Monthly Archives: October 2015

Extremism in America

Ken Jacobson, Deputy National Director of the ADL, continued the conversation on extremism in America for this breakout session. According to Jacobson, overall anti-Semitism is no acceptable by society at large, unlike what was seen in the past when it was championed by those like Henry Ford.
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Keynote Address by Rabbi David Saperstein

Rabbi David Saperstein’s keynote address was a prophetic call for peace, justice, and tolerance in a world riven by polarization, violence, and disregard for the sanctity of the Earth and all of its inhabitants. He described a world in which we currently face a complex set of issues: military conflicts that destroy people and the
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Community Conversation on Israel and American Jewish Identity

The Community Conversation on Israel and American Jewish Identity featured Dov Waxman, Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Israel Studies at Northeastern University; Laura Blumenfeld, senior fellow at SAIS Johns Hopkins Center for Strategic Studies; and Jonathan Rynhold, director of the Argov Center for the Study of the Jewish People and the State of
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Delegates Discuss Social Justice In Israel

The first to speak during this session was Nancy Kaufman, who discussed Israel’s history regarding the rights of women. She opened her talk explaining that although Israel’s pre-state existence created a deep appreciation for gender equality, this did not translate to a state constitution, due to opposition on religion and military grounds. However, in 1992,
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JCPA Welcomes New Delegates

On Sunday, at the 2015 JCPA Town Hall New Delegates Orientation, new Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) lay and professional leaders met with Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Senior Vice President Ethan Felson to learn more about the history and meaning of the conference. As a new staff person at JCPA, I joined them.
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Anna Langer, Hillel

Anna Langer began at Hillel International as the Assistant Director of Ask Big Questions and later transitioned to the Hinenu: Israel Education and Engagement department. She began her career as a Jewish educator while living in Israel following her graduation from Mount Holyoke College. After three years teaching and designing curricula in Tel Aviv, Anna
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Ilana Kaufman, San Francisco JCRC

 Ilana Kaufman is Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Director, East Bay, for the San Francisco, CA-based Jewish Community Relations Council. She has twenty years of leadership, community building and organizational development experience.  As a strategic designer, planner and problem solver, Ilana is regularly engaged by regional and national Jewish federations, community relations organizations, philanthropic entities
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Julie Hammerman, JLens

Julie Hammerman founded JLens (www.jlensnetwork.org) in 2012 to explore the growing field of socially responsible investing (SRI) through a Jewish lens. JLens provides guidance to Jewish institutions (federations, foundations, endowments, pensions, DAFs) and is launching the first Jewish values-based mutual fund as a platform for Jewish social, environmental, and pro-Israel advocacy with US public companies.
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Michele Jawando, Center for American Progress

Michele L. Jawando is the Vice President for Legal Progress at American Progress. Previously, she served as general counsel and senior advisor to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), where she was responsible for wide-ranging portfolio of policy issues pertaining to the federal judiciary and nominations; voting rights; women and labor issues; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender,
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Imam Talib M. Shareef

Talib M. Shareef, is President and Imam of the historic, Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, located at 1519 Islamic Way, (4th Street), NW, Washington, DC. Imam Shareef, is a retired Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force after 30 years, and holds a Masters of Business Administration from American Intercontinental University, a Diploma from
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