On Thursday, October 5th, the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center will host a webinar featuring Israeli political historian Dr. Yigal Kipnis, who will discuss the often overshadowed political and societal aspects that shaped the Yom Kippur War.
Thursday, October 5, 2023
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Pacific Time)
Zoom
Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.
About the Talk
The investigations of the October 1973 War, also known as the Yom Kippur War, and the associated public discourse has typically revolved around the military aspects of the events that transpired. However, meaningful historical research must also consider the political and societal aspects. This lecture will focus on the political aspects and the responsibility of the Israeli political leadership—the scope of which has only recently been uncovered. In particular, Dr. Kipnis will consider the questions: “Was the war inevitable?” and “What political dictate prevented the IDF from properly deploying a counter to the upcoming Syrian and Egyptian attacks?”
About the Speakers
Dr. Yigal Kipnis is an Israeli historian whose research focuses on the political history of the State of Israel. Kipnis served as a pilot in the Israel Air Force for 31 years and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He has held lecture positions at the University of Haifa, the University of Georgia, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Kipnis has published several books in both Hebrew and English, including 1973: The Road to War (Hebrew: Kinneret Zmora Dvir, 2012 | English: Just World Books, 2013), 1982, Lebanon: The Road to War (Hebrew: Kinneret Zmora Dvir, 2022 | Upcoming English Publication: Routledge, 2024), and The Mountain that was as a Monster: The Golan Between Syria and Israel (Magnes Press, 2009). He completed his BS in Civil Engineering from the Technion in Haifa and his MA and PhD in Land of Israel Studies from the University of Haifa.
Professor Dov Waxman (Moderator) is the director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. He is a professor of Political Science and The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair of Israel Studies at UCLA. Waxman’s research focuses on the conflict over Israel–Palestine, Israeli politics and foreign policy, US–Israel relations, American Jewry’s relationship with Israel, Jewish politics, and anti-Semitism. He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and four books, most recently The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2019).
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker’s views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies