SCHWARTZ APPOINTED CHAIR OF AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR WEIZMANN INSTITUTE John L. Schwartz, M.D. of Pacific Palisades Cont'd from Home Page In his new philanthropic leadership role, Schwartz will head efforts to enlist new supporters and raise awareness of the Weizmann Institute of Science -- one of the world’s foremost centers of science and technology research, located in Rehovot, Israel. Schwartz will promote the important work of the Weizmann Institute. He seeks to further engage the vibrant Southern California area, one of the American Committee’s most active and key regions in the United States He succeeds Lon Morton of Calabasas. Schwartz is a board-certified physician and "serial" entrepreneur. He was founder and CEO of Continuing Medical Education (CME) Inc., and it was under his stewardship that the company became the largest proprietary provider of clinical information for U.S. healthcare providers. In 2004, five years after selling CME, he co-founded the Value Investing Congress, which provides high-quality, practical information on investing to hedge fund managers and ultra high-net-worth investors. "We are delighted to have Dr. Schwartz at the helm of one of the most important regional areas for the American Committee," National Chair Larry Blumberg said. "Working closely with the Southern California volunteer leadership and with Janis Rabin, Executive Director of the region, we know that his passionate commitment to the Weizmann Institute will help us reach even greater heights of success in Los Angeles and beyond." Schwartz’s appointment to the chairmanship follows years of support of the Weizmann Institute of Science: a member of the American Committee Board of Directors, executive committee, and the Weizmann Institute’s International Board of Governors, he served as Chair of the Global Gathering Gala -- the highlight of the American Committee’s annual national event.  He and his wife, Vera, are also members of the president’s circle. Schwartz is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. RABBI LEAH LEWIS JOINS FAST FOR DARFUR Rabbi Leah Lewis, Leo Baeck Temple  Cont'd from Home Page Jewish activists joined together recently in a fasting chain Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, joined a fast by lay leaders and activists across the country who have volunteered to join her. Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, took over for Messinger and begin a three-day recently. After inviting rabbis of all major streams of American Judaism to join him for the final day of his fast, Saperstein was joined by more than 55 rabbis from the United States, Canada, Israel and Mexico, including: Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, New York (Orthodox); Rabbi Shawn Zevit of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Rabbi Charles Feinberg of Congregation Adas Israel in Washington, D.C. (Conservative); and Rabbi Emerita Rosalind Gold of Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation (Reform). Messinger and Saperstein join a long line of politicians, celebrities and activists in carrying on a water only fast begun April 27 by actress Mia Farrow to call for the restoration of humanitarian aid to the people of Darfur. On April 27, Rabbi Saperstein was arrested in his third act of civil disobedience calling attention to the situation in Darfur, this time with long-time civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis and other members of Congress and leaders of Darfur advocacy groups. Speaking to the importance of being a voice for Darfur, Rabbi Saperstein said, "As rabbis, our moral voices can influence activists and leaders to respond to the urgent threats to livelihood in Sudan. Together, we can inspire and even push our elected leaders to use their positions of leadership to influence the international community to ensure humanitarian access in Sudan and for a just and lasting resolution to this crisis." It has been more than three months since Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir expelled humanitarian aid groups from the country. Despite assurances that Sudan will allow international NGOs into the country and close the existing humanitarian gaps, the situation has apparently worsened. Aid groups report that their efforts to get aid to those who need it are unsustainable and insufficient. The onset of the rainy season will likely lead to mass migration and water-borne disease epidemics in internally displaced persons camps, putting, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon predicted, more than 1 million people at life-threatening risk. Negotiations about returning aid groups have not yet achieved real results. Messinger says she is fasting so she can try to appreciate how it feels to be hungry and how difficult it is to function under such circumstances. "Each day in Darfur, mothers and fathers look into the suffering eyes of their children knowing, like all parents, that they would sacrifice anything for their children not to suffer, but also knowing that there is nothing they can do as long as they remain in limbo," Messinger said. "A person can suffer no greater indignity than not being able to feed his or her children or prevent dehydration that is often deadly. "As difficult as it may be for us to function at a high level during our fasts, this type of hunger is an everyday reality for hundreds of millions of people worldwide; it prevents children from learning and adults from working productively to sustain economies; but just as importantly, it undermines the very kind of belief in a better future that is the lifeline for the world's most vulnerable," Messinger said.

CITY HALL FELLOWS RECEIVE 2009 ECHOING GREEN FELLOWSHIP Bethany Rubin Henderson was 1 of 14 worldwide entrepreneurs selected Cont'd from Home Page Echoing Green, which granted its first funds for social entrepreneurship in 1987, will provide up to $90,000 over two years to Henderson, plus comprehensive technical assistance, consulting support, and other administrative benefits. The fourteen recipients of the 2009 Echoing Green Fellowship work in a variety of spheres including civil and human rights, community and economic development, the environment, health, and education. City Hall Fellows is a Teach For America-style national service corps program that works to incentivize and empower America’s best and brightest to use local government institutions to drive social change. City Hall Fellows offers top recent college graduates an unparalleled opportunity to experience – and improve – local government from the inside. City Hall Fellows’ post-college Fellowship program combines hands-on work experience inside city agencies with intensive training in public sector leadership. Currently, Houston and San Francisco host City Hall Fellows. The Echoing Green Fellowship will fuel City Hall Fellows’ growth and success as City Hall Fellows expands to more sites across the country. "With the backdrop of a new U.S. President launching an Office of Social Innovation, and increasing numbers of social enterprises around the globe tackling societal problems through innovative solutions, we are thrilled to introduce City Hall Fellows as one our newest Echoing Green Fellows," said Dr. Cheryl Dorsey, president of Echoing Green. "We proudly offer them our early stage funding, buoyed by our vast network of social entrepreneurs, to help them secure sustainability and more quickly achieve impact." Echoing Green received nearly 1,000 applications, with City Hall Fellows earning one of only fourteen spots. With the 2009 class, Echoing Green has now invested over $28 million in 471 fellows since 1987. While Echoing Green supported only domestic Fellows as recently as 1999, half the 2009 Fellows are based outside the United States and non-U.S. applications have trended upwards in recent years. "I am thrilled to receive this recognition and financial support from Echoing Green," said Henderson. "America’s metropolitan areas, home to more than 80% of us, are on the frontlines of every major social issue in this country. Today, a leadership vacuum threatens cities’ ability to successfully handle those challenges, not to mention cities’ ability to provide critical daily services. City Hall Fellows gives America’s cities the key to the future by giving the key to the city to the next generation. By recognizing me as one of the 14 most innovative social entrepreneurs in the world in 2009, Echoing Green is acknowledging that what our cities do is critical to the health of our nation, that the time is right to engage recent college graduates in cities’ work, and that City Hall Fellows has designed the blueprint for change." Among the organizations which Echoing Green funded at their early stages and are today internationally-recognized: Teach For America, Working Today, Genocide Intervention Network, Citizen Schools, JumpStart for Children, Peace Games, the Global Fund for Children, and City Year. CHILDREN OF JEWISH HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS CO HOST MISSILE CRISIS BRIEFING Center for Security Policy Founder Frank Gaffney Cont'd from Home Page As terrorist regimes acquire nuclear capability, fears of the devastation wrought by a nuclear attack are on the rise. However, a seldom discussed, yet more insidious threat looms on the horizon -- the risk of an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack -- a catastrophe that could instantly transform America from a superpower to a pre-industrial society. Such an attack would destroy the U.S. electrical grid and lead to infrastructure failure that would result in food shortages, starvation, disease, and civil unrest.  Of course, Israel, Europe, Japan and other countries are equally vulnerable and could suffer severe disruptions to their economic, healthcare and security systems. The Congressional EMP Commission recently released their final report -- verifying both the danger and the fact that Israel and the United States have not taken adequate steps to protect themselves from the effects of a nuclear EMP Strike. Further, both countries are priority targets for destruction. Among the panelists, who will examine today's nuclear threats, are Center for Security Policy founder Frank Gaffney, EMPACT, Israel Missile Defense Association director Avi Schnurr, and former Commanding General of the United States Army Intelligence Center, Major General James (Spider) Marks. Writer and activist Janet Levy will moderate the panel for this critical topic.  Gaffney was assistant secretary of defense for international security policy under President Reagan. He is the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C. and has been warning about the EMP threat for several years. Schnurr is a 25 year veteran of Northrop-Grumman and is the executive direction of the Israeli Missile Defense Association and president of an international coalition - EMPACT - whose mission is to raise awareness and plan for the possibility of an EMP attack Major Gen. James Marks retired from active duty in October 2004 after more than 30 years of service to our country. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Marks has more than three decades of experience in the intelligence field..  Moderator Levy is a writer. She has been active in the fight against threats to the security of the U.S. and Israel for nearly 10 years.