(IsraelNN.com)
“The conference will cover key issues and values on the national agenda of Israel and the Jewish people today,” said Conference Director-General Yehuda Oliva, speaking with Israel National Radio. “We are formulating our own agenda to influence the nation through it.”

Oliva says the conference aims to steer Israeli policy in the same manner that the Herzliya and Ceasaria conferences have in recent years. “Until now, it was the left-wing that was organizing conferences like this. It is now our time.”

Following two days of mainly political and social issues, the third day of the conference will be dedicated solely to all matters pertaining to the city of Jerusalem. “This conference is being held in Jerusalem and one of its roles is to encourage and strengthen our Jerusalem,” Oliva said. The conference will take place in the Regency Hotel (formerly the Hyatt), which is located in eastern Jerusalem. Oliva says that the location of the concert is in itself a statement. “It says that we see Jerusalem as one united whole,” he said.

As in past years, simultaneous translation into English will be available throughout the conference through headsets that will be distributed.

Every session will be followed by questions from the audience, and Oliva said that no one in Israeli society should feel unwelcome to attend. “Everybody is invited – it has nothing to do with whether you are a right-winger or left-winger. We advertise in all the different papers. No doubt, if you look into the numbers of speakers, you will see more right-wingers, but that is only because of the fact that other conferences lean in exactly the opposite direction and we need to balance it out.”

Some of the topics to be discussed include:
* Panel Discussion within Religious Zionist society: National Religious, National Hareidi (Hardal), and Faithfulness to the State

* The World of the Religious Woman in Modern Life

* The Disengagement/Uprooting: Perspectives and Thoughts for the Future; Democracy Put to the Test; Facing the Displaced Persons – Mutual Responsibility in Israeli Society; and Terrorism after the withdrawal from Gaza – an update

* Panel Discussion: Between the IDF and Religious Zionist Society

* Urban Centers and Periphery Regions– Are Outlying Towns Doomed to Inferiority and Who Holds the Key for Change?

* Scenarios, Possibilities, and Risks in the Wake of the Hamas Victory

* Is the Importance of Settlement in Need of a Re-evaluation? What Are the Current Expressions of Our Connection to The Land?

* Development of Economic and Employment Fields in Which Jerusalem has Competitive Advantages

Some of those participating in the conference (in arbitrary order) are:
Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, former head of military intelligence
Brig.-Gen. (Res.)Yaakov Amidror
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, former Chief Rabbi of Israel
Dan Margalit, journalist, Maariv & Erev Chadash
Prof. Avi Ravitzky, Hebrew University
former MK Natan Sharansky
Rabbi Re'em Hacohen, head of the Otniel Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Chief Rabbi of Brachah and head of local Hesder Yeshiva
Attorney Yitzhak Meron, Land of Israel Legal Forum
MK Rabbi Benny Elon
journalist Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post, Makor Rishon
journalist Daniel Ben-Simon, Haaretz
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Oded Tyrah
Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky, former Regional Council rabbi of Gaza District
Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Chief Rabbi of Elon Moreh
MK Maj.-Gen. (res.) Effie Eitam
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Peled
Emanuel Shilo, Editor, B'Sheva newspaper
Eli Moyal, Mayor of Sderot
Haggai Huberman, investigative journalist, Hatzofeh and Arutz-7
Prof. Efraim Inbar, Director of BESA Center, Bar Ilan University
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, Head of Tafnit Party
MK Uzi Landau
Shmuel Rifman, head of Ramat Negev Regional Council
Tzafrir Ronen, Moshav Moledet, Chairman of Nehalal
MK Zevulun Orlev
Rabbi Mordechai Elon, Head of HaKotel Yeshiva
Yonatan Halevy, Dir.-Gen. Shaarei Zedek Hospital
Yakir Segev, Chairman, Hebrew University Students Union

For more information and to view the conference’s agenda in English, click here.