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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.
Is Peace Possible with The Muslims? A debate/dialogue between Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi who takes the Muslim point of view and Dr. Alex Grobman who takes the Western point of view. Professor Palazzi holds a Ph.D in Islamic Sciences by decree of the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is an Iman for the Italian Islamic community and is the Secretary-General of the Italian Muslim Association. Dr. Grobman is an historian and president of a think tank, The Institute for Contemporary Jewish Life.
Burton Gerber and John Brennan Burton Gerber, former director of the European and the Soviet & East European divisions of the Directorate of Operations at the CIA, and John Brennan, former head and organizational architect of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and of its predecessor organization the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC)Gerber worked primarily in operations related to the former Soviet Union and the former Warsaw Pact countries. He served overseas as the CIA chief of station in three separate assignments. In Washington, he directed the agency's operational programs in the former Soviet Union and Europe for eight years.
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.
Raiders of the Lost Ark Professor Eric Meyers, a leading biblical archaeologist, has been hailed as the real-life Indiana Jones, the archaeologist/hero of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. His fascinating slide lecture compares and contrasts his discovery of the oldest sacred ark ever found with the movie's version of that event.
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.
Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon served as chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2002 to 2005. Born in 1950 in Kiryat Haim, he was drafted into the IDF in 1968. He served as a reserve paratrooper during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and participated on the Suez front. In 1986, General Yaalon left to pursue advanced studies in Camberly, England. When he returned to Israel, he became commander of an elite unit in which he had previously served. In January 1992, Yaalon was appointed commanding officer for Judea and Samaria and promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. In May 1998, he was appointed commander officer for Central Command. General Yaalon was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general and appointed the seventeenth IDF chief of staff on July 9, 2002, a position he held until June 1, 2005. General Yaalon is married and has three children.
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.
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.
David Bellavia David Bellavia has distinguished himself through both his profound leadership on the battlefields of Iraq and his compassionate and dedicated efforts to build public support for his fellow soldiers. Mr. Bellavia, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, has been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, for his extraordinary conduct during the battle for Al Fallujah. On November 10, 2004, Mr. Bellavia’s 29th birthday, his platoon was taking direct fire from pointblank range while battling for a structure in the war-torn city. Through desperate fighting in austere conditions, Mr. Bellavia engaged and destroyed five enemy combatants, alleviating the clear and present danger they posed to members of his platoon. Later in the battle, with ammunition scarce, Mr. Bellavia again distinguished himself by leading his men to victory in close hand-to-hand combat. Mr. Bellavia has received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals and the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross. He has also been nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross. Since returning from Iraq, Mr. Bellavia has dedicated himself to galvanizing support for the military personnel still fighting in Iraq and encouraging expansion of veteran service programs to better serve the current generation of American heroes.
Michael Berenbaum A historian and a leading authority on the Holocaust, Michael Berenbaum was President and Chief Executive Officer of Steven Spielberg's Survivors of The Shoah Visual History Foundation. He was the Director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute and the project director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, overseeing its creation.
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 .
Richard Butler UN arms negotiator and executive chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) which was charged with the disarmament of Iraq from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that Richard Butler was Australian Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations. He is now a diplomat in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Alice Lok Cahana Renowned artist, poet, and the foremost painter of the Holocaust. A Holocaust survivor, Alice Lok Cahana's life was changed forever when she was brutally uprooted from the security of her home in Sarvar, Hungary, as the Nazis took her and her family to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Her mother, sister, two younger brothers, grandfather, aunts and uncles did not survive. In 1945, at the time of liberation, Cahana was still a young girl, one of the few children who were able to survive the torture and deprivation of concentration camp life. In 1978, she felt compelled to use her art to tell her story and the story of all the children who suffered in the Holocaust. Her lecture, slide show and the exhibit of her works are entitled, "The Soul of the People: Commemorating The Shoah."
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.
