Dear Ambassador Zafari-Odiz,

 

Thank you for your note and invitation to lecture at the Israel National Defense College. I recall lecturing at the College during my time as Ambassador, when Amos Yadlin headed the College.

 

In principle, I would like to do this, but the logistics may be complicated, in particular because of the coronavirus. I will start my Princeton teaching on August 31, and it appears that at least some of our classes will be in person and on campus. As such, I do not see the possibility of coming to Israel until early December, at the earliest. At that time, and after consulting with you, I could offer a 1-2 week schedule of lectures. I would prefer not to do this online; I offered a short course in June via Zoom at the U.S. Army War College, and I did not find it worthwhile not to be able to interact with the students.

 

Please let me know if the possibility of December makes sense. Also, please be a bit more specific on details: I assume business class travel and accommodations; do you also offer an honorarium or stipend?

 

Regards. Dan Kurtzer

 

 

 

Dear Ambassador Kurtzer,

 

I am writing to you in my capacity as the Chief Instructor at the Israel National Defense College (INDC) in order to check with you the possibility of teaching a course in our next school year.

 

The course will be part of what we call "The International Season", and we would like it to generally deal with Geo-Strategy and acquaint the participants with the international system. We intend that this course will take place fairly early in the school year (which begins on September 2^nd), and after they cover basic concepts and pillars of national security.

 

This will be the first time that we offer such a course, and a course in English in particular. Given your academic and professional experience, we are certain that you are extremely fit to teach such a course, and will be honored if you would be willing to consider this possibility.

 

We think that mid October will be a good timing to begin this course, in terms of the overall course structure and schedule, although I would note that we are fairly flexible regarding the start time of the course, as well as the number of sessions. It can be 4-8 sessions of 90 minutes each. We also intend to add relevant content by Israeli professors or lecturers. I would note that we are also fairly flexible with regards to the number of sessions per day and per week (hence, we can in theory conclude within a week.)

 

If you would be available to arrive to Israel for this purpose, the INDC will of course cover all your travel and accommodation expenses involved. We may also consider conducting this course virtually depending on the situation related to COVID-19 and your ability to travel at this time.

 

Finally, as initial information regarding the class size and composition, I would note that we have around 40 participants, 6 of which are international students (including two American officers), and the rest are Israelis, half of which are military officers (mostly colonels) and the rest are from the defense establishment and other government agencies and ministries. I would also add that as part of the program, the participants receive a (tailor made) Masters degree in political science from the Haifa University.

 

Looking forward to your feedback.

 

Best regards,

 

Ambassador Merav Zafary-Odiz

Chief Instructor

Israel National Defense College