PDA Entertainment Search Results

Name Description
Tony Snow is the White House Press Secretary for the George W. Bush administration. He succeeded Scott McClellan, becoming the third individual to serve in that position under President Bush. It is the second Presidential administration to which Snow has been employed, having worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and Deputy Assistant of Media Affairs. Between his two White House stints, Snow was a broadcaster and newspaper columnist. After years of regular guest-hosting for The Rush Limbaugh Show and providing news commentary for National Public Radio, he launched his own talk radio program, The Tony Snow Show, which went on to become nationally syndicated. He was also a regular personality on Fox News Channel since 1996, hosting Fox News Sunday, Weekend Live, and often substituting as host of The O'Reilly Factor.
Paper Clips Paper Clips is an inspiring 2004 documentary about a consciousness-raising project that blossomed into something beautiful at a rural Tennessee school. When the principal of Whitwell Middle School sought a program that would teach diversity to a predominantly white, Protestant student body, the notion of focusing on the Holocaust--specifically Hitler's extermination of six million Jews--seemed like an obvious way to go. But understanding what "six million" looks like became a challenge. Thus was born the idea of collecting that number of paper clips at Whitwell as a visual reference. But then it turned out paper clips actually have, in historical terms, symbolic value where the Holocaust is concerned. In this moving film, one sees Whitwell students dig into research on Germany's genocidal campaign, solicit clips from a variety of leaders and celebrities, and make a name for themselves on the national news. In time, the world comes to Whitwell's doorstep, via unsolicited donations of clips from people around the world, and in a tearful meeting of students and Holocaust survivors. The dimensions of the project, the lessons about prejudice and intolerance, are stunning to watch grow beyond anyone's wildest expectations. This is a great film for families and classrooms to watch together. --Tom Keogh
Bill Hemmer is a journalist who spent ten years at CNN before moving to the Fox News Channel in August 2005. Before Hemmer left CNN in June 2005, he and Soledad O'Brien were the anchors on American Morning, CNN's flagship morning news program. Hemmer started with this program in 2002. While at CNN, Hemmer also anchored CNN Tonight, CNN Early Edition as well as CNN Morning News/CNN Live Today. Hemmer was scheduled to debut on Fox News on Monday, August 29, 2005, but started a day early to assist with the cable network's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. He is currently hosting the 12:00 p.m. ET edition of Fox News Live weekdays.
The Spy Who Knew Too Much Award-winning, investigative reporter and political journalist, Elliot Goldenberg is the author of The Spy Who Knew Too Much: The Government Plot to Silence Jonathan Pollard; and The Hunting Horse: The truth Behind the Jonathan Pollard Spy Case, a controversial new book about the United States Government's plot to silence Jonathan Pollard. This book tells the story of Jonathan Pollard, a former civilian Navy Intelligence analyst who passed classified United States military secrets to the State of Israel, and in so doing, unwittingly uncovered a secret United States polity, allegedly overseen by former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, that was designed to weaken Israel and strengthen the hand of her enemies in the Arab world. As a result, Pollard's greatest crime may not have been what he did for Israel - his greatest crime may have been that he got too close to the truth.
Brig. Gen. Yehiel Gozal Brig/ Gen. Yehiel Gozal, who now serves as national director in the United States of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. A far greater threat—on which Israel is spending considerable resources to counter—is Iran's determined effort to become a nuclear power. Also can be seen on FoxNews.
Ari and Jeremy Ari & Jeremy, commander and soldier in the Israeli Army reserves, have protected every border of The Land of Israel from Lebanon to Gaza. As religious Zionist Jews, they merge their comprehensive understanding of the Bible and Jewish history with their experiences in the battlefield and the forefront of Israeli activism. Ari and Jeremy are coming to share the truth about the situation in Israel and will be discussing a broad array of topics including the cease fire between Israel and the Hezbollah, the Iranian Nuclear build up, and the spiritual roots of the conflict in the Middle East. Open to discussing any issues from the political, religious, and philosophical realms, Ari & Jeremy are coming to infuse clarity and understanding into a complex and volatile situation that will inevitably have monumental effects on the entire world. Commander and Soldier in the Israel Defense Force reserves. Hosts of "A Light Unto the Nations", the #1 radio show on Israel National Radio. Columnists for the Jerusalem Post and Arutz Sheva. Founders of Shema Israel - a Jerusalem-based movement dedicated to bringing the Bible back to the Nation of Israel.
Mayumana Mayumana is a performance group which specializes in percussion, dance, gymnastics, singing, and musicianship. Their shows are comparable to Stomp or Blue Man Group but with uniquely Israeli qualities. They perform regularly at their home theater in Tel Aviv, Israel and have also created several tours internationally playing to more than 2 million people in Europe, 1 million in Israel and 700,000 in South America. Although Mayumana officially began in 1996, they did not grow widely popular until 1998 at the Israel Festival, the annual national showcase for the performing arts. The name Mayumana is derived loosely from the Hebrew word meaning "skill" or "proficiency". Many skills are demanded of the performers in each Mayumana theatre troupe such as coordination, sight reading , flexibility, drumming techniques, and discipline in dance and yoga.
Matisyahu Matisyahu, born Matthew Paul Miller, is an American reggae musician. Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae and rock sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for previously being a member of Chabad-Lubavitch and started with the jewish band Pey Dalid, a chassidic group of Judaism. As such, Matisyahu stands out for wearing the traditional clothing of Hasidic Jews and not performing on the Sabbath. Since 2004, he has released two studio albums (Shake off the Dust Arise and Youth) as well as one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert, and a number of interviews. The music, developed partly with his backing band Roots Tonic has a unique sound, mixing reggae, traditional rap, and guitar solos typical of rock music. Through his short career, Matisyahu has teamed up with some of the biggest names in reggae production including Bill Laswell and duo Sly & Robbie. Since his debut, Matisyahu has received positive reviews from both rock and reggae outlets including Top Reggae Artist of 2006 by Billboard and was named the most intriguing reggae artist in the world by Esquire . His latest album, Youth, became the number one digital album on Billboards website upon its release in 2006. Currently, Matisyahu has begun writing new songs for his next album that should be released in early 2008.
Dr. Miriam Adahan Dr.Miriam Adahan, author, lecturer and renowned psychotherapist, is famous throughout the Jewish world for her sensitive advice and her highly effective EMETT ("Emotional Maturity Established Through Torah") system for coping with life's crises. She has a B.A. in psychology, with honors, from the University of Michigan. She also holds a Masters in counseling psychology from Wayne State University and did three years of post-Masters work in Humanistic Psychology Institute in San Francisco.
Dr. Yonah Alexander One of the world's leading authorities on terrorism, Professor Alexander was the founder and editor of Terrorism: An International Journal and has published fifty books on the subject of international affairs, terrorism, and psychological warfare. He is the director of the Terrorism Studies Program at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Dan Alon Dan Alon, an Israeli fencer and 1972 Olympic athlete, never talked about his experience at the Munich Games and the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Israeli delegation. The reason was simple: No one ever asked him. At the time, he said, the media was focused on the victims and their families. I couldnt just go out on the street and shout, Im a survivor, I want to talk! says Alon, 61. So I didnt talk about it for 30 years.
Karen Armstrong Armstrong is a writer, lecturer, broadcaster and author of 12 books. Her best-known book is A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which was on the New York Times best-seller list for many months. She teaches at the Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism and the Training of Rabbis and Teachers in London, England. A limited number of tickets ($10) are on sale at the Greensboro Coliseum box office, online (www.Tickets.com), by phone (1-888-397-3100) or at selected Lowes Food Stores in the Greensboro area. There is a service charge for all tickets purchased online or by phone. Subject to availabilty, Guilford students and employees may receive one free ticket at the door with valid ID the night of the event. Educated at Oxford University, Armstrong taught modern literature at the University of London. She was a Catholic nun from 1962-69, and in 1982, she became a freelance writer and broadcaster. Armstrong's books include Through the Narrow Gate, a best-seller in Britain, The Gospel According to Women, Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, and The Battle for God. Her latest book, published in 2004, is a memoir, The Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness.
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner Rabbi Shlomo Aviner is the best-selling author of over 50 works, ranging from philosophy to Jewish Law. He is considered to be a prominent voice on current events and topics of wide Jewish interest, and is featured in many leading newspapers and magazines across the world. A disciple of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook, he is also the Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Kohanim and the Rabbi of Beit El. Considered one of the leading ideologues of the national camp in Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner was born in 1943 in German Occupied Lyon, France. There he was active in Bnei Akiva, the religious Zionist youth movement, eventually assuming the role of national director. Rabbi Aviner holds a M.A. in Mathematics and is an Electrical Engineer by profession. Following his aliya to Israel, he studied at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav where he was one of the "Talmedi Muvhak" of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, son of Israel's first Chief Rabbi, Avraham Yitzchak Kook. Rabbi Aviner served previously as spiritual leader of Kibbutz Lavi in the Galil and Moshav Keshet on the Golan Heights. He is also a Reserve Lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces. Rabbi Aviner has hundreds of published works to his credit, including the famed "Sichot Harav Tzvi Yehuda" and "Tal Hermon" on the weekly Torah portion. He has written on a broad range of topics and his lectures in person and on tape reach a wide and diverse audience. He has columns that appear weekly in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv, and in the Machon Meir weekly newsletter "BeAhava U'Bemuna". Rabbi Aviner also has a regular radio show with Arutz Sheva. Rabbi Aviner's advice is sought by people from all walks of life ranging from troubled youth and young couples to Prime Ministers and heads of the Security Establishment
Rudi Bakhtiar Rudi Bakhtiar is an Iranian-American journalist, working for the Fox News Channel. Although born in California, Bakhtiar was raised in Iran until the Iranian Revolution when her family moved to the United States. She attended University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a B.S. in biology, planning to be a dentist. Prior to Fox News, Bakhtiar had worked for CNN. Joining CNN in 1996, she became a co-anchor of CNN Student News, the 30-minute commercial free news and features program designed specifically for use in the classroom. She provided multiple reports while on assignment from numerous countries, including South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Mali. She was on the air live on CNN Headline News on September 11, 2001 when the terrorist attacks of that day began. In 2002, Bakhtiar received the Iranian American Republican Council Achievement Award. In 2005, after moving from CNN Headline News to CNN/U.S. to be a correspondent on the program Anderson Cooper 360, Bakhtiar left CNN to pursue other career interests and deal with family health issues. On January 11, 2006, Fox News announced that Bakhtiar would be joining the network as a general correspondent. She first appeared on the channel on January 22, 2006. Rumors of Fox's interest in Bakhtiar were around as early as December, 2004.
Peter Bergen Peter Bergen is a Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C; an Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; CNN's terrorism analyst and author of Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Bin Laden. (Free Press, 2001). Holy War, Inc. was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. A documentary based on Holy War, Inc., which aired on National Geographic television, was nominated for an Emmy in the research category. His most recent book is The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader (Free Press, 2006). The book is being translated into French, Spanish, Arabic and Polish, and CNN is shooting a two hour documentary based on the book that will air around the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Former White House counterterrorism coordinator, Richard Clarke, reviewing the book in the Washington Post wrote What made Bin Laden into historys most successful terrorist? Peter L. Bergen has written what will long be a goto resource for those seeking answers to such questions. The result is a detailed, wellresearched narrative that persuasively answers dozens of questions that are still painfully relevant fine volume. Foreign Affairs reviewer named it one of the best books of the past year about the Middle East. Bergen has written about al Qaeda and terrorism for a variety of publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post The Atlantic Rolling Stone TIME, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. He is on the editorial board of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, the leading scholarly journal in the field. In 1997, as a producer for CNN, Bergen produced bin Ladens first television interview. He was the recipient of the Leonard Silk Journalism Fellowship 2000 for Holy War Inc, and in 1994 he won the Overseas Press Club Edward R. Murrow award for best foreign affairs documentary for the CNN program Kingdom of Cocaine. From mid 1998 to late 1999 Bergen worked as a correspondent-producer for CNN. He was program editor for "CNN Impact," a co-production of CNN and TIME, from 1997 to 1998. Previously he worked for CNN as a producer on a wide variety of international and U.S. national stories. From 1985 to 1990 he worked for ABC News in New York.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a world-famous thinker, author, lecturer, and activist who has become a phenomenon both in the US and internationally due to his provocative and insightful writings, live debates and extensive media appearances. Rabbi Boteach first came to world attention through his founding of the Oxford University L'Chaim Society, an organization of Oxford students that within two years of its founding in 1988 had become the second largest student organization in Oxford 's history. In Oxford , where Rabbi Boteach served as Rabbi for eleven years, he played host to and debated some of the world's leading thinkers and statesmen. Rabbi Shmuley is also the author of fourteen books, including the international best-sellers Kosher Sex, Dating Secrets of the Ten Commandments, and Judaism for Everyone: Renewing your Life through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith. His relationship book, Why Can't I Fall in Love was a finalist for the 2002 Books for a Better Life Award. Rabbi Boteach's newest book is The Private Adam: Becoming a Hero in a Selfish Age. In this image of two divergent Adams -- the aggressive public figure, and the humble private man -- Boteach finds a parable for man's eternal struggle between ambition and altruism, self-promotion and self-sacrifice. Illuminated with inspiring examples from history and contemporary life -- and filled with valuable advice -- The Private Adam is Boteach's most thoughtful and universal book yet. In the spring of 2002, Rabbi Shmuley began a nationally-syndicated radio talk show on the Talk America Network, one of the largest radio syndicators in North America . The call-in, discussion, and advice show airs Monday through Friday for 3 hours. Shmuley is also one of the country's most sought guests on radio and television talk show circuit. He has appeared on nearly every American talk and news program, including The Today Show, The View, Politically Incorrect, Larry King Live, The O'Reilly Factor, CBS This Morning, NBC Evening News, Hannity and Colmes, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition. Rabbi Shmuley has been profiled in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, the London Telegraph, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, The Jerusalem Post, the Chicago Tribune, The South China Morning Post, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Miami Herald, and Newark Star-Ledger. Jewsweek.com placed Shmuley at number 17 on their annual list of the 50 most influential Jews in America .
Dan Brody Dan, 31, is the founder of Brody Sport, a designer brand of active-wear currently sold in prominent boutique shops and popular department stores. Dan has successfully launched several businesses during his entrepreneurial career beginning with a college venture, NYC Cafe "Grandma's Cookie Jar." This wholesale retail bakery boutique served as one of the earliest bakery suppliers for the city's Starbucks stores. Dan also owned YoCookie, a ready-to-bake cookie-dough brand shelved in more than 30 grocery stores even before "Grandma's Cookie Jar" was successfully sold. Dan's next venture was Swan Hat, one of the only "Made In The USA," headwear companies still in existence today. Swan Hat has a healthy department store base and the company's Straw Headwear division annually outfits the New York State Teachers Union - Labor Day Fifth Ave Parade, as well as other union parades and events throughout the country. Dan is passionate about religion and family and feels that you must make an exerted effort for those you love and give back to those in need
Rabbi Nathan Cardozo Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Dean of the David Cardozo Academy for Jewish studies and Human Dignity, lectures regularly at over fifty institutions for Jewish and secular learning around the world. He is often hosted by programs with affiliation ranging from the Orthodox Union and union of Sephardic Communities to oxford and Harvard universities. Educated in Amsterdam, Rabbi Lopes Cardozo comes from the Portuguese-Spanish Jewish community of Holland. After receiving his rabbinical ordination from Gateshead Talmudic College, he studied at the Institute for Higher Rabbinical Studies of Chief Rabbi Unterman and at Mir Yeshiva. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy. Regarded by many as a type of ambassador of conscience, he has, over the past twenty-five years, attracted a large number of students with his unconventional style. His fresh approach to many topics of social concern and his unswerving honesty continue to engage Jews and non-Jews alike. He is known for his most original insights in Judaism, through which he is able to communicate to a wide audience the relevance of Judaism for our complicated times. Tens of thousands of people throughout Israel, Europe, the USA, Canada and South Africa; religious Jews, non-religious Jews and non-Jews as well, have become followers and disciples of Rabbi Lopes Cardozo’s unique style.
Leon Charney An influential lawyer and an advisor to U. S. presidents and Israeli leaders, Leon Charney has been involved in the heady affairs of international politics - - affairs which frequently took him on important missions abroad. Those missions were the foundation of important contacts at the highest echelon of power. Mr. Charney served as special counsel to President Carter during the negotiations that resulted in the Camp David accords signed by Israel and Egypt and was considered the “unsung hero” of the peace process. An expert on Middle East issues, Mr. Charney has been the recipient of numerous honors for service to Israel and America and to the cause of peace. He is the author of Special Counsel, a fascinating behind-the-scenes story of the Camp David peace treaty.
Naomi Chazan Naomi Chazan is a Professor of Political Science and a former member of the Knesset. She is currently President of the New Israel Fund. She received her B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University in New York City and her Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1974. In addition to her native Hebrew, she speaks English, French, and Swahili. Chazan was twice a member of Israels delegation to the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995). She also was head of the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, President of the Israeli branch of the Society for International Development, Vice President of the International Association of Political Science, and founder and member of the Board of the Israel Womens Network. In April 2008, Chazan signed a letter of support for the recently created J Street American pro peace lobby group.
Walter Cronkite Retired journalist, best known for his work as a television news anchorman. During his tenure at CBS Evening News, he was often cited in viewer opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America," because of his experience and professional demeanor.