President Jimmy Carter As 39th President of the United States, President Jimmy Carters most significant singular achievements were the signing of the historic Camp David Agreements, the Panama Canal Treaties, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, and his strong focus on an adherence to human rights around the world. As a private citizen, President Carter founded the Carter Center, addressing vital world issues through nonpartisan study and consultation. He continues to demonstrate his solidarity with the peoples struggling for their rights in various parts of the world. President Carter is the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. In his speeches, Mr. Carter draws upon his experiences as President of the United States to address almost any vital world issue particularly human rights.
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.
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.
Sgt. Matt Eversmann Sgt. Matt Eversmann the hero of "Black Hawk Down" Played by Josh Hartnett in the 2002 Blockbuster Movie.
Juliet Funt Juliet Funt, daughter of Candid Camera's Allen Funt helps businesses nurture the human capital that is the fuel behind every organizational success. She has been featured in the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Shape, and Professional Speaker Magazine. She is co-author of "The Communication Path" and "The Wellness Path," in the Path Training Series. In addition to her first career as an improvisational comedienne, Ms. Funt has had a varied business resume which includes managing in a large live events company, Human Relations training for the Los Angeles Police Department and even liaison work in a Palestinian/Israeli peace project.
Daniel Glaser Americas fight against terrorism generally operates through complex networks. In this context, a terrorist act, no matter how basic and inexpensive, cannot be accomplished without a sophisticated financial and operational infrastructure. Terrorist organizations such as al Qaida and Hamas require a financial and operational infrastructure. They must pay for the security of safe havens, financial support for the families of martyrs, recruitment, indoctrination, logistical support, and personnel training. This doesnt even get into the costs of ostensibly humanitarian efforts—charitable organizations, medical clinics, and schools—that are either created as fronts for terrorism or to win support and recruits. Finally, there is the cost of weapons. In short, the horrific results of terrorism require the raising, movement, and use of considerable funds. Terrorists leave identifiable and traceable footprints throughout global financial systems, and these footprints must be pursued downstream to identify future perpetrators and facilitators, and upstream to identify funding sources and to dismantle supporting entities and individuals. Daniel Glaser is the primary U.S. Treasury official for the development and coordination of international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing policy. He is a key official in developing and implementing strategies to disrupt and dismantle money laundering and terrorist financing networks worldwide. As the Treasury departments deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes, he serves as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) the premier international body in the fight against money laundering. Glaser has also addressed terrorist financing issues with an array of other international bodies, including the G 7, the International Monetary Fund, and World Bank, and has served as the lead Treasury negotiator of the money laundering provisions in the U.N. Transnational Organized Crime Convention.
Jeffrey Goldberg Journalist and author, Jeffrey Goldberg is the Middle East editor of the New Yorker. He is currently writing a non-fiction book about the Middle East. He previously was a writer for The New York Times magazine.
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.
Sean Hannity Co-Host of “Hannity & Colmes” (Fox News), host of "The Sean Hannity Show" (ABC Radio) Sean Hannity joined the FOX News Channel in September, 1996 as co-host of "Hannity & Colmes." He serves as the program's conservative counterpart to liberal Alan Colmes, and the show has now become the highest-viewed debate show on cable television. He also hosts "The Sean Hannity Show" three hours daily from his studios at ABC Radio Network. Syndicated on 430 stations nationwide, Sean's voice reaches 14 million listeners daily. In October, 2003 Sean received the Marconi Award (NAB) for "Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year." Four months later he was named "National Talk Host of the Year" at the Annual Radio & Records Talk Radio Seminar in Washington, D.C. Talkers Magazine has also named Sean "Talk Show Host of the Year" and one of the "Top 100 Talk Hosts in America." His most recent book, "Deliver Us From Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism," was released in February, 2004 and debuted at the #1 spot on New York Times bestseller list and maintained that position for five weeks. Sean is also the author of New York Times bestseller "Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism," published in 2002.
Husain Haqqani Specialization: Muslim Political Movements, International Journalism, South Central Asia, South-East Asia. Ambassador Haqqani has a wide range of experience as a journalist, diplomat, and advisor to three Pakistani Prime Ministers. He came to the U.S. in 2002 as a Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC and an adjunct professor at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Ambassador Haqqani acquired traditional Islamic learning as well as a modern education in International Relations. His journalism career started with work as East Asian correspondent for Arabia -- The Islamic World Review during the turbulent years following the Iranian revolution. During this period he wrote extensively on Muslims in China and East Asia and Islamic political movements. Later, as Pakistan and Afghanistan correspondent for the Far EAstern Economic Review, he covered the war in Afghanistan and acquired a deep understanding of militant Islamist Jihadi groups. Ambassador Haqqani also has a distinguished career in government. He served as an advisor to Pakistani Prime Ministers Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Nawaz Sharif, and Benazir Bhutto. From 1992 to 1993 he was Pakistan's ambassador to Sri Lanka. He has contributed to numerous international publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Foreign Policy, and The Financial Times. He regularly comments on Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Islamic politics and extremism on BBC, C-Span, CNN, NBC, Fox News, and ABC. He has also written and spoken extensively on U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Recent publications include: America's New Alliance with Pakistan: Avoiding the Traps of the Past (Policy Brief); "The Gospel of Jihad" (Foreign Policy); "Islam's Medieval Outposts" (Foreign Policy); "The American Mongols" (Foreign Policy); "Islam's Weakened Moderates" (Foreign Policy); "Political Islam Beyond the Middle East: Pakistan and Afghanistan" (in Political Islam: Challenges for U.S. Policy). He has also contributed chapters to several books. His book, Pakistan Between Mosque and Military, was published early in 2005.
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.
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.
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.
Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965. He is the oldest of five children. and his mother was a teacher of Farsi and History at a large girls high school in Kabul. In 1976, Khaled’s family was relocated to Paris, France, where his father was assigned a diplomatic post in the Afghan embassy. The assignment would return the Hosseini family in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the Soviet invasion. Khaled’s family, instead, asked for and was granted political asylum in the U.S. He moved to San Jose, CA, with his family in 1980. He attended Santa Clara University and graduated from UC San Diego School of Medicine. He has been in practice as an internist since 1996. He is married, has two children (a boy and a girl, Haris and Farah). The Kite Runner is his first novel.
Major General John G. Castellaw Major General John G. Castellaw talks on “Iraq, Afghanistan and the Road Ahead in the Global War on Terrorism.” General Castellaw will provide a clear picture of the current situation in Iraq. He will provide insight into the rebuilding process and the road ahead in America’s fight against extremists in one of the most dynamic areas of the world.
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.
John Kasich John Kasich is a former U.S. Republican Representative turned television show host for FOX News Channel. He hosts Heartland with John Kasich, and also guest hosts The O'Reilly Factor, filling in for Bill O'Reilly when necessary. In 1993, he became the Ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee where he authored an alternative to President Clinton's deficit reduction plan that relied on spending reductions rather than tax increases. Later that year, the Penny-Kasich Plan failed by only six votes to cut federal spending by an additional $90 billion on top of the deficit reduction forecasted by President Clinton. After the 1994 Republicans became the majority party in Congress, Kasich became Chairman of the House Budget Committee working towards the balanced budget, and served as chair of the congressional committee on welfare reform. During the 1996 presidential campaign, Republican nominee Bob Dole seriously considered Kasich as a vice presidential running mate, but instead selected Jack Kemp, a former congressman and HUD Secretary. It is possible Kasich was dropped in response to rumors instigated by Kasich's Democratic opponent in his House race, Cynthia Ruccia, regarding Kasich's sexuality. Ruccia raised the question of the propriety of bachelor Kasich sharing a Washington townhouse with his male chief-of-staff. Kasich nonetheless won the 1996 election, and subsequently married in March of 1997. Kasich's book, Courage is Contagious, was a New York Times bestseller. Kasich is of Croatian descent. Kasich's new book Stand for Something: The Battle for America's Soul was released on May 10, 2006.
Rami Khouri Rami George Khouri is a Palestinian-Jordanian and US citizen whose family resides in Beirut, Amman, and Nazareth. He is the Director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut as well as editor-at-large of the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper, published throughout the Middle East with the International Herald Tribune. He is an internationally syndicated political columnist and author. Rami was a visiting scholar at Stanford University in October 2006, and in November 2006, he was the co-recipient of the Pax Christi International Peace Award for his efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to the Middle East.
