Prof. Oren Harman, Chair of the Graduate Program in Science, Technology & Society at Bar-Ilan University, discusses his book “Evolutions: Fifteen Myths that Explain Our World” and “Talking about Science in the 21st Century,” a lecture series he directs at the VLJI.

Will Israel’s democratic institutions prove resilient? How is the party system changing and is Israel headed for a tyranny of the majority? Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, examines the ramifications of the unprecedented indictment of an incumbent Prime Minister in Israel.

How has education in Israel been influenced by the encroachment of capitalism, on the one hand, and the growing awareness of multiculturalism in society, on the other? What is educational justice, and how should policymakers address it?

When do people to commit mass violence against an ethnic, religious or racial group in their midst? Does the demand for minority rights inevitably spark existential fears and violent reactions from the majority group?

Nurit Novis-Deutsch, a psychologist of religion, values, morality and identity, believes that people who perceive themselves as having a complex identity might be more tolerant of the “other.” Her research advances much-needed anecdotes to angry tribalism in today’s world.

Before human rights was a universally accepted concept, and before there was Israel, there were prominent Jews who supported both. James Loeffler tells the story of human rights pioneers and how their commitment grew out of the Jewish diaspora experience.

Prof. Yoav Alon, a historian of the Middle East, discusses his award-winning book “The Shaykh of Shaykhs: Mithqal al Fayiz and Tribal Leadership in Modern Jordan.”

Is the current wave of national-populism new, or is it rooted in older historic trends? Can its supporters be de-demonized, humanized or at the very least understood?

Are museums still relevant in the digital age? Neil McGregor, the former director of the British Museum, analyzes the enduring validity of museums in the age of technological upheavals and fake news.

Transparency International is among the most prominent global organizations fighting corruption through exposure, documentation and measurement. Delia Rubio, Chair of the organization, discusses the challenges, pitfalls and goals of their work, while Alona Vinograd of the Israel Democracy Institute brings the question of corruption home to Israel against the backdrop of a heated political stage.