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Ralph Nurnberger Lecture Series – Upcoming Events

February 11, 2016

Dr. Ralph Nurnberger is a Principal with Gray Global Advisors, LLC. Prior to joining the firm, he held senior positions in the legislative and executive branches of government as well as serving as the director of a major international economic initiative that was created with the backing of the U.S. government to promote development in the Middle East. He currently manages the international clients for Gray Global Advisors, including working with the Moroccan American Center,

Dr. Nurnberger has lectured nationally and internationally, as well as at the Smithsonian Institution, on a wide range of topics, including overall American foreign policy, American policies in the Middle East, the history of the Middle East conflict, and current American political issues, including electoral analyses, political campaigns and matters before Congress and the President.

As part of the Smithsonian Associates lecture series, Dr. Nurnberger will discuss the following giants of Israeli politics:

• February 11, 2016 – David Ben Gurion
  A discussion of the contributions of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s primary founder who bore the brunt of the difficulties in the early days of Israel’s independence. As the country repelled military attacks from neighboring nations and absorbed thousands of World War 11 refugees, Ben Gurion was responsible for building the infrastructure of the new nation.

• February 18, 2016 – Golda Meir
  A review of Golda Meir’s responses to the attacks on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and the simultaneous 1973 Yom Kippur attacks on Israel by Egypt and Syria.

• February 25, 2016 – Menachim Begin
  This lecture will cover Begin’s life, including his role in the wars leading to Israel’s independence, his years as the leader of the political opposition in the Knesset to his tenure as Prime Minister. It will feature his negotiations with President Jimmy Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat that led to peace between Israel and Egypt.

• March 3, 2016 – Yitzhak Rabin
  This presentation will cover the contributions of the late Yitzhak Rabin, who served as Prime Minister of Israel during the mid-1970s and mid-90s, including his legacy as the Six-Day War hero to Nobel Prize winner. Professor Nurnberger will focus on his influence on the evolution of the modern state of Israel to his assassination in 1995.

Additional information on these programs is available from the Smithsonian at:

http://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?ID=233131