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.
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.
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.
Richard Miniter Richard Miniter is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Losing bin Laden and Shadow War, and is an internationally recognized expert on terrorism. He has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor, as well as leading magazines including The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic and Reader's Digest. His published work has been featured in policy and political magazines including The American Enterprise, National Review, Reason, and Policy Review, among others. In addition, his articles have appeared in newspapers throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. After graduating from Vassar College in 1990, Miniter worked for the American Spectator, became a policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and was a senior writer at Insight, a magazine published by the Washington Times. Miniter made two forays into public broadcasting. He was associate producer of the PBS series Technopolitics, a weekly program covering the politics of science, technology and the environment from 1991 to 1993. In June 1996, he was executive producer of Enterprising Women, a national weekly public radio series devoted to women executives and entrepreneurs. The series, distributed by the National Public Radio Satellite System, was hailed as "inspirational" by CNN and described as "the radio equivalent of the female Forbes magazine" by the New York Post. It was hosted by Christy Brown. Despite a loyal audience estimated at five million and carriage in eight of the top ten markets, the series ended in June 1997 due to sponsorship difficulties. From 1996 to 2000, Miniter reported for newspapers and magazines on assignment from Western Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Africa and Southeast Asia. He traveled with rebels into war zones in Uganda, Sudan and Burma and along smugglers' routes in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Hired by renowned Wall Street Journal editor Robert Bartley in 2000, Miniter was sent to Brussels as an editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal Europe and editor of its weekly "Business Europe" column. He also wrote a weekly column, "The Visible Hand," for The Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com. This column was cited by Forbes, Slate, and others. Shortly after the September 11 attacks, Miniter left the Journal to join the investigative reporting team of the Sunday Times (of London), Britain's largest quality paper. Miniter co-wrote a four-part series, "The Road to Ground Zero." The series won first prize by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Miniter's latest book is entitled Disinformation: 22 Media Myths That Undermine the War on Terror. Based on exclusive interviews and official documents, the book challenges many widely-held notions: that Bin Laden was trained or financed by the CIA in the 1980s, that Halliburton profiteered in Iraq, that profiling Arabs at airports would stop terrorism, and that the U.S.-Mexico border is an open door for Al Qaeda.
Andrea Mitchell Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for NBC News. Andrea reports on evolving foreign policy issues in the United States and abroad for all NBC News broadcasts, including "Nightly News with Tom Brokaw," "Today & for MSNBC
Parisa Montazaran Parisa from The Real World Sydney is an Iranian American. She graduated from NYU majoring in international relations, middle eastern studies, and economics in December 2006 just before leaving to Sydney, Australia. It was while at NYU in a sorority event her junior year where casting directors from Bunim-Murray Productions were holding a private casting call that she was chosen from an individual interview. Parisa has as main passion in life is to sing but she keeps her focus toward a career in US-Iranian diplomacy as she plans to pursue post-graduate studies in international law, focusing on human rights and cross-cultural exchange between US and the Middle East. Parisa of Real World Sydney can perform by MCing or singing at events and functions as well perform university lectures on diversity, Muslim youth in America, immigration, cross-cultural and inter-faith understanding, female/minority empowerment, overcoming adversity, time management, as well leadership practices.
Vali Nasr There is no greater concern in U.S. foreign policy today than managing relations with the Muslim world, and understanding the role Islam plays in politics. From the global war on terror, and the war in Iraq, to elections in the Palestinian territories, violent protests in Europe, and renewed radicalism in Iran, Muslim politics continue to dominate foreign policy discussions. To understand Islam's complex relations to politics and to make sense of where developments in the Muslim world fit in US foreign policy, there is no better person to turn to than Vali Nasr. Nasr is one of the worlds leading experts on the Islamic world and Muslim politics. He has advised senior policy makers, members of Congress, and leading executives in the private sector. As a consultant to the Department of State and USAID, he has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate on the Muslim world and is a major influence on ongoing public debates on such critical issues as Islam and democracy, Islamic extremism and anti-Americanism, America's relations with Iran and the war in Iraq. A professor and associated chair of research at the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Nasr is the author of several important books on politics and Islam, most recently, Democracy in Iran and The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future. Nasrs singular understanding of conflicts within Islam and their potential global effects has not gone unnoticed; he has been awarded grants from the MacArthur Foundation, The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. He was recently named a 2006 Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation.
