticipated in a round-tablediscussion on “Universities andcities: Innovation, economicdevelopment andentrepreneurship.”

Among the participants and keyspeakers were:

Prof. Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi, deanof the Hebrew University facultyof social sciences

Prof. Eran Razin, director of theInstitute of Urban and RegionalStudies, and head of FloersheimerStudies

Chair of the Halbert CentreAcademic Committee, Prof. Rehav(Buni) Rubin, Hebrew Universitydepartment of geography

Avigail Ferdman and Amy Birkan,two recipients of the 2014–2015Halbert Exchange Post-DoctoralFellowship at the University ofToronto’s Munk School, and

Gidon Jakar, one of the 2014–2015 recipients of the PeterLougheed Fellowship in CanadianStudies.

University of Toronto delegation visits Hebrew U

(L to R) Prof. Vered Vinitzky-Seroussi,dean of social sciences, Hebrew University;Prof. Dan Breznitz, co-director of theInnovation Policy Lab and Munk ChairofInnovation Studies, Munk School ofGlobal Affairs, University of Toronto;(partially hidden) Prof. David Levi-Faur,head of the Federmann School of PublicPolicy and department of political science,Hebrew University; Prof. Meric Gertler ,president, University of Toronto.

Bullock Chair The 2016 Bullock Chairwas awarded to Dr. LloydAxworthy, who will visitIsrael in May 2016.

Dr. Axworthy, P.C., O.C.,O.M., is a Canadian politician,statesman and academic. Heserved as Canadian minister offoreign affairs from 1996 to2000. He also served aspresident and vice chancellorof the University of Winnipegfrom 2004 to 2014.

7

The James R. Bullock VisitingChair in Canadian Studies wasestablished in 1995 in honour ofits namesake, the Canadianbusinessman and philanthropist.Its goal is to invite prominentCanadian authors, scientists,scholars and policymakers toJerusalem in order to enhance thefield of Canadian Studies at theHebrew University and in Israel.Bullock Chairs are selected on thebasis of excellence in theirrespective areas of specialization

and their ability to strengthenand deepen the relationshipbetween Canada and Israel.

The 2015 Bullock Chair wasawarded to Prof. Stephen Toope,past president of the University ofBritish Columbia and currentdirector of the Munk School ofGlobal Affairs at the Universityof Toronto, who visited Israelduring May 2015. Please read hisreport on the following page.

Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem416.485.8000 • 1-888-HEBREWU www.cfhu.org • inquiry@cfhu.org

For more information about the Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies please visit:

http://canadianstudies.huji.ac.il

INFORMATIVE &CHALLENGINGIN THE BESTWAY”Visiting BullockChair Prof. StephenToope reflects on hisvisit to Israel

From May 9 to 22, I visited Israelas the Bullock Chair in CanadianStudies at the Hebrew University.Although this was my seventh visitto the country, I gained newinsights. In conversations withcolleagues from the departments ofpolitical science, internationalrelations and law at the HebrewUniversity, I was treated to avariety of perspectives on theevolution of Israeli society, current

Israeli politics and Israel’sinternational relations. I will saythat the mood in theseconversations was chastening. Thesense that Israel was deeplydivided in its politics and even inits aspirations was pervasive.Although the economy is thrivingin many parts of the country,many Israeli colleagues talked ofareas and groups being “leftbehind.” In addition, there wasvery little hope that any serious“peace process” could be expectedin the short to medium term.

On a productive visit to the coast,I met with colleagues at Tel AvivUniversity and with former IsraeliChief Justice Aharon Barak andhis wife, Elisheva Barak, formervice president of the NationalLabour Court. They were, asalways, encouraging and inspiring.

I gave a public talk on “Israel andthe United Nations organization,”in which I argued that althoughIsraelis have every reason to befrustrated with the unbalancedcriticism of their country thatcontinues to flow from the UN’sGeneral Assembly and the HumanRights Council, the criticismreflects the existing structure ofinternational relations. The UN is“us”; it is the world that currentlyexists. In addition, where it counts

— namely, in the Security Council— Israel’s experience with the UNSystem has been more positive.

I predicted that criticism wouldremain significant, not becauseIsrael’s “hasbara” (publicdiplomacy) has been weak, as isoften asserted by Israeli politicians,but because there are, and havelong been, genuine disagreementsbetween successive Israeligovernments and Israel’s friendsaround the world on importantmatters of policy. Settlementpolicies on the West Bank overmany years are the best and mosttroubling example. I urged Israelisnot to take internationalfriendships for granted. They arethe very stuff of diplomacy, andwill be even more important as thepressures mount for therecognition of Palestinianstatehood. The government ofIsrael cannot afford to ignore, orto distance itself, from UNdebates, especially in the SecurityCouncil, where Israel should focusits diplomatic efforts.

Altogether, the visit wasinformative and challenging in thebest way. The welcome was warm,and I would like to thank theHalbert Centre for CanadianStudies for hosting me sogenerously.

Prof. Stephen Toope (r) with Halbert Centre director Prof. Nachman Ben-Yehuda

“