Israel 101: The US—Israel Relationships

Barak Sella is a research fellow at the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School and one of the leading Israeli experts on US-Israel relations and World Jewry. Born in Texas, Barak moved to Israel in 1994 and was deeply affected by the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin the following year.

He holds a B.Ed. and teaching diploma in history from Beit-Berl Academic College, an M.A. in American Jewish Studies from Haifa University, and an M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School for Government. Barak is an experienced educator, community organizer, writer, and researcher, and was recently selected as a council member for President Herzog’s Voice of the People initiative.

Mikhael Kesher is a curator of educational experiences and resources, whose professional passion is supporting Jewish educators and learners in building informed, constructive, and committed relationships with am yisrael (the Jewish people) and medinat yisrael (the Jewish state). As a British-born Israeli-by-choice and new American, he cares deeply about strengthening each Jew’s connection to global Jewry. Before joining The Jewish Education Project as Director, Israel Education, Mikhael worked at Harvard Hillel, MIT Hillel, and Hebrew College. He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy (University of Cambridge), Near Eastern & Judaic Studies (Brandeis University), and Jewish professional leadership (Brandeis University). At home, Mikhael is an avid reader, ḥevruta enthusiast, and devoted abba to two young children.