Oliver North Combat-Decorated Marine, Best-Selling Author, Former U.S. Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Oliver L. North is a combat decorated marine, a #1 best-selling author, the founder of a small business, an inventor with three U.S. patents, a syndicated columnist, and host of "War Stories" on Fox News Channel; yet he claims his most important accomplishment as being "the husband of one and the father of four." North was born in San Antonio, Texas, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and served 22 years as a U.S. Marine. His awards for service in combat include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and two Purple Hearts for wounds in combat. Assigned to the national security council staff in the Reagan administration, Colonel North was the United States Government's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator from 1983-1986, was involved in planning the rescue of 804 medical students on the island of Grenada, and played a major role in the daring capture of the hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. After helping plan the U.S. raid on Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist bases in Libya, North was targeted for assassination by Abu Nidal, the infamous terrorist found dead in Baghdad in August, 2002. His award-winning combat coverage, while embedded with U.S. Marine and Army units for Fox News during Operation Iraqi Freedom, won international acclaim. He is the Author of: Under Fire, One More Mission, War Stories-Operation Iraqi Freedom; and three novels: Mission Compromised, The Jericho Sanction and The Assassins. All of his books are New York Times' best-sellers. North is also the founder of Freedom Alliance, a foundation which provides scholarships for the sons and daughters of service members killed in action.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Michael Rubin Michael Rubin is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and editor of the Middle East Quarterly (a publication of the Middle East Forum.) A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Rubin earned a Ph.D. in history from Yale University in 1999. His dissertation, The Making of Modern Iran, 1858-1909: Communications, Telegraph and Society won Yale's top John Addison Porter Prize. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, including from the Council on Foreign Relations, Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs, and the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy, where he was a Soref fellow in 1999-2000. He has lectured in history at Yale University, Hebrew University, and at three different universities in northern Iraq. Between 2002 and 2004, Dr. Rubin worked as a country director for Iran and Iraq in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, from which he was seconded to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Dr. Rubin is co-author of Eternal Iran (Palgrave, 2005) and Into the Shadows: Radical Vigilantes in Khatami's Iran (2001), in addition to numerous scholarly and policy articles. He has published his opinion articles and analyses widely in such forums as the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, National Review, and Commentary. He has appeared on CNN, Fox, BBC, MSNBC, C-Span's Washington Journal, and ABC's Nightline. Dr. Rubin has traveled widely in Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Turkey, the Arab world, and Israel.
Dr. Abdul Sattar Edhi Dr Abdul Sattar Edhi, or Maulana Edhi, as he is often known, is one of the most active philanthropists of the world. He is head of the Edhi Foundation. His wife Begum Bilquis Edhi, heads the Bilquis Edhi Foundation. They both received 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. He is also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize. Maulana Edhi, as he is often referred to, is of the Memon community. Edhi was born in 1928 in Bantva in the Gujarat state of present day India. His father was a textile trader and earned a modest income for his family. He was a natural born leader and would encourage his friends to hold tiny circuses and perform gymnastics for the locals. When his mother would send him to school she would give him two paisa, one to spend for himself and the other to spend for another. At the age of eleven he started to take care of his mother who suffered paralysis from severe diabetes. From an early age Edhi learned to help others before himself - this would be crucial to success in his life later on.
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.
