board of advisors

Anthony Levey

Anthony M. Levey, M.A., is an honorably retired federal law enforcement leader with more than 25 years of service. He served as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, overseeing security at federal facilities across New York, Northern New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and was appointed Deputy Federal Security Coordinator for the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in 2017. Today he is the President of Synagogue Security Initiative.

Dr. Brandy Shufutinsky

Brandy Shufutinsky is Director of the Program on Education and National Security at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Previously, she served as Director of Education and Community Engagement at the North American Values Institute in Washington, D.C. She has published widely on antisemitism and education and was a 2021 scholar-in-residence at the Oxford Summer Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy.

Bruce Abramson

Bruce Abramson is an economist, attorney, and policy analyst focused on higher education reform. A pioneer in statistical modeling for artificial intelligence, his work has broken new ground across energy markets, severe storm forecasting, battlefield intelligence, military logistics, internet business models, and issues of antitrust, intellectual property, and American political culture.

Rabbi Cary Kozberg

Rabbi Cary Kozberg, ordained at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, has served as a pulpit rabbi, campus Hillel director, and board-certified healthcare chaplain. A published author and poet, he is a nationally recognized resource on the spiritual and psychological challenges facing older adults and their families. In recent years, he has focused on educating Jews through traditional Jewish texts, promoting self-defense in response to rising antisemitism, and founded the Mattathias Project, an online community dedicated to defending Israel and strengthening Jewish communal resilience.

Thane Rosenbaum

Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law professor, and Distinguished University Professor at Touro University, where he directs the Forum on Life, Culture & Society. He is the author of numerous books of fiction and non-fiction, serves as the Legal Analyst for CBS News Radio, writes a weekly essay for the Jewish Journal, and is a contributor to both White Rose Magazine and Newsmax TV. His most recent book is Beyond Proportionality: Israel’s Just War in Gaza (Wicked Son, 2025).

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser

M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., is the son of Syrian immigrants who fled Ba’athist oppression and is a physician and former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander. He is founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a Phoenix-based counter-Islamism think tank, and a co-founder of the Muslim Reform Movement. Dr. Jasser served as Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom from 2012–2016 and is an internationally recognized expert on political Islam, frequently published, featured in major media, and a regular congressional witness. He is the author of A Battle for the Soul of Islam and hosts the podcasts Reform This! and The Reform Report.

Dr. Richard Landes

Richard Landes was trained as a medievalist and taught history at the University of Pittsburgh and Boston University. His early work focused on the period around 1000 C.E.—a moment, in his opinion, of both cultural mutation (origins of the modern West) and intense apocalyptic and millennial expectations. After 2000 and the onset of Global Jihad, he focused on apocalyptic millennial activity in the 21st century and the Western news media’s unconscious role in encouraging such trends. In 2005, he launched a media-oversight project called the Second Draft in order to look at what the news media call their “first draft of history.” His groundbreaking investigations into the 2000 Muhammad al-Durah hoax and its disastrous consequences brought him to coin the now well-known phrase “Pallywood.” Since January of 2005 he has been blogging at The Augean Stables.

Simon Deng

Simon Deng is a former slave from South Sudan and a human rights activist and public speaker. Kidnapped at age nine during the First Sudanese Civil War, he endured two years of chattel slavery before escaping and eventually immigrating to the United States in 1989. He became a leader in the American Anti-Slavery Group, helped organize America’s first abolitionist conference since the Civil War, and led international “Freedom Walks” advocating for South Sudanese independence. Since October 7, 2023, he has partnered with the African Jewish Alliance to speak out against jihad slavery and terrorism and to advocate publicly for Israeli hostages.

Shai Davidai

Since October 7, 2023, Shai Davidai has emerged as a leading voice confronting antisemitism and support for terrorism in North America. As a professor-turned-activist, he has taken significant personal and professional risks, building a following of more than 250,000 on social media and hosting the widely followed podcast Here I Am with Shai Davidai. He has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, organized rallies, and spoken internationally, earning recognition from the Israeli Parliament and being named one of The Jerusalem Post’s 50 Most Influential Jews of 2024.

Daniel Schwartz

Daniel Schwartz, drawing inspiration from his family's legacy as Holocaust survivors, champions Zionism with a fiery commitment that resonates throughout the Chicagoland Jewish community. As the point person for meetings with elected and government officials, he plays a key role in advocating for community needs. Daniel is on a relentless mission to illuminate the stark injustices faced by the Jewish community—from students to business owners and seniors living in fear of rising antisemitism. He fights against hate, not only providing support but igniting a movement for justice that empowers the Jewish community to stand strong against adversity.

Dr. Naya Lekht

Dr. Naya Lekht is a scholar of contemporary antisemitism with a PhD in Russian literature from UCLA, where her research focused on Holocaust literature in the Soviet Union. A former Scholar-in-Residence at Oxford University through ISGAP, she is a published author, educator, and curriculum developer who works closely with Jewish schools and nonprofits. Named one of The Jerusalem Post’s 25 Zionist “ViZionaries” of 2024, she is also a sought-after speaker and the host of Don’t Know Much About, a program exploring Israel, anti-Zionism, and Jewish history.

Daniel Flesch

Daniel Flesch is Senior Policy Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at the Heritage Foundation’s Allison Center for National Security, where he focuses on the U.S.–Israel relationship, regional normalization, and combating antisemitism. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor to Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and founded Fuel for Truth–D.C., an Israel education and advocacy initiative. A former IDF paratrooper, he has been recognized for distinguished service, testified before Congress, and is frequently featured in major media. He holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Max Abrahms

Dr. Max Abrahms is a tenured professor of political science and Jewish Studies at Northeastern University and a Senior Fellow in Counterterrorism at the American Foreign Policy Council. A leading scholar on terrorism and counterterrorism, he regularly advises government agencies, consults for major corporations, and appears frequently in the media to analyze international security issues. He has taught and held research affiliations at institutions including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, Stanford, NATO, and Tel Aviv University.

Masha Merkulova

Masha Merkulova is Founder and CEO of Club Z, a national Jewish youth movement dedicated to developing confident, articulate Zionist leaders. Since founding the organization in 2011, she has grown Club Z from a grassroots effort into a nationwide network reaching thousands of teens and alumni, equipping students to advocate for Israel and confront antisemitism. A leading voice on Jewish education and identity, her work has been published in Newsweek, The Jerusalem Post, and JNS.

Rabbi Mark Goldfeder

Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Esq. is CEO and Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center and a leading expert on law, religion, and antisemitism. A former senior law lecturer and visiting professor at universities in the U.S., Europe, and Israel, he publishes widely in academic and major media outlets and is co-author of Religious Organizations and the Law. Goldfeder represents individuals and organizations nationwide in antisemitism-related cases, advises policymakers, and has litigated matters in U.S. federal courts and the International Criminal Court.

Lori Lowenthal Marcus

Lori Lowenthal Marcus is Legal Director of The Deborah Project, a public interest law firm dedicated to defending the civil rights of Jews facing discrimination in education. She has led landmark legal challenges against antisemitic practices in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities, including the first cases addressing covertly inserted antisemitic instructional materials and Title VII claims on behalf of faculty targeted for defending Israel. Marcus also educates Jewish families nationwide through webinars on their legal rights and remedies.

Jeffrey Lax

Jeffