Richard Melson

August 2004

One of the key Jerusalem-Washington players in the Israelization of Washington policy is the JCPA. Dore Gold is the main "roving ambassador" and advises Sharon on how to "handle" Washington. Max Singer, below, was a founder of the Hudson Institute. Zalman Shoval was Ambassador to the US. Max Kampelman is a leader of Ditchley Foundations.

See below:

"The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs was founded in 1976 by Professor Daniel J. Elazar, z"l, as an independent, non-profit institute for policy research and education serving Israel and the Jewish people. Since that time it has produced hundreds of studies by leading experts dealing with a wide range of topics on the world Jewish agenda. The Center's focus in recent years has shifted with changing needs, particularly the need to present Israel's case in the wake of the renewed Palestinian violence since 2000, and to focus on the return of anti-Semitism in the post-Holocaust period.

The Jerusalem Center is engaged in a multi-faceted effort to bring high-quality, insider information to the attention of leading opinion-makers as well as the top leadership of the Jewish world… In addition, the Center arranges presentations by top-level political and military experts for the diplomatic corps and the foreign press, through the Institute for Contemporary Affairs.

The Jerusalem Center's program on anti-Semitism after the Holocaust and up to the present day, now in its third year, has proven only too prescient, with anti-Semitism returning as a major issue of public concern. Other major areas of focus include the spread of global terrorism, Jerusalem in international diplomacy, the Israeli economy and privatization, Jews and religion in the American public square, Israel's political system, and water in Israel and the region toward the year 2020.

Over the past year, the Jerusalem Center has developed and implemented an array of cutting-edge programs to present Israel's case to the world. Daily and/or weekly briefings of high-quality, insider information from top sources are sent to tens of thousands of email subscribers, who include leading opinion-makers as well as the top leadership of the Jewish world. In addition, every day, thousands of visitors to the JCPA website choose from among a thousand constantly updated articles. In parallel, at regular breakfast meetings hosted by the Institute for Contemporary Affairs, JCPA provides the foreign press in Jerusalem with a much-needed venue to meet and question leading Israeli experts and analysts, often providing a unique setting where Israeli generals answer questions posed by Arab diplomats."

Institute for Contemporary Affairs (ICA)

The Institute for Contemporary Affairs (ICA), a 5-year, $1 million program founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation, provides a unique venue that enables the foreign press and foreign diplomats in Israel to receive briefings by leading Israeli experts from the military, the political world, academia, and the media on security issues, Israeli strategy, regional players, and the war on terrorism. In 2003 ICA hosted:

• Minister Natan Sharansky
• Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland (formerly the head of Military Planning and now the Prime Minister's National Security Advisor)
• Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad (advisor to Defense Minister Mofaz)
• Brig. Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser (the Head of Assessment of Military Intelligence)
• Uzi Rubin (the father of the Arrow Missile Defense Program)
• MK Ephraim Sneh (formerly Deputy Minister of Defense)
• MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz (Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee)

The impact of this program is seen often in the news stories generated by these briefings. ICA is directed by Lenny Ben-David, and is guided by a Steering Committee that includes Dr. Dore Gold, Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg, and Justus Weiner, Esq.

Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism –

The Jerusalem Center's program on anti-Semitism after the Holocaust and up to the present day - its origins and lessons, manifestations and mutations - is now in its third year and has proven only too prescient, with anti-Semitism returning as a major issue of public concern. The program, initiated and directed by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld (who advised the Dutch Jewish community in Israel in its Holocaust restitution negotiations with the Dutch government), includes conferences, seminars, research, lectures in English and French, and publications.

The Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism series of essays and interviews has provided a published forum for numerous international experts including Deborah Lipstadt, Abraham Foxman, Israel Singer, and others, discussing restitution, the academic boycott, Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism on the Internet, and anti-Semitism in the Arab world, Austria, France, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, and the post-Soviet states.

In 2003, many of these essays appeared in the book Europe's Crumbling Myths: The Post-Holocaust Origins of Today's Anti-Semitism by Manfred Gerstenfeld (JCPA/Yad Vashem/World Jewish Congress), which documents how rampant anti-Semitism and discrimination against Jews were in post-Holocaust Europe, and how the "new" resurgence of European anti-Semitism is more of a continuation than an innovation.

Global Terrorism

Using previously unpublished documents, JCPA President Dore Gold explored the influence of Saudi Wahhabism on 9/11 - in what became a New York Times bestselling book, Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism (Regnery, 2003). Dr. Gold was asked to testify before a Senate committee in July 2003 about terrorist financing.

Jerusalem in International Diplomacy

A program analyzing the legal and historic rights of Israel in Jerusalem according to existing agreements and UN documents. As part of this program, in 2003 JCPA published Justus Reid Weiner's research study Illegal Construction in Jerusalem: A Variation on an Alarming Global Phenomenon. Both the City of Jerusalem and the Israeli Foreign Ministry purchased hundreds of copies of the book for distribution in Israel and abroad.

The Israeli Economy and Privatization

This comprehensive Milken Institute-JCPA project to study the application and impact of privatization policy in Israel spans more than a decade. The 9th volume in this series is The Application of Environmental Finance in the Israeli Setting: The Yarqon River as a Case Study (2003). The project has been directed by JCPA Director-General Zvi Marom; the academic director is Prof. Ben-Zion Zilberfarb, former Director-General of the Israel Ministry of Finance.

The Jerusalem Center has also undertaken the construction of a data base on privatization in Israel, in cooperation with the Government Corporations Authority. The data base, to be accessible through the Internet, will contain information on the performance of privatized corporations prior to and following privatization, and the terms of privatization. This project is directed by Prof. Yakir Plessner, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel.

Jews and Religion in the American Public Square

In 2003, the Jerusalem Center's U.S. office, the Center for Jewish Community Studies, concluded a three-year, $1,250,000 program initiated and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts as part of their larger project looking at changes in the relationship between religion and public life in the United States. Three books have been published - Jewish Polity and American Civil Society; Jews and the American Public Square: Debating Religion and Republic; and Religion as a Public Good. A fourth book, American Jewry's Challenge: Addressing the 21st Century, will include interviews with the leadership of America's major Jewish organizations, conducted by Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld. The project is directed by Prof. Alan Mittleman, assisted by an advisory board that includes Prof. Rela Mintz Geffen, Prof. Jonathan Sarna, and Dr. Robert Licht.

Israel's Political System

JCPA has published academic analyses of every Israeli election campaign since 1981 in the Israel at the Polls series, and the Center is now completing a volume covering the 2003 election, edited by Prof. Shmuel Sandler and Dr. Ben Mollov.

Water in Israel and the Region Toward the Year 2020

A comprehensive study of water in the region from the hydrological, economic, and strategic perspective, including projections and recommendations for water policy, will appear in Hebrew and English, commissioned by the office of Ronald S. Lauder.

Professor Daniel J. Elazar, z"l - Founder of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Professor Daniel J. Elazar (1934-1999) was a leading political scientist and specialist in the study of the Jewish political tradition, Israel, the world Jewish community, federalism, and political culture. He was Professor of Political Science at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he founded the Center for the Study of Federalism, and held the Senator N.M. Paterson Professorship in Intergovernmental Relations at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, heading its Institute for Local Government. Professor Elazar was the author or editor of more than 60 books, and founded and edited the scholarly journal Jewish Political Studies Review.

Who's Who at the Jerusalem Center (in alphabetical order):

Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror - Program Director, Institute for Contemporary Affairs
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, Program Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs, is former commander of the IDF's National Defense College and the IDF Staff and Command College. He is also the former head of the IDF's research and assessment division, with special responsibility for preparing the National Intelligence Assessment. In addition, he served as the military secretary of the Minister of Defense. His publications include "The Geneva Accord: A Strategic Assessment" (December 2003); "Israel's Strategy after the Iraq War" (April 2003); and "Israel's Strategy in Curbing Palestinian Violence" (December 2002).

Mark Ami-El - Director of Publications
Mark Ami-El has been responsible for editing and production of JCPA's English books, monographs, newsletters, website, and Internet publications since 1986. He is managing editor of JCPA's Daily Alert Internet digest of Israel and Mideast news, as well as the Center's Jerusalem Viewpoints and Jerusalem Issue Briefs. He served as assistant to Jerusalem Center Founding President Daniel J. Elazar from 1985 to 1999, and as press and legislative assistant to Congressman William Lehman (D-Fla.) from 1973 to 1978.

Lenny Ben-David - Consultant, Internet Publications
Lenny Ben-David is consulting editor for the Daily Alert Internet news digest, and is editor of Israel Campus Beat (for college students) and High Alert (for high school students). He served as deputy chief of mission at Israel's embassy in Washington 1997-2000, and as Program Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs (2002-2004). He was AIPAC's Director of Information and Research for 10 years, editing the Near East Report and numerous editions of Myths and Facts, then opened AIPAC's first Israel office in 1982, directing it for nearly 15 years.

Professor Gerald B. Bubis - Vice President
Professor Bubis is the Founding Director of the School of Jewish Communal Service and Professor Emeritus of Jewish Communal Studies at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles. His publications include The Director Had a Heart Attack and the President Resigned: Board-Staff Relations for the 21st Century (1999); "'Post-Zionist' Philanthropists: Emerging Attitudes of American Jewish Leaders toward Communal Allocations" (1998); and "Serving the Jewish Polity: The Application of Jewish Political Theory to Jewish Communal Practice" (1997).

Dan Diker - Media Affairs Consultant, Institute for Contemporary Affairs
Dan Diker is a Knesset and economic affairs reporter for Israel Broadcasting Authority's English News. His most recent publications include "Lessons from the Or Commission: Rethinking the Ideological and Religious Dimensions of the Israeli Arab Riots of October 2000" (February 2004); "Does the International News Media Overlook Israel's Legal Rights in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict" (April 2003); and "The Influence of Palestinian Organizations on Foreign News Reporting" (March 2003).

Ambassador Freddy Eytan - Head of the Israel-Europe Project
Ambassador Freddy Eytan, a former Foreign Ministry senior advisor who served in Israel's embassies in Paris and in Brussels, was Israel's first Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Israel-Europe Project focuses on presenting Israel's case in the countries of Europe, and seeks to develop ties and avenues of cooperation throughout Europe. His most recent books include La Poudriere (The Powder Keg) (1991), Shimon Peres - Biographie (1996), Keren Or (Ray of Light) (2004), and France: Le Double Jeu (Double Game) (2004).

Professor Rela M. Geffen - Director, North American Office
Professor Geffen is the President of Baltimore Hebrew University and former Dean of Gratz College. A founding Fellow of the Center for Jewish Community Studies, the forerunner of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, her books include The Conservative Movement in Judaism: Dilemmas & Opportunities (2000); Freedom and Responsibility: Exploring the Challenges of Jewish Continuity (1998); and Celebration and Renewal: Rites of Passage in Judaism (1993).

Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld - Chairman of the Board of Fellows
Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld, an international consultant specializing in business and environmental strategy for multinational corporations, is the Chairman of the Board of Fellows of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is the founder and director of the Center's Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism Project and edits its monthly publication. He also founded the Jewish Environmental Perspectives newsletter. Dr. Gerstenfeld's most recent book is American Jewry's Challenge: Addressing the 21st Century, part of the project "Jews in the American Public Square" initiated by the Pew Charitable Trusts. His publications include Europe's Crumbling Myths: The Post-Holocaust Origins of Today's Anti-Semitism (2003); "The Academic Boycott Against Israel" (2003); "The Mahathir Affair: A Case Study in Mainstream Islamic Anti-Semitism" (2003); and "Jewish War Claims in The Netherlands: A Case Study" (2000).

Chaya Herskovic - Director General
Chaya Herskovic, named as Director General of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs in July 2004, served since 1988 as JCPA's Director of Projects, responsible for the organization and management of numerous Jerusalem Center research projects, conferences, and seminars in a variety of fields including privatization, education, law enforcement, local government, Israel's political system, and the Druze minority. She has also been responsible for the editing and production of the Center's Hebrew publications.

Zvi R. Marom - Former Director General
Zvi R. Marom served as Director General of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs from 1984 to 2003. He was particularly involved in the Center's research projects on electoral and constitutional reform, privatization of Israel's economy, forecasting Israel's law enforcement needs, the study of educational systems, and the Druze minority. Prior to joining the JCPA, he held a variety of senior positions at the Prime Minister's Office and retired with the equivalent rank of Major General.

Professor Shmuel Sandler - Editor, Jewish Political Studies Review
Professor Sandler, director of the Center for International Communications and Policy and chairperson of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University, is Secretary of the JCPA Steering Committee. He has served as co-editor of the Jerusalem Center's Israel at the Polls series for the elections of 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2003. His other books include The Arab-Israeli Conflict Transformed: Fifty Years of Interstate and Ethnic Crises (2002); and The State of Israel, The Land of Israel: Statist and Ethnonational Dimensions of Foreign Policy (1993).

Sharon Shenhav - Director, International Jewish Women's Rights Project
Sharon Shenhav, an international women's rights lawyer, founded the International Jewish Women's Rights Project in 1998, in cooperation with the International Council of Jewish Women, to help end discrimination against women in marriage, divorce, and family law. She has been a member of the Israeli delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and currently serves as the only woman on the Commission to Appoint Religious Court Judges (Dayanim) in Israel.

Professor Gerald M. Steinberg - Editor, NGO Monitor
Professor Steinberg is director of the Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation at Bar-Ilan University. A consultant to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Security Council, he specializes in Middle East diplomatic and security issues with an emphasis on arms control and CBMs, Middle East peace efforts, Israeli foreign and security policy, and the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

Justus Reid Weiner - Scholar-in-Residence
Justus Weiner is an international human rights lawyer and a member of the Israel and New York Bar Associations. His publications include Illegal Construction in Jerusalem (2003); "The Use of Palestinian Children in the Al-Aqsa Intifada" (Jerusalem Letter, 2000), and "'My Beautiful Old House' and Other Fabrications by Edward Said" (Commentary, 1999).

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs - Jerusalem Institute for Federal Studies is registered in Israel (No. 58-003-960-0) and recognized by the tax authorities as a non-profit organization (No. 550039606).

The Center for Jewish Community Studies is registered as a non-profit educational institute (according to para. 501(c)(3)) by the tax authorities in the United States and the State of Pennsylvania (Confirmation No. 23-2009062).