World leaders at the 2025 Sharm El Sheikh Summit.
Wednesday, February 25, 20265:00 PM - 6:30 PM
The Fowler Museum at UCLA
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Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Middle East Development.
About the Program
Israel and the Middle East are undergoing one of the most consequential periods in decades, shaped by internal political realignments, debates over leadership and rapidly evolving regional dynamics—from the Gaza war, through shifting alliances to great-power engagement in the region. This lecture will explore the deeper forces driving current events, examine the interplay between domestic tensions and regional security challenges, and outline possible scenarios for Israel’s political, societal, and strategic trajectory in the months and years ahead.
About the Distinguished Speaker
Dr. Ronen Hoffman began his public-service career as Information Officer at the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta and later served as a personal aide to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the 1992 elections. In the 1990s, Dr. Hoffman was a member and coordinator of the Israeli delegation to the peace negotiations with Syria, serving under both Prime Minister Rabin and Prime Minister Barak.
In 1997, he co-founded the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and became its first General Director. Most recently, Dr. Hoffman served as Israel’s Ambassador to Canada (2021–2023). He currently serves as President of the EIS (Electric Infrastructure Security) Council, which leads international resilience cooperation to address large-scale threats, including scenarios that could result in global catastrophes.
He completed his Ph.D. in 1999 at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and subsequently spent many years as a lecturer at Reichman University, focusing on Foreign Affairs, Diplomacy, and Political Psychology. In 2012, Dr. Hoffman joined the newly formed Yesh Atid party and was elected to the 19th Knesset, where he served on the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy.
About the Harry C. Sigman Distinguished Lecture in Israel Studies
The lecture series is named for the late Harry C. Sigman, a longtime Los Angeles attorney, UCLA alumnus, and generous supporter of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. The series was created through a major endowment gift from Mr. Sigman's estate and supports public presentations by leading experts on a range of Israel-related topics, as part of the program of the Nazarian Center.
Sigman specialized in U.S. and international commercial law. He worked as a consultant to governments and NGOs all over the world and had represented the United States at the United Nations, The Hague and Unidroit (the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) in multilateral commercial law treaty negotiations. He also taught law at the University of Southern California, UCLA and universities around the world, including in Israel.
Sigman earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA and completed his law degree at Harvard University. He was a member of the State Bar of California for more than 50 years.
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Center for Middle East Development