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Israel Speaker Series 2024

Beth Shalom's
Israel and Middle East Speaker Series

Beth Shalom is proud to present a series of programs to explore current events in the Middle East.
 
All programs will be held on Sunday nights at 7:00 p.m. at Beth Shalom Congregation.
 
Advance registration is required. A Zoom option will be provided.
 
Cost: 
Congregants: $5 per event, $20 for the series.
Non-Members: $10 per event, $40 for the series.

 

Sunday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Election 2024: The Chosen People Choose
with Ron Kampeas
Washington Bureau Chief, Jewish Telegraphic Agency
 
In the run-up to the presidential election, Democrats and Republicans are competing fiercely for the Jewish vote.
 
During this event, veteran journalist Ron Kampeas will strip away the layers of accusations and myths that surround former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to explore how the candidates really stand on issues of importance to the Jewish community.
 
Ron Kampeas previously worked at the Associated Press, where he spent more than a decade in its bureaus in Jerusalem, New York, London and, most recently, Washington. He has reported from Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Bosnia and West Africa. He has led JTA’s political coverage of every election since 2004.
 
Sunday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m.

America in the Middle East: What Washington Gets Wrong Strategic Landscape
with Roy Gutman
President and CEO, Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist
 
America’s involvement in the Middle East is pockmarked with failures, including the deployment to Lebanon in the 1980s, the 2003-2011 Iraq War, and the 2011 intervention in Libya. What does America consistently get wrong about the Middle East?
 
As a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Roy Gutman has seen U.S. foreign policy up-close as it has played out in the countries he covered. During this program, Mr. Gutman will focus on the Middle East and, particularly, on the U.S. role during the recent Syrian civil war.
 
Before his appointment as president and CEO of the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs in March 2022, Mr. Gutman reported from Germany, Britain, the former Yugoslavia, Europe at the end of the Cold War, and, more recently, Iraq and Turkey. The author of numerous books, his reporting on ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting and other awards.
 
Sunday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Israel in the Mideast Strategic Landscape
with Assaf Orion
IDF Lieutenant General (Reserve)
 
The strategic landscape of the Middle East has shifted considerably since the tragic events of October 7, 2023. During this program, Gen. Orion will discuss Israel’s military position in the wake of its war with Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian proxy groups.
 
Gen. Orion is the Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at Liz and Mony Rueven International Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. As the head of the Strategic Division in the Planning Directorate of the IDF General Staff, he was in charge of communication with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army, led staff meetings with counterparts from the Pentagon and from other Western militaries, took part in the U.S.-Israel security dialogue, and represented the IDF in talks with the Palestinian Authority.
 
Sunday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m.

Israel and the Palestinians Before and After October 7
with Neomi Neumann
Visiting Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Peace
 
The Hamas-Israel war has thrust the fraught relationship between Israel and Palestinians to the forefront of global affairs. What led up to the Hamas attack of October 7, what is the status of Israeli-Palestinian affairs, and what does the future hold?
 
Neomi Neumann formerly served as head of the research unit at the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 
Requesting a Zoom link does not exclude you from coming in person.
Requesting the Zoom link does not exclude you from coming in person.
Tue, July 15 2025 19 Tammuz 5785