Shimon Refaeli serves as Deputy Head of the Institute and is a central partner in leading the Institute’s research and policy work, alongside advancing policy initiatives to strengthen Israel’s position in the regional and international arena.
In his role, Refaeli advances the Institute’s engagement with decision-makers, the diplomatic community, and opinion leaders. This activity is carried out through briefings, lectures, and making research accessible to policy discussions with direct impact.
Refaeli gained his experience while serving as a policy advisor to former Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, and through his work at the National Security Council. In these roles, he dealt with core issues of national security strategy, the advancement of Israel’s relations in the international arena, and the analysis of geopolitical trends, and the strategic challenges facing the State of Israel.
Refaeli is the founder and host of the podcast “Journey Through Ideas,” which deals with philosophy and history, alongside policy issues: foreign relations, antisemitism, and national security. In the podcast, he hosts diplomats and senior public figures, and combines conceptual thinking alongside practical policy analysis.
In addition to his research activity, Refaeli lectures in Israel and abroad before diplomats, community leaders, and media professionals, on topics of Jewish history, antisemitism, Israeli sovereignty, and regional strategy. He has participated in international conferences and published articles on these subjects in leading magazines in Israel and the United States.
Refaeli brings to the Institute a unique combination of deep familiarity with the Haredi world and with the political-security establishment. He began his path in the world of Haredi yeshivot, where he studied in prestigious and well-known institutions, a background that shaped his historical and conceptual outlook regarding the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and later transitioned to military service and integration into the governmental and security frameworks in Israel.
