IMPACT: Emerging Leaders Fellowship
Applications for the third edition of the “IMPACT: Emerging Leaders Fellowship” by B’nai B’rith International and the World Union of Jewish Students are now open!
APPLY HERE BY SEPTEMBER 12, 2023!
October 10 – December 12, 2023
Join the virtual fellowship, for weekly opportunities to #MakeAnImpact and gain advocacy, diplomacy and civic engagement skills; expand your knowledge and have your voice heard by high-level policymakers, industry experts and civil society organizations.
NEW THIS YEAR: This year’s IMPACT cohort, along with selected alumni, will meet in person in Israel to participate in a special IMPACT track of the WUJS Centennial Congress! The Congress, taking place from December 28 – January 2 in Jerusalem, will follow the conclusion of the fellowship! The delegation is generously supported by the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem.
- Are you a Jewish Student or Young Professional interested in politics, diplomacy, human rights issues or Jewish advocacy?
- Do you want to engage with high-level speakers and professionals in the fields of diplomacy, journalism, anti-discrimination, genocide prevention and Israel advocacy?
- Do you want to develop your skills in Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Diplomacy in order to make a positive IMPACT in the world today?
Then this fellowship is for you. The interactive program enables fellows to develop personally and professionally by taking part in a series of ten sessions, beginning October 10, 2023 and ending December 12, 2023.
In 2-hour sessions once a week for the duration of the program, external trainers and high-level speakers share their expertise and engage with participants on the most pressing topics for Jewish students. Every session is focused on a different theme, allowing participants to deepen their knowledge and explore competing angles.
Among the topics are:
- Advocacy 101: training and skill-building
- Anti-Semitism on Campus
- Anti-Semitism Online
- Israel in focus: Unpacking old and new debates
- Addressing Holocaust distortion and denial and preventing mass atrocities today
- Jewish pluralism and diversity
For any further information, please contact us at impact@wujs.org.il.
We believe young people are essential voices in our communities, shaping not only the future, but the present. That is why we are proud to partner with the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). WUJS is the central, global, democratically elected Jewish student leadership network, led by students for students. Since 1924, WUJS has served as an umbrella organization, uniting and representing independent Jewish student associations working in over 50 countries around the world. For more information about WUJS, visit wujs.org.il.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
DANIEL MARIASCHIN
CEO, B’nai B’rith International
As the chief executive officer of B’nai B’rith International, Mr Mariaschin directs and supervises B’nai B’rith programs, activities and staff in countries around the world where B’nai B’rith is organized.
Prior to joining B’nai B’rith, Mr. Mariaschin served as director of communications and principal spokesman for former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr. during his 1987-88 presidential campaign. In 1977, Mr. Mariaschin joined the Anti Defamation League (ADL) of B’nai B’rith as director of its Middle East Affairs Department. He then became director of the Political Affairs Department of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he supervised political action activities and grassroots organization programs.
In recognition of his tireless work in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr. Mariaschin received the Cultural Pluralism Award from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. He has also received state decorations from the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and the Golden Bough decoration from the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria.
TOMER ALBUDI
Founder and Executive Director, Fighting Online Antisemitism (FOA)
Tomer Albudi is the founder and executive director of Fighting Online Antisemitism, an Israeli NGO which is dedicated to eliminating antisemitic content from the internet, ensuring and verifying its quick removal and preventing further dissemination. As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, Tomer’s understanding of the profound and devastating effects of antisemitism and racial hatred motivated him to found FOA. Tomer has been lecturing about online antisemitism, cyberhate, and practical ways of monitoring, reporting and removing hate speech since 2018. Tomer previously served as a Jewish Agency Representative in NY, USA (Schenectady JCC, 2015), and as the head of “Israeli Students Combating Antisemitism”, an Israeli students’ program operated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Union of Israeli Students (2017-2018).
JULIA JASSEY
Co-founder and CEO, Jewish on Campus
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and CEO of Jewish on Campus, fellow and podcast host at Opendor Media and scholar at the American Sephardi Federation. She draws from her distinct background as an American Jewish woman from Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi ancestry as an advocate for the Jewish community. As a student at the University of Chicago studying Political Science, English, and Jewish Studies, Jassey hopes to use her experiences to cultivate specializations in international conflict resolution and public policy.
FERNANDO LOTTENBERG
Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Organization of American States (OAS)
Fernando Lottenberg was appointed to the role of Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism in 2021. He served as President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Brazil and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Latin American and Latino Affairs of the American Jewish Committee. A prestigious constitutional lawyer, his voice is recognized throughout the Americas as an active defender of democracy and human rights.
RABBI LYDIA MEDWIN
Associate Rabbi, The Temple, Atlanta, Georgia
Rabbi Lydia Medwin joined the clergy team at The Temple in 2014 and currently serves as Associate Rabbi. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Lydia attended the University of Texas at Austin and Hebrew University for undergraduate studies, earning degrees in Middle Eastern Studies and Honors Humanities. She was ordained on the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College in May of 2010. While there, she received a Masters of Hebrew Letters and a Master in Jewish Education from the Rhea Hirsch School. She later served for four years as a pulpit rabbi at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles prior to coming to Atlanta. Rabbi Medwin is a certified Jewish Meditation Teacher.
She sits on the board of the Black Religious Roundtable and engages multifaith dialogues on topics like Preventing Political Violence with the Carter Center. She has led her Temple team to win awards for interfaith, coalition-based social justice work.
Since 2018, Lydia has co-founded – and proudly serves as co-chair of – the board for the Multi-faith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration (EMI) with the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and many other partners.
HANNAH ROSE
Analyst, Hate and Extremism, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)
Hannah Rose is a Hate and Extremism Analyst at ISD, where she researches far-right extremism and antisemitism online. Previously, Hannah worked as a Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, where she authored various reports, including focusing on young people’s involvement in violent extremist networks.
Hannah is a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, researching contemporary antisemitism across the far right. She also holds an MA with distinction from KCL in Terrorism, Security and Society, where she was awarded the department prize for best MA dissertation, and a first-class BA from the University of Bristol. Hannah is a trustee of the Union of Jewish Students in the UK and Ireland.
SACHA ROYTMAN-DRATWA
CEO, Combat Antisemitism Movement
Sacha Roytman-Dratwa serves as the CEO of CAM. Prior to joining CAM, Sacha led the Digital Advocacy Unit at the World Jewish Congress. At the WJC, Sacha led the #WeRemember Campaign for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the world’s largest digital educational campaign. He previously worked for Rimon Cohen Sheinkman, a leading PR firm in Israel, as the director of digital media communication, and prior to that commanded the Israel Defense Forces’ New Media Operations team. Sacha holds a bachelor’s degree in Interactive Communications from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
KATHARINA VON SCHNURBEIN
European Commission Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism and Fostering Jewish Life
Katharina von Schnurbein was appointed the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life in December 2015. Her mandate includes liaising closely with the Jewish community on behalf of the European Commission, proposing and implementing EC policy to prevent and fight antisemitism.
Previously, she worked for five years as advisor to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso on the dialogue with churches, religions and non-confessional organizations. Katharina started working for the Commission in 2002, serving as press officer for the EU Delegation in Prague. With enlargement in 2004, she moved to Brussels as spokesperson on employment, social affairs and equal opportunities for the Czech EU Commissioner Vladimir Špidla.
PETER STERN
Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement, Facebook
Peter Stern is Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement at Facebook. Content Policy is responsible for making and interpreting policies governing what people can share on Facebook. Stern leads a team that builds relationships with NGOs, academics, and other thought leaders to incorporate external feedback into Facebook’s content policy development process. Before joining Facebook in 2014, he was a partner at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where his practice included litigation and counseling in the area of corporate social responsibility. Stern obtained his M.A. in History and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
BARAK SELLA
Activist and Researcher
Barak Sella (Israel, USA) is an educator, activist, researcher, and one of the leading Israeli experts on U.S.-Israel relations and World Jewry.
He previously served as the Director of the Reut Institute, one of Israel’s foremost think tanks on strategy and leadership. During his years at the institute, Barak worked with leading actors in the Israeli government and with NGOs from Israel and the U.S. on various issues: Israel delegitimization, antisemitism, Jewish Peoplehood, and Israel-U.S. relations. He also led the “Jewish Peoplehood Coalition,” the largest network connecting Israel and World Jewry with over 600 leaders.
Currently an MC/MPA candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, Barak holds a Master’s degree in North American Jewish Studies from the University of Haifa, a B.Ed. in In-Formal Education, and is a licensed History Teacher.
A published author and op-ed contributor, Barak’s insights into Jewish identity, diaspora relations, and contemporary sociopolitical dynamics are well-regarded. With appearances across various media outlets, speaking at numerous conferences in the Jewish community, and consulting for government and leading NGOs, his voice contributes substantially to the global dialogue on Jewish affairs. As an activist and community organizer, Barak’s activities focused on building bridges within communities in Israel and worldwide, most notably leading one of Israel’s first COVID-19 volunteer response networks.
MORE SPEAKERS TO BE ANNOUNCED
1st edition speakers and alumni:
Director of Development, Abraham Initiatives
Anton Goodman is a professional activist working for peace, equality and integration in Israeli society, and helping to build connections between Israelis and Palestinians on a grass-roots level. Since 2013, Anton has directed international development at the Abraham Initiatives, a major Jewish-Arab non-profit organization, promoting shared society, equality and representation. In this role, Anton has attained major grants from the EU, the U.S. State Department and Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. By focusing on learning from comparative examples and using best practices from other societies struggling with division, Anton broadens horizons and builds international partnerships.On a grassroots level, Anton is a member of the board of directors of Oz VeShalom, the Jewish religious peace movement in Israel, and regularly leads activities ranging from interfaith dialogue and political demonstrations, to interventions that take a stand on the issue of Jewish extremism.
