Lian Najami, First Arab-Israeli Rhodes Scholar
Life in Israel with Lian: Minorities and Shared Existence
Thursday, September 19th, 7:00pm

From the age of 12, Lian began volunteering at her local community center in Haifa, working tirelessly to promote the issue of shared existence. By the time she turned 15, Lian had founded her first start-up initiative and has been passionate about social entrepreneurship ever since. Lian’s advocacy work, which has taken her around the world, comes with a simple message — that together, as a society, we can achieve true shared existence when placing merit above discrimination and working together to create a more inclusive Israel. As a non-Jew growing up in a Jewish state, Lian seeks to send a message to the international community that Israel is more than its Jewish identity and that its multicultural character should be celebrated. Lian is determined and passionate about empowering Arab women to achieve economic independence, raising awareness to issues pertinent to minorities, and acting as an advocate for those with invisible illnesses and different abilities. Fluent in five languages, Lian was featured at the 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 Summit in Israel for her leadership role within the Arab community and served as a Lantos Fellow in the US Senate in 2017. As the first Arab-Israeli Rhodes Scholar, Lian will begin her Masters at the University of Oxford this year. This program is co-sponsored by CBI and The Emanuel Synagogue.