Event Series:
Lunch & Learn: Israel Votes 2026 – “Never Has There Been Such an Important Election” with Michael Hollander
Lunch & Learn: Israel Votes 2026 – “Never Has There Been Such an Important Election” with Michael Hollander
Tuesday, September 29 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
One of the more popular questions Michael Hollander has faced in teaching about Israel over more than 40 years is “Why is the Israeli system of governance so crazy? It seems like your government barely survives its fragile coalition and you are always on the brink of heading to new elections. Why does everything feel like such a ‘balagan’ here?”
This four-part series is designed to help you understand the nature of Israeli democracy and how the uniquely Israeli political system and elections work. Three sessions will be offered during the campaign and before the elections, and the fourth will be shortly after the dust settles and a coalition is made to form a new Israeli government.
- Part I – How a People Without Power Became a Powerful People: Israeli Democracy
- Part II – Continued Challenges to Israeli Democracy – How did Israel go from its broadest (yet short-lived) coalition to the most right-wing government in its history in the 4th and 5th elections over 3 ½ years? What challenges has Israel faced during this topsy-turvy period?
- Part III – Who are the parties and leaders, and what are the platforms and issues in this election?
- Part IV – After the Election: What now? Where are we heading?
Mike Hollander is an Israeli tour educator, lecturer, and licensed guide with more than 30 years of experience teaching Jewish history, Zionism, and Israeli society. Originally from Canada, he made aliyah in 1988 and has spent his career leading educational journeys throughout Israel, Eastern and Central Europe, and lecturing to Jewish communities across North America. Mike also served as an educational emissary (Shaliach) for the Jewish Agency in the United Kingdom, where he helped develop programs for more than 1,000 Jewish youth annually. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he created a widely attended series of virtual educational tours and lectures, and since October 7, has continued to present programs on Israel’s history, politics, and current events to communities around the world.
Join us in person at the Schaefer Family Campus or online.
