Gregg Roman, Chief Operations Officer for Middle East Forum, will reflect on Israel’s standing in the Middle East after a year marked by a seven-front war and the nation’s position in the aftermath of these (perhaps still ongoing) conflicts. Roman has assiduously followed tensions in the region during this time, including Israel’s border disputes with Lebanon, Houthi efforts to choke Western shipping through the Red Sea, Shi’ite militias attacking US troops in Iraq and Syria, ongoing strife in Gaza and the West Bank, and the continuing threat posed by the Iranian menace.

First they broke the law and university policies. Then they lied to the University about nearly every aspect of their cause. Now the Brown (University) Divestment Coalition expects the university to harm its own interests and violate its own values in service of their bigoted demands against the state of Israel.

Howard Spiegler is an Attorney who Specializes in the Art Litigation and Restitution. In the context of the Nazi art confiscation program, which is considered the greatest displacement of art in human history, Howard Spiegler will describe the facts and legal principles involved in the major cases he handled to recover Nazi-looted art for the families of victims of the Holocaust.

Jonathan Schanzer is Vice President of Research for the Foundation for Defense Democracies. More than one year after the 10/7 attacks, the war between Israel and the Iranian Axis grinds on. What was once viewed as a war between Israel and Hamas is now very clearly a multi-front conflict that is directed, funded and armed by Iran. Israel has handled these challenges well from a tactical perspective. But is there an Israeli strategy? Noted Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer explores. 

The tumultuous geopolitics of the Middle East presents many challenges for Israel, as do global diplomacy and public opinion. As the fight for hearts and minds rages on, what are the challenges we face in advocating for Israel and what could we do to make a difference? Join a stimulating conversation with Shahar Azani, veteran Israeli diplomat and thought leader, and a passionate advocate for Israel and the Jewish people for a look behind the scenes of one of the most meaningful battles of our lifetime. 

Michal Cotler-Wunsh is an Israeli politician and diplomat. She served as a member of Israel’s 23rd Knesset for the Blue and White alliance from 2020 to 2021 and is currently a Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism for Israel. While serving in the Knesset, Cotler-Wunsh chaired the Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Use and the Subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora Relations.

Mort Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). Rewarding evil has never been a successful tactic. There should be negative consequences to terror…and nothing else. Why are we trying to appease the enemy and what should we be doing instead? Join us to find out.

Mort Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). You have probably heard that Jerusalem is one of Islam’s holiest sites. This is simply a lie. Jerusalem is not and never was a holy place to the Muslims. Join us to break down this, and other surprising common misconceptions related to the Islamic Jihad against Israel.

Jan Grabowski is a Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews.

Jan Grabowski is a Professor of History at the University of Ottawa and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Looking at the case of Poland, the lecture discusses the new kinds of threats confronting the memory and the commemoration of the Shoah. Unlike Holocaust deniers of the past, people, institutions, and states engaging in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of Jewish catastrophe. They freely admit that between 1939 and 1945 the Germans killed six million Jews.

Farley Weiss is a past President of the National Council of Young Israel. Riveting political drama of how the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 was first promulgated by Senator Jon Kyl, negotiated and then passed, on a bipartisan basis, by an overwhelming majority of Congress. It also describes the arduous process for over two decades that led to its finally being implemented. The Bible, Jewish History, International and US Law, as well as legal precedents are brought to life in a way that is both enlightening and entertaining.

Kasim Hafeez is a British citizen of Pakistani Muslim heritage who grew up being exposed to radical anti-Western, antisemitic, and anti-Israel ideas daily. During his teenage years, Hafeez embraced a radical Islamist ideology and became very active in the anti-Israel movement. Thankfully, Alan Dershowitz’s book The Case for Israel challenged Hafeez’s fundamental beliefs and caused him to undertake a research and reflection period leading him to Israel in 2007.

Ilan Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Counsel in Washington D.C. Back in 2020, Israel ushered in a “new era” in the Middle East when it signed normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. A separate agreement with Morocco followed soon thereafter. But the tragic events of October 7th and Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas have profoundly roiled Jerusalem’s relations with the Arab world.

Mr. Bernstein, the Founder of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, will discuss how an oppressor/oppressed ideology took hold in American institutions, particularly higher education and K-12 schools, and conditioned a generation of young people to see Jews and Israel as white oppressors. 

Brigadier General Res. Amir Avivi is the Chairman of IDFF, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum. In this lecture he will discuss the lessons that he learned in 30 years of combat and leadership in the IDF. He reviews the historical, diplomatic and military background that led to the current war in Israel. Throughout his presentation, he shares many anecdotes and personal interactions with the top leaders of the State of Israel which shaped his worldview and honed his strong belief that the people of Israel need strong leadership rooted in common sense policies and national security.

William Daroff became the Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on February 1, 2020. In that capacity, he is the senior professional guiding the Conference’s agenda on behalf of the 50 national member organizations, which represent the wide mosaic of American Jewish life.