Dr. Yossi Olmert Visits Case Western for Panel Discussion on the Middle East

Contact: Adam Zollman • CFD Fellow • 321-277-6307 • adam@zollman.com

April 25, 2006— Cleveland, OH— On Wednesday, April 26, 2006, Case Western Reserve University will host a panel discussion on the history and future of Israel and the Middle East featuring Middle East political expert Dr. Yossi Olmert and Case Western professors Peter Haas and Peter Moore. 

The event is part of Caravan for Democracy (CFD), an initiative of Jewish National Fund and Media Watch International that brings speakers from Israel to college campuses throughout the U.S. to encourage critical thinking about the issues affecting Israel, how it is covered in the media, and its unique role as the only democracy in the Middle East. 

The panel discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Rockefeller 301 and will include a question-and-answer session.  A reception will follow.

"Case Western is a richly diverse campus, both ethnically and religiously,” said CFD Fellow Adam Zollman, a sophomore at Case Western.  “Case strives to promote this diversity, and Caravan for Democracy is the perfect medium to help bring tolerance, unity, and knowledge to our campus, while promoting and celebrating Israel's importance to the world's communities.  We are very excited to welcome Dr. Olmert to the Case Western campus, and hope that the panel discussion will encourage an honest and open dialogue about Middle Eastern affairs."

To date, more than 25,000 college students at over 50 universities across the United States have participated in Caravan for Democracy, fulfilling the program’s goal to generate constructive dialogue about the Middle East on college campuses and highlight the shared values of freedom and democracy that connect Israel with the U.S.

Dr. Yossi Olmert, brother of acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was director of the Government Press Office and advisor to former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir during the first Gulf War and the International Peace Conference in Madrid. 

Olmert also served as advisor to former Defense Minister Moshe Arens and was director and founding member of the Council for Parliamentary Democracy.  Today he is a frequent participant in UN-hosted conferences on the Middle East.

A prominent figure in Israeli media, Olmert is a political columnist for Yediot Aharonot, Israel’s largest daily newspaper, a regular commentator for The Jerusalem Post, and a founder of the public cable TV program “The Weekly Column.” 

Olmert, who holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics in Middle East History, headed the Syria and Lebanon desks at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Middle East Studies until 1989.  He has written three books and hundreds of articles on the Middle East.  His upcoming book, The 18 Years in Lebanon, will be published by Yediot Aharonot. 

Professor Peter Haas received his bachelor’s degree in Ancient Near East History from the University of Michigan and was later ordained as a Reform rabbi at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.  After serving as a chaplain in the U.S. Army for three years, Haas earned a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies at Brown University. 

In 1980, Haas joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University, teaching courses in Judaism, Jewish ethics, the Holocaust, Western religion, and the Middle East conflict.

He has published several books and articles dealing with moral discourse as well as Jewish and Christian thought after the Holocaust.  Haas has lectured in the United States, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Israel.  His most recent work focuses on human rights in Judaism.

Haas joined the Case Western Department of Religion in January of 2000. 

Professor Peter Moore holds a bachelor’s degree from the Virginia Military Institute, a master’s degree from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from McGill University.  He also studied Arabic at Birzeit University in the West Bank. 

Moore has published articles and books on political, economic, and development issues in the Arab world.  He has conducted research in Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, and Lebanon, and is currently researching trade reform in the Middle East. 

Moore came to the Case Western Political Science Department this year from the University of Miami.  Prior to teaching at Miami, he was a member of the faculty of Concordia University in Montreal. 

Caravan for Democracy is co-sponsored at Case Western Reserve University by Cleveland Hillel Foundation, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and the Jewish Students Group.  The panel discussion has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Koppelman family. 

For more information about Caravan for Democracy at Case Western Reserve University, contact Adam Zollman at 321-277-6307 or adam@zollman.com.  To learn how to bring CFD to your campus, contact Rebecca Kahn in the JNF Israel Advocacy and Education Department at 212-879-9305 x248 or rkahn@jnf.org, or visit http://www.caravanfordemocracy.org/.

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