Yohanan Plesner
Israel’s Constitutional Crisis, Its Origins and Potential Outcomes

Yohanan (Johan) Plesner has been president of the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) since 2014. With more than 80 publications per year, IDI is the country’s largest impact-oriented policy planning institution. From 2007 to 2013, he served as a member of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). After serving in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office as Head of Special Projects, he later became the first Secretary-General of Israel’s new ruling party, Kadima, and spearheaded the creation of the party’s organizational infrastructure. Johan holds an MPA in political economy and international security from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He graduated magna cum laude with a BA in economics from the Amirim Program for Excellence at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He grew up in Jerusalem and served as a combatant and officer in the IDF’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit, in which he still serves as a major in active reserve duty.

Carly Maisel is the global CEO of Kirsh Philanthropies.