Pey Dalid Pey Dalid performs a unique blend of musical styles, incorporating rock, reggae and many other popular genres with traditional Jewish sound and content. Their well-known and catchy melodies are sung both in Hebrew and English. The band's live shows are high-energy and intense, bringing audiences to their feet singing and dancing. Formed by three brothers, Mordechai (rhythm guitar/vocals), Shlomo (lead guitar/vocals), and Pesach Walker (drums/percussion/vocals), Pey Dalid has influenced and inspired thousands of people in its 6 years in the Jewish music field. They have traveled the world, performing throughout America, Canada and England. In Israel they have performed extensively, playing at the Klezmer Music Festival in Tsfat, Am Yisroel Chai Festival in Jerusalem and the World Jazz Festival in Eilat. Pey Dalid has appeared on television in America, Israel and Europe including the Chabad Telethon and MTV Europe. Their music has been played on the radio and Internet worldwide and their interviews have been heard across the globe. Performing at many clubs, theatres, as well as outdoor shows and festivals, Pey Dalid has played for crowds ranging from 50 to 2500, appealing to audiences of all ages and religious backgrounds. Pey Dalid has performed at hundreds of weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and has played for numerous Jewish organizations including, Hillel, NCSY, UJA, Aish HaTorah and Chabad. Pey Dalid has shared the stage with diverse musicians such as Matisyahu, Reva L'sheva, Moshav Band, SoulFarm, Blue Fringe, Chaim Dovid, Simply Tsfat, Shlomo Katz and Ruby Harris. Performing original songs, Pey Dalids influences include: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach ztl, Safam and many other personalities in music including Bob Marley, Dave Mathews Band and everything in between. To Purchase "Garden of Eden" visit, http//www.mostlymusic.com/brothers-dalid-garden-eden-p-2717.html
Peter Duffy Peter Duffy author of The Bielski Brothers this his first book. In 1941, three young men -- brothers, sons of a miller -- witnessed their parents and two other siblings being led away to their eventual murders. It was a grim scene that would, of course, be repeated endlessly throughout the war. What makes this particular story of interest is how the survivors responded. Instead of running or capitulating or giving in to despair, these brothers -- Tuvia, Zus, and Asael Bielski -- did something else entirely. They fought back, waging a guerrilla war of wits and cunning against both the Nazis and the pro-Nazi sympathizers. Along the way they saved well over a thousand Jewish lives. Using their intimate knowledge of the dense forests surrounding the Belorussian towns of Novogrudek and Lida, the Bielskis evaded the Nazis and established a hidden base camp, then set about convincing other Jews to join their ranks. When the Nazis began systematically eliminating the local Jewish populations -- more than ten thousand were killed in the first year of the Nazi occupation alone -- the Bielskis intensified their efforts, often sending fighting men into the ghettos to escort Jews to safety. As more and more Jews arrived each day, a robust community began to emerge, a "Jerusalem in the woods." They slept in camouflaged dugouts built into the ground. Lovers met, were married, and conceived children. The community boasted a synagogue, a bathhouse, a theater, and cobblers so skilled that Russian officers would wait in line to have their boots reshod. But as its notoriety grew, so too did the Nazi efforts to capture the rugged brothers; and on several occasions they came so near to succeeding that the Bielskis had to abandon the camp and lead their massive entourage to newer, safer locations. And while some argued in favor of a smaller, more mobile unit, focused strictly on waging battle against the Germans, Tuvia Bielski was firm in his commitment to all Jews. "I'd rather save one old Jewish woman," he said, "than kill ten Nazis." In July 1944, after two and a half years in the woods, the Bielskis learned that the Germans, overrun by the Red Army, were retreating back toward Berlin. More than one thousand Bielski Jews emerged -- alive -- on that final, triumphant exit from the woods.
Rabbi Mordechai Elon Rabbi Mordechai Elon is a highly regarded Rabbi and a teacher of enormous popular appeal. Not only is he renowned for his learning, he is a distinguished leader, admired and respected by people in all walks of life. With his ready smile and attentive demeanor, he is never too busy to listen to others, to explain, to advise and to teach. Rabbi Elon is a gifted teacher, with the ability to touch the innermost core of the many who throng to hear him. Old and young, religious and secular, right wing and left-wing, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, all come to learn Torah from his lips, and the Rabbi welcomes them all. Those who attend his sermons, classes and lectures reflect the entire spectrum of "amcha beit Yisrael". All social distinctions fall away in the large crowd of participants. Rabbi Elon is a man of many facets. He heads Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem's Old City, widely recognized as one of the country's leading hesder yeshivas. In addition, Rabbi Elon travels throughout the country, and often abroad as well, to offer his encouragement, direction and guidance to all who turn to him for advice and help. Rabbi Elon is one of the most charismatic Jewish leaders in the world today. He reaches more than 250,000 Israelis weekly with his classes on the weekly Torah portion heard live, listened on the radio and seen on television. Rabbi Elon’s philosophy, with its central theme of Jewish unity and Jewish destiny, speaks to Israelis from across the Jewish spectrum. He has founded a new movement called Mibereshit with the goal to enhance Jewish knowledge and Jewish values for all Jews.
Peter Fischl Peter L. Fischl is a survivor of the Holocaust, a poet and a public speaker, who has dedicated much of his life to educating people about the Holocaust and the importance of acceptance of others. Fischl is currently working on a project with the sculptor Raymond Persinger to create a monument to "The Little Polish Boy." During the Holocaust, Fischl hid in a Catholic school in Budapest, Hungary with 60 other Jewish children. His father was taken by the Nazis and never seen again. A documentary on Fischl's life and his efforts to educate young people about intolerance, is in the final stages of editing. The film, produced by Peter Musurlian of Globalist Films, is called, "Holocaust Soliloquy.
Nesse Godin Nesse Godin is a survivor of the Shauliai, Lithuania Ghetto, the Stutthof Concentration Camp, four labor camps and a death march. She has dedicated her adult life to teaching and sharing memories of the holocaust. Nesse has the ability to translate the Holocaust into a personal glimpse of this enormous and horrifying drama. She has appeared before a variety of audiences including the Naval Academy,West Point Military Academy, the department of Defense, the Department of Energy, numerous Schools, Churches, Synagogues, Civic groups and Teacher's Conferences. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is fortunate to have Nesse Godin as a member of the Speaker' bureau. Nesse is Co-President of the Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Friends of Greater Washington. She is also on the Board of Directors and Founding Member of several Holocaust Survivor groups. Nesse served on the Board of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Is a board of the Anti-Defamation League, The Jewish community Council and many other worthy Organizations. She participated as a speaker for the Capitol Children's Museum of Washington, D.C. Numerous awards and honors have been given to Nesse including the "Myrtle Wreath" by the Hadassah Council and the Chaim Solomon Freedom Medal by B'nai B'rith Argo Lodge. She has also received the Woman of Valor Award by three different organizations- B'nai B'rith Women, Naamat USA, and Amit Women Birah Chapter.
Jonathan Greenstein A dapper gentleman of 41, Jonathan Greenstein is proprietor of J. Greenstein & Co. of Brooklyn, which he describes as the only auction house completely devoted to Jewish ritual objects in America. Recently, Greenstein brought his Jewish version of the popular Antiques Roadshow television program to Toronto. He was the main attraction at the event, which wasnt filmed for TV and which included several other appraisers. Sitting earlier this month at the front of an audience of about 100 at Torontos Beth Tzedec Synagogue, Greenstein rapidly and entertainingly pronounces judgement on the parade of mostly ritual and some cultural objects brought his way. Most are kiddush cups, candlesticks, menorahs, matzah covers and other items commonly found in Jewish homes in centuries past as well as today.
Dr. Alex Grobman President of the Institute for Contemporary Jewish Life, a think tank dealing with historical and contemporary issues affecting the Jewish community. Dr. Grobman established the first Holocaust center in the US under the auspices of a Jewish Federation in St. Louis. He also served as director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angles where he was the founding editor-in-chief of the Simon Wiesenthal Annual, the first serial publication in the United States focusing on the scholarly study of the Holocaust. His latest book is Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened. His book, From The Depths of Despair: The Vaad Hatzala in the Post-War Europe will be published next year. He is presently working on Denying the Historical Connection of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel.
Hillel Halkin Author of the best selling book, Across the Sabbath River: In Search of a Lost Tribe of Israel and a regular contributor to Commentary and The New Republic..
Micah Halpern Micah D. Halpern is currently the Israel columnist for America Online where his commentary, On Site Insights, is a regular feature. His essays are published in book form to herald the millennium entitled: On-Line with Israel at the Millennium: Insights Into Life and Religion. Halpern has also conducted a weekly radio program entitled This Week In History for Jerusalem Radio. He frequently contributes commentary and religious viewpoint for network television including CNN, ABC and The Learning Channel, TLC. He has been the historical advisor for PBS's four part series on Herod and is featured in The History Channel's special on Masada. A scholar of European and Jewish history, Rabbi Halpern is the founder and director of the Jerusalem Center for European Study, an educational organization dedicated to the teaching of European Jewish life, then and now.
Bill Hemmer Bill Hemmer is a journalist who spent ten years at CNN before moving to the Fox News Channel in August 2005. Before Hemmer left CNN in June 2005, he and Soledad O'Brien were the anchors on American Morning, CNN's flagship morning news program. Hemmer started with this program in 2002. While at CNN, Hemmer also anchored CNN Tonight, CNN Early Edition as well as CNN Morning News/CNN Live Today. Hemmer was scheduled to debut on Fox News on Monday, August 29, 2005, but started a day early to assist with the cable network's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. He is currently hosting the 12:00 p.m. ET edition of Fox News Live weekdays.
