Conference ::.. "IRAN - THE EMERGING CHALLENGE IN MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES" Sunday, March 25, 2007 in LA By Tel Aviv University -

Los Angeles, CA 90067

(310) 284-6500

This program is open to the public

To RSVP or further inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Susan Sysler, Tel Aviv University : American Council

Phone: (310) 553-5232 / E-mail: ssysler@tauac.org

Our Heartfelt Appreciation is extended to the Conference Sponsors

DAVID & LAURA MERAGE

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

SESSION I: Iranian Jews Managing the Difference

11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Welcome greetings: Laura Merage

Chair: Homa Sarshar, Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, Los Angeles

Representation of Jewish Iranian Life in Gina Barkhordar Nahai's Narratives

Nasrin Rahimieh, University of California , Irvine

Religious Impurity and the Role of Iran’s Jewry as Safe-Keepers of Classical Persian Music

Houman Sarshar, Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History, Los Angeles

Holocaust Denial Iranian Style: The Ideological and Political Dimensions

Meir Litvak, Tel Aviv University

LUNCH BREAK:

12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

SESSION II: The Domestic Scene – Religion, Society and Power

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Chair: Elham Gheytanchi, Santa Monica College

Religious Tolerance and Persecution in Iran : Historical and Current Perspectives

Mohammad Amini, Los Angeles

"Guardians of New Spaces": Home and Exile in the Memoirs of Iranian Women

Liora Hendelman-Baavur, Tel Aviv University

AFTERNOON BREAK:

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

SESSION III: The Iranian Enigma – Confronting the Challenge

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Chair: David Menashri, Tel Aviv University

Whither Iran ? The Ahmadinejad Factor

David Menashri, Tel Aviv University

Iranian Domestic Politics and Consequences for the Nuclear Debate

Abbas Milani, Stanford University

Reason for Hope: Iran 's Fundamental Weaknesses and the West's Abiding Strength

Patrick Clawson, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran has attracted the interest of scholars, policy-makers and the media worldwide. It has led to dramatic changes in the Iranian domestic landscape and has a far reaching influence on the region and beyond. Ever since, Iran continues to play a pivotal role in the various conflicts roiling the Middle East - including the recent Lebanon war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and struggle in Iraq . Its nuclear ambitions and fiery anti-Israel declarations are dominating the headlines and raising concerns as well.

To promote knowledge and deepen the understanding of this country, Tel Aviv University inaugurated in 1997 the first endowed chair in Israel for Iranian studies. In 2005 Tel Aviv University was also the first in Israel to inaugurate a Center for Iranian Studies.

The CIS is dedicated to advancing research on Iran and Iranian Jewry, training a new generation of specialists in the field, and disseminating its accumulating knowledge among academic circles, decision makers and the general public. These activities are enhanced by conferences, lectures and workshops in Israel and internationally.

Following the conference series initiated by the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History and with its close collaboration, the CIS decided to hold its first international convention in Los Angeles .

We are proud to acknowledge the following initiatives affiliated with CIS:

Parviz & Pouran Nazarian Chair for Modern Iranian Studies

Jamshid & Malihe Kashfi Project through the Iranian American Jewish Federation

The Center’s cofounders:

Lord David Alliance

David and Laura Merage