Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations

The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations was established in 1972 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, thanks to the generosity of Leonard and Sophie Davis.
The institute has been housed for many years in the Truman Building on the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University, which is at the center of inspiring landscapes: to its west are the Golden Dome, the Dome of the Rock and the views of the Old City; From the east, the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab can be seen on a clear day; And to the south are the towers of the Augusta Victoria Church and the Mount of Olives. In the past year, the institute has moved to the management of the Research Centers Unit in the Faculty of Society Sciences, and has therefore moved to be housed in the faculty on the Mount Scopus campus.

The identity of the institute and its purpose stem from its location in one of the most impressive historical cities in the world - the city of holy places, which is cherished by the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Two thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel, as well as the seat of the Government and Knesset of Israel.

Since its inception, the Leonard Davis Institute has provided an independent platform for research, education and discourse on issues of international relations, in general, and of Israel's diplomatic relations and foreign relations, in particular.
In the age of globalization, the goal of the institute is to broaden the horizons of the Israeli public in order to present to them the reality of Israel's foreign relations, even beyond its borders.

The institute has three main goals, according to which it plans its activities:

• Academic: To promote research in the field of international studies, while adopting a broad interdisciplinary vision, which is taken from different fields of knowledge.
• Social: Introduce general issues of international policy to the Israeli public, and thereby foster public discourse on these issues.
• Political: To make available to the political echelon in Israel the knowledge and experience of the Institute's researchers in the fields of security and foreign relations.

Since 1972, the Leonard Davis Institute has served as a center where researchers from international studies, political science and other fields of research at the Hebrew University, as well as from other universities and other research centers, can develop and coordinate research programs.
Although formally the institute is anchored in the Faculty of Social Sciences, in order to achieve its goal, the institute acts as a multidisciplinary and non-faculty research center.

While other institutes dealing with international relations and Israel's strategic policy tend to specialize in internal issues of war and strategy, the Davis Institute includes research in the field of foreign relations, diplomacy, international law and international institutions, negotiation and conflict resolution.

The institute's target audience consists of the academic community, government institutions in Jerusalem, the diplomatic staff, the media, and the general public. The institute welcomes guests from abroad and provides them with the opportunity to share their ideas and research with local academics.

The Leonard Davis Institute contributes a significant portion of its budget to living scholarships and grants, with the aim of promoting research in the field of international studies of research students at the Hebrew University, postdoctoral students and academic staff.
In addition, the institute conducts research projects and conducts diverse public activities that include international conferences, workshops and seminars on key issues on the national agenda.
The institute also publishes articles and books in Hebrew and English and publishes the journal Politics, Political Science and International Relations.