Leadership

Larry Hochberg​

Co-Founder and Chairman, Friends of ELNET​
Larry Hochberg is an internationally renowned lay leader and philanthropist who served as National Chairman of the Friends of the IDF, National Officer of AIPAC, and held national leadership positions with the UJC, UJA, the Annual and Israel Emergency Campaigns of Chicago’s Jewish United Fund. Mr. Hochberg chaired the Advisory Committee of the American Jewish Committee’s Chicago chapter and served on the Dean’s Council of Northwestern University. He is is the founder, CEO and chairman of Sportmart Inc. acquired by Sports Authority.

Andrew Hochberg​

Chairman of the Board ELNET-Israel​
Mr. Andrew Hochberg is a board member of Friends of ELNET and Chairman of the Board of ELNET-Israel. Mr. Hochberg is a leader in the Chicago Jewish community, serving as Chairman of the Board for the Jewish Federation of Chicago, and formerly chairing its Overall Planning and Allocation Committee and Government Affairs Committee. Mr. Hochberg led fundraising for the Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund and served as a presidential appointee to the US Holocaust Memorial Committee. He is a founder and CEO of a real estate investment firm Next Realty. He holds BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.

Claude Grundman-Brightman

President of the Netanya Academic College's Francophone Campus
Claude Grundman-Brightman is a French-born Israeli architect, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is the president of the Netanya Academic College’s French-speaking campus, where she’s built cross-border partnerships with francophone countries and regions around the world, and where she chairs international conferences with the world’s top scholars and decision-makers. As an architect, she has designed prestigious museums in Europe, in Israel, and in Africa. Claude is a board member of the Ghetto Fighter’s Museum, and of the “Larger than Life” charity for the struggle against pediatric cancer. She was awarded the légion d’honneur, France’s highest distinction, for her contribution to French culture and to France-Israel relations.
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Amb. Prof. Itamar Rabinovitch​

President of the Israel Institute​
Amb. Prof. Itamar Rabinovich is the founding President of The Israel Institute in Washington. He is Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History of Tel Aviv University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the Vice-Chairman of the INSS, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He formerly served as Israel’s Ambassador to the US. He was Chief Negotiator with Syria in the mid-1990s. He served as President of Tel Aviv University from 1999 to 2007. Ambassador Prof. Rabinovich served as Ettinger Professor of Contemporary History of the Middle-East, Chairman of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Director of the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Dean of Humanities and Rector. He is the author of 14 booked the latest being: 'Middle Eastern Maze, Israel, The Arabs and The Region 1948-2022'.
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Brig. Gen. (Res) Sima Vaknin Gill​

Former Director General of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy​
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Sima Vaknin Gill is a former intelligence officer in the Israeli air force, the former Chief Censor of the State of Israel, and the former Director General of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy. She is a member of the Governing Board of CAM - Combat Antisemitism Movement and the VP of strategy and development at ISGAP – The Institute for the Study of Antisemitism and Policy. Sima is an expert in intelligence work, web monitoring and research, data and research-based activity, contemporary Antisemitism, de-legitimization and BDS against Israel. Sima holds a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations and an MA in National Security Studies from the National Defense College. Currently she is involved in several initiatives to combating Antisemitism - she is on the board or advisory board of ISGAP, Schlichut School of JAFI, Hetz, NCRI, and more.

Dan Meridor​

Former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Finance of Israel​
Dan Meridor is former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy, and Minister of Justice. Mr. Meridor was Chairman of Israel's Defence Doctrine Committee and served as Chairman of The Jerusalem Foundation, Deputy Chairman of the Board of INSS (Institute for National Security Studies), and a Senior Fellow at Israel Democracy Institute. He served also as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset.

Dr. Einat Wilf​

Former Chair of the Knesset Education Committee​
Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013 where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company. Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University and is a lecturer at Reichman University in Israel. Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society.

Amb. Dani Dayan​

Chairman of Yad Vashem​
Dani Dayan is the Chairman of Yad Vashem. Previously, he was the Consul General of Israel in New York, accredited also to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Ohio. Previously he served as the Chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria. For more than two decades, he was Chairman and CEO of a group of information technology firms. Dayan holds an M.Sc. in Finance and B.Sc. in Economics and Computer Science.

Shimrit Meir​

Former diplomatic adviser to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett​
Shimrit Meir is the former diplomatic advisor to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Prior to that, she served as the CEO of ‘Link – the Center for Strategic Communication in the Middle East’. She is the founding editor of Israel's largest Arabic media outlet Al-Masdar, is a leading Middle East analyst and longtime journalist with more than 15 years of experience researching and covering the Arab world, and the Palestinians in particular. Fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, English and French, Ms. Meir was the Arab affairs correspondent and commentator for Galei Zahal, one of Israel’s top news channels, and worked for both Israeli public television and for Channel 2 News, the country’s largest commercial station. Ms. Meir headed a Jewish-Arab team of young journalists that delivers stories from Israel to the Arab world, using web and social media platforms. The team has a Facebook community of more than 2.2 million people across the regions and operates a highly popular news website.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror​

Former National Security Advisor of Israel​
General Amidror was National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu and chairman of the National Security Council (2011-2013). He served for 36 years in senior IDF posts (1966-2002), including as a commander of the Military Colleges, military secretary to the Minister of Defense, director of the Intelligence Analysis Division in Military Intelligence, and chief intelligence officer of the Northern Command. Today, he is Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading security think tank.

Sarah Fainberg​

Head of Great Powers Research Program at Tel Aviv University's Elrom Center​
Dr. Sarah Fainberg is Senior Researcher and Head of Great Powers Research Program at Tel Aviv University's Elrom Center for Air and Space Studies. where she focuses on Russian and Chinese policy in the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, she serves as Lecturer in the MA Program for Security and Diplomacy Studies at Tel Aviv University and Adjunct Professor of Israeli Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She previously served as Policy and Strategic Issues Adviser for Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv (Russia Program). She was also involved in NGO activities in the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Sarah works, writes, and lectures in four languages (English, Hebrew, French, Russian). A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, she holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Comparative Politics from Sciences Po, Paris.

Amb. Danny Ayalon​

Israel’s Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the U.S.​
Danny Ayalon is an Israeli diplomat, columnist and businessman. He served as Deputy Foreign Minister and as a member of the Knesset. He was the Israeli Ambassador to the United States from 2002 until 2006. Previously, he worked as senior foreign policy advisor to Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon, Ehud Barak, and Benjamin Netanyahu. He has also served as a Member of the Executive Board, University Center, Ariel; Vice Chair of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, and a Board Member of the America-Israel Friendship League.

Danielle Abraham​

Executive Director at Volcani International Partnerships​
Danielle Abraham has spent her career in Israel dedicated to connecting Israeli expertise to global needs. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Volcani International Partnerships. an NGO tackling food and nutrition insecurity worldwide with Israeli agricultural expertise. Danielle served as a senior policy advisor in MASHAV, Israel’s agency for International Development Cooperation at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this role she represented Israel, as a guest speaker, at the UN, OECD and German Development Bank. Danielle made Aliyah from London, where she worked for the British Government. Danielle holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Oxford and lives in Tel Aviv with her family.

Janet Gordon​

Vice President, Geller Family Foundation​
Ms. Janet Gordon serves as Vice President of the Geller Foundation. The foundation provides financial support to 43 private Jewish schools throughout the U.S. She assists approximately 1,500 students at ten different universities in Israel with accounting and interest free loans. Ms. Gordon studied business at the Pratt Institute in New York City. She has held positions in France, Germany and Israel in the private sectors as an accountant. Ms. Gordon is also a member of Israeli American Council (IAC), Merona Leadership Foundation, StandWIthUs and AIPAC.

Anne Baer​

CEO of iKare Innovation​
Anne Baer is the CEO of iKare Innovation, advising investors, startups, and governments on sustainable innovation, R&D partnerships and climate change. Previously she acted as Innovation expert on behalf of the French Foreign Ministry to Israel, and sustainability consultant at the UN from 1992-2000. She is the president of the French Foreign Trade advisers in Israel and co-founded Women-in-Tech in Israel. She is a graduate in Political science and International relations both from Jerusalem and Paris universities, teaching since 2021 environmental and technological diplomacy at HEIP-Paris. She was made a knight of the Order of Merit in 2021 by the French government.

Robert Baruch​

Robert Baruch is an industrialist and private investor. He is the co-owner of SABA, a Dutch specialty adhesives and sealants company. He served as the President of the European Adhesives Association (FEICA) and as member of the board of Kidsrights, a Dutch not-for-profit humanitarian organization. He is a member of the Dutch board of Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli charity providing life-saving heart surgeries in Israel to children from around the world. Robert Baruch holds degrees in Business from Babson College (USA) and Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Neuchâtel (CH).

Dr. Michel Bodkier​

Dr. Michel Bodkier MD is the co- founder of ELSAN Group, the first private hospitals chain in France, with 2 million patients and 2 billion euros of revenues, turning now to international field. Previously MD, practicing in vascular examinations. Member of the board of philanthropic charitable Eva & Edward Underwood Foundation to help needy students for their scholarships.

Pierre Dassas​

Pierre Dassas is the chairman of the House of the Rising Stars Foundation and the Africa Alive Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as a board member of the Hudson Institute and of the Actigenomics Foundation. He is also Dassas & Co.’s chairman and chief creative officer of the Paris, New York and Moscow companies. In 1980 he created Dassas Communication and ICOM, one of the leading worldwide advertising companies at the time. Pierre Dassas graduated from both Economic Sciences College and Paris Trade and Industry Chamber.

Hans Thomas Kessler​

Hans Thomas Kessler is a commercial lawyer specializing in the real estate transactions and finance, as well as infrastructure projects. He has advised numerous real estate investors, owners, financial institutions, construction and engineering firms. Mr. Kessler has worked for several leading International law firms. He studied law and political science at the Universities of Frankfurt, Lausanne, Geneva and Strasbourg, earned the LL.M. at the London School of Economics and Political Science and was a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

Ralph Gerson​

Ralph J. Gerson serves as the Treasurer and Director of the William Davidson Foundation and is also a private investor. He is the former Board Chairman and former Executive Vice President (1990-2011) of Guardian Industries Corp. Gerson also served as Director of Commerce for the State of Michigan, Special Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative and Counselor to the President’s Personal Representative to the Middle East Peace Negotiations after the Camp David Accords. He holds a BA from Yale University, MS from the London School of Economics, and a JD from the University of Michigan Law School.

Serge Krancenblum​

Serge Krancenblum is the CEO of SGG, a leading multi-family office and investor services provider active in 24 countries. He is the Chairman of Gatsby & White, the leading life insurance broker in Luxembourg and Switzerland, and acts as a board member of selected real estate and private equity funds as well as of listed and private companies. He holds master’s in finance from ESLSCA and MBA from the University of Connecticut School of Business. He is the Chairman of the Investment Facilation Forum, of the Luxembourg Family Office Association and of the LIMSA, and Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France.

Hubert Leven​

Hubert Leven has served as President of the Rashi Foundation in Israel since its founding in 1984 until 2018 and is one of the founders of the Alliance Israélite Universelle network. From 1962-1999, he directed his brokerage firm in Paris. Leven is the nephew of Gustave Leven, the founder of the Perrier group. He joined his uncle to work with him in the mid-1980s. Leven served on the executive committee of Source Perrier and led a number of its subsidiaries. Among his public position, Mr. Leven serves on the board of Kol Israel Haverim and Sheatufim in Israel and as vice-president of the Alliance Israélite Universelle in Paris. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Ben-Gurion University, the Technion and Bar Ilan University.

Kenneth Weinstein​

Kenneth R. Weinstein is currently the Walter P. Stern Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute. From 2011 through 2020, Dr. Weinstein served as president and chief executive officer of Hudson. He joined the Institute in 1991, was appointed CEO in June 2005, and was named president and CEO in March 2011. He serves as Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the oversight body for U.S. government civilian international media, including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting. Weinstein previously served by presidential appointment and Senate confirmation on the National Humanities Council and is a regular guest in media.

Sam Pinto

After a career in the banking world in France, Asia and the USA, mainly in the Edmond de Rothschild Group, Sam Pinto made aliyah to Israel in 2009. After moving to Israel, Pinto decided to devote himself mainly to philanthropic activism including: Baït Ham which helps young adolescents in difficulty, and Kiah-Alliance - Israeli branch of the Alliance Israélite Universelle, the Franco-Israeli high school of Mikve Israel and Agudat Sabah, which supports activities in the Israeli periphery.

Eric Edidin​

Eric Edidin is Executive Chairman of BH3 Management, a vertically integrated real estate investment firm. Mr. Edidin co-founded Archer Capital Management in 2006. Previously, he was a Senior Managing Director at York Capital Management, member of Morgan Stanley Capital Partners global investment team, and member of the Blackstone Group’s restructuring advisory team. Mr. Edidin is a board member of the JDRF of Los Angeles, a trustee of the Washington Institute, and member of the investment committee of the Jewish Communal Fund of NY. He received a B.A. degree with highest distinction from the University of Michigan, and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

Joseph W. Feinberg​

Joseph Feinberg is the Chairman/Director of the Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation based in Chicago, Illinois. The family foundation is a loyal and generous supporter of many worthy charities including Northwestern University and its medical school, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Besides his philanthropic activity, after working on Wall Street for over three decades, currently Joe is a Managing Director at Hightower Advisors. His group assists affluent investors, businesses, and non-profits in Accumulating and Protecting and Transferring their Wealth.

Robert L. Feldman​

Robert L. Feldman is a graduate of Tufts University and received his J.D. from S.M.U. Dedman School of Law. Mr. Feldman was a partner at Thomas, Feldman & Wilshusen, LLP and its predecessor firm since 1982, and practiced law with the firm or predecessor group since graduating law school. He retired in June 2020. Mr. Feldman has participated in many civic activities, including as a volunteer Alumni Board member and serving on the Board of Trustees of St. Mark’s School of Texas. His Jewish community engagement features a former presidency of Congregation Shearith Israel and currently serves on its Board of Directors. He also has been an Officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and on its Board of Directors as well. Additionally, he is on the Board of the Anti-Defamation League, North Texas and Oklahoma Region.

Steven J. Fishman​

Steven J. Fishman is the managing partner of the accounting firm Fishman, Block + Diamond, LLP. He has four decades of experience in providing tax, trust and estate, accounting, and business advisory services, specializing in working with high-net-worth individuals and their closely-held businesses, primarily in the real estate field. Mr. Fishman and his wife Jodie are very active in Jewish community leadership. He served as a Past President and is a lifetime board member of Stephen Wise Temple, Chair of the local executive committee, and National Council member of AIPAC, a board member of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Impact Forum, Readers to Leaders (a teen literacy program), Hebrew Union College, and the immediate past Chair, and member of the Los Angeles Birthright Israel Leadership Council.

Robert T. Flesh​

Robert T. (Tom) Flesh is the Chairman-elect of the Board of Friends of ELNET. He serves on the boards of several real estate companies and philanthropic organizations. Tom, a past President of Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, is a member of its Board of Directors. He is active in interfaith unity efforts, Jewish and Israel based institutions, and organizations focused on education and at risk youth. Tom has served on several community boards and commissions.

Leonard Foxman​

Leonard Foxman for over 30 years served as the CEO and Founder of Eagle Test Systems, Inc., producing automatic semiconductor testing systems, with offices in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Eagle became a publicly owned company in 2006 (EGLT-NASDAQ), and was sold to Teradyne, Inc in 2008. He then served as the General Manager of Eagle Test Systems Division of Teradyne, Inc. Foxman is now President of the Foxman Family Foundation in Highland Park, IL, as well as Treasurer of the charitable Cool Clothes Closet.
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Orete Jonas Harkavy

Orete Harkavy is Co-Executive Director of the Elm Family Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to support Jewish education and the State of Israel. She earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. She is an Admission Engagement Manager at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and serves on the Board of Directors of Moriah Congregation in Deerfield, Illinois.

Andrew Hochberg​

Mr. Andrew Hochberg is a board member of Friends of ELNET and Chairman of the Board of ELNET-Israel. Mr. Hochberg is a leader in the Chicago Jewish community, serving as Chairman of the Board for the Jewish Federation of Chicago, and formerly chairing its Overall Planning and Allocation Committee and Government Affairs Committee. Mr. Hochberg led fundraising for the Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund and served as a presidential appointee to the US Holocaust Memorial Committee. He is a founder and CEO of a real estate investment firm Next Realty. He holds BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.

Jerry Rosenberg​

Jerry Rosenberg is Vice-Chairman of the National Distributing Company and Partner at the Republic National Distributing Company. Jointly with his wife Dulcy, he co-founded the Alfred and Adele Davis Academy, as well as Project Newborn in Miami Florida. He serves on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, William Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum in Atlanta Georgia, Atlanta Opera, the Schenck School for Children with Dyslexia, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, and is a member of the AIPAC Minyan Group.

Kenneth A. Ruby​

Kenneth A. Ruby is a former President of Stephen S. Wise Temple. He is also a member of the Hebrew Union College Board of Governors emeritus, and a board member and Chairman of the Construction Committee of the Skirball Cultural Center. He was responsible for building over 3500 apartment units while with R&B Development Company, which he helped found. After leaving R&B Development Co., he founded Ken Ruby Construction Co., a real estate development, contractor and management company.
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Eli Saulson​

Eli Saulson is a director of the William Davidson Foundation, a private family foundation based in metro Detroit. The Foundation’s primary focus areas are Jewish Life, Arts & Culture, and Entrepreneurship, with a strong focus on Southeast Michigan and in Israel. Saulson was formerly an executive at Guardian Industries and is now a real estate investor. He graduated from the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan and also studied at the London School of Economics. He lives in Franklin, Michigan with his wife, Michele, and four children.

Susan Wagner​

Susan is CEO of the Wagner family office and managing principal of Jarnis United Properties, the family’s umbrella real estate investment company. Jarnis owns commercial real estate and its current portfolio is made up primarily of multi-family, medical/nursing facilities and self-storage. Susan is also President of the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Family Foundation. Outside of the family office, Susan Wagner serves on the board of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy – a premier Washington think tank on Middle East policy – and CEJP (Center for Entrepreneurial Jewish Philanthropy) which facilitates contributions to pro-peace and pro-Israel non-profits.

Karl-Ulrich Ansorg​

Karl-Ulrich Ansorg is the founder and managing partner of the German real-estate investor Ansorg Development. He successfully realized sustainable real-estate projects all over Germany. He previously held leadership roles as partner of Ansorg lighting which has grown significantly in size under his leadership. Karl-Ulrich Ansorg serves as member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University Jerusalem and chairman of the German friendship organization of Hebrew University in Berlin which is the leading fundraising association within the European community of Hebrew University friends.

Rasmus C. Beck​

Since the end of 2020 Rasmus C. Beck works as CEO for the Corporation for Business Development Duisburg (GFW). Before that, he was CEO at Business Metropole Ruhr, linking the Ruhr area with the startup nation Israel. Previous career stages were at hannoverimpuls GmbH and the Dortmund Economic Development Agency. Rasmus C. Beck is a member of the Board of Directors of the TCI Network, the world's leading network of innovative economic ecosystems.

Nicola Beer​

Nicola Beer is Vice President and Member of the European Parliament. In her function as chair of the working group against anti-Semitism and as a member of the Israeli delegation, she works on cross-cutting issues related to Israel. She was a member of the German Bundestag and for a long time acted as General Secretary of the FDP. Before that, she held the office of Hessian Minister of Education and State Secretary for European Affairs in the Hessian Ministry of Justice, Integration and Europe.

Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bender​

Prof. Dr. Bender is Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Fraport AG, owner and operator of Frankfurt airport and some thirty airports worldwide. Prior to that, he worked as CEO of Schenker & Co and led the industrial association “Verkehrsforum Bahn”. Today, he serves on various supervisory and advisory boards in the fields of finance, air-travel cargo, and sports.

Shelley Berkley​

Shelley Berkley is a former a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada for Nevada's 1st congressional district, serving from 1999 to 2013. She is the CEO and senior provost for Touro University Nevada Western Division. Prior to serving in Congress, Berkeley was an attorney for the Nevada State Commerce Department, in-house counsel for Southwest Gas Corporation, and Vice President for Government and Legal Affairs for the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. She holds BA in Political Science from the University of Nevada, and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Howard Berman​

Howard Berman is an attorney and former Democratic US Representative, last serving California's 28th congressional district and serving in the US Congress from 1983 to 2013, including as the Chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He serves on the board of trustees of the Asia Foundation, the board of the National Democratic Institute, the Immigration Task Force of the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the Board of Directors of the Pacific Council on International Policy, and is Vice Chair of the Advisory Board to RAND Corporation, Center for Middle East Policy.

Norm Coleman​

Norm Coleman served as a US Senator for Minnesota from 2003 until 2009. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, beforehand serving as Minnesota's chief prosecutor and Solicitor General. He chairs the Republican Jewish Coalition, serves on the Board of the National Endowment for Democracy, and is a member of the Advisory Council of the US Global Leadership Coalition. He holds BA degree from Hofstra University and Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College.

Mark Kirk​

Mark Kirk was US Senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017 and a member of the Republican Party, as well as a member of the US House of Representatives. Prior to that, he was an Intelligence Officer in the Navy Reserve and holds the rank of Commander. He served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, and Bosnia, and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his service in Kosovo. He holds BA from Cornell University, MA from the London School of Economics and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University.

Joseph Lieberman​

Joseph Lieberman is former US Senator from Connecticut as a member of Democratic Party and independent. He was elected to the Connecticut State Senate in 1970 where he served for ten years. Lieberman then served as Connecticut's Attorney General from 1983 until 1988, when he went on to win his first election to the US Senate in 1988, winning the seat twice more in 1994 and 2000. He holds law degree from Yale Law School.

Kerstin Müller​

Kerstin Müller is a Senior Associate Fellow at the renowned DGPA - German Council on Foreign Relations. Before she held various political positions, including chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office, and foreign affairs spokesperson of the Greens in the Bundestag. Following her career in German politics, she previously headed the office of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation in Israel.

Karin Prien​

Karin Prien is the current minister for education, science and cultural affairs of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. and Vice-Chair of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Schleswig-Holstein. In 2011, she was elected to the state senate of the federal state of Hamburg. Since 2018 Karin Prien has also served as spokesperson of the Jewish Forum within the CDU.

Ariel Schiff

Ariel Schiff is the founder and CEO of the Berlin-based AMANO Group. Founded in 2009 together with Artur Süsskind, the group’s portfolio comprises seven hotels in several German cities with more international projects currently underway. In 2019, Ariel Schiff received the award for hotelier of the year.

Axel Wallrabenstein​

Axel Wallrabenstein has been the Chairman of the MSLGROUP Germany since 2008. Before coming to the MSLGROUP he founded and managed the Publicis Public Relations agency (later called Publicis Consultants Germany). Additionally, he serves as head of the advisory board of the German association for digital affairs as well as head of the advisory board of the AllBright Foundation.

Brigitte Zypries​

Brigitte Zypries served as German Minister for Justice from 2002 until 2009 and as Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy from 2017 until 2018. Before taking on the responsibility of leading the Ministry for Economic Affairs and energy, she was tasked with coordinating the fields of IT, air- and space- travel of the ministry as Secretary of State. Brigitte Zypries served as a Member of the German Bundestag for the German Social Democrats from 2005 until 2017.

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