President, European Union of Jewish Students
Bini Guttmann is President of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), the democratic, peer-led, umbrella organization of Jewish Student Unions in 36 countries, representing 160,000 young Jews (ages 18 to 35) across Europe.EUJS is a pluralistic, inclusive, and nonpartisan organization that supports Jewish student unions throughout Europe and represents its members in front of European institutions, the OSCE, and the UNHRC as well as towards big Jewish organizations. Guttmann is focused on ensuring EUJS has a loud and democratic political voice with which it advocates for young Jews across Europe, while simultaneously aiming to build a positive foundation for Jewish identity and a common European-Jewish narrative.Guttmann is from Vienna, Austria, where he studied Law and Political Science at the University of Vienna. There, he built up and led the Austrian Union of Jewish Students (JöH) for three years, turning it into one of the most active Jewish Student Unions in Europe.
DANIEL MARIASCHIN
CEO, B’nai B’rith International
As the chief executive officer of B’nai B’rith International, Mr Mariaschin directs and supervises B’nai B’rith programs, activities and staff in countries around the world where B’nai B’rith is organized.Prior to joining B’nai B’rith, Mr. Mariaschin served as director of communications and principal spokesman for former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr. during his 1987-88 presidential campaign.In 1977, Mr. Mariaschin joined the Anti Defamation League (ADL) of B’nai B’rith as director of its Middle East Affairs Department.He then became director of the Political Affairs Department of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he supervised political action activities and grassroots organization programs.In recognition of his tireless work in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr. Mariaschin received the Cultural Pluralism Award from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. He has also received state decorations from the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and the Golden Bough decoration from the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria.
Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London
Dr. David Hirsh published his PhD thesis as ”Law Against Genocide: Cosmopolitan Trials” (2003). He has been at the forefront of the opposition to the campaign for an academic boycott of Israel and of anti-Semitism that is associated with anti-Zionism. He wrote “Contemporary Left Antisemitism” (2018) which tells the story of left anti-Semitism in Britain in the 21st Century and offers some ways of understanding it .Dr. Hirsh is also interested in understanding contemporary populism of both the left and the right, its relationship to anti-democratic politics and to anti-Semitism.You can see links to lots of things he has written via his Goldsmiths homepage. You can find him on Twitter @DavidHirsh and on facebook @dhirsh1.
Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs, B’nai B’rith International
David Michaels is Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs at B’nai B’rith International, where he began working in 2004 as Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President. A Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar, and past winner of the Young Professional Award of the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America, he holds degrees from Yale and Yeshiva University.
EDWARD SEROTTA
Director of CENTROPA
Edward Serotta is a journalist, photographer and filmmaker specializing in Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe. Edward founded Centropa in 2000.
Centropa is a non-profit, Jewish historical institute dedicated to preserving 20th century Jewish family stories and photos from Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and disseminating these stories and photos through films, books and exhibitions.Born in Savannah, Georgia, Serotta has worked in Central Europe since 1985. Between 1996 and 1999, he produced three films for ABC News Nightline. Edward has published three books: “Out of the Shadows,” “Survival in Sarajevo” and “Jews, Germany, Memory.” He has contributed to Time Magazine, The L.A.Times, The Washington Post and other outlets.
Director of Legislative Affairs, B’nai B’rith International
Eric Fusfield, Esq. has been B’nai B’rith International’s director of legislative affairs since 2003 and deputy director of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy since 2007. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University in history; an M.St. in modern Jewish studies from Oxford University; and a J.D./M.A. from American University in law and international affairs.
Mediator and Trainer
Fabrice Teicher has worked for more than 20 years in the field of education, training and international solidarity in Europe, Asia and Africa. He led training programs for the international projects of a French Scouting association, and was then deputy head of the educational department of the Holocaust Memorial in Paris. Teicher later directed a humanitarian development NGO present in 12 countries to help children in need.Today, as a consultant, Teicher assists non-profit organizations in strengthening their internal structure (e.g., governance, internal organization, business model and strategy) as well as in their change of scale (coalition building, development of new activities). His activities have led him to work in France and abroad (Europe, Africa, Asia) for national and international organizations, including UNESCO, the EU and ODIHR.A historian by training, Teicher has spent 20 years on the issues of racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination and conspiracy theories. Since 2015, he has been regularly involved in programs focused on combating violent extremism and strengthening media education, in France and abroad – in schools, prisons, as well as with professionals confronted with the rise of racism and extremism on a daily basis (teachers, civil servants, social workers, policy makers).Teicher is an expert for the Radicalization Awareness Network of the European Commission and an expert on the Prevention of Violent Extremism with UNESCO.
