Date
Monday, September 13, 2021 at 7:00 PM EDT
There was a 75% increase in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. during the recent Israel-Hamas war.
Do you wish you had the words and knowledge to face antisemitic rhetoric?
Do you wish you knew more about Israel and its conflicts?
Learn from experts. Get educated fast.
Join our panelists on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 7:00 PM EDT.
PANELISTS
Michael Levitt, President and CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
Elan S. Carr, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
Dr. Frank Luntz, Pollster and Communications Analyst
SPECIAL GUESTS
Daniel Koren, Executive Director, Hasbara Fellowships Canada
Jay Solomon, Chief Communications Officer, Hillel Ontario
MODERATOR
Max Silver, DDS Candidate, University of Toronto and International Student Representative, Alpha Omega
This event is presented by Alpha Omega Toronto Alumni Chapter. The Alpha Omega International Dental Society is the oldest international dental organization. Alpha Omega (AO) also has the distinction of being the oldest international Jewish medical organization.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
PANELISTS
Michael Levitt, President and CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
Michael Levitt has been the President and CEO of Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center since September 2020. Prior to that, he served as the Member of Parliament for York Centre, first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. A first-generation Canadian, Michael immigrated to Canada from Scotland with his mother at age thirteen. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from McGill University and a master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh. Before 2015, Michael worked as a partner and vice-president of Business Development for the Benjamin Group. He is a founding member of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee, a multi-partisan organization dedicated to activating the grassroots Jewish community in the political process, and has been an active volunteer with numerous non-profits and charities. Michael has served as a board member of the Koffler Centre for the Arts, Leadership Sinai and other organizations. In Parliament, Michael served as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, prior to which he served as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights. Michael was also elected by his colleagues as Chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group, Vice-Chair of the Canada-Philippines Interparliamentary Group, an executive member of the Canada-Italy and Canada-UK Interparliamentary Groups, and was a member of the Raoul Wallenberg Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights.
Elan S. Carr, Former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
Elan S. Carr was appointed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of State to the office of United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. In that capacity, Mr. Carr served as the senior diplomatic representative of the United States and the senior advisor to Secretary Pompeo on the subject of antisemitism, and he directed U.S. policy and programs aimed at combating it. During his two years in office, he negotiated groundbreaking agreements with foreign governments; convened the first-ever U.S. government-sponsored conference on combating online hate; drove the establishment of important new policies on anti-Zionism, anti-Israel discrimination, and campus antisemitism; significantly broadened the global consensus on the definition of antisemitism; focused the attention of law enforcement leaders across international jurisdictions on the importance of hate crimes prosecutions; launched philo-Semitism initiatives in multiple countries; regularly met with foreign leaders, often abroad, to drive U.S. policy priorities; and conducted an aggressive and global public diplomacy campaign, including by delivering more than 180 speeches to large gatherings of stakeholders throughout the world and conducting numerous press interviews. He was voted by Congress to be given the rank of Ambassador.
Prior to joining the Trump Administration, Mr. Carr prosecuted violent felony crimes for more than a decade as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. He prosecuted murders, attempted murders, and cases involving Southern California’s most notorious criminal street gangs. While assigned to a special victim unit, he focused on sexual assault, domestic violence, and child molestation crimes. He was also one of LA County’s few specially-designated animal cruelty prosecutors.
Mr. Carr is an officer in the United States Army Reserve and has received multiple awards for his two decades of military service. In 2003-04, he spent nearly a year on military deployment in Iraq. He helped to lead a joint anti-terrorism team in life-saving missions throughout the country, and he prosecuted terrorists who attacked U.S. troops. He was also part of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s efforts to establish an independent Iraqi judiciary and helped train Iraqi judges on constitutional law and criminal defense.
Mr. Carr was the international president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, served on the National Council of AIPAC, was a voting member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and he served as a board member of Operation Gratitude, a charity that supports deployed military service members.
Dr. Frank Luntz, Pollster and Communications Analyst
Dr. Frank I. Luntz is one of the most honoured communication professionals in America today.
The “Instant Response” focus group technique pioneered by Dr. Luntz has been profiled on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America (on Election Day), and on PBS’s award-winning Frontline. He has been a guest on virtually every talk show in America, including multiple appearances on The Daily Show and Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as Meet the Press, Nightline, The Today Show, the PBS News Hour, and Face the Nation.
Dr. Luntz was a Debate Night, Election Day and impeachment commentator on Bloomberg, CNBC and the BBC in 2020, CBS in 2016, Fox News in 2008 and 2012, and MSNBC in 2000. His reoccurring segments on MSNBC/CNBC, “100 Days, 1000 Voices” won the coveted Emmy Award in 2001.
Throughout his career, Dr. Luntz has worked for more than fifty Fortune 500 companies and CEOs. However, he is best known for political commentary – more media outlets have turned to him to understand the hopes and fears of Americans than to any other political pollster. He appears regularly on HBO and Fox News, having co-hosted many live prime-time specials and dial sessions during the presidential debates. In both the 2012 and 2016 elections, Frank was the only non-journalist invited to host a debate of the GOP presidential contenders. He also served as a consultant to the NBC hit show The West Wing.
Dr. Luntz has written, supervised, and conducted more than 2,500 surveys, focus groups, ad tests, and dial sessions in more than two dozen countries on six continents over the past 20 years. His political knowledge and skills are recognized globally, and he has served as an election consultant and commentator in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia, Venezuela, and Ukraine.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Jay Solomon, Chief Communications Officer, Hillel Ontario
For the past 15 years, Jay Solomon has worked to support the Jewish community of Canada in various volunteer and professional roles. A communications leader, Jay has significant expertise in public relations, issues management, strategic advocacy, corporate governance, and education.
Jay currently serves as the Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer for Hillel Ontario, the largest Hillel in the world, representing 14,000 Jewish students across 9 universities.
Outside of work, Jay is a devoted husband and proud father of three children, an avid watch collector, a very average guitar player, and someone with questionable taste in reality TV.
Daniel Koren, Executive Director, Hasbara Fellowships Canada
Daniel Koren is the Executive Director of Hasbara Fellowships Canada. He is a long-time Jewish community professional, having previously worked with organizations such as UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, The Canadian Jewish News, and B'nai Brith Canada.
Daniel has appeared or been published in video, radio, or print interviews with Global News, CTV News, The National Post, VICE News, CBC, The Jerusalem Post, The CJN, Toronto Star, and many others.
As director of Hasbara Canada, Daniel’s goal is to empower and train students so they have the confidence and tools necessary to educate their fellow students about Judaism, Zionism, and Israel from a balanced perspective.
MODERATOR
Max Silver, DDS Candidate, University of Toronto and International Student Representative, Alpha Omega
Max Silver is in his final year of the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the University of Toronto. Max is an experienced researcher in the fields of cellular biology and has published his work in peer-reviewed journals. He has presented at the Hinman Research Symposium and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Annual Meeting in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Outside of dentistry, Max is an experienced voice actor and has worked with Disney, Zales, Rogers, People’s Jewelry, and dentalcorp.
Max gives back through his charity, callsforkids.org, where he uses puppets and impressions to create personalized experiences with a child’s favourite cartoon character. He plans on using his vocal talents to reduce anxiety in his youngest patients.
His passion for Israel and Jewish advocacy has always been strong. He is a past board member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the world’s largest Jewish fraternity, and is a current board member of the Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity, the oldest international Jewish medical organization.