American Jewish Committee marks 20 years of service to Palm Beach County
BOCA RATON — The American Jewish Committee will commemorate 20 years of service to Palm Beach County with a celebration at the Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, tonight (Thursday, Dec. 2) from 6 to 8 p.m.
David Makovsky, Ziegler distinguished fellow and director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Project on the MiEditddle East Peace Process, will be the evening’s speaker. His talk will be on “2011: A year of Decision in the Middle East.”
Makovsky is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. His commentary on the peace process and the Arab-Israeli conflict appears regularly in numerous publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and the International Herald Tribune. He also is called upon by the media to comment on Arab-Israeli affairs.
Before joining The Washington Institute, he was an award-winning journalist who covered the peace process from 1989 to 2000. He is the former executive editor of the Jerusalem Post, was diplomatic correspondent for Israel’s leading daily, Haaretz, and is a former contributing editor to U.S. News and World Report, where he served for 11 years as that magazine’s special Jerusalem correspondent.
He is the coauthor, with Dennis Ross, of the 2009 book “Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East.”
The American Jewish Committee has been an integral part of the Palm Beach County community for over 40 years.
Twenty years ago, AJC officially opened its doors in Boca Raton as the Palm Beach County regional office.
More than 25 years ago AJC helped begin the Catholic-Jewish dialogue in south county between St. Joan of Arc Church and Beth El Synagogue in Boca Raton. That relationship continues today.
The AJC also sent key community leaders to Israel to learn more about the country and promote inter-organizational relationships.
Today, the AJC Palm Beach County works cooperatively with interfaith and intercultural organizations in order to build bridges of understanding and to achieve shared goals. Currently, a 4-part series on understanding Islam is being offered to the community. AJC Palm Beach County offers its members the opportunity to meet with ambassadors from European, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries to promote understanding and to advocate on behalf of Israel.
Chairs for the anniversary event are Elyssa Kupferberg and Leonard Greenberg. Richard and Marilyn Davimos will be recognized as Founding Members of the AJC’s regional office.
“We look forward to celebrating the important work done by American Jewish Committee in Palm Beach County and throughout the world over these twenty years with our current, past and future members,” said Rachel Miller, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Palm Beach County office.
Sponsors include The Adolph and Rose Levis Foundation, BNY Mellon/ Elyssa Kupferberg, Gary Betensky/ Richman Greer, P.A. and Lisa B. Beers / Premier Planning Group II, Inc.
Tickets are $125. For more information, call 561-994-7286 or email palmbeach@ajc.org. The evening will include cocktails and a buffet.
The American Jewish Committee was founded in 1906. It seeks a secure Jewish future in a more just world by advocating for Israel’s peaceful and secure future, finding common ground with other religious and ethnic groups and safeguarding human rights. AJC has unparalled access to key decision makers around the country and the world. AJC advocates behind-the-scenes and in public forums. AJC focuses on some of the most important issues to the Jewish world, creating impact in all that it does.
