 Four years ago, a few academics gathered, people that had not met each other before, people that taught some aspect of Israel where the European Association was founded. Getting the European Association of Israel Studies up and running required dedication, it required hard work and then actually from the initial stages it actually required a vision. The European Association of Israel Studies is not an artificial construct. There's a genuine need for Israel Studies in Europe and some sort of network. Some 130 delegates, people giving papers or indeed just attending the conference, from over 15 different countries. It demonstrates that Israel Studies as a viable ongoing concern. But there's still much work to be done. There's still a lot of improvement to take place. What is also interesting is that Israel Studies is expanding globally. North Americans and Israelis. But there are people in India and China and Japan and Australia and Brazil and South Africa. Act as ambassadors wherever you're from for the European Association of Israel Studies and spread like the Gospels the good word.