Session 1

January 6

Title: Diplomacy

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As the Classical Balance of Power replaced the Napoleonic Era in the Age of Empires, the events of 1831 began to change the course of history. 

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Session 2

January 13

Title: Awakenings

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From the mid- to the late 19th century, Ottoman reforms and European wars changed the landscape, setting the stage for new nation-states and intractable conflict.

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Session 3

January 20

Title: Reshuffling

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As World War I transformed the global order from empire to nation-state, the British engaged in triple dealing, which left the world with more questions than answers.  

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Session 4

January 27

Title: Backlash

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The often violent Arab response to Jewish nationalism caused the British to reverse course and lock Jews out of their historic homeland just as the Nazis launched

World War II.

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Session 5

February 3                        

Title: Inferno

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As the Holocaust decimated European Jewry, the Mufti of Jerusalem had his own designs on the Jews, while the Jews of the Mandate developed their own response. 

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Thursday, February 5

Optional Review & Discussion Session 1

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Session 6

February 10

Title: Resilience

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In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Jews of the Mandate intensified their wrath at the British who ultimately turned over the future of the Levant to the newly created United Nations. 

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Session 7

February 17

Title: Emergence

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Following rejection of the recommended United Nations partition plan, the nascent Israeli state faced both a civil war and war of extermination from its Arab neighbors. As Jews were forced to abandon areas conquered by the Arab states, an Arab exodus ensued from what is now the State of Israel.

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Session 8

February 24

Title: Balagan

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Hopes for a lasting peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors dissipated as the Cold War replaced the optimism of the period immediately following World War II. Arab states forcibly emptied their lands of their historic Jewish communities and developed new ways of combating Israel's existence.  

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Session 9

March 3

Title: Neighbors

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In the aftermath of the 1956 Suez Campaign—Israel's only decade without war—the confluence of Nasserism and the Cold War impacted the landscape. We'll survey the surrounding states from Algeria to Yemen as there's a lot that happened in this period.

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Mid Semester Break                 

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Session 10

March 17

Title: Miracle

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​In just six days, Israel went from being threatened with destruction on all sides to defeating the coalition armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel's victory on the battlefield did not translate into a lasting peace, however, as the Arab League issued its famous Three Nos. 

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Thursday, March 19

Optional Review & Discussion Session 2

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Session 11

March 24                         

Title: Overconfidence

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As the Cold War continued to dominate international affairs, Egypt attempted to bleed Israel through the War of Attrition. More telling, the Munich Massacre and other terrorist activity highlighted the rise of asymmetrical warfare. 

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Session 12

March 31

Title: Humility

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While the Yom Kippur War cemented new ties between Israel and the United States, the trauma of that conflict carried forward as the world developed a new recognition of the Palestinian cause.

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Passover Break

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Session 13

April 21 (Possibility of Wednesday, April 22 if Sacramento's observance of

Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut is on April 21) 

Title: Backward and Forward

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As the Arab-Israeli conflict translated into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Camp David signaled new hope for peace with other ominous signs lurking in the background.

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​​​Session 14

April 28

Title: Hubris

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When Israel determined that the constant attacks from Lebanon were no longer tolerable, it successfully dislodged the PLO from there. That decision fatefully unleashed a new enemy to the north.

 

Session 15​​​

May 5

Title: Division and Unity

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The First Intifada changed the thinking in numerous ways while the Gulf War paradoxically left Israel feeling more vulnerable and optimistic. 

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Thursday, May 7

Optional Review & Discussion Session 3

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Session 16

May 12

Title: Unthinkable

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Following the pomp and circumstance of an elaborate White House ceremony, the Israeli, American, and European desire for peace overtook the reality on the ground that peace may be more illusory than real.  

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​​Session 17

May 19                                

Title: Unbreakable

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After three failed attempts to make peace with the Palestinians, a new four and one-half year war of terror—the Second Intifada—was launched, which once again changed the direction for both Israelis and Palestinians. 

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Session 18

May 26

Title: Rebound

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As the Intifada was quelled, Hezbollah and Hamas launched new campaigns, and Iran became the chief destabilizer of the region.

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Session 19

June 2

Title: Respected

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Despite multiple conflicts with Hamas and a significant uptick in the cognitive/economic war on Israel, including the rise of the BDS movement, Israel succeeded politically, economically, and even diplomatically in unimaginable ways. 

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Session 20

June 9

Title: Conceptzia

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Following the optimism of the Abraham Accords, the Hamas invasion and slaughter of October 7, 2023 upended Israel's assumptions. As Israel stood up to world opinion and confronted an unbelievable spike in Antisemitism, its determination and spirit remained unbreakable. 

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Session 21

June 16

Title: Certain and Uncertain

 

What the future portends requires a long view of history and deep understanding of how the world works. While Americans look for solutions, Israelis are left finding meaning amidst instability.                               

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Thursday, June 18

Optional Review & Discussion Session 4​​​