Isaac Herzog Knesset Member Herzog was born in Israel to one of the prominent Zionistic families. His grandfather was the nation’s second chief rabbi and his uncle, Abba Eban, one of its best-known diplomats and historians. His father, Chaim Herzog - whose seminal 1983 work, the Arab-Israeli wars, has just been re-released - served in the 1948 war and was head of military intelligence before becoming a UN ambassador and president of Israel. MK Isaac Herzog has got a Law Degree and has worked as an attorney for several years. He entered politics as Government Secretary under Ehud Barak's mandate. He is currently member of the Finance Committee, member of the Internal Affairs and Environment committee as well as an active member of the Anti-Drug Abuse committee.
Vanessa Hidary Actress/Poet/Playwright/Native New Yorker Vanessa Hidary grew up on Manhattan's culturally diverse Upper West Side, graduating from LaGuardia High School of the Arts and Hunter College. Her experiences as a Sephardic Jew with close friends from different ethnic and religious backgrounds inspired her to write "Culture Bandit", a solo show that chronicles Vanessa's coming of age during the golden age of Hip-Hop and her dedication to fostering understanding and friendship between all people. "Culture Bandit" was originally produced by LAByrinth Theatre Company (Artistic directors: Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz). It has since played at theatre festivals throughout the US. She was broadcast twice on the Peabody Award winning series "Russell Simmon's Presents Def Poetry" on HBO, and is featured in the film "The Tribe", which was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and most recently for the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC (www.tribethefilm.com). She has been featured in The New York Post, Time Out New York, The Jewish Week, Spitkickers.com, The Forward, URB magazine, BUST Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Albuquerque Journal, and Lilith Magazine. Performances include: Central Park's Summerstage opening for "The Lyricist Lounge" with Def Poetry Jam, NBC's 9/11 tribute "Concert For America," B.A.M. Cafe, opened for the comedian Shang at "Carolines Comedy Club", "MCC Theater" (Solo Show Representative for "MCC Youth Program"), Princeton University - as part of their evening supporting Black Reparations and Civil Rights Issues, and was a Grand Slam Poetry Finalist at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe. She frequently tours colleges, universities, JCCs and cultural arts centers.
Mark Hitchcock Author and knows The events wracking the Middle East today are confusing to even the most avid news buff. Now all the answers to your questions are offered in just one resource. Divided into five main sections, Iran: The Coming Crisis contains the most up-to-date, thorough information available and is complete with maps, charts, and timelines for visual assistance. Iran’s past, present, and future are exposed-the country’s quest for nuclear weapons and support of Palestinian terror groups, its ability to “play the oil card,” and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic beliefs that motivate his actions. You’ll discover the truth about today’s events, how they relate to Bible prophecy, and what the Bible clearly describes is yet to come. It’s a crisis unlike any the world has ever faced. 214 pages, paper.
Elizabeth Holtzman United States Congresswoman from New York for four terms and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. While in Congress she was the first Democratic woman to serve on the House Budget Committee and was a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment hearings of Richard M. Nixon. Ms. Holtzman won international recognition for her work against Nazi war criminals and was the first member of Congress to expose government inaction against suspected Nazi war criminals. She forced the Justice Department to create a Nazi-hunting unit and authored the law barring Nazi war criminals from entering the United States and authorizing deportation. In 1981 she was elected Brooklyn District Attorney and served in that capacity until 1989. In 1990 she was elected Comptroller of New York City and served in that position until 1994. She is now in the private practice of law.
Rabbi Yakov Horowitz Rabbi Yakov Horowitz attended Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaas, where he developed a close relationship with Hagoan Horav Avrohom Yaakov Pam z’tl. He served as 8th grade rebbi for 15 years, in Boro Park, Brooklyn and later in Monsey, New York. In September 1997, Rabbi Horowitz founded Yeshiva Darchei Noam of Monsey, a yeshiva noted for its positive and child-centered learning environment. Darchei Noam provides its talmidim with an excellent, academically challenging Limudei Kodesh and General Studies programs that are structured and skills-based. The motto of the Yeshiva is “Inspiring our children today for the challenges of tomorrow.” In recognition of Yeshiva Darchei Noam’s commitment to educational excellence, the Boston-based PEJE (Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education) Foundation awarded a 3-year Challenge Grant to Darchei Noam the for the 2002-05 school years. Rabbi Horowitz was awarded the 2002 Rockland Educator of the Year Award, and received national recognition as a recipient of the coveted Grinspoon-Steinhart Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. In May, 1996, Rabbi Horowitz wrote a searing article in Agudath Israel’s monthly periodical The Jewish Observer, titled “An Ounce of Prevention,” which galvanized the Orthodox community to address the issue of at-risk teens. Rabbi Horowitz was invited to address the 1996 National Conventions of Agudath Israel and Torah Umesorah on the at-risk teen issue. Rabbi Moshe Sherer z’tl, the legendary and dynamic president of Agudath Israel of America enlisted the assistance of Rabbi Horowitz, who founded Project Y.E.S., (Youth Enrichment Services) which utilizes its hotline to assist at-risk teens and their parents with referrals, school and job placements, and a ‘big brother and sister’ teen mentoring program. Project YES has helped countless teens regain their footing continue on the path to leading productive and accomplished lives. Over the past 7 years, Rabbi Horowitz conducted more than 200 parenting classes in 50 communities and 40 schools throughout North America, Europe and Eretz Yisroel (Israel). He is the author of several best-selling parenting tape sets, “Realizing your Parenting Potential”, “Of Home and Heart”, and “What Matters Most”. His most recent set of tapes, “What Matters Most II” is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2004. Rabbi Horowitz remains attuned to the needs of Jewish communities, and the quest of families who wish to improve their parenting skills and family ties. In October, 2001, more than 230 people attended his "Life After Teshuvah” Conference in Passaic, New Jersey -- intended to provide newly religious (ba'alei teshuvah) families with lifecycle support – assistance in raising their families, dealing with their adolescent children, maintaining ties with non-religious relatives, among other topics. Presenters included, Rabbis Shmuel Kaminetsky, Avrohom Braun, Shlomo Goldberg, Yaacov Haber, Yisroel Rokowsky, and Yakov Horowitz. In the spring of 2004, Rabbi Horowitz created a premarital course – Bayis Ne’eman – to help young men and women prepare for the responsibilities of married life. The 10-hour course includes opening remarks from Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky s’hlita, and classes in goal-setting, time management, interpersonal relationships, Torah perspective on marriage, and financial planning.
Simcha Jacobovici Simcha Jacobovicis numerous awards include a Gold Medal from the International Documentary Festival of Nyon, a certificate of Special Merit from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, a Genie Award, three U.S. Cable Ace Awards, two Gemini Awards, an Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Award, a British Broadcast Award and two U.S. Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Investigative Journalism". In 2007, he won the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club of America. Recent films include Impact of Terror (CNN), Sex Slaves (CBC, C4 and PBS Frontline), and The Exodus Decoded (History Channel), which he co-produced with James Cameron. The Lost Tomb of Jesus, also co-produced with James Cameron, continues to garner worldwide attention. His first book The Jesus Family Tomb (Harper Collins 2007), co-written with Dr. Charles Pellegrino, is a companion book to the documentary film. It is an international Best Seller. An Israeli-born Canadian, Mr. Jacobovici has a B.A. in Philosophy from McGill University and a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto.
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis was born in Hungary and is descended from a great rabbinic dynasty that can trace its lineage back to thedays of King David. Prior to the Holocaust there were 85 rabbis bearing the name“Jungreis” in Hungary. Following W.W.II, only ten remained. Having experienced the Holocaust first hand as an inmate of Bergen Belsen, the Rebbetzin.
Eva Kor Eva speaks about her experience as a prisoner in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and the affects it had on her life. Prior to her visit, a showing of her documentary, "Forgiving Dr. Mengele," which is a first-hand account of the Holocaust from her perspective will take place. At the age of 10, twins Eva and Miriam Mozes were taken to Auschwitz where Dr. Josef Mengele used them for medical experiments. Both survived, but Miriam died in 1993 when she developed cancer of the bladder as a consequence of the experiments done to her as a child. Eva Kor has since spoken explicitly about her experiences at Auschwitz and founded The C.A.N.D.L.E.S Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, where she now lives. Eva is a graduate of Indiana State University with a degree in education. She has given over 2,500 lectures on her Holocaust experience and is highly admired throughout the world for her strength and power to overcome. She has been interviewed on CNN, with her story and she has appeared in numerous other programs and publications. Her documentary, forgiving Dr. Mengele, received rave reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Reader to name a few.