President, Yahad – In Unum
Father Patrick Desbois has devoted his life to researching the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism, and furthering relations between Catholics and Jews. Father Desbois is a Catholic priest and President of Yahad – In Unum, a global humanitarian organization he founded in 2004 dedicated to identifying and commemorating the sites of Jewish and Roma mass executions in Eastern Europe during World War II.Father Desbois is a Professor at Georgetown University. In 2004, he began to research the story of the Jews, Roma and other victims murdered in Eastern Europe during WWII by the Nazi mobile killing units, the Einsatzgruppen. His work through Yahad has been recognized through numerous awards and public commentary in France and throughout the world.Father Desbois is also the author of “The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews“, Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, and the recently released “The Fabric of Terrorists: Into the Secrets of Daesh”,based on his investigation of the Yazidi genocide in Iraq.
Advisor on Civil Society Relations, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Griffin Ferry joined ODIHR in November 2018 as TND’s Advisor on Civil Society Relations. He is an American attorney with expertise in public international law, sparked by his work with Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (the current Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism) focusing on international human rights law, international humanitarian law, transitional justice, and international criminal law.In 2015, Ferry won the International Humanitarian Law Student Writing Competition with a focus on sexual and gender based violence in armed conflict, won the 2015 Clara Barton IHL Competition, and was selected as a winner of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Law Award. Griffin has worked on a variety of international legal issues with the Advocates for Human Rights and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Most recently, Ferry has been working as the Legal Advisor on International Humanitarian Law for the American Red Cross, where he worked as an expert trainer on international humanitarian law for the military, CSOs, students, and the American public.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Israel to the U.N. in Geneva
Ambassador Eilon Shahar comes to Geneva after a distinguished diplomatic career with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, serving as Ambassador to Vietnam (2012-2017) and as Deputy Director-General for Coordination and Policy Planning (2017-2020). Her different posts included representing Israel as Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of the Israel to the United Nations in New York (2005-2009), and heading the Department for United Nations Political Affairs at the Israeli MFA (2009-2012).
Junior Professional Officer, Addressing Anti-Semitism, UNESCO
Isabel Tamoj works as Junior Professional Officer at UNESCO on issues pertaining to addressing anti-Semitism through education and education about violent pasts. She joined UNESCO in 2017 and has contributed to the development and organization of related activities, including UNESCO’s and OSCE/ODIHR’s joint publications and workshops on addressing anti-Semitism through education. Tamoj holds an MA in Human Rights from Sciences Po and has worked with research institutes and civil society organizations in France, Germany, Canada, and the United States on Holocaust remembrance and the prevention of contemporary forms of discrimination.
Director of Palestinian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel
Jonathan Rosenzweig is the Director of Palestinian Affairs and Regional Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel. In the past, he also held the position of Director of European Parliament Department at Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO in Brussels, and Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Israel in Romania. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Excellence Program of The School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Co-founder and CEO, Jewish on Campus
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and CEO of Jewish on Campus, fellow and podcast host at Opendor Media and scholar at the American Sephardi Federation. She draws from her distinct background as an American Jewish woman from Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi ancestry as an advocate for the Jewish community. As a student at the University of Chicago studying Political Science, English, and Jewish Studies, Jassey hopes to use her experiences to cultivate specializations in international conflict resolution and public policy.
LAURA CAZÉS
Head of Communication and Digitalization, Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany (ZWST)
Laura Cazés works as Head of Communication and Digitalization for the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany. She studied Psychology and began her professional career as Coordinator of the newly founded German-Israeli Volunteer Service. In 2019 she was appointed as Advisor on Organizational Development for the ZWST.
Between 2017 and 2019, Cazés served as elected vice-president of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS). As a speaker, her special fields of expertise are the diverse realities of young Jewish life in Germany, womens rights and gender equality as well as interfaith and intercultural alliances. She developed the concept of the first Jewish Women Empowerment Summit in Germany on behalf of the Educational Department of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Jewish Student Union in Germany, that took place in February 2019 and September 2020.
Former Member of the Knesset
Michal Cotler-Wunsh served as a member of the Knesset for the Blue and White alliance from 2020 to 2021. While serving, she was the Chair of the Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Use, Chair of the Subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora Relations, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense, Law, Children’s Rights, Women’s Rights, Immigration and Integration Committees andwas part of the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Anti-Semitism.Cotler-Wunsh was born in Israel and grew up in Canada. She received her LL.B. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her LL.M. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Human Rights under Pressure – Ethics, Law and Politics program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Freie Universität of Berlin, researching freedom of speech, civil liberties, democratic theories and multiculturalism.
