Join us to hear directly from NIF Global CEO Daniel Sokatch and NIF Israel Executive Director Mickey Gitzin in conversation with Dr. Ayala Panievsky (Cambridge University, Molad) on Wednesday 19th February, 6.30pm- 8pm.  The discussion will be held in Belsize Park, a short walk from the station.  

In this conversation, Daniel and Mickey will share their perspective on the ceasefire and hostage deal, NIF’s work to save democratic values and institutions in Israel, and our current priorities. Through an American and Israeli lens, and in the wake of the Trump inauguration, understand better how 2025 might unfold for Israel and what NIF is doing to make a difference.

The conversation will be chaired by Dr. Ayala Panievsky, Gates-Cambridge scholar and Molad research associate.  

Daniel Sokatch has served as global CEO of the New Israel Fund since 2009, during which time he has been at the centre of American Jewry’s changing relationship with Israel. Before joining NIF, Daniel served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. In recognition of his leadership, Daniel has been named four times to the Forward newspaper’s “Forward 50,” an annual list of the fifty leading Jewish decision-makers and opinion-shapers. He is the author of the acclaimed new book “Can We Talk About Israel?: A Guide for the Curious, Confused and Conflicted”.

Mickey Gitzin has been the Director of the New Israel Fund in Israel since 2017. Before joining NIF, Mickey was the founding director of “Israel Hofsheet” (Be Free Israel), a leading grassroots organization fighting for the separation of religion and state in Israel. Previously, Mickey was the spokesperson for MK Ilan Gilon (Meretz) and the Associate Director of “Festival BeShekel,” an organization advancing arts and culture in Israel’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery. In 2013 Mickey received our Human Rights Award, and in 2015, he received NIF US’s Gallanter Prize for Emerging Israeli Social Justice Leaders.

Dr Ayala Panievsky is a researcher specialising in media under attack, right-wing populism, and democratic backsliding. Her research has appeared in journals and was featured in media outlets like the BBC, LBC and ABC. She is currently a Presidential Fellow at the City University of London, a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, and a Research Fellow at Molad: The Centre for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy. As a former journalist, she works with journalists worldwide to improve the future of news in times of sophisticated threats to democracy, equality, freedom, and justice.