Rt Hon Tony Blair

The Union is honored to welcome former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as one of our keynote speakers addressing Biennial attendees. Mr. Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from May 1997 to June 2007. He was also the leader of Britain's Labour Party (1994 to 2007) and the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, England (1983 to 2007).

Today, Mr. Blair continues to be active in public life, particularly in advancing the Middle East peace process. In his role as Quartet Representative for the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union as the Quartet Representative, Mr. Blair is assisting in the international community's effort to secure peace by helping the Palestinians prepare for statehood. In addition to his work in the Middle East, He also continues to be an advocate on the issues about such as Africa, global poverty and climate change – all of critical importance to Reform Judaism.

He launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in May 2008, dedicated to promoting understanding between the major faiths, and increasing understanding of the role of faith in the modern world. The Foundation works with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.

Mr. Blair is credited with transforming Britain's public services through a program of investment and reform in schools and hospitals, resulting in better education results and improved access to health care. He isa strong advocate of a values-based, activist and multilateral foreign policy, an agenda that, when he was Prime Minister, combined tackling terrorism and intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Sierra Leone, with action on issues like climate change, global poverty, Africa and the Middle East Peace Process.

His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein assumed his constitutional powers as Monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999, the day his father, the late King Hussein, passed away. Before taking the throne, King Abdullah was a career Army officer with the British Army. As king, he is committed to creating a strong and positive moderating role for Jordan within the Arab region and the world, and has worked towards the establishment of a just and lasting comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Miriam Ziv, Israel’s first female Ambassador to Canada, will share with Biennial attendees her insights about the nuclear threat Iran poses to Israel and the world at large. Ziv’s presentation will stress the importance of Israel’s continued cultivation of relationships with other countries in the region, especially as Iran’s nuclear program evolves. Ziv, a veteran diplomat, first served as the Vice-Consul at the Consulate-General of Israel in Toronto and later as Minister-Counselor in the Embassy of Israel in Rome. As the Head of the Middle East Economic Affairs Department, Ziv spearheaded Israel’s economic relations with the Palestinian Authority.

Avishay Braverman, Israeli Minister of Minorities, will speak to Biennial delegates about minorities living within Israel’s borders and issues of special concern to Israel’s many minority groups, including Israeli Arabs. Braverman, former president of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. He is a two-term member of the Knesset for the Labor Party and took his current position in 2009.

Anita Diamant is the author of the 2001 best-seller The Red Tent, which explores the lives of biblical women ignored by the male-centric narrative. She is both a novelist and a freelance journalist, having written about Jewish practice and the Jewish community for Reform Judaism magazine, Hadassah magazine, and Jewishfamily.com; a collection of her essays appears in the book, Pitching My Tent: On Marriage, Motherhood, Friendship and Other Leaps of Faith. She is co-founder of the pluralistic mikveh and education center, Mayyim Hayyim (Living Waters), in Boston.

Dr. Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based institution building the global interfaith youth movement. He was recently appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Initiatives, where he is working to realize the President’s priority of interfaith cooperation. Dr. Patel is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who will speak on "Sex in the Jewish Tradition" at a Biennial Shabbat Luncheon, is a noted psychosexual therapist who helped to pioneer the field of media psychology with her radio program, Sexually Speaking, her syndicated advice column, Ask Dr. Ruth, and her TV show, including “Ask Dr. Ruth.” Dr. Westheimer, author of 31 books and director of multiple documentaries, has twice been named "College Lecturer of the Year." In May 2000, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Hebrew Union College - Institute of Religion for her work in Human Sexuality and her commitment to the Jewish People, Israel and Religion.

Jerry Silverman is the President and Chief Executive Officer, of United Jewish Communities/The Jewish Federations of North America, a position he took in May 2009. Before joining UJC/Federations, Silverman served as president of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the only non-profit national organization dedicated to raising awareness and support of non-profit Jewish resident camps. Under his leadership, FJC oversaw a major expansion of the organization that helped bring a new focus on Jewish camping as a path to enhance Jewish identity.