Head of Policy and Research, Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Milo Comerford is Head of Policy and Research at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, leading ISD’s work developing innovative research approaches and policy responses to extremism. Comerford regularly briefs senior decision makers around the world on the challenges posed by extremist ideologies, and advises governments and international agencies on building effective strategies for countering extremism.He was previously Senior Analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he led major research projects on Salafi-jihadi propaganda, international educational responses to extremism and the transnational far-right. Comerford’s writing and research features frequently in international media, with recent broadcast appearances on BBC News and Sky News.
Activist and former President of the German Union of Jewish Students (JSUD)
Mischa Ushakov is a former President of the German Union of Jewish Students. Since his childhood, he has been part of several Jewish youth movements anda regular Machanot-goer (i.e., camp-goer). He began volunteering as a Madrich and became involved in interfaith dialogue leading the project “Jung, Jüdisch, Bayerisch“ (Young, Jewish, Bavarian) at the European Janusz Korcak Academie. Three years ago, Ushakov was able to combine his political and Jewish activism – building up the policy department inside JSUD (the German Union of Jewish Students), and in 2019 and 2020served as president of the organization.In January 2020, together with Bini Guttmann, president of the European Union of Jewish Students, Ushakov started the “Never Again. Right Now” campaign. In addition to his social activism, he recently finished his bachelor’s degree in industrial design, incorporating political self-understanding into his design work focusing on the question of design as a political and society-shaping tool.
Senior Director of Programs and Strategy, A Wider Bridge
Nate Shalev is the Senior Director of Programs and Strategy at A Wider Bridge. They have been excited to work with the A Wider Bridge team to build more inclusive and equitable communities in North America and Israel. They have been working in LGBTQ advocacy for close to a decade as one of the organizers for the NYC Dyke March and have been involved in hosting events, facilitating workshops, and driving initiatives for LGBTQ women, trans, & non -binary communities in NYC.Prior to A Wider Bridge, Shalev served as the director of programs at Lesbians Who Tech & Allies and have worked for organizations fighting for equity, like Girls Who Code, Art-Start, iMentor, and others.Outside of working hours, Shalev can be found on the side of a roller derby rink or hanging with their adorable beagle mix, Joan Jett. They holdan M.A. from NYU in Sociology of Education and a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University in English, Creative Writing and Human Rights.
Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement, Facebook
Peter Stern is Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement at Facebook. Content Policy is responsible for making and interpreting policies governing what people can share on Facebook. Stern leads a team that builds relationships with NGOs, academics, and other thought leaders to incorporate external feedback into Facebook’s content policy development process. Before joining Facebook in 2014, he was a partner at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where his practice included litigation and counseling in the area of corporate social responsibility. Stern obtained his M.A. in History and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Journalist, Author and Activist
Raheel Raza is part of the Steering Committee of the Council of Muslims Against Anti-Semitism. She is the President of The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow, founding member of The Muslim Reform Movement and Director of Forum for Learning. Raza is the author of the book “Their Jihad – Not My Jihad,” and an award winning journalist, public speaker and advocate for human rights, gender equality and dignity in diversity.
Communications Director, Democratic Party of Georgia
Rebecca Galanti is the Communications Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia. During the 2020 U.S. election cycle, she served as Deputy Press Secretary on the Biden campaign in Georgia, then as Deputy Communications Director for the state party’s Senate Runoffs operation.Previously, Galanti worked in communications for a host of progressive issue advocacy campaigns in Washington, D.C., including expanding access to health care and environmental protection. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Rebecca earned her degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Deputy Director for International Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Dr. Robert Williams is Deputy Director for International Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), on the steering committee of the Global Task Force on Holocaust Distortion, and previously served for four years as chair of the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). He regularly advises international organizations and governments on anti-Semitism and Holocaust issues, and is currently overseeing a major initiative that assesses European Holocaust and genocide denial laws.Dr. Williams’ research specialties include German history, U.S. and Russian foreign policy, propaganda and disinformation, and contemporary anti-Semitism. Outside of work, he is co-editing a volume for Routledge on the history of anti-Semitism and a separate monograph on the impact and forms of contemporary political anti-Semitism.
Labour MP for Barking
Dame Margaret Hodge is the Labour MP for Barking, and has been an Member of Parliament continuously since June 1994. She held several government positions in the last Labour government, holding portfolios across education, work and pensions, business and culture. In 2010, Hodge became the first woman elected Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, serving until 2015. She was an outspoken voice against anti-Semitism in her own party, calling for reform and a change in culture.
Policy Director, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic Staff
Sarah Arkin is the Policy Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff, where she also covers the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, she was Foreign Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. Prior to that, she was Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, covering foreign policy, and associate staff of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee.Arkin also served in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, covering a range of issues including human rights, religious freedom and women’s rights. She worked as a research assistant at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University and the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown University and received a Boren National Security Education Program Fellowship in Cairo in 2012. Before that, Arkin worked as a journalist and photojournalist, winning a Virginia Press Association Breaking News Award in 2009. She has lived in Israel, Kenya, and Uganda.She holds a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University and an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University.
STACEY AVIVA FLINT
Executive Director, Bonai Shalom Congregation, Boulder, CO
Stacey Aviva Flint is a longtime nonprofit and Jewish professional. Stacey has a BA in Political Science from the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Urban Planning and Public Policy for UIC (CHICAGO), and a Certificates in Jewish Leadership and Jewish Education from Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.
Flint began her career as the Policy Director for Chicago’s Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) advocating for housing reform, criminal justice, and Jewish/African-American dialogue. Flint went on to specialize in Economic Development as Senior Director of Real Estate Development for Affordable Housing, Mixed-Use Spaces, Brownfield Redevelopment, and New Market Tax Credit financing.
Flint is passionate about Jewish African American relationship building with current and past membership in the Jewish Black Business Alliance, American Jewish Committee, JCRC of Chicago Jewish Federation, Chicago JCC Engagers, MOED of Jewish Federations of North America, Alliance4Israel, a Board Member of West Suburban Temple Har Zion in River Forest, Illinois. In her spare time, she nurtures a college student and a teenager while speaking and writing nationally on anti-Semitism and Jews of Color.
Learn more about Stacey:
- Watch her ELI talk: Many Faces – One Community
- Read her article in Times of Israel: Never Again, Northern Star
- Read Stacey’s interview with the Intermountain Jewish News
YOSSI KLEIN HALEVI
Yossi Klein Halevi is one of Israel’s most foremost intellectuals, authors and journalists. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he has lived in Jerusalem since 1982. He is a senior fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and together with Imam Abdullah Antelpi of Duke University, he co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative.His latest book, ”Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor,” is a New York Times bestseller. He is the author of ”At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew’s Search for God with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land” and ”Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation,” which won the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Family Book of the Year Award for Best Jewish Book in 2013.
He writes for leading op-ed pages in the United States, including The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and is a former contributing editor to the New Republic.
International Law Professor at Hebrew University, Researcher at Israel Democracy Institute, former UN Human Rights Committee Chair
Professor Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law at the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also currently serves as a director in the International Law Forum at the Hebrew University and the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT), as well as the vice-president of research at the Israel Democracy Institute.Between 2013 and 2020, Shany served as a member of the U.N. Human Rights Committee and was Chair of the Committee between 2018-2019. He holds degrees in law from the Hebrew University (LL.B, 1995 cum laude), New York University (LL.M., 1997) and the University of London (Ph.D., 2001) and he has published a large number of books and articles on international courts and tribunals, and other international law topics such as international human rights and international humanitarian law.More recently, Shany has been a research fellow at Harvard and Amsterdam University, and a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, Michigan University Law School, Columbia University Law School and the Faculty of Law of the University of Sydney.
MENTORS AND SUPPORTERS
Our mentors and supporters are a diverse network of young professionals working in government, the non-profit sector and as industry experts who have committed to serving as resources for our fellows. They are specialized in the thematic areas undertaken by the fellowship and will ensure participants in the program can benefit from their knowledge and expertise throughout and beyond the duration of the fellowship.
- Adam Moscoe, Canadian policy professional, President of the Tamir Foundation
- Amy Wagner, Special Adviser to Lord Mann – Office of HM Government’s Independent Adviser on Anti-Semitism
- Ana Fota,Social Media Producer for POLITICO Europe
- Bini Guttmann, President, European Union of Jewish Students
- Colin Bulka, YESOD Europe Programme Director
- Dany Levin Prist, Employment, Social Affairs & Equality, Portuguese Presidency of the European Union
- Dr. Halliki Voolma, EU Gender Equality Policy Expert
- Gal Winrebe, Director of Partnerships at Shrinking the Conflict Initiative
- Ilan Selby, Search for Common Ground
- Johannes Börmann, European Commission, Holocaust Remembrance, Research and Education
- Jelena Jovanovic, European Parliament, Coordinator of the Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup
- Naomi Mittelmann Cohen, Incoming International Project Manager for the Department of Combating Anti-Semitism and Enhancing Resilience at the World Zionist Organization (WZO)
- Olga Deutsch, Vice President, NGO Monitor
- Paula Kweskin, Founder and Director, The 49%
- Josef Wilkinson, Communication and Advocacy Coordinator and Social Media Officer, Zionism Victoria | The Lamm Jewish Library of Australia
2nd edition speakers and alumni:
AIPG – Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide
Through education, training, and technical assistance, AIPG supports States to develop or strengthen policies and practices for the prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities. The Institute also encourages and supports the cooperation of States through regional and international networks to advance prevention.
More than seven decades after the Holocaust, genocide and other mass atrocities remain a threat to world peace and security. Effective genocide prevention requires a multi-dimensional approach to education. The Auschwitz Institute’s programs are carefully designed by experts in the field of genocide prevention to provide comprehensive training for policymakers and forge networks of cooperation across the globe.
DANIEL MARIASCHIN
CEO, B’nai B’rith International
As the chief executive officer of B’nai B’rith International, Mr Mariaschin directs and supervises B’nai B’rith programs, activities and staff in countries around the world where B’nai B’rith is organized.
Prior to joining B’nai B’rith, Mr. Mariaschin served as director of communications and principal spokesman for former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, Jr. during his 1987-88 presidential campaign. In 1977, Mr. Mariaschin joined the Anti Defamation League (ADL) of B’nai B’rith as director of its Middle East Affairs Department. He then became director of the Political Affairs Department of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where he supervised political action activities and grassroots organization programs.
In recognition of his tireless work in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr. Mariaschin received the Cultural Pluralism Award from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. He has also received state decorations from the presidents of Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and the Golden Bough decoration from the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria.
DAVID MICHAELS
Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs, B’nai B’rith International
David Michaels is Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs at B’nai B’rith International, where he began working in 2004 as Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President. A Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar, and past winner of the Young Professional Award of the Jewish Communal Service Association of North America, he holds degrees from Yale and Yeshiva University.
ERIC FUSFIELD
Director of Legislative Affairs, B’nai B’rith International
Eric Fusfield, Esq. has been B’nai B’rith International’s director of legislative affairs since 2003 and deputy director of the B’nai B’rith International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy since 2007. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University in history; an M.St. in modern Jewish studies from Oxford University; and a J.D./M.A. from American University in law and international affairs.
FABRICE TEICHER
Mediator and Trainer
Fabrice Teicher has worked for more than 20 years in the field of education, training and international solidarity in Europe, Asia and Africa. He led training programs for the international projects of a French Scouting association, and was then deputy head of the educational department of the Holocaust Memorial in Paris. Teicher later directed a humanitarian development NGO present in 12 countries to help children in need.
Today, as a consultant, Teicher assists non-profit organizations in strengthening their internal structure (e.g., governance, internal organization, business model and strategy) as well as in their change of scale (coalition building, development of new activities). His activities have led him to work in France and abroad (Europe, Africa, Asia) for national and international organizations, including UNESCO, the EU and ODIHR.
A historian by training, Teicher has spent 20 years on the issues of racism, anti-Semitism, discrimination and conspiracy theories. Since 2015, he has been regularly involved in programs focused on combating violent extremism and strengthening media education, in France and abroad – in schools, prisons, as well as with professionals confronted with the rise of racism and extremism on a daily basis (teachers, civil servants, social workers, policy makers).
Teicher is an expert for the Radicalization Awareness Network of the European Commission and an expert on the Prevention of Violent Extremism with UNESCO.
H.E. MR. HAIM REGEV
Ambassador, Head of Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO
Ambassador Haim Regev was Head of the Middle East and Peace Process Division in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from August 2016 to August 2021. In addition, between May 2020 and June 2021, Ambassador Regev served as Chief of Staff for Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi. In his last mission overseas (2004 to 2008), Ambassador Regev served as Counselor for Congressional Affairs at the Embassy of Israel in Washington D.C.
Ambassador Regev joined Israel’s Foreign Service in 1994. He served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Mission in Muscat, Oman (1996 to 1998), and as Deputy Consul General to Florida in Miami (1998 to 2001). In Jerusalem, Ambassador Regev served in the Department for Middle East Economic Affairs (2001 to 2004), and as Director of the Coordination Department in the office of the Director General (2013 to 2016).
JANE E. LAWSON
Senior Advisor on Civil Society Relations, OSCE/ODIHR
Jane E. Lawson is the Senior Advisor on Civil Society Relations with OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Ms. Lawson leads the Tolerance and Non-discrimination department’s work related to engagement with civil society, including capacity-building and coalition-building, notably in response to the conflict in Ukraine. Previously, she managed ODIHR’s Enhancing Stakeholder Awareness and Resources for Hate Crime Victim Support (EStAR) project and coordinated the hate crime victim support working group for the EU High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime.
Before joining ODIHR, she worked on peace and disarmament education for the United Nations Regional Office for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific and designed multiple programmes; including how to address security risks from new technologies. She also coordinated the UN – Myanmar Government joint response to the Kofi Annan Commission’s report on Rakhine State and has been an advisor to a large number of complex peacebuilding programmes including the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sri Lanka and Palestine.
She holds a master’s degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding, receiving the Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal for her research on refugee peace programming which was published by UNHCR.
H.E. MS. MEIRAV EILON SHAHAR
Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Israel to the U.N. in Geneva
Ambassador Eilon Shahar comes to Geneva after a distinguished diplomatic career with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, serving as Ambassador to Vietnam (2012-2017) and as Deputy Director-General for Coordination and Policy Planning (2017-2020). Her different posts included representing Israel as Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in New York (2005-2009), and heading the Department for United Nations Political Affairs at the Israeli MFA (2009-2012).
MELINDA HARING
Deputy Director, Atlantic Council Eurasia Center
Melinda Haring is the deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Previously, she was the editor of the Atlantic Council’s popular publication, the UkraineAlert blog. She is the author of the report ‘Reforming the democracy bureaucracy’ (FPRI, 2013), coauthor of ‘Biden and Ukraine: a strategy for the next administration’ (Atlantic Council, 2021), ‘Biden and Belarus: a strategy for the next administration’ (Atlantic Council, 2021). A graduate of Georgetown University, she holds an MA in Government with a certificate in Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies. Haring is the vice-chair of the board of East Europe Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine, a member of the supervisory board of Right to Protection in Kyiv, Ukraine, and a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
MIKOLAJ WRZECIONKOWSKI
Advisor on Combating Anti-Semitism, OSCE/ODIHR
Mikolaj Wrzecionkowski is ODIHR’s Adviser on Combating Anti-Semitism. With over 14 years of professional experience in multilateral diplomacy, policy and legal advice on cross-jurisdictional matters, capacity building, strategic communication, and project management at the international level, Mikolaj assessed draft and existing legislation against the background of its compatibility with international human rights standards and led the implementation of large-scale projects on the security of minority communities.
Prior to joining OSCE/ODIHR, Mikolaj has worked for Amnesty International UK and two international law firms in London. He holds a Master of Science in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.
NATE SHALEV
Senior Director of Programs and Strategy, A Wider Bridge
Nate Shalev is the Senior Director of Programs and Strategy at A Wider Bridge. They have been excited to work with the A Wider Bridge team to build more inclusive and equitable communities in North America and Israel. They have been working in LGBTQ advocacy for close to a decade as one of the organizers for the NYC Dyke March and have been involved in hosting events, facilitating workshops, and driving initiatives for LGBTQ women, trans, and non-binary communities in NYC.
Prior to A Wider Bridge, Shalev served as the director of programs at Lesbians Who Tech & Allies and have worked for organizations fighting for equity, like Girls Who Code, Art-Start, iMentor, and others.
Outside of working hours, Shalev can be found on the side of a roller derby rink or hanging with their adorable beagle mix, Joan Jett. They hold an M.A. from NYU in Sociology of Education and a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University in English, Creative Writing and Human Rights.
PETER STERN
Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement, Facebook
Peter Stern is Director, Content Policy Stakeholder Engagement at Facebook. Content Policy is responsible for making and interpreting policies governing what people can share on Facebook. Stern leads a team that builds relationships with NGOs, academics, and other thought leaders to incorporate external feedback into Facebook’s content policy development process. Before joining Facebook in 2014, he was a partner at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP, where his practice included litigation and counseling in the area of corporate social responsibility. Stern obtained his M.A. in History and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
RABBI REBECCA BLADY
Co-founder and Executive Director, Base Hillel Berlin
Rabbi Rebecca Blady is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Base Hillel Berlin, a home-based, pluralistic Jewish community for young Jews in Berlin, Germany. For the past three years, she has worked with Hillel’s Office of Innovation, first as a Fellow and then as Program Coordinator for the Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs. While at Maharat, she completed rabbinic internships at the Prospect Heights Shul and ImmerseNYC. Rabbi Rebecca holds a B.A. cum laude from Brandeis University and is a certified yoga instructor. A proud granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Rabbi Rebecca advocates for every individual Jewish story. She lives in Berlin, Germany.
DR. ROBERT WILLIAMS
Deputy Director for International Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Dr. Robert Williams is Deputy Director for International Affairs at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), on the steering committee of the Global Task Force on Holocaust Distortion, and previously served for four years as chair of the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). He regularly advises international organizations and governments on anti-Semitism and Holocaust issues, and is currently overseeing a major initiative that assesses European Holocaust and genocide denial laws. Dr. Williams’ research specialties include German history, U.S. and Russian foreign policy, propaganda and disinformation, and contemporary anti-Semitism.
Outside of work, he is co-editing a volume for Routledge on the history of anti-Semitism and a separate monograph on the impact and forms of contemporary political anti-Semitism.
YONI BERROUS
Educator and Trainer, Yad Vashem
Yoni Berrous was born in France and moved to Israel in 1992. He has an MA in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2007, Yoni Berrous began working as a guide for students and Israeli security personnel at Yad Vashem. He has also worked as the Head of the European Jewish Programming in the International School for Holocaust Studies, providing educational training for formal and informal educators from Jewish communities in Europe. He is currently responsible at Yad Vashem for developing Holocaust training for educators from Canada.