Breakout Round One

Sunday, November 9

  • Why the Abraham Accords Endured and How to Expand Them

    Seiler Family Gymnasium

    Chama Mechtaly, Jason Greenblatt, Amichai Magen
    Moderated by Tamar Ish-Shalom

    The signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries, shattered a decades-old political stalemate and reimagined what peace in the Middle East could look like.

    Four years later, we have seen war, shifting alliances and renewed regional uncertainty. The Accords have held, but the question is what comes next. Will the Accords expand to include other regional powers or will another stalemate emerge?

    Join Jason Greenblatt, former White House Special Envoy and one of the Accords’ chief architects, Amichai Magen, Professor and founding Director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program at Stanford University and Chama Mechtaly, Moroccan-Jewish artist and activist advancing people-to-people peace efforts.

    Together, our panelists look back on what brought about normalization four years ago and discuss what might shape its future.

    Moderator: Tamar Ish-Shalom, an award-winning Israeli journalist and Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, will guide a conversation that bridges politics and people-to-people interactions with insight and empathy.

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    Sun Nov 9 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM PST
    Breakout Round 1

  • Why the U.S.–Israel Alliance Holds and How It’s Being Redefined

    Schultz Cultural Arts Hall

    Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, Nadav Eyal
    Moderated by Emma Goss

    For decades, the U.S.–Israel partnership has been one of the world’s most consequential alliances. It has been both steadfast and constantly tested. But beneath the surface of shared values and strategic ties lie shifting politics, generational divides and new global realities reshaping the priorities of both nations.

    Join Nadav Eyal, Sokolov Award–winning journalist and author examining democratic resilience and Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, former U.S. envoy to Israel and architect of America’s regional strategy. Together, they explore how two nations continue to navigate their complex, evolving bond.

    Moderator: Emma Goss, Bay Area reporter for J. The Jewish News of Northern California, brings a local perspective to the subject and a commitment to nuanced storytelling.

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    Sun Nov 9 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM PST
    Breakout Round 1

  • Why Israeli Society Feels Fractured and How a New Covenant Can Be Forged

    Community Tent

    Rabbi Menachem Bombach, Itamar Kremer, Rachel Azaria, Maria Jiries
    Moderated by Professor Chanan Tigay

    Numerous consecutive elections, judicial reform and the Israel-Hamas war have strained the bonds that once held Israel’s citizens together. The civic contract linking secular, religious, Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities now stands at a crossroads.

    Join Rachel Azaria, former Knesset member and co-founder of HaOgen for Reservist Families, Rabbi Menachem Bombach, founder of the Netzach Educational Network and pioneer of Haredi integration, Maria Jiries, CEO of the Shittah Institute for Local Policy advancing a shared society through municipal leadership and Itamar Kremer, educator and author promoting Jewish peoplehood and civic renewal. Together, they ask what it will take to rebuild trust and shape a new Israeli national covenant.

    Moderator: Chanan Tigay, author and editor-in-chief of J. The Jewish News of Northern California, weaves together narrative rigor and journalistic curiosity to foster a meaningful exchange.

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    Sun Nov 9 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM PST
    Breakout Round 1

  • Why American Jewry Faces a Reckoning and How Identity Can Be Reclaimed

    Freidenrich Conference Center (4th Floor)

    Sarah Hurwitz, Ben Kerstein
    Moderated by Dr. David Hazony

    Journalist Franklin Foer has warned of “the end of the golden era” for American Jewry as antisemitism from both right and left enters mainstream discourse. A year later, that reality feels undeniable. How is the Jewish community responding to this moment of moral upheaval and the profound questions of safety, belonging and belief?

    Join Benjamin Kerstein, Israeli-American writer, Z3 Associate Fellow and author of Self Defense: A Jewish Manifesto exploring the struggle against antisemitism and a renewed Jewish identity, and Sarah Hurwitz, former White House speechwriter and author of As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story, for a candid conversation on how American Jews can rediscover their voice and vision.

    Moderator: Dr. David Hazony, Director of the Z3 Institute and editor of the book Jewish Priorities, conducts the conversation according to the themes of renewal and shared purpose.

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    Sun Nov 9 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM PST
    Breakout Round 1

  • Why the Jewish Future Can’t Wait and How We Can Play Our Way There

    G-103

    Rabbi Joseph Schwartz, Dr. Shivi Greenfield, Maia Zelkha, Hallel Silverman

    Facilitated by Phil Siegel, Barak Sella, Tzomet Games

    In 2021, Z3 transformed its conference into a live strategy game, inviting participants to explore how American and Israeli Jews might navigate crisis, identity and peoplehood together. This year, we return to that spirit with Tzomet Games: a live, interactive foresight simulation imagining the Jewish future before it happens. Set in 2050, five players will navigate four possible Jewish futures—hopeful, fraught and everything in between—while the audience participates in real time through live polling. Each decision shifts the timeline, revealing how today’s choices shape tomorrow’s Jewish world. Blending play, policy and imagination, this fast-moving session transforms foresight into community building. Expect tension, laughter and insight as the Jewish future unfolds—one decision at a time.

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    Sun Nov 9 | 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM PST
    Breakout Round 1

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breakout round two