Drawing on his eight years serving in the Obama Administration, and his current vantage point from Israel on the Trump Administration, Ambassador Shapiro reviews highs and lows, busts some myths, and gives a behind-the-scenes account of Israeli-Palestinian talks, the fight over the Iran deal, and the many successes in U.S.-Israel relations. He analyzes prospects for future bilateral cooperation, regional peace and security initiatives, and some continued dissonance between these two close allies in the next four years. Ambassador Shapiro will also focus on the various developments in Israel’s biotech, business, and start-up communities, which are a major focus of the Jewish Studies Program’s newly established Center for Israel Studies.

Daniel Shapiro served as United States Ambassador to Israel from July 2011-January 2017. In that role, he participated in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, U.S.-Israel discussions on the Iran nuclear agreement, and negotiations on the $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding for U.S. military assistance to Israel. He previously served as Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council at the White House, as well as in numerous senior advisory positions in the U.S. Congress. He was a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Ambassador Shapiro joined the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University in March 2017 as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow. At INSS he participates in research programs, including those on Israel-U.S. Relations, Israel-Palestinian Relations, the Arab World, and Israeli Society and Public Opinion. Ambassador Shapiro has taught at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He holds a B.A. from Brandeis University and an M.A. from Harvard University.

The Milton Kronsberg Lecture Series began in the Fall of 1999 as a result of a generous endowment by the Kronsberg family. In the Fall of 2002, the series became the Milton and Freddie Kronsberg Memorial Lecture Series because of the passing of Freddie Kronsberg obm. The series honors the Kronsbergs’ lifelong commitment to Jewish ideas and values.