Join IPF Atid Bay Area and Emanu-El YALC for a conversation featuring Shira Efron, Israel Policy Forum Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research, and Manal Zeidan, former Advisor to the Prime Minister and Director of International Relations at the office of the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. They will discuss how the shifting dynamics across the Israeli-Palestinian arena, as well as Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey influence regional policy and grassroots efforts, highlighting the challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of diplomacy and community development.

Dr. Shira Efron is the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Senior Director of Policy Research. Concurrently, she also serves as a special climate change advisor to Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the co-chair of the subgroup on regional cooperation of President Herzog’s climate forum. Dr. Efron has spent over 15 years in U.S. think tanks, including the RAND Corporation, where she founded and led the Israel program between 2016-2022, the Center for American Progress, and Middle East Institute, and the Tel Aviv based Institute for National Security Studies. She was previously a consultant with the U.N. country team in Jerusalem, where she focused on access and movement issues in Gaza. She has a PhD and MPhil in policy analysis from RAND’s Graduate School, an MA in international relations/international business from New York University, and a BSc in biology (major) and computer science (minor) from Tel Aviv University.

Manal Zeidan is an intercultural communication specialist and independent consultant with experience in advisory and executive roles across government, non-profit organizations, and private consultancy firms. From 2007 to 2013, she served as an advisor and director of international relations at the Office of the Palestinian Prime Minister in Ramallah. She later directed advocacy and outreach at Future for Palestine, establishing sustainable development programs empowering women and grassroots organizations in the West Bank. Manal holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in communication studies from California State University, Fullerton.

Organization: Israel Policy Forum