Dr. David Kranzler Dr. David Kranzler, a noted Holocaust historian and retired professor at the City University of New York is the author of nine books and numerous articles on rescue and rescue attempts during the Holocaust. His most recent, book is entitled, The Man Who Stopped the Trains to Auschwwitz: George Mantello, El Salvador and Switzerland's Finest Hour (Syracuse U. Press), was awarded the prestigious Israeli EGIT Prize for the best manuscript on the Holocaust. The foreword is by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. His next work is entitled, Holocaust Hero: the Untold Story of Solomon Schonfeld, the British Rabbi Who Saved Thousands of Jews During the Holocaust.
William Kristol Kristol first made his mark as leader of the Project for the Republican Future, a conservative think tank, and rose to fame as a conservative opinionmaker during the battle over the Clinton health care plan. In his first of what would become legendary strategy memos circulated among Republican policymakers, Kristol said the party should "kill", not amend or compromise on, the Clinton health care plan. In doing so, Kristol presented the first public document uniting Republicans behind total opposition to the reform plan. A later memo advocated the phrase There is no health care crisis, which Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole used in his response to Clinton's 1994 State of the Union address. After the Republican sweep of both houses of Congress in 1994, arguably a result of the debacle over health care reform, Kristol established, along with neoconservative John Podhoretz and with financing from Rupert Murdoch, the conservative periodical The Weekly Standard. In 1997, he founded, with Robert Kagan, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a movement credited in part for some of the foreign policy decisions of the Bush administration as evidenced by their 1998 letter to US President Bill Clinton advocating military action in Iraq to "protect our vital interests in the Gulf". He is also a member of the long-time conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute from which the Bush administration has borrowed over two dozen members to fill various government offices and panels. Kristol is currently chairman of PNAC and editor of The Weekly Standard. In 2005, Kristol caused controversy by praising President George W. Bush's second inaugural address without disclosing his role as a consultant to the writing of the speech. Kristol praised the speech highly in his role as a regular political contributor during FOX's coverage of the address, as well as in a Weekly Standard article, without disclosing his involvement in the speech either time. However, Kristol has not always fallen in line behind the Bush administration. In 2004, he wrote an op-ed, strongly criticizing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld [1]. He was also the first of many conservatives to publicly oppose Bush's second Supreme Court nominee, Harriet Miers. He said of Miers: "I'm disappointed, depressed, and demoralized. [...] It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that President Bush flinched from a fight on constitutional philosophy. Miers is undoubtedly a decent and competent person. But her selection will unavoidably be judged as reflecting a combination of cronyism and capitulation on the part of the president." He is currently a visiting professor at Harvard University, where he is teaching a course in the school's Government Department entitled "Intellectual Foundations of American Foreign Policy". In addition to his role as a political contributor on FOX News, Kristol is also a semi-regular guest on World News Tonight on Sky News (effectively FOX News' British sister channel), appearing live from the US. Most recently he has become a vocal supporter of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon stating that the war is "our war too," refering to the United States.
Dan Kurzman Award winning author of fourteen books on contemporary history. Dan Kurzman's book most recent book is Soldier of Peace: The Life of Yitzhak Rabin.
Henri Landwirth Henri Landwirth as a child faced death every day as a prisoner in Auschwitz and other German concentration camps. He not only survived, but prospered, and became the personification of the American dream, dedicating his life to helping others. Landwirth was born in Belgium in 1927. His childhood was shattered by the advance of the Nazi army across the face of Europe. He saw friends and family separated and segregated living in desperate circumstances for the single reason that they were Jewish. He watched as friends and family were starved, beaten, killed, or simply disappeared. Landwirth's father, Max, was killed fairly early in the War. His mother, Fannie, and his twin sister, Margot, were all placed into the same concentration camp. Tragically, Henri's mother lived within a few months before the end of the War only to be put on board ship with a thousand others which was then blown up at sea. Landwirth was lucky. In 1945, he was brought before a firing squad, but inexplicably, the soldiers lowered their rifles and told Henri to run. He ran for days until he collapsed. He was found and nursed back to health by a Czechoslovakian couple who informed him that the War was over. Landwirth, now 18, traveled from refugee camp to refugee camp until finally he found Margot. In 1950, Landwirth emigrated to the United States, making his way across the Atlantic on a cargo ship with only $20 to his pocket. Three months after passing through Ellis Island, he was drafted by the United States Army. Landwirth took full advantage of his military service to learn everything he could learn. Thereafter, he used his rights under the G.I. Bill to take courses in hotel management and found employment in a New York City hotel. He started at the bottom, but worked his way up the ladder by doing the work of others as well as his own. For example, he bribed the night accountant with a bottle of whiskey and then did that man's work for him. In this way, he learned every job in the hotel. Married in 1954, he went with his bride to Florida and within a few months he and his wife had moved to the state. He worked in a department store and as a short-order cook until he landed a job running the 100-room Starlight Hotel in Coco Beach, Florida. Fortune smiled on Landwirth. These were the early days of America's space program and the Starlight became home to the original Mercury 7 astronauts as well as their families, the media, and other VIPs who gathered there. Landwirth impressed everyone with whom he came in contact with his honesty and integrity and because he used his success in business only as the means for what he considered a larger and more important goal--helping others. When Walt Disney moved to Florida, Landwirth sensed the opportunity and along with several partners, including Senator John Glenn, obtained a Holiday Inn franchise near the main gate of Walt Disney World. The more Landwirth prospered, the more he did for others. He worked with retarded children, giving them employment in his hotels. He helped build a clinic for children with cerebral palsy. In honor of his mother, he began the Fannie Landwirth Foundation which allowed him to do still more good works. He built a senior citizen center, gave scholarships to poor kids in Israel, and created a scholarship program to allow Israeli children to come to the United States as visiting scholars. He began transportation programs for the handicapped and disabled and provided housing and meals for families giving them food or emergency financial assistance. In 1985, Landwirth founded "Give Kids the World" as a means of helping terminally ill children and saying thanks to his adopted country for the many blessings he had received. Landwirth's Holiday Inn was part of an informal network committed to fulfilling the last wish of dying children, most of whom asked to meet Mickey Mouse. The red tape and the delay were interminable and Landwirth was outraged to learn that a child from Michigan died while waiting for paperwork to be completed. He decided that something had to be done and personally contributed a million dollars toward the creation of the village, a specially designed hotel and recreation complex for the sick kids and their families. He talked builders, suppliers, and laborers into donating their services and in short order the village was up and running. Landwirth secured free airline tickets for the children and their families, a free vehicle, free meals, as well as free tickets to Disneyland. More than 4,000 terminally ill children and their families visited the village in 1991. Asked why he does all of this, he says, "I love life. I shouldn't be here. By all rights I should have died. My whole life was a miracle. I feel it is my duty to give something back. You've got to give of yourself-- not money, but the essence of yourself. That is what makes life meaningful."
Rabbi Israel Meir Lau Rabbi Israel Meir Lau was born in 1937 in Pyotrekov, Poland. A survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp, he lost both of his parents in the Holocaust. In 1946 he immigrated to Israel, where he lived with his uncle and studied at a state religious school in Kiryat Shmuel. He then studied at three yeshivas: Kol Torah in Jerusalem, Knesset Hizkiya in Zichron Ya’akov and Ponovitz in Bnei Brak. In 1971 he was ordained as a Rabbi and headed Or Torah congregation in Tel Aviv, in 1979 he was ordained Chief Rabbi of Netanya. In 1988 he was ordained Chief Rabbi and president of the Rabbinical Court of Tel Aviv-Yafo and in 1993 he was elected Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. Rabbi lau’s publications include Yahadut-Halacha Le’maase (1975) on the practice of Judaism and Yachel Israel (1993), tow volumes on medicine, ethics and Jewish customs.
Ernest Michel A Holocaust survivor, Ernest Michel served as chairman of the first World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors in Israel, was chairman of the first Auschwitz Memorial Dinner held in the United States, is the co-chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Preservation Committee and co-chairman of the New York Holocaust Museum. He was honored with an invitation from President Carter to attend the historic signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and the State Dinner at the White House. The head of the UJA-Federation for twenty years, Ernest Michel has been involved in most of the major events in Jewish history since the end of World War II.
Aaron David Miller Aaron David Miller left his State Department post as a top Middle East peace negotiator and adviser to six secretaries of state to take the helm at seeds of Peace, a nonprofit that brings together teenagers whose societies are in conflict. Seeds attempts, over the course of a summer at an unusual camp in Maine ana through follow-up programming in conflict regions, to transform them into eventual leaders capable of seeking reconciliation. Since 1993, seeds of Peace has developed a network of nearly 3,000 potential leaders from 25 nations. The Arab-Israeli conflict can be resolved. What led me to resign from the State Department was my conviction that it has become a generational conflict. We are in great danger of losing an entire generation of young Arabs, Israelis, and Palestinians to a kind of hopelessness and despair that has characterized the situation over the last four years.
Dr. Judah Newberger Dr. Judah Newberger, an historian and Rabbi has devoted a lifetime of writing to the question of the historical Jesus. Some years ago he made an important discovery that has enabled him to lift the veil of mystery surrounding Jesus. He is currently engaged in a monumental study of Jesus, praised by world-class scholars, wherein a highly revisionist and controversial portrait of the historical Jesus emerges.
