Joel Alperson

Joel Alperson is the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Interfaith Campaign Chairman, a newly created fundraising position working in partnership with non-Jewish religious organizations. He was United Jewish Communities’ National Campaign Chairman for the 2007 national campaign. He served two terms as the national chair of UJC’s Network Communities. Mr. Alperson has created a free streaming Jewish media website at www.jadio.org and has been working for eight years to help national radio talkshow host Dennis Prager complete his commentary on the Torah. He is the president of Omaha Fixture International, a member of Young Presidents Organization, and a graduate of the Wexner program.

Rabbi Howard Alpert

Rabbi Howard Alpert is Executive Director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia. He has been a Hillel rabbi his entire professional life, first at Queens College and later at University of Illinois and the Ohio State University; he has been in his current position since 1986. Rabbi Alpert received his B.A. in History from Queens College, his M.S. in Rabbinic Literature from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University, and Rabbinic Ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.

Robert Avrech

Robert J. Avrech is a screenwriter and producer in Hollywood. Among his best-known films is the thriller, "Body Double,” directed by Brian DePalma. His script for the modern Hasidic tale, “A Stranger Among Us,” directed by Sidney Lumet, was an official selection of the Cannes film festival. Mr. Avrech won the Emmy award for his adaptation of the young adult classic, “The Devil's Arithmetic” starring Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy. Mr. Avrech was also nominated for The Humanitas Award for "Within These Walls" starring Ellen Burstyn and Laura Dern. Robert writes an award winning blog, Seraphic Secret, and contributes a weekly column to Big Hollywood.

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer, famed for teaching the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the third largest on "The Psychology of Leadership" - with a total of over 1,400 students. He currently teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, where he co-founded The Institute for Positive Psychology in Education. Dr. Ben-Shahar consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations. Topics include happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, mindfulness, and leadership. He obtained his PhD in Organizational Behavior and a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Harvard.  Dr. Ben-Shahar co-created the JerusalemOnlineU course, “Positive Psychology and Judaism,” and serves as the Chair of Academics on the JerusalemOnlineU Advisory Board.

Rabbi Raphael Butler

Rabbi Raphael B. Butler is Founder and President of THE AFIKIM FOUNDATION, a not-for-profit Foundation proactively servicing the Jewish community with creative spiritual and cultural responses to the challenges of the day. Prior to the creation of THE AFIKIM FOUNDATION, Rabbi Butler was Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, a position he assumed in September of 1994. For the previous thirteen years, Rabbi Butler served as National Director of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth/NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Butler received his Bachelor's Degree from Queens College and rabbinical ordination from the Rabbinical Seminary of America

Leon G. Cooperman

Leon G. Cooperman has presided as founder and chairman over the hedge fund Omega Advisors, Inc., since he left Goldman Sachs & Company in late 1991. For nine straight years he won honors as the top portfolio strategist in the Institutional Investor All-America Research Team survey. In 1989, he founded Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as its chairman, its chief executive officer, and the chief investment officer of its equity products. He is a senior member and the former president of the New York Society of Security Analysts, Inc.

Bob Diener

Bob Diener is currently President of getaroom.com. He co-founded and headed hotels.com, which went public in 2000 and has since merged with Interactive Corp and Expedia and is now the world’s leading online hotel booking service. As a travel industry expert, he is a frequent source for the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, NBC Morning News, and Fox News. Mr. Diener received his law degree in 1982 from Cornell Law School and practiced securities and corporate law with the law firm of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. Very active in his community, Mr. Diener is a founder of Mt Sinai Hospital, Hillel Community Day School in North Miami, The Miami Children’s Museum and The Miami Children’s Hospital. He is on the National Board of Directors of Israel Bonds, and is a past North America New Leadership Chairman. Mr. Diener serves on the AIPAC National Board of Directors, and with his wife Michelle founded the new Nativ program at Hillel Community Day School, which integrates Judaic studies and specialized education for dyslexic students.

Gary Erlbaum

Gary Erlbaum is immediate past Chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Israel Advocacy Task Force, founding co-chair of Federation's Israel & Overseas Center and a member of its Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. Over the years he has been intimately involved with the Federation Allied Jewish Appeal Campaign and has served as an Associate Chairman of major gifts. He has served as Chairman of the Israel Emergency Campaigns. He is also past Chairman of the Philadelphia State of Israel Bonds and served with distinction as the North American Chairman of Israel Bonds Young Leadership. He has served on the boards of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Philadelphia, the Solomon Schechter Day School, and the Shipley School.

Ambassador Yoram Ettinger
 
Ambassador Yoram (ret.) Ettinger is an insider on US-Israel relations, Mideast politics and overseas investments in Israel's high tech.  He is a consultant to members of Israel’s Cabinet and Knesset, and regularly briefs US legislators and their staff on Middle East affairs and on US-Israel relations. Ambassador (ret.) Ettinger served as Minister for Congressional Affairs at Israel's Embassy in Washington (with a rank of an ambassador), Israel's Consul General in Houston and Director of Israel's Government Press Office.  He is the editor of “Straight from the Jerusalem Cloakroom” and Boardroom newsletters on issues of national security and overseas investments in Israel's high-tech.

Gloria Greenfield

Gloria Z. Greenfield’s work over the past 30 years has been dedicated to Jewish education, Jewish identity and Israel engagement.  In addition to serving as president of Doc Emet Productions and producer of the documentary film The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost, she serves as Strategy Manager for the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education.  She has previously served as Director of the Adult Learning Collaborative for Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Hebrew College, and executive director of The David Project.  In May 2005, the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston awarded her their Keter Torah Award for her contribution to Jewish education.

Charles Jacobs

Charles Jacobs is a long-time social activist who over two decades has founded organizations to deal with unmet challenges. Several of these have become national institutions. In 1988, responding to widespread mainstream media bias against Israel, Mr. Jacobs co-founded CAMERA, the preeminent Middle East media watch organization in the United States. In 1993, responding to reports of modern day human bondage, particularly in Africa, he founded the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) along with an African Muslim and Christian. In the summer of 2002, in response to the sudden emergence of a new global anti-Semitism, Mr. Jacobs co-founded The David Project. He has been widely published, including in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Jerusalem Post, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. He has appeared on local and national television and radio, including NBC, CBS, NPR, CNN and PBS.

Mitchell R. Julis

Mitch Julis is a founding partner, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of Canyon Partners, LLC, a leading global alternative asset management firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Since 1983, Mr. Julis has been a value investor in special situation debt and equity securities in the public and private markets, including bankruptcies, reorganizations and restructurings. Prior to the formation of Canyon and its predecessors, he directed a group of professionals responsible for a portfolio of distressed and special situation securities at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He is a graduate of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. Mr. Julis lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Joleen, and their four children.

Dr. Shmuel Katz

Dr. Shmuel Katz is a surgeon who gained extensive trauma experience while serving during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of the Hebrew Academy and is a member of the International Board of Bar Ilan University, StandWithUs, HonestReporting, and has played a key role on multiple committees both in the US and abroad. His commitment to the community has resulted in numerous awards from public and private organizations.

Rabbi Dr. Eric M. Lankin

Rabbi Dr. Eric M. Lankin is Chief, Institutional Advancement and Education for the Jewish National Fund. He is responsible for leading the Jewish National Fund Israel Advocacy and Education Department whose mission is to engage, educate and energize American Jews in support of the Land and People of Israel.

Len Leader

Len Leader is an information technology pioneer and one of America's most successful high technology executives. He was named President of AOL Time Warner Ventures in 2000 and President of AOL Ventures in 1998 after serving nine years as AOL's Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Prior to working with AOL and Time Warner, Mr. Leader was Senior Vice President of Legent Corp. and Chief Financial Officer of Morino, Inc. His focus is now on philanthropic pursuits including working with organizations that promote Jewish education, informing the world about the growing threat of radical Islam and helping ensure a strong and secure State of Israel.  Mr. Leader is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Israel Project and a board member of the Foundation of Defense of Democracies, and of The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET).

Dr. David Luchins

Dr. David Luchins is a political analyst and Chair of the Political Science Department at Touro College and long time Senior Advisor to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. Dr. Luchins is National Officer of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Senior Vice President of the Orthodox Union. He is a popular speaker at the State Department Distinguished Visitors Program, Hillels on college campuses, yeshivot, and synagogues throughout North America and Israel.

Michael Medved

Michael Medved is a bestselling author (of twelve non-fiction books) and nationally syndicated talk radio host. His three hour daily program on politics and pop culture reaches more than 200 markets and an audience estimated at 4.7 million. As co-founder of Pacific Jewish Center in Venice, California, he helped to attract thousands of unaffiliated Jews to traditional commitment. Mr. Medved has been a frequent guest on all the major TV talk shows, including Larry King Live, Nightline, Oprah, David Letterman, Good Morning America, CNN's Reliable Sources and countless others. His columns on media and society appear regularly in USA Today, where he serves as a member of the Board of Contributors.

Marlene Post

Marlene Edith Post of Manhasset Hills, New York is a distinguished leader and prominent member of the Jewish community in the United States.  Her 40-year volunteer career working on behalf of a myriad of humanitarian causes has placed her at the pinnacle of vital new initiatives for the 21st century.  Mrs. Post is a past National President of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America and past President of Hadassah International.  She is currently a National Vice President of Hadassah and an Advisor to the President.  She was honored with the Guardian of Jerusalem Award for her unwavering devotion to Jerusalem and has received numerous Israeli awards for her advocacy and work on behalf of the people with disabilities.  In the summer of 1999, Mrs. Post was appointed chair of Birthright Israel for North America.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is a leading voice in the Modern Orthodox world. He received his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Soloveitchik and a PhD from New York University.  A noted educator, Rabbi Riskin is a social activist, author, and is founder and Chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone network of groundbreaking men's and women's institutions and the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, Israel.

Russell F. Robinson

Russell Robinson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish National Fund. A sixth generation American Jew, his family first lay down their American roots in Petersburg, Virginia, having emigrated from Alsace Lorraine in the 1700’s. In 1998, Mr. Robinson became the youngest CEO in JNF’s history. He has worked tirelessly to inject energy and life into JNF, and to ensure its mission is more relevant and meaningful today than ever before. Under his direction, JNF is one of the most recognized non-profits, for its work, business management, financial integrity and volunteer involvement.  

David Sacks

David Sacks attended Harvard College, graduating with a degree in Government in 1984. During his schooling he began his comedy writing career as an editor of the school’s humor magazine, The Harvard Lampoon. He's written and produced for “The Simpsons,” where he won an Emmy Award, and “Third Rock from the Sun” receiving a Golden Globe Award.  He has also written for “Malcolm in the Middle,” and “Lewis Black: The Root of All Evil.” Mr. Sacks is married and raises his family in Beverly Hills, CA.

Scott Shay

Scott Shay is Chairman of the Board of Signature Bank. He is also a founder and partner of Ranieri Partners LLC and its predecessors. Mr. Shay authored "Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry" (currently in its 2nd Edition, Devora Publishing, 2008). Mr. Shay is active in a variety of Jewish communal organizations including Chai Mitzvah.

David Shore

David Shore is the creator and executive producer of House. He has written for cult favorites “Due South,” "NYPD Blue" and "EZ Streets," served as head writer and supervising producer on "Traders," which he developed for Canadian television, and was part of the writing team of the Emmy Award-winning first season of “The Practice.” He was twice nominated for an Emmy as a producer on "Law & Order" and executive-produced both “Family Law” and “Hack” before creating "House." "House" has won awards as varied as the People's Choice and the Peabody.  Shore won the Humanitas Prize and an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his HOUSE episode “Three Stories.”

Rabbi Hank Skirball

Rabbi Hank Skirball, a graduate of Harvard received a doctorate in education from Columbia and Rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College.  He served as an Army Chaplain in Germany and directed Hillel Foundations at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and Miami University at Oxford, Ohio.  He was National Director of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) and, following aliya in 1971, directed all Reform youth activities from around the world taking place in Israel.  He was chairman of the Department of Education and Culture in the Diaspora of the World Zionist Organization, National President of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, and Chairman of the Board of Interns for Peace and of Hiddush.

Michael H. Steinhardt

Michael H. Steinhardt is a legendary money manager turned philanthropist who is dedicated to creating a renaissance in American Jewish life. After he graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 1960, Mr. Steinhardt began his financial career as a research associate, staff writer and securities analyst. In 1967 he formed his own hedge fund company, Steinhardt Partners L.P., where he made his fortune in one of the most spectacular careers in the history of Wall Street. Mr. Steinhardt has always believed that wealth and financial achievement alone are not sufficient to give full value and meaning to life. At the same time, he has felt growing alarm over the erosion of Jewish life in the Diaspora. In 1995, Michael Steinhardt stunned the financial world by announcing that he would close his lucrative hedge fund to devote his time and fortune to the causes of the Jewish world. Mr. Steinhardt directs his Jewish philanthropic activities through The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. Mr. Steinhardt was the co-founder of Birthright Israel and continues to be a major supporter to this day. Mr. Steinhardt also serves as Co-Chair of the Areivim Philanthropic Group. In addition, Mr. Steinhardt supports The Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative, New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the University of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, Tel Aviv University, and the Israel Museum. In 2001, Mr. Steinhardt published his memoirs, No Bull: My Life In and Out of the Markets (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). He and his wife, Judy, are the proud parents of David, Daniel and Sara, and the grandparents of Jacob, Joshua, Kira, Talia, Nathaniel, Theodore, Lila, Aetien and Infinity.

Dorothy Tananbaum

Dorothy Tananbaum is a Board Member at Jewish Funders Network, UJA Federation of New York, Board of Jewish Education of New York, and a Board Member of Facing History and Ourselves. She actively engages in Jewish philanthropic giving and support of Israel. She lives in Manhattan and has three grown children.

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is a world-renowned author, publishing many bestsellers ranging from humor to halacha.  Named as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, Rabbi Telushkin is the author of many best-selling books on Judaism including Jewish Literacy:  The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History. The first volume of A Code of Jewish Ethics, entitled A Code of Jewish Ethics: You Shall be Holy, which Telushkin regards as his major life's work, was published in 2006. The second volume, entitled, A Code of Jewish Ethics: Love Your Neighbor, was released in 2009. Rabbi Telushkin’s books have inspired State Resolutions and been the basis for Hollywood films and various television series. He lectures throughout the United States, serves as a Senior Associate of CLAL, on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Book Council, and as spiritual leader of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. He was ordained at Yeshiva University, and studied Jewish history at Columbia University. He resides in New York City with his wife, Dvorah Menashe Telushkin, and their four children.

Diane Troderman

Diane Troderman is involved in renaissance and renewal of Jewish life throughout the world. She chaired JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) from 2006 to 2009 and currently sits on the boards of AJWS (American Jewish World Service), Hazon (Jewish environmental movement), Hebrew at the Center and the Davidson School of Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She and her husband Harold Grinspoon are partners in several educational collaboratives including Day Schools (PEJE), Complementary Schools (PELIE), Early Childhood Education (JECEI), and the Fund for the Jewish Future (AREIVIM). Ms. Troderman founded and directed her husband's foundation from1993 to 1998 where she is now a trustee. She enjoys traveling around the world with her husband as hikers. They have received several awards and honorary degrees as well as published articles on intergenerational philanthropy. Between the two of them, they have six children and eleven grandchildren.

Gil Troy

Gil Troy is Professor of History at McGill University and a Shalom Hartman Research Fellow in Jerusalem. He is the author of "Why I Am a Zionist: Israel, Jewish Identity and the Challenges of Today" as well as six books on American history, including The Reagan Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. A regular columnist for the Jerusalem Post and the Canadian Jewish News, his work and comments on the US Presidency have been widely published in the American and Canadian media. He is the chairman of the Birthright Israel Education Committee and a co-chair of the Task Force on Delegitimization for the Foreign Ministry’s Global Forum Against Anti-Semitism.

Carey Wolchok

Carey Wolchok is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Perilune Group, a New York based private investment partnership that includes a variety of investments. Before he started the Perilune Group, Mr. Wolchok was involved in several ventures including co-founding (with board members including football legend Joe Montana and the former CEO of Apple Computer) a business jet development venture with two leading global aerospace manufacturers. He worked as an investment banker at AeroEquity, a leading merchant banking group founded by former senior executives from General Electric and Gulfstream Aerospace, and began his career in the commercial jet aircraft and engine leasing business. Mr. Wolchok serves on the board of governors of Hillel-the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, the Meor Foundation, the Maimonides Leaders Fellowship, and is a trustee of the Abraham Scholarships.

Aaron Wolfson

Aaron Wolfson of the Wolfson Group.