Voices of Impact

Chemi Peres is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Pitango, one of Israel’s largest venture capital firms with over $2.8 billion in assets under management and investments in more than 250 companies. A former pilot in the Israeli Air Force, where he served for a decade, Chemi is the Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. He also serves on the boards of several companies and is a...

Wendy spent nine years as the Founding Executive Director of Start-Up Nation Central (SNC), where she built the professional team and connected Israel’s tech ecosystem with global governments and corporations. Today, she advises Israeli start-ups like ZzappMalaria and collaborates with venture funds to help entrepreneurs refine their pitches. Wendy also lectures widely on Israeli innovation to cor...

David Magerman is the founder and President of Tzemach David, previously known as the Kohelet Foundation in the U.S., where he has supported Jewish education in Philadelphia, the United States, and Israel since 2009. He has also funded works including the Koren Ani Tefilla Siddur Series, the Magerman Shabbat Chumash, the Sacks Tanakh, and the Steinsaltz Tanya. Professionally, David is a co-founder...

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is Israel’s Special Envoy for Innovation and a Senior Fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy. She previously served as the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, leading the City’s efforts in foreign relations, international economic development, and tourism. Fleur is also the co-founder of the UAE-Israel Business Council, an organization that unites Emir...

Dan Meridor is a former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Justice. He served as a tank commander in both the Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars. Dan is currently Chairman of the Board at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, with past leadership roles at the Israel Philharmonic, Israel Museum, Gesher Theatre, and as Chairman of the Jerusalem Founda...

Rabbi David Rosen is the Special Interfaith Advisor to the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. Previously, he served as the longtime International Director of Interreligious Affairs for the AJC, rabbi of South Africa’s largest Orthodox Jewish congregation, and Chief Rabbi of Ireland. In recognition of his contributions to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation, Rabbi Rosen was granted a Papal Knighthood...

Sanford "Sandy" Cardin is the founder of Global Jewry and the former President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. He started his career as the Mid-Atlantic Director for the Jerusalem Foundation and, in 1994, moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the Schusterman Foundation’s first Executive Director. With a lifelong commitment to Jewish causes, Sandy has served on numerou...

Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna is a leading scholar of American Jewish history and serves as the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor at Brandeis University, where he directs the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. A Yale PhD and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has taught at institutions including Brandeis, Hebrew Union College, and Harvard. Dr. Sarna was also the past presid...

Jonathan Medved is the Founder and CEO of OurCrowd. Named by the Washington Post as “one of Israel’s leading high-tech venture capitalists” and by the New York Times among the “top 10 most influential Americans who have impacted Israel,” Jon is also a serial entrepreneur, investor, and one of the pioneers of Israel’s venture capital industry. He founded OurCrowd in 2013, a leading online global ve...

Miki Naftali is the Chairman and CEO of Naftali Group with a remarkable career spanning over 35 years in global real estate. He has managed and developed more than $15 billion in assets across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, including a significant luxury portfolio in New York City. Before Naftali Group, he co-founded El Ad Properties, where he oversaw the transformation of The P...

Dov Moran is the Managing Partner of Grove Ventures and a pioneer in Israeli hi-tech. He is best known for inventing the USB flash drive. Dov founded M-Systems, which was later sold to SanDisk for $1.6 billion, and served as chairman of Tower Semiconductors until its $5.4 billion acquisition by Intel. In 2016, he shared his entrepreneurial journey and insights in his book 100 Doors – An Introducti...

Rabbi David Wolpe is the Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi of Sinai Temple, the ADL’s inaugural rabbinic fellow, and a scholar in residence at the Maimonides Fund. He has taught at Harvard, JTS, American Jewish University, Hunter College, and UCLA. A prolific writer, Rabbi Wolpe has been widely published in outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Atlantic. He has also authored eight books,...