Sari Nusseibeh Until December 2002, the representative of the Palestinian National Authority in Jerusalem. He was born in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem to the politician Anwar Nusseibeh and Nuzha Ghussein. He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy, from Harvard University (1978). Sari Nusseibeh and Ami Ayalon are the co-founders of The People's Voice, an Israeli-Palestinian civil initiative that aims to advance the process of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Nusseibeh is head and founder of the Palestinian Consultancy Group, co-founder and member of several Palestinian institutions including the Jerusalem Friends of the Sick Society, the Federation of Employees in the Education Sector in the West Bank, the Arab Council for Public Affairs, the Committee Confronting the Iron Fist, and the Jerusalem Arab Council. Nusseibeh's publications include numerous articles and, with Mark Heller, No Trumpets, No Drums: A Two-State Solution of the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict, New York: Hill & Wand, 1991.
Judea Pearl Pearl received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technion, Israel, in 1960, a Master degree in Physics from Rutgers University, U.S.A, in 1965, and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, U.S.A, in 1965. He worked at RCA Research Laboratories on superconductive parametric and storage devices and at Electronic Memories, Inc., on advanced memory systems. He then joined UCLA in 1970, where he currently works. In 2002, his son Daniel Pearl was killed in Pakistan, leading Judea and the other members of the family and friends to create the Daniel Pearl Foundation.
Mariane Pearl Mariane Pearl was five months pregnant when her husband, The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and brutally murdered by a militant Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan in 2002. Determined not to be broken, she wrote A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Daniel Pearl that introduced the world to Daniel Pearl as he was when he was alive while also providing a heart-breaking first person account of his disappearance and death. It has been translated into 14 languages and turned into a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie. Amazon.com has said, Mariane Pearls candor is remarkable and her courage, along with that of her late husband, serve to make A Mighty Heart, despite Danny Pearl's death, an uplifting story.” In a moving and uplifting presentation, Mariane relays a message of courage as a tribute to her husband’s life and the values and ideals which they shared. While terrorists did take Daniel from her, they could not make her fearful enough to abandon their principles of hope for the future that she continues to pass on to their young son Adam. A renowned international journalist, Mariane is the recipient of The National Headliners Award for magazine writing, the Time Warner Woman of the Year Award, the White House Project Award, the Internews Award for excellence in international reporting, the Vital Voices Award, the Sciences and Society award in Canada, the El Mundo editorial award in Spain, and the Prix Verite in France for excellence in non-fiction writing. Marianes second book In Search of Hope is a collection of profiles of extraordinary women around the world which were collected from her Global Diary columns in Glamour magazine that she continues to write today. The profiles feature women from Cambodia, Cuba, Liberia, Mexico, Turkey, Columbia, Puerto Rico and Uganda and Mariane explores how their courage and accomplishments inspire hope and courage in all of us. Marianne continues to gain strength by celebrating life, the values of humanism, and dignity. She is Co-Founder of the Daniel Pearl Foundation created to further the ideals that inspired his life and work and to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications. She also contributes to The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Self Magazine and others and is at work on a non-fiction book.
Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes is an American neoconservative[1] columnist, author, counter-terrorism analyst, and scholar of Middle Eastern history. The author or co-author of 18 books, which have been translated into 19 languages, Pipes is both praised and criticized for his outspoken views on Islam and Islamism. Pipes is the founder and director of the Middle East Forum and Campus Watch, a former member of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and a regular columnist for the New York Sun and The Jerusalem Post. He contributes regularly to David Horowitz's online publication FrontPageMag.com, and has had his work published by many newspapers across North America, including the Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. He is frequently invited to discuss the Middle East on American network television, as well as by universities and think tanks, has appeared on the BBC and Al Jazeera, and has lectured in 25 countries.
Joel C. Rosenberg Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days and The Ezekiel Option, with more than one million copies in print. As a communications strategist, he has worked with some of the world’s most influential leaders in business, politics and media, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As a novelist, he has been interviewed on more than 300 radio and TV programs, including ABC’s “Nightline,” CNN Headline News, Fox News Channel, The History Channel, MSNBC, the “Rush Limbaugh Show,” and the “Sean Hannity Show.” He has been profiled by the New York Times, Washington Times, and The Jerusalem Post, and was the subject of two cover stories in WORLD magazine. He has addressed audiences all over the world, including Russia, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Belgium. He has spoken at the White House, The Heritage Foundation, AOL, and the International Spy Museum, as well as at dozens of conferences, universities, churches, synagogues, political events, bookseller conventions, and charitable fund-raisers. The first page of his first novel – The Last Jihad – puts you inside the cockpit of a hijacked jet, coming in on a kamikaze attack into an American city, which leads to a war with Saddam Hussein over weapons of mass destruction. Yet it was written before 9/11, and long before the actual war with Iraq. When published, The Last Jihad spent eleven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, reaching as high as #7. It raced up the USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, hit #4 on the Wall Street Journal list and hit #1 on Amazon.com. His second thriller – The Last Days – opens with the death of Yasser Arafat and a U.S. diplomatic convoy ambushed in Gaza. Two weeks before The Last Days was published in hardcover, a U.S. diplomatic convoy was ambushed in Gaza. Thirteen months later, Yasser Arafat died. The Last Days spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, hit #5 on the Denver Post list, and #8 on the Dallas Morning News list. Both books have been optioned by a Hollywood producer. The Ezekiel Option centers on Russian dictator in Russia who forms a military alliance with the leaders of Iran who are feverishly pursuing nuclear weapons and threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. On the very day it was published in June 2005, Iran elected a new leader who vowed to accelerate the country's nuclear program and later vowed to "wipe Israel off the map." Six months after it was published, Moscow signed a $1 billion arms deal with Tehran. The Ezekiel Option spent four weeks on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list and four months on the Christian Bookseller Association bestseller list. An evangelical Christian from an Orthodox Jewish background, Joel’s grandparents escaped Russian persecution of the Jews in the early part of the 20th century. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989, and studied at Tel Aviv University. He is married, has four sons, and lives near Washington, D.C., where he and his wife are members of McLean Bible Church. WORLD magazine says The Last Days is “dramatic...good entertainment ...a New York Times bestseller with the gospel tucked inside.” The New York Times calls Rosenberg “a Washington success story.” Rush Limbaugh says The Last Jihad is “amazing…I could not put this book down…You have to read this.” Sean Hannity calls The Last Days “riveting to the point you can’t put it down - a heart-pounding, edge of your seat roller coaster ride.” The Jerusalem Post calls The Last Days “a fast-paced thriller, packed with the authentic details and behind-the-scenes tidbits that only a Washington insider such as Rosenberg could know…. screams ‘possible’ from every page.” U.S. News & World Report says Rosenberg’s novels are so close to reality he seems like a “modern Nostradamus.” CNN Headline News says “J.K. Rowling may be the writer of the moment for the young and the young at heart. But for many adults Joel Rosenberg is the ‘it author’ right now. Inside and outside the beltway in Washington, people are snatching up copies of his almost life-like terrorist suspense novels.”
Roger Rosenblatt Roger Rosenblatt is a journalist, author, playwright and teacher. His essays for The NewsHour have won a Peabody and an Emmy award. His essays for Time magazine have won two George Polk Awards, awards from the American Bar Association, the Overseas Press Club, and others.Roger's journalism career began in 1975 as literary editor of The New Republic. He has also been a columnist and editor-at-large for Life magazine, the editor of U.S. News & World Report, a columnist and editorial board member of The Washington Post and editor-at-large of Time, Inc. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New Republic, Esquire and elsewhere.A Fulbright scholar with five honorary doctorates, Roger has a Ph.D. from Harvard, where he taught writing and modern literature from 1968-73 and was, at age 29, the youngest House Master in Harvard's history. He is the author of ten books, including a collection of his writings, "The Man in the Water," "Coming Apart: A Memoir of the Harvard Wars of 1969," and the national bestseller, "Rules for Aging." His Children of War (1983) won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Prize and has been published in seven languages. Roger is married, has three children and lives in New York City.
Jonathan Rosenblum Jewish Media Resources is a leading media organization dedicated to furthering an understanding of Torah Judaism. Jewish Media Resources works with foreign journalists stationed in Israel and with local journalists by providing access to leading figures within the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel, and with information and insights about the community. Jonathan Rosenblum, director of Jewish Media Resources, also serves as an English-language spokesman for the Orthodox Jewish community with foreign journalists.
Alex Rosner Alex Rosner survived the Holocaust as a child as part of Schindler's list. Rosner can be seen at the end of Steven Spielberg's film, placing a stone on the grave of Oskar Schindler. Topic: Testimony of a Survivor.
