Feb 9, 2004 -- Middle East diplomacy in the wake of Saddam Hussein’s defeat and capture and the impact on Israeli-Arab relations will form the backdrop of a Feb. 29 discussion sponsored by Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. “Israel and Her Neighbors: Peace in Our Lifetime?” will take place Sunday, 8 pm, in Forchheimer Auditorium at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan. The event, which kicks off a series of lectures celebrating Stern College’s jubilee, will feature a panel discussion with Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher of The Jewish Week; and David Makovsky, former executive editor of the Jerusalem Post, now senior fellow at the Washington Institute and head of its Project on America, Israel, and the Peace Process. The panel discussion is under the auspices of Stern College for Women’s Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-In-Residence Program. The panelists are expected to address such topics as the US-backed “Road Map” plan for peace, construction of Israel’s security fence, borders, and the status of East Jerusalem, together with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s call for unilateral separation if talks stall. Upcoming lectures will include discussions on challenges confronting modern Orthodox women and families, democracy and religion in Israel, and medical ethics and Halakhah. Co-chairs of the lecture series are Stern College graduates Debbie Niderberg and Cali Orenbuch. Sharon Herzfeld, MD, and Susan Ungar-Mero, MD, also Stern alumnae, are co-chairing the college’s yearlong jubilee celebration. For more information on future lectures and other Stern-at-50 events, call 212-340-7863, or e-mail rentas@yu.edu. Admission to the lectures is free, though advanced reservations are required. Online registration is available at www.yu.edu/sternjubilee.