Mark Mellman is the CEO of The Mellman Group and a past President of the American Association of Political Consultants. He has guided the campaigns of over thirty U.S. Senators, a dozen Governors, and numerous Members of Congress, including figures like Harry Reid, Maria Cantwell, and Tony Evers. Mark’s international work includes advising Yair Lapid’s meteoric rise in Israeli politics, as well as...

Yaakov Katz is an Israeli-American journalist and author, best known for serving as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post from 2016 to 2023. He has authored three books, including Shadow Strike and Weapon Wizards, with a new book scheduled for release in 2025. Previously, Yaakov spent nearly a decade as a military reporter and defense analyst. He served as a senior policy adviser to Naftali Bennet...

Jay Lefkowitz is a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a seminar on Supreme Court advocacy. He has led numerous high-profile cases, including two landmark 5-4 Supreme Court victories for the pharmaceutical industry. Jay served as United States Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea and as a senior White House advisor to...

Seth Pinsky is CEO of The 92nd Street Y, one of New York’s leading cultural and community centers. Before joining 92NY, Seth served as Executive Vice President at RXR Realty, overseeing investments in emerging opportunities across the New York region. Earlier in his career, he played a key role in developing Mayor Bloomberg’s $20 billion initiative to protect New York from climate change impacts a...

Yitz Applbaum is a Co-Founder and Partner at MizMaa Ventures. After selling his company to Bank of America in 1999, he became a Senior Vice President overseeing the e-Ventures group. He is now an advisor to many organizations and individuals, including Eight VC Partners and the Saudi Minister of Communications, Information Technology, and Space. Yitz also is a philanthropist and board member of Th...

Evan Fallenberg is a professor of creative writing and literary translation at Bar-Ilan University in Israel and a former co-director of the International MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author of acclaimed novels such as Light Fell and The Parting Gift , has translated numerous works by prominent Israeli writers, and founded Arabesque, an arts center and boutique hotel in A...

Halie Soifer is the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), a role she has held since 2020, after serving as its Executive Director starting in 2018. Prior to JDCA, she spent nearly two decades as a national security advisor to four members of Congress and held senior positions in the Obama administration. Most recently, Halie was National Security Advisor to then-Senator Kamala Ha...

Dr. Yossi Beilin is an Israeli politician best known for his pivotal role in the Oslo Accords. He also initiated the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial proposal for a final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Dr. Beilin has served in various ministerial roles including Minister of Justice and was instrumental in founding the Birthright Israel program. After retiring from politics,...

Mark Penn is the President and Managing Partner of The Stagwell Group, a private equity firm focused on marketing services companies. With over 40 years of experience in market research, advertising, and consulting, he has advised top political and corporate leaders around the world, playing key roles in major elections including those of President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair. Befor...

Yohanan Plesner is president of the Israel Democracy Institute, since 2014. From 2007 to 2013, he was a member of Knesset, Israel’s parliament, serving on the constitution, law, and justice and the defense and foreign affairs committees. He also co-chaired the Knesset lobby for higher education and chaired its permanent delegation to the Council of Europe. Prior to that, Yohanan worked at a manage...

Gordon Sondland was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the European Union in 2018 by President Donald Trump and served until 2020, overseeing key issues such as trade, energy, and national security. He previously held roles on Governor Ted Kulongoski's transition team and the Commission for White House Fellowships under President George W. Bush, as well as serving as Chairman of the Portland Art Mu...

Liel Leibovitz is an Israeli-American journalist, author, and media critic, currently serving as the editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and the host of several of its widely followed podcasts. Born in Tel Aviv, he immigrated to the United States in 1999 and later earned his Ph. D. from Columbia University in 2007. In addition to his work in journalism, Liel has written several notable books that...

Alan Solow is the founder of Grover Strategies, where he leverages decades of experience to help clients navigate public-facing challenges with personalized advice. He served as a National Co-Chair for the Obama-Biden 2012 campaign and as an advisor to President Obama on Middle East issues. Ranked as the world’s 11th-most influential Jew by the Jerusalem Post, Solow has held leadership positions i...