Dennis Ross Ross is a distinguished fellow and counselor for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. For more than twelve years, Ross played the leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process and in dealing directly with the the parties in negotiations. A highly skilled diplomat, Ambassador Ross was this country's point man on the peace process in both the Bush and Clinton administrations. He was instrumental in assisting Israelis and Palestinians in reaching the 1995 Interim Agreement; he also successfully brokered the Hebron Accord in 1997, facilitated the Israeli-Jordan peace treaty, and intensively worked to bring Israel and Syria together. A scholar and diplomat with more than two decades of experience in Soviet and Middle Eastern policy, Ambassador Ross worked closely with Secretaries of State James Baker, Warren Christopher, and Madeleine Albright. Prior to his service as Special Middle East Coordinator under President Clinton, Ross served as director of the State Department's Policy Planning office in the first Bush administration. In that position, he played a prominent role in developing U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations, and the development of the Gulf War coalition. He served as director of Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff during the Reagan administration, and as deputy director of the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment.
Matthue Roth Matthue Roth is a novelist and performance poet who lives in California. He has filmed for HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and Rock the Vote, performed with Deepak Chopra and Carlos Santana, and completed three national tours with his own brand of poetry that isn’t quite hip-hop and isn’t quite storytelling, and manages to be funny and sweet and brutal and brutally honest. He has performed at high schools and universities nationwide, including Yale, Harvard, and Brown. His first novel, Never Mind the Goldbergs, will be released in softcover by Scholastic in April 2006, and his second, Yom Kippur a Go-Go, was released by Cleis Press in November 2005. He has also appeared in the National Queer Arts Festival, and in the short film The Waves, by Yael Braha, which was featured in the 2004 Cannes International Film Festival. He’s written and self-published several poetry chapbooks, including Yom Kippur A Go-Go and A Child’s Garden of Gender. He also is a staffwriter for Bitch, Bust, Zero, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Matthue has also been featured in the book Quirkyalone and the film Can’t Touch This: Young Orthodox Jews and Sexuality.
Gabriel Schoenfeld Author of the highly acclaimed new book, The Return of Anti-Semitism, an illuminating and intensely unsettling book which traces the resurgence of anti-Semitism in the world as well as elucidating the disturbing reality that this sentiment is making its way into the United States and finding fertile ground in places once considered taboo for hatred and prejudice such as college campuses. In his lecture Schoenfeld provides analysis of the new currents of anti-Semitism and based on his extensive and penetrating historical research, discusses the likely trajectory of this virulent hatred.
Dan Senor Dan Senor just returned from the Middle East, where he spent substantial time in Iraq, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan. Until the hand-over of power in Iraq, Dan Senor was the Chief Spokesperson for the U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq, and a Senior Advisor to Presidential Envoy L. Paul Bremer III, the Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Senor rode into Baghdad on the first convoy of civilians into Iraq from Kuwait, less than two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, and was one of the longest-serving American civilians in Iraq, extending his tour to 15 months, after originally committing to just a 90-day assignment with the Bush Administration. Working closely with the military under often less-than-ideal conditions, Senor advised the Bush Administration, the Blair Government in the U.K. and Ambassador Bremer on a variety of Iraqi strategic, policy and communication issues, and was the civilian face of the Coalition Authority to Americans, Europeans, Iraqis and the world. No one is better positioned to address the turbulent and revolutionary moment in the Middle East and the Bush Administration's strategy for dealing with the region. Senor has worked closely with the Bush Administration's national security team, including Secretaries Rice and Rumsfeld and Generals Abizaid and Sanchez, as well as senior officials throughout the Administration's foreign policy apparatus. He most recently served as an International Election Monitor based in Kiev and Kirovograd during the Ukrainian election. He appears regularly on television to provide analysis for national security and foreign affairs issues, and was recently published in the Wall Street Journal. An accomplished speaker, he gave more than a hundred press briefings while serving in Iraq, Senor comes to the podium to discuss the current, ever-changing global political situation. Because of Senor's international policy expertise, specifically on Iraq and Iran, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, America's renewed engagement with Europe and the tension between Russia and the new Ukraine, he is uniquely positioned to speak to America's strategy and role in the world for the next four years and how the international community will react. Senor grew up in the United States and Canada and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. After graduating from Harvard Business School, Senor worked for the Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm. Prior to going to Harvard Business School for his MBA, Senor worked as an aide to then-Republican senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan during Abraham's term in the U.S. Senate. During his time with Senator Abraham, who is currently the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Senor served as a foreign policy legislative aide, press secretary and communications director.
Walid Shoebat Walid Shoebat as a young man, he became a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and participated in acts of terror and violence against Israel, and was later imprisoned in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem's central prison for incitement and violence against Israel. After his release, he continued his life of violence and rioting in Bethlehem and the Temple Mount. After entering the U.S, he worked as a counselor for the Arab Student Organization at Loop College in Chicago and continued his anti-Israel activities. In 1993, Walid studied the Tanach (Jewish Bible) in a challenge to convert his wife to Islam. Six months later, after intense study, Walid realized that everything he had been taught about Jews was a lie. Convinced he was on the side of evil, he became an advocate for his former enemy. Driven by a deep passion to heal his own soul, and to bring the truth about the Jews and Israel to the world, Walid shed his former life and his work as a software engineer and set out to tirelessly bring the cause of Israel to tens of thousands of people throughout the world: churches and synagogues, civic groups, government leaders and media. Walid has written several online books including "Dear Muslim, Let Me Tell You Why I Believed" and "Israel, And The World's Mock Trial”, where he exposes anti-Semitism and the hatred of Jews in both the Islamic Christian and secular worlds. Walid is an American citizen and lives in the USA with his wife and children, under this assumed name.
Marvin Silbermintz Marvin Silbermintz is a writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno has been writing for Leno since 1987.
Curtis Sliwa Over the past three decades, Curtis Sliwa's programs and initiatives have been recognized by Presidents and Prime Ministers, Governors, Senators and Mayors, as well as by leading businessmen, veterans groups and many other associations. more Curtis speaks often now to groups about the power of one, the importance of volunteer service, and rolemodelling. Public safety entities, which years ago rejected him, are now seeking his assistance. Other volunteer organizations seek his help in perfecting their recruitment and retention techniques. Curtis continues to implement and enhance programs of personal, neighborhood, cyberspace and educational safety. While the street patrol component continues to thrive, his ultimate objective is to provide viable solutions to educational and classroom safety challenges. With Curtis at the helm, The Guardian Angels has evolved into a renowned organization focused on their groundbreaking work in developing curriculums to address the critical issues that threaten safe and effective education. Sliwa is now the co-host, with Ron Kuby, of the "Curtis and Kuby in the Morning" program aired weekdays from 5 A.M. to 10 A.M. on WABC. Sliwa and Kuby also co-hosted a television version of "Curtis & Kuby" on MSNBC in the afternoons for a time in 2002-2003. The "Curtis and Kuby" radio show has won many broadcasting awards and is produced by Frank Morano.
Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman has almost single-handedly brought comic books out of the toy closet and onto the literature shelves. In 1992 he won the Pulitzer Prize for his masterful Holocaust narrative Maus — which portrayed Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. Maus II continued the remarkable story of his parents’ survival of the Nazi regime and their lives later in America. His comics are best known for their shifting graphic styles, their formal complexity, and controversial content. In his lecture “Comix 101.1" Spiegelman takes his audience on a chronological tour of the evolution of comics, all the while explaining the value of this medium and why it should not be ignored. He believes that in our post-literate culture the importance of the comic is on the rise, for “comics echo the way the brain works." Having rejected his parents aspirations for him to become a dentist, Art Spiegelman studied cartooning in high school and began drawing professionally at age 16. He went on to study art and philosophy at Harpur College before becoming part of the underground comics movement. As creative consultant for Topps Bubble Gum Co. from 1965-1987, Spiegelman designed Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids and other novelty items, and taught history and aesthetics of comics at the School for Visual Arts in New York from 1979-1986. In 1980, Spiegelman founded RAW, the acclaimed avant-garde comics magazine, with his wife, Françoise Mouly. They've more recently co-edited Little Lit, a series of three comics anthologies for children published by HarperCollins ("Comics-They're not just for Grown-ups Anymore"). In 1997 Spiegelman created a picture book for young children called Open Me… I’m A Dog with the same publisher. His work has been published in many periodicals, including The New Yorker, where he was a staff artist and writer from 1993-2003. A collection of his New Yorker work is soon to be published by Pantheon, who also published his illustrated version of the 1928 lost classic, The Wild Party, by Joseph Moncure March. In 2004 he completed a two-year cycle of broadsheet-sized color comics pages, In the Shadow of No Towers, first published in a number of European newspapers and magazines including Die Zeit and The London Review of Books. A book version of these highly political works was published by Pantheon in the United States, appeared on many national bestseller lists, and was selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2004. Spiegelman is working on a comix format memoir, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Nerd, which will incorporate a reprinting of his most significant underground comix work, as well as a forthcoming anniversary edition of Maus, entitled Meta Maus.A major exhibition of his work has been arranged by Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, as part of the "15 Masters of 20th Century Comics" exhibit (November 2005). In his spare time he's working on the libretto and the sets for a music-theater piece about the rise and fall of comic books entitled “Drawn to Death: A Three Panel Opera" with composer Phillip Johnston, to be produced with The Improbable Theater company in 2007. In 2005, Art Spiegelman was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.