Mike Shiley Mike Shiley, producer/director of Shidog Films is a photographer, filmmaker and freelance journalist. He has recently returned from two months in Iraq, developing exclusive stories for ABC World News Tonight, Nightline and Good Morning America as well as ABC-TV affiliates KATU-Portland, OR, KMGH-Denver, CO and WFTS Tampa/St. Petersburg FL, international humanitarian aid groups and a variety of online news services. His new film is entitled Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories, an 80-minute documentary that highlights the challenges, opportunities and the inside lives of the Iraqi people and the US soldiers stationed in Iraq. Mike traveled extensively throughout Iraq from the Kurdish controlled region in the North, through the infamous Sunni Triangle in central Iraq and to the sacred Shiite controlled cities in the South. He visited impoverished villages with Western medical teams, went on night patrols along the Syrian border in a tank squadron, flew over the country in a Blackhawk helicopter and walked the streets of Baghdad uncovering the lives of the Iraqi people. Mike literally risked his life every day to bring you this film. Mike has also worked as a freelance photographer for CNN covering the war in Sarajevo, trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal and completed a 3,000 mile solo bicycle trip from British Columbia, Canada to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Mike is also an accomplished scuba diver and as a certified Divemaster, he has guided over 250 dives in the Red Sea in Egypt. Mike has produced travel films on Iraq, Nepal, Thailand and Cambodia. He has visited 36 countries and loves meeting people, especially children, from around the world. Mike is 37, single and lives in Portland, Oregon with his dog, Bear.
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.
Rodney Slater Rodney Slater was President Clinton's Secretary of Transportation and prior to that was the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
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.
Jaqueline Van Maarsen-Sanders Anne Frank's best friend, Jacqueline Van Maarsen-Sanders survived the war when her Catholic-born mother, a convert to Judaism, convinced the Nazis that she and her family was falsely registered as Jews. She saved Anne's letters sent from her hiding place in the attic of an Amsterdam spice firm owned by her father. Jacqueline Van Maarsen-Sanders was one of the main consultants for ABC TV's mini-series "Anne Frank, The Whole Story" which was aired in May 2001
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.
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.
Charlie Wilson Former Congressman and Inspiration for Charlie Wilson's War In 1980, Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson read an alarming Associated Press report of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Not many people knew what was happening, or even recognized what was clearly at stake in the region, but Wilson immediately arranged to have CIA funds directed toward Afghanistan doubled. He promptly set in motion what would become known as "Charlie Wilson's War" his long fight championing the cause of the Afghan people against Soviet tyranny. Wilson candidly and vividly recounts the compelling story the subject of a best selling book and a 2007 movie starring Tom Hanks of his role in reshaping the region, as well as altering history. Wilson also provides insight on how the lessons learned from "his war" apply to current foreign policy, and specifically the war we're waging today. Charlie Wilson discusses the compelling circumstances under which he began his initially single-handed crusade to help Afghanistan repel a Soviet invasion. Charlie Wilsons War: In the early summer of 1980, Charlie Wilson, a newly elected Democrat Texas congressman, read an alarming Associated Press report of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Few people, including those in the U.S. government, were paying attention or realized what was happening. Wilson, at the time on the Appropriations Committee, phoned the committee to request that CIA funds directed toward Afghanistan be doubled, thus beginning Charlie Wilsons War his long fight championing the cause of the Afghan people against Soviet tyranny. An Inspiring Story: Out of the public eye, Wilson, along with many others, helped defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan by supplying millions of dollars to the Afghan Mujahideen. With a single phone call, Wilson helped save the Afghans from the repression of Soviet tyranny. Wilsons story became the subject of the best selling book Charlie Wilsons War, which also inspired the movie of the same name, starring Oscar winners Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts. Wilson provides insight on how the lessons learned from his war apply to the wars of today.
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.
James Woolsey James Woolsey is a foreign policy specialist and former Director of Central Intelligence of the Central Intelligence Agency (February 5, 1993 - January 10, 1995). Woolsey was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1941 where he graduated from Tulsa Central High School. In 1963 he received his BA from Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa), and in 1965 his MA from Oxford University—where he was a Rhodes Scholar—and an LLB from Yale Law School in 1968. Woolsey has had an eclectic career. He has been known primarily as a conservative Democrat--hawkish on foreign policy issues but more traditionally Democratic on economic and social issues. A classic Washington insider, Woolsey has held important positions in both Democratic and Republican administrations. His influence has been felt during the Carter, Reagan, Bush (elder), and Clinton administrations. During the second Bush administration, he has been strong proponent of the war in Iraq.