Program
Susie Gelman
Susie Gelman, a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center, has been board chair of the Israel Policy Forum since 2016. Susie served for three terms as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, one term as Federation’s campaign co-chair, and is a lifetime member of the Federation’s Board of Directors. She previously co-chaired the Israel Religious Expressions Platform (iRep) of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), an initiative that focuses on pluralism through freedom of choice of marriage in Israel. Susie was the inaugural chair of the Birthright Israel Foundation and is a member of its board as well as the Taglit-Birthright Israel Planning Committee. She served as co-chair of UJC (now JFNA) Israel and co-chaired JFNA’s General Assembly in Jerusalem in both 2003 and 2013. Susie is a member of the Board of Governors of The Hebrew University, an honorary fellow of Brandeis University, and is past president of the Georgetown Day School Board of Trustees, where she served on the board for twelve years. She also serves as president of the board of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. Susie and her husband, Michael, have three adult children, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Abner Goldstine
Abner Goldstine has been an active participant in the life of the Los Angeles Jewish community and a longtime friend of Israel Policy Forum where he is a member of the Advisory Council. Abner currently serves on the board of American Jewish University and chairs its Investment Committee. He is a devoted lay leader and past president at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. Professionally, Abner’s distinguished career included positions as the Senior Vice President and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager (retired) with the Capital Group Companies and Chief Deputy Savings and Loan Commissioner for the State of California.
Yossi Klein Halevi
Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and co-director of the Institute's Muslim Leadership Initiative. He is the author of several acclaimed titles including Like Dreamers and Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Jacobs previously spent 20 years as a visionary spiritual leader at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York.
Tamara Cofman Wittes
Tamara Cofman Wittes is a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, where she focuses on U.S. policy in the Middle East. Wittes served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from November of 2009 to January 2012.
Brianna Goodlin
Brianna Goodlin is the Boston Chapter Chair of IPF Atid, Israel Policy Forum's young professional program. Among the early leaders of IPF Atid, Brianna served as the co-chair of the first Charles Bronfman Conveners Summit and as an inaugural participant in the IPF Atid delegation to Israel and the West Bank in the summer of 2019.
Richard Ravitch
Richard Ravitch is a member of Israel Policy Forum’s Advisory Council and a strong supporter of the two-state solution. He also served as the first president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. A former New York State Lieutenant Governor, and Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Richard is a lawyer, businessman, author, and public official who has been engaged in the private and public sectors for more than 50 years. Praised as a “scrupulous civic leader” by the Wall Street Journal, he has spent his career tackling some of the most complex challenges facing New York and the nation.
Rep. Ted Deutch
Congressman Ted Deutch represents Florida's 22nd district, home to communities in northern Broward County and southeastern Palm Beach County in sunny South Florida. Now serving his sixth term in the 116th Congress, he is the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee and a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as the Chairman of the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism Subcommittee.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi is the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Now in her third term as Speaker, Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency, the first person to do so in more than 60 years. As Speaker, Pelosi is fighting For The People, working to lower health care costs, increase workers’ pay through strong economic growth and rebuilding America, and clean up corruption for make Washington work for all.
David A. Halperin
David A. Halperin is the Executive Director of Israel Policy Forum. Previously, he was a reporter in Israel for the English edition of Ha’aretz. His opinion writings have appeared in a variety of publications including The Jerusalem Post, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, The New York Times, Ha’aretz, The New York Jewish Week, and others. He received a BA from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he was a member of the International Fellows Program. He is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and resides with his wife and two children in New York City.