The God Squad The Reverend Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman and Rabbi Marc A. Gellman, Ph.D., write the syndicated column GOD SQUAD for Tribune Media Services. They also host a daily, half-hour television talk show of the same name that reaches almost 12 million homes in the New York metropolitan area. Father Tom and Rabbi Gellman have authored four books together. Where Does God Live? Questions and Answers for Parents and Children won the 1991 Christopher Award. How Do You Spell God? Answers to the Big Questions from Around the World (with a forward by the Dalai Lama) was made into an HBO animated special and also won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. Their third book, Lost and Found, was published in 1999, and Religion for Dummies. Father Tom and Rabbi Gellman were recognized as Newsday's Long Islanders of the Century in the category of Leaders and Activists. Father Tom is president and CEO of the Diocese of Rockville Centre's cable television station, Telecare. In 1970 he received a master of divinity degree from Our Lady of Angels Seminary. He was ordained in 1971 and earned a doctor of ministry from Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in 1979. In the early 1970s, Father Tom was a parish priest in Seaford, New York. Father Tom has been recognized for his professional and pastoral work with four Emmy Awards, a FOLIO award and numerous "Man of the Year" citations and honorary degrees. Rabbi Marc Gellman is the senior rabbi of Temple Beth Torah in Melville, New York, where he has served since 1981. Rabbi Gellman was the first rabbi appointed to the distribution committee of the UJA Federation and he was chairman of the UJA rabbinical advisory committee. He is founding chairman of the Long Island Rabbinical Advisory Council, and is the recipient of the Tzedaka Award from the UJA Federation, as well as the Rabbinical Leadership Award from the Council of Jewish Federations. Rabbi Gellman is the president of the New York Board of Rabbis and is the recipient of its Moshowitz award for rabbinical excellence. Rabbi Gellman received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin with a major in Hebrew and Semitic studies in 1969 and completed his studies at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1971. He was ordained in 1972 and was awarded the senior homiletics prize. Rabbi Gellman received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Northwestern University in 1981. Topics: Inspirational, Attitude, Ethics/Integrity, Life Balance, Religion
Ervin Staub Eminent psychologist and author of The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and other Group Violence, Dr. Ervin Staub lectures extensively on heroism, altruism, origins of caring, roots of racism, ethnic conflict and violence, and the holocaust. His topics include The Ideal Family of the 21st Century, Raising Kids in a Tough World, Roots of Evil and Origins of Caring, Where Have All The Heroes Gone?, and Facing History and Ourselves. He's available to lecture, conduct seminars and do sensitivity training.
Edward Turzanski Edward Turzanski appears on television (MSNBC, Fox News, CNN) and radio (National Public Radio) throughout the world as a commentator on national security issues, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Patriot Act, intelligence and espionage reform, domestic and foreign policy analysis, and the media. A LaSalle University professor and assistant vice-president, he is Comcast’s CN-8’s national security and intelligence analyst.
Maisa and Marina...... Unlikely Partners in Peace Unlikely Partners in Peace Maisa and Marina are two young women, a Jewish Israeli and a Palestinian Israeli, who met through a Slifka Coexistence Fellowship at Brandeis University. They have not only become close friends but they have also done wide-ranging work in promoting coexistence in their communities through facilitating Arab-Jewish dialogue, working with women peace activists, and speaking to a wide range of audiences. Throughout their presentation Maisa and Marina share their experiences of growing up in Israel while stressing the similarities and differences of the political and social realities faced by Israelis and Palestinians in the region. Maisa and Marina emphasize both the importance of coexistence work and the significance of their personal process of facing fears and breaking stereotypes about the other side. The goal of the presentation is not to promote a political agenda but rather to share and express personal perspectives and to encourage the audience to engage in mutual listening and understanding.
Edward Walker Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Jr. is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Middle East Institute, a highly regarded Washington-based institution focused on Middle East policy. He possesses a unique depth of knowledge and experience in the regions issues. Before assuming his current position in 2001, Walker worked in the first Administration of George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, a position he had previously held under Madeleine Albright during the second Clinton Administration. During that time he helped initiate and negotiate US policy toward Iraq, including a complete revision of US sanctions policy. He also engaged in recalibrating US policies toward Iran and the Middle East peace process. Walkers diplomatic career includes positions as US Ambassador to Israel (1997-1999), the Arab Republic of Egypt (1994-1997), and the United Arab Emirates (1989-1992), as well as Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations (1992-1993). In the course of his 35 year career, Walker has worked with every Israeli Prime Minister since Golda Meir, with Presidents Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Kings Fahd and Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and Kings Hussein and Abdullah of Jordan, among others. During his time as Ambassador in Israel, Walker worked closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu in preparation for and during the Wye negotiations. In Egypt he worked with US Vice President Gore and President Mubarak on a major initiative to reform the Egyptian economy. Walker also worked with US and Egyptian intelligence officials to counter terrorist threats in Egypt. Walker appears regularly on US and Arab television news broadcasts to offer an American perspective on current issues and on matters critical to building better relations between the peoples of the Middle East and Americans. In addition, Walker is frequently quoted in domestic and international publications, and writes articles and editorials on topics such as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and the peace process. An accomplished speaker known for his work on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Walker offers intimate knowledge and even-handed analysis of the Middle East, its politics and its people. Walker has been a consistent advocate for tolerance and peace and a constant, strong opponent of terrorism as both inhumane and counterproductive.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth." She is the author of 15 books, the most recent being, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents. Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a psychosexual therapist who helped pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, "Sexually Speaking." It began in September 1980 as a 15-minute, taped show that aired Sundays after midnight on WYNY-FM (NBC) in New York. One year later it became a live, one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. on which Dr. Ruth, as she became known, answered call-in questions from listeners. Soon it became part of a communications network to distribute her expertise, which includes television, books, newspapers, games, home videos, computer software and a web-site. Born in Germany in 1928, Dr. Ruth was sent at age ten to a school in Switzerland that became an orphanage for most of the German Jewish students sent there to escape the Holocaust. At 16, she went to Israel where she fought for the country's independence as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish freedom fighters. Dr. Ruth then moved to Paris where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 where she obtained her master's degree in sociology from the graduate faculty of the New School of Social Research and a doctorate of education in the Interdisciplinary Study of the Family from Columbia University. She worked for Planned Parenthood for a time and that experience prompted her to further her education of human sexuality by studying under Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. She later participated in the program for five years as an adjunct associate professor. She has also taught at Lehman College, Brooklyn College, Adelphi University, Columbia University and West Point. Dr. Ruth is currently an adjunct associate professor at New York University. A fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, she has her own private practice and leads regular seminars for residents and interns in pediatrics on adolescent sexuality at Brookdale Hospital. She lectures frequently at universities across the country and has been twice named "College Lecturer of the Year." Dr. Ruth has made wide use of the mass media to help spread what she has labeled "sexual literacy." In addition to radio, her television career has spanned both broadcast and cable. In print, she circles the globe with her column, "Ask Dr. Ruth", syndicated by King Features. She is the author of fifteen books, the most recent of which, Dr. Ruth Talks About Grandparents: Advice for Kids On Making the Most of a Special Relationship (co-authored with Pierre Lehu) was published in 1997. Dr. Ruth is currently at work on several projects. She is producing two documentaries: the first, No Missing Link, is about how grandparents transmitted values, particularly religious values, during the 70 years of communism in Russia and the second is about her 1997 visit to the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. Her books also include: Dr. Ruth's Pregnancy Guide for Couples, published in 1998, a human sexuality textbook published by Williams and Wilkins and Grandparenthood. The National Mother's Day Committee has honored Dr. Ruth as "Mother of The Year" and she received a Liberty Medal from the City of New York. She has been nominated for an Ace Award by the cable industry on five occasions and her program, The "All-New Dr. Ruth Show," won an Ace Award in 1988 for excellence in cable television. What's Up, Dr. Ruth was awarded the Gold Medal from the International Film and TV Festival for excellence in educational television. People magazine included her in their list of the "Most Intriguing People of the Century."
Elie Wiesel Nobel Peace Prize winner, author and professor, Elie Wiesel has worked on behalf of oppressed people for most of his adult life. His own experience as a Holocaust survivor has made him sensitive to people all over the world who have been deprived of their basic human rights. He has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States Congressional Gold Medal and more than 90 honorary degrees.
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki Rabbi Wolicki is the Rosh Yeshiva at Yesodei Torah, in Beit Shemesh. Until July 2003, Rabbi Wolicki was Development Director and Judaic studies teacher at Hillel Academy in Fairfield, Connecticut. He was also Director of Fairfield Jewish Experience, an adult education program serving Fairfield County. He particularly enjoys teaching approaches to Midrash, and imparting strong Torah research skills to his students. His columns appeared regularly in the Connecticut Post and he has hundreds of subscribers to his weekly parsha column, Pesach on the Parsha. He received his rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem.