THE SPEAKERS BIOS 

Madeleine K. Albright is a Principal of The Albright Group LLC and Chair and Principal of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. Dr. Albright was the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
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Racheli Atias is the manager of the Yachini student village, which is part of the Ayalim Association. She earned her B.A in Communication from Sapir College in Sderot.
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Moni Beniosev is the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Country Manager in Latvia, where he oversees JDC operations in the country. Previously, Beniosev served as the JDC’s Community Development Consultant in Hungary. There, he acted as coordinator of the Danube-Weinberg region. Before joining the JDC, Beniosev began his career in Jewish community development at “Shalom,” the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria.
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Ilan Berman is vice president for policy of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. and adjunct professor for International Law and Global Security at the National Defense University. He also serves as a member of the reconstituted Committee on the Present Danger, and as editor of The Journal of International Security Affairs. Mr. Berman is the author of Tehran Rising: Iran's Challenge to the United States.
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Melissa Boteach is an advocate at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, responsible for staffing JCPA’s initiative confronting poverty. She represents the JCPA in coalitions and on Capitol Hill on issues related to poverty, immigration, hunger, housing, public health and healthcare. Boteach volunteers locally with Project Northstar, where she tutors and mentors at-risk youths who are homeless or living in transitional housing.
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Gabrielle Brechner is a first-generation American who was raised, literally, at her father’s "American Jewish Theater."  She is a primary writer and director in Wakka Wakka Productions, Inc., a four-member collaborative ensemble whose productions push the boundaries of the conventional theatrical art form. Their latest work, The Death of Little Ibsen, was critically acclaimed and has toured nationally and internationally.
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Desmond Brown is the Senior Director, Legislative Affairs for Catholic Charities USA. He has responsibilities for policy development and legislative advocacy on a wide range of human needs programs including TANF, child welfare, hunger, and health care related programs. In addition, Brown provides strategic advice for Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America. Prior to joining Catholic Charities USA, he served as policy associate for the American Public Human Services Association.
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Dr. Erica Brown is the scholar-in-residence for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and its deputy managing director for education and leadership. In that capacity, she serves as the director of the federation’s Jewish Leadership Institute. She formerly served as scholar-in-residence for the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston faculty. She lectures widely in the United States and Israel on subjects of Jewish interest and leadership and publishes extensively in journals of education and Jewish studies. She was a Jerusalem Fellow and is a faculty member of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. Dr. Brown is the author of the forthcoming book The Sacred Canvas: The Hebrew Bible in the Eyes of the Artist. 
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Lauren Brownstein is a museum educator, a fundraiser, an artist, and a dedicated yoga enthusiast. She completed her yoga teacher training in the Vinyasa yoga tradition and also has practiced in the Ashtanga, Anusara and Integral yoga traditions. She teaches a monthly Shabbat yoga class in Washington.
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Bonnie Deutsch Burdman has served as director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation since March 1996. She works closely with JCPA and UJC on social-justice advocacy projects, and serves as the primary federation staff person in promoting a pro-Israel agenda. Ms. Burdman, an attorney, pursues numerous government affairs initiatives in both Washington and Columbus, where she lobbies on behalf of foreign affairs and domestic issues of concern to the local and national Jewish communities.
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Claire Burson is a New York based singer and songwriter.  Her latest album, Thieves, is a collection of love songs. She is also an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn.  She was recently awarded a two-year Six Points fellowship, which has engaged her in a development program involving mentorship and educational workshops.
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Jenna Bush, international children's rights advocate, New York Times best-selling author and daughter of President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, will speak about social activism and how to "Make it Matter" at the UJC Washington 15 Conference closing plenary on March 18, 2008.

Jenna is the author of Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope, which tells the courageous story of a 17-year-old single mother living with HIV in Latin America. The book is a call to action for people of all ages to make a difference in the fight against poverty, abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Since the book’s publication, Bush has shared Ana's inspirational story, and her conviction that each of us can make a difference in the lives of children around the world, with audiences across the country. She has also appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live, Rachel Ray, and The CBS Early Show, and has been featured in Time, Newsweek, and USA Today.  
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Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin is the general consultant for the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life and the Director of the Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network. She is the immediate past director of Jewish Life at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, and coordinated a food coop from her home last summer.
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Sveta Chekhmir serves as the Regional Program Manager for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s programs in Moldova, including welfare support, Jewish renewal, programs for children and community development. She is based in Jerusalem.
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Rachel Cohen, a child of an inter-faith relationship, was raised singing in the church choir and never explored her Jewish heritage before birthright israel.  For the last 7 years Rachel has dedicated herself to creating and supporting inclusive Jewish programming that reaches out to inter-faith families, "birthright jews" and unaffiliated young professionals as their Jewish journeys unfold. 
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Jeffrey Colman is deputy director for Policy and Government Affairs at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). As AIPAC's specialist on budget and trade issues, he lobbies on Capitol Hill to promote aid to Israel and strengthen cooperation between the United States and Israel. He was a co-founder of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a coalition of some 400 non-profit organizations and businesses that support the U.S. foreign aid budget. 
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Coolooloosh is a Jerusalemite word for celebration and joy and also the name of a unique Israeli band.  Its members are Yuval Gerstein (guitar and vocal), Rebel Sun (MC), Ori Winokur (bass and vocal), Arik Levy (saxophones), Sefi Zisling (trumpet) and Yogev Shitrit (drums). Their songs combine English, Hebrew and a unique blend of genres.
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Josh Cooper has been the executive director of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee since its inception in 2005. Before entering politics, he was a successful entrepreneur.  The business he founded 16 years ago is still running today.  Mr. Cooper has been featured in several national publications as one of Canada’s top young entrepreneurs, and the business he built made the prestigious annual list of  the “Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in Canada.“ He is a proud member of the UJC National Young Leadership Cabinet.
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Kasaey Keren Damoza made aliyah with her family from Ethiopia in 1984 through Operation Moses. She served as an officer in the IDF. She is a graduate of the ATIDIM program (Cadets for the Public Service) and has worked with Ethiopian children in various frameworks. She currently holds a position at the Israeli Ministry of Absorption.
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Galeet Dardashti is a recent recipient of the Six Points Fellowship. She is currently working on her musical project “Voices of our Mothers: A Middle Eastern Musical Midrash for Today” in which she draws inspiration from the diverse musical, cultural and linguistic landscapes of the Middle East, exploring some of the compelling yet underappreciated Jewish and non-Jewish female Bible characters.  She is completing her dissertation on identity politics and the performance of contemporary Mizrahi and Arab music in Israel. 
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William C. Daroff is UJC's vice president for Public Policy and director of the Washington office. In that capacity, he serves as the federation system's chief lobbyist and principal spokesman on issues of public policy. In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed him to serve on the US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, which focuses on preserving and protecting Jewish heritage sites in Eastern and Central Europe.
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Ron Dermer is Israel’s minister of Economic Affairs in the United States.  Prior to this appointment in 2005, he worked in Israel as a consultant, advising many Israeli politicians.  In 2004, he co-authored, with Natan Sharansky, The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedon to Overcome Tyranny and Terror.
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Ted Deutch is a Democratic member of the Florida Senate, representing the 30th District since 2007. First elected to the Senate in 2006, Deutch authored legislation mandating that Florida divest its pension funds from companies investing in Iran and Sudan, and has helped other state and local governments exercise their economic leverage to pressure rogue nations.  A longtime community and philanthropic leader, Deutch serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Banking/Insurance Committee and the vice chairman of the Finance/Tax Committee.
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Lawrence S. Eagleburger was the United States Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush. He has held several prominent political appointments, including US Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He was an assistant to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
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Alyson Fieldman is a project manager for Hubbard One, a Chicago-based company that develops websites and software for law firms. Last year, Ms. Fieldman and her husband Matthew served as volunteers with the JDC’s Jewish Service Corps in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they helped establish programming for a newly built Jewish Community Center called YESOD. Ms. Fieldman continues to be involved with the Jewish Federation’s Overseas Connection Committee and their work in St. Petersburg. She also volunteers as a reading tutor with the federation’s Public Education Initiative.
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David Fisher of Cincinnati is the UJC National Campaign Chair. Fisher is a member of UJC’s Board of Trustees, past major gifts chair, past co-chair of the National Young Leadership Cabinet, and a board member of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. He helped develop the vision for Cincinnati’s new JCC, and spurred a successful $40 million capital campaign. Fisher is president and CEO of Jones the Florist, one of the nation’s largest floral companies, and its affiliate, Sweets in Bloom.
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Ari Fleischer was the primary spokesperson for President George W. Bush as former White House press secretary, delivering the daily White House briefings from 2001 to 2003.  He previously served as the senior communications advisor and spokesman for the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign.  His best selling book, Taking Heat, details his years in the White House. Prior to joining Governor Bush’s campaign, Mr. Fleischer was the national spokesman and communications director for Elizabeth Dole’s presidential campaign. 
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Alexis Frankel is a senior program manager for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s International Development Program, bringing non-sectarian assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Frankel’s projects include a youth village in Rwanda that addresses that country’s genocide, and HIV/AIDS projects in Ethiopia. She worked with the Jews of Georgia to create that nation’s first JDC non-sectarian programs, addressing the training and employment needs of refugees. Frankel received the Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship for International Jewish Communal Service.
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Michael Friedman was a member of the Avodah Jewish Service Corps in 2006-2007.  He continues to work at his Avodah placement site, DC Central Kitchen, as the agency relations coordinator.  He also works at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on a preservation project involving videotaped interviews with survivors. Mr. Friedman is a member of the Avodah Advisory Council and an active member of the Avodah alumni community.
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Dr. Misha Galperin is the executive vice president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Prior to joining the federation in June 2001, Dr. Galperin served as the CEO of UJA-Federation of New York.  Born in Odessa in 1958, he emigrated to the United States in 1976.  His resettlement was facilitated by federation agencies much like the ones where he went on to build his career:  He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University.
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David Gillette is deputy director of AIPAC’s Policy and Government Affairs Department. As one of AIPAC’s lobbyists, he works to promote the U.S.-Israel relationship, working with senators, representatives and congressional staff on the issues such as promoting aid to Israel and advancing other efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.
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Naftali Goldsmith came to UJC after serving as the web project manager in the marketing department of UJA-Federation of New York. He has been doing strategic web consulting and project management since the late 1990's both in the private sector and in the Jewish communal world. Naftali has advanced degree training from Columbia Teachers College in education and technology and is certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
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Brad Gordon is the AIPAC director of Policy and Government Affairs. He was previously AIPAC’s legislative director. He has also served as staff director of the International Operations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), which oversaw the operations of the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and the U.S. Information Agency.
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Jonathan Greenblatt is the co-founder of Ethos Water, a brand of bottled water created to raise funds to help children around the world get clean water. He was previously a Clinton White House staffer and vice president of Starbucks, and is an acknowledged thought leader on ethical branding and social entrepreneurship. Greenblatt teaches social entrepreneurship at UCLA and advises corporations and non-governmental organizations on the intersection between business and sustainability. He serves as an advisor to the United Nations Foundation, where he helped launch the Global Water Challenge. Greenblatt also advises the X-PRIZE Foundation, leading the design of a $10 million prize competition focused on breaking the cycle of global poverty
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David Gregory is NBC News’ chief White House correspondent, reporting regularly on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," MSNBC and MSNBC.com. He often appears on "Hardball with Chris Matthews."  Mr. Gregory has covered the O.J. Simpson trials, the trial of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, the impeachment of President Clinton, and the death of Pope John Paul II.  Previously, he worked as an NBC News correspondent based in Los Angeles and Chicago, and in 1998 he anchored for MSNBC.
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Rebecca Guber is the program director for the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists, a partnership of Avoda Arts, JDUB Records, and the Foundation for Jewish Culture which is made possible with funding from UJA-Federation of New York. Prior to Six Points, Ms. Guber worked at Hazon, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and founded the Shpatzirin Festival. She is a board member of AMDaT, a site-specific dance company, and the Artists Alliance, a grassroots organization based in New York’s Lower East Side. She has participated in numerous next-generation Jewish leadership development programs including the Selah Leadership Program, ROI 120, and the Professional Leaders Project.
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Gideon Herscher is a specialist at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, spending the past seven years developing programs and partnerships with the Israel's Ethiopian community. Herscher is also representing JDC in the establishment of a youth village for the over 1.2 million orphan survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Herscher lives on Moshav Beit Nekofa and is a volunteer commander in Israel's police.
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Adam Hootnick won the grand jury prize at Slamdance for his first film, Unsettled. Previously Adam covered politics and international affairs as a producer at MTV, focusing on the war in Iraq and MTV’s Choose or Lose coverage of the 2004 Presidential election. Hootnick worked at NBC News and MSNBC, covering stories in India, South Africa, Cuba, and Israel. Adam has also worked for the South African Parliament’s Justice Committee and the Boston Consulting Group.
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Jeremy Issacharoff is the deputy chief of Mission to the Embassy of Israel in Washington D.C.  He was asked by the U.N. Secretary-General to serve on its Advisory Board for Government Affairs.  Previously he was deputy director-general for Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was responsible for arms control, non-proliferation, counterrrorism, export controls and regional security.
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Jodi L. Jacobson is the Director of Advocacy at American Jewish World Service, Previously, Ms. Jacobson was the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), where she did pioneering work on the monitoring and accountability of US international policy, created websites on public health and human rights, and became a leader in global AIDS, reproductive and sexual health and rights, and gender-based violence. She sits on the steering committee and is a founding member of ATHENA Network, and is on the advisory committee of the Human Rights Watch HIV and AIDS Program and the program committee of the 2008 International AIDS Conference.
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Amos Kamil is the director of the Israel Advocacy Initiative where he directs all aspects of a joint UJC/JCPA project that advocates for Israel on campuses, through community relations councils and through trips to Israel with non-Jewish influentials. Previously he was a branding consultant  who developed brand architectures, wrote strategic positions and brand lines, and named companies and products lines for many international brands  He was a Mandel Jerusalem Fellow.




Rabbi Elie Kaunfer is executive director of Mechon Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Jewish Study. He was a co-founder of Kehilat Hadar, an egalitarian community committed to spirited traditional prayer, study and social action. A co-founder of LimmudNY, he completed ordination and an MA in liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The Forward newspaper has named him one of 50 Top Jewish Leaders.
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Jennifer Kefer is a climate and energy policy program coordinator. She is an attorney at Earthjustice and Environmental Defense, where she represents national environmental organizations in lawsuits brought under the federal Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. In her spare time, Kefer is active in her synagogue and was honored as a young leader by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism for her contributions, including her participation in her synagogue's Environment Committee.
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Rabbi Daniella Kolodny is currently a member of the Chaplain Corps at the United States Naval Academy; she was the first female Rabbi in the Navy's Chaplain Corps. Kolodny was commissioned as a Chaplain Candidate Program Officer in 2000, and was ordained as a rabbi in 2004 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
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Mirm Kriegel is a branding strategist and account director at BBMG, a branding and integrated marketing firm based in New York and San Francisco. Kriegel began her career at UJC, working with donors ranging from students to high-profile philanthropists. She led social awareness, fundraising and marketing campaigns, and went on fact-finding trips around the world. As UJC’s director of marketing, she implemented the first "Live Generously" national branding campaign for the organization and its 155 local affiliates.    
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Daniel C. Kurtzer holds the S. Daniel Abraham Chair in Middle East Policy Studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.  During his 29 years of public service, he held a number of senior policy and diplomatic positions, including as U.S. Ambassador to Israel (2001-2005) and to Egypt (1997-2001). Mr. Kurtzer is the co-author, with Scott Lasensky, of Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East.
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Michelle Labgold has worked in Jewish communal services for 19 years and currently serves as the Senior Director of Domestic Affairs for UJC. She is responsible for monitoring trends in human services and disseminating model practices and innovations to the Jewish Federation system.  Prior to joining UJC, Michelle served as Director of the Westside Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and Administrator of the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging. 
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Ann Lewis is the senior advisor for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Prior to this, she was the director of communications for HILLPAC and Friends of Hillary. Under President Bill Clinton, she worked in the White House as director of communications. She is a member of the board of the Jewish Women’s Archive. In 2002, Ms. Lewis was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the script “A Tribute to Heroes,” broadcast on all networks following September 11.
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Mara Liasson is the national political correspondent for National Public Radio, where her reports can be heard regularly on the newsmagazines All Things Considered and Morning Edition. She covers politics and policy from Washington, DC and reports on political trends beyond the Beltway. She was NPR's White House correspondent during the Clinton administration and won the White House Correspondents Association's Merriman Smith Award for daily news coverage in 1994, 1995, and 1997. Prior to joining NPR, Ms. Liasson was a freelance radio and television reporter in San Francisco.
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David Makovsky is a senior fellow and director of the Washington Institute's Project on the Middle East Peace Process. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.  Mr. Makovsky is the coauthor, with Jeffrey White, of the “Lessons and Implications of the Israel-Hizballah War: A Preliminary Assessment,” published by the Washington Institute. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. He appears frequently in the media to comment on Arab-Israeli affairs.  Mr. Makovsky covered the Mideast peace process from 1989 to 2000 as a journalist, working for publications including the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz.
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Mark Mellman is CEO of The Mellman Group, a polling and consulting firm whose clients include leading political figures, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the nation's most important public interest groups. Mr. Mellman has helped guide the campaigns of some 16 U.S. senators, eight governors and over two dozen members of Congress. As a consultant to the Democratic Congressional Leadership, he plays a central role in developing Democratic strategies on a variety of issues.
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Ewa Misztal is a 28-year-old Polish-born attorney who worked as an assistant at the Israeli embassy, and became a manager at the Jewish Agency's offices in Warsaw. She made aliyah in 2007 and studied at the Jewish Agency's absorption center Ulpan Etzion.
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MODI was voted one of the Top 10 Comedians in New York City by the Hollywood Reporter and BackStage and he is one of the comedy circuit’s hottest comedians. Amelia David of BackStage raves, “Modi has a young Sid Caesar-esque talent for creating accents and characters, making him appeal to a diverse market.” Highlighting the hilarity of everyday life, Modi takes his audience to a new level of comic observation.  Modi is versatile and quick on his feet – he can read an audience in a beat and improvise so nimbly that he keeps any audience, regardless of age, race and gender, laughing. From the hip Manhattan scene to fancy fundraisers to the retro Catskills hotels, Modi’s comedy has something for everyone.
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Dr. Daniel Orenstein, a teacher, writer and activist, is Ne’eman post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, part of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technion: Israel Institute of Technology. He is also a lecturer at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Dr. Orenstein’s current work focuses on patterns of urban and exurban sprawl in Israel, and the ecological implications of these development patterns. His environmental editorials and book reviews have appeared in publications including the Jerusalem Report, the Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz, and the Jewish Daily Forward.
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Raphael Ouzan came to Israel from France on the Na'aleh program when he was 16, was a lone soldier, and represented Israel at the 2006 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, taking second place. He is an officer at an elite unit of the IDF.
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Michael Pirron is the founder and CEO of Impact Makers, developing a novel ‘purpose driven’ business model that takes social entrepreneurship to a new level. Pirron spent the early part of his career with Andersen Consulting, and as part of his job he lived or worked in seven countries and spent significant time in over 25 nations. Prior to launching Impact Makers, Pirron was the Director of Product Development at First Health Services Corporation.
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Martin J. Raffel is Associate Executive Vice Chairman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. He is the primary source at the JCPA for international issues and provides guidance to the community relations field about developments affecting Israel, U.S. policy in the Middle East, Jewish communities around the world and human rights. Raffel was previously an executive at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the Pennsylvania region of the American Jewish Congress and the Philadelphia chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
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Joseph Richards is one of the founders of the Fuel For Truth movement, where he serves as executive director. Fuel for Truth’s mission is to equip young Americans with the basic facts and skills to advocate for Israel. Mr. Richards oversees the development of the organization worldwide.
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Howard Rieger is president and chief executive officer of United Jewish Communities. From 1981 to 2004, he served as president of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. There he led major initiatives including a 2002 annual fundraising campaign that totaled more than $33 million in 2002. Before serving in Pittsburgh, Mr. Rieger worked for 11 years at the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, filling positions in virtually every area of the organization. In addition, he chaired the Publications Advisory Committee of the United Jewish Communities’ National Jewish Population Survey 2000-2001, and participated in many ongoing UJC initiatives.
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Amy Aarons Rosen is a legislative associate with UJC’s Washington Action Office and is the Washington Representative for the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies. Her portfolio includes disabilities, housing, mental health and she also serves as editor of UJC’s Washington Report. In addition, she is the program coordinator of the 2007 Government Affairs Institute.
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Michael Rubin is the director of operations for the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes in Rockville, Maryland.  Prior to re-joining JFGH in 2006, Mr. Rubin was vice president of quality assurance with the eBusiness Group of Fidelity Investments in Boston and worked with other technology and non-profit firms while also earning his Masters in Non-Profit Management from the Heller School at Brandeis University.
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David M. Sable is the vice chair and COO of Wunderman, an innovative marketing firm. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, and his provocative viewpoints are regularly featured in global marketing press including Advertising Age, Ad Week and Campaign. Prior to joining Wunderman, Mr. Sable served as executive vice president at Young & Rubicam New York. He serves on the City of New York's Cultural Advisory Committee
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Ari Sandel, is a director, writer, and producer; he won a 2007 Academy Award for West Bank Story a musical comedy about Israelis and Palestinians with rival falafel stands in the West Bank. Sandel premiered West Bank Story at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and has since screened it at over 115 film festivals worldwide -- winning 26 awards. He made his feature documentary directorial debut with Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Sandel directed and hosted a travel segment on the FX Network's The X Show for two seasons. He is very involved with political organizations for peace, and has explored peace issues in his travels throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia and South America.
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Rabbi David Saperstein is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. He represents the Reform Jewish movement to Congress and the executive branch. He co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, and serves on the boards of organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way. Saperstein has appeared on numerous television news and talk shows including Nightline, Oprah, Lehrer News Hour and ABC’s Sunday Morning.
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Nigel Savage is the founder and director of Hazon, the largest environmental organization in the American Jewish community. He has an MA from Georgetown and studed at Pardes,Yakar, Jerusalem Fellows and Hebrew University. He is believed to be the first English Jew to cycle across South Dakota on a recumbent bike.
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Dr. Adele Schneider is the director of the Victor Center for Jewish Genetic Diseases at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, which provides education and outreach, genetic testing and counseling for disorders that are common in the Ashkenazi Jewish community. Dr. Schneider founded the Anophthalmia/Microphthalmia (small or absent eyes) Registry at Albert Einstein Medical Center, to assemble a national database of individuals with that disorder).  In 1999, she initiated Einstein’s Ashkenazi Jewish Genetic Screening program. Dr. Schneider is a recipient of the Einstein Physician Leadership Award and has been featured in “Top Docs for Kids” in Philadelphia magazine. She was named a 2005 Weizmann Institute of Science Distinguished Scientist.
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Tzivia Schwartz-Getzug is the Executive Director at Jewish World Watch. She practiced law for several years before becoming the Western States Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League. She then served as the Community Liaison on DreamWorks' first animated film, The Prince of Egypt. Prior to her role at JWW, she served as the Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at the L.A. Jewish Federation, responsible for the work of the Jewish Community Relations Committee.
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Rochelle L. Shoretz is the founder of Sharsheret, an organization that connects young Jewish women who are fighting breast cancer.  She started Sharsheret in 2001, during her own fight against breast cancer. Ms.Shoretz was named a 2003 Woman to Watch by Jewish Woman Magazine and a Yoplait Champion in the Fight Against Breast Cancer in 2004, and was honored by the Philadelphia Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 2005. A graduate of Columbia Law School, she served as a law clerk in 1999 to United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is currently an associate in the Investment Management Group at the New York City law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP.
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Tiffany Shlain is an acclaimed filmmaker and speaker, director of The Moxie institute and founder of The Webby Awards.  Her most recent film, The Tribe, enlists pop icon Barbie to tackle the challenging issue of Jewish identity.  Her work has been profiled on ABC, MTV, CNN and NPR and in all major media publications.
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David Siegel is a Spokesman at the Embassy of Israel in Washington. Siegel has served in various capacities in Israel's Foreign Ministry, including Deputy Chief of Mission at Israel's Embassy in Eritrea, head of the Ambassador's office in Washington, and Political Counselor in the North America Division at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. His last appointment was as Counselor for Congressional Affairs at the Embassy of Israel in Washington.
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Zachary Sisisky served in the Peace Corps as an English teacher in Uzbekistan. He now teaches and learns from people with autism.  He has taught in and developed programs for people with autism and other severe disabilities in the Island of Mauritius.
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Michael B. Soberman is currently Director of National Initiatives for the Next Generation at UIA Federations Canada.  The central goal of his department is to collaborate with federations across the country to develop national programming that strengthens the Jewish identity of young people and connects them to the Jewish community. Previously, Mr. Soberman was director of CIE, the federations’ Israel Experience arm, which works to maximizing the number of Canadian teenagers and young adults visting Israel. Michael is also the lead educator for the RJCO Holocaust Education Teacher Training program that is offered to Faculties of Education and school boards across the country. 
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Susan Solow-Dubin, as managing director, National Campaign Resources for UJC, develops and delivers educational programs in all areas of development for volunteers and professionals. She works in partnership with federations around the country to provide strategic and program development on all issues related to Annual Campaign and Financial Resource Development.
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Ronald Soloway has been a key member of UJA-Federation of New York’s government relations staff for the past 19 years. He is currently the managing director of government and external relations. Previously, Mr. Soloway oversaw the first year’s work of the federation’s Caring Commission, one of four commissions charged with developing program priorities and allocating targeted funds. Prior to joining UJA-Federation, Mr. Soloway held important policy positions in both government and the nonprofit sector.
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Stefanie Somers is a “Concierge’ for the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education, serving families in the San Fernando Valley. Working with early childhood centers, day schools, religious schools, youth groups and summer camps, Ms. Somers helps families find the best Jewish educational opportunities for their children. She holds a Joint Masters Degree in Jewish Education and Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles.
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Hadar Susskind is the Washington Director for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. As Washington Director, Mr. Susskind facilitates the flow of information to the whole community relations field on a broad array of international as well as domestic issues. He also makes sure that community concerns and issues are voiced to Members of Congress, Administration officials and other policy makers.
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Kobi Tav is the Israel Regional Specialist at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and is an expert on programs for Israel’s vulnerable populations. He and his wife Kara were the first Jewish Service Corps Volunteers in Bucharest, Romania, helping enhance Jewish education and youth leadership. He has also served as Project Manager of the UJC/JCPA Israel Advocacy Initiative, overseeing the implementation of a strategic plan to boost local community capacity to advocate for Israel.
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Yaron Tsaclach serves as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Area Head for Immigrant Youth Education. He directs programs that enable the JDC and its partners in the Israeli government and professional institutions to help overcome the challenges facing young immigrants, from those that are disconnected to those with the potential for excellence.
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Sasha Vail made aliyah from Ukraine through the SELAH program for students. When she first came to Israel, she studied at the Jewish Agency's absorption center Ulpan Etzion. Later, she studied law at Hebrew University and took part in the ATIDIM program. She currently works at Israel’s Antitrust Authority.
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Matan Vilnai is the Israeli deputy minister of defense.  Prior to this appointment in 2007, he served as minister of science and technology.  He was elected to the Knesset in 1999.  Mr. Valnai has had a distinguished military career, serving in the IDF for 35 years.  During the Yom Kippur War, he was commander of a task force in Sinai, and in 1976 he was deputy commander of the Entebbe rescue mission.




Jonathan S. Westin is the Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs for UJC. His areas of expertise are legislative strategy and advocacy related to health delivery, long-term care, and aging. Westin also concentrates on the intersection of private/public initiatives that will prepare the nation for the health needs of the aging Baby Boom generation. Prior to UJC, Jon served as a government relations executive for two behavioral health organizations.
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Steven Woolf is the Senior Tax Policy Counsel for UJC, and is a tax professional with extensive experience in individual and corporate tax, lobbying, and knowledge management. He is UJC’s chief Washington advocate on legislative proposals, administrative regulations and public policy issues regarding non-profit tax issues. He works with UJC’s Endowments and Planned Giving Department, and, collaborating with professional and lay leaders, Woolf creates and compiles non-profit tax policy proposals and recommendations on behalf of the federation system.
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Amy York is the assistant vice president at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago’s Government Affairs Office in Washington, DC.  She coordinates the federal government affairs work of the Chicago federation on a wide range of issues and oversees the Washington Office. Previously, she lobbied Congress and the administration on transportation labor issues on behalf of the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Association of Flight Attendants.
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Brian Walsh leads the global social engagement program for Liquidnet, an international electronic brokerage firm for institutional investors.  Prior to this, he worked for Changing Our World, a for-profit consulting firm focused on the philanthropic sector.  He initially worked in the nonprofit division, helping organizations develop fundraising programs and strategic plans, and then later moved to the corporate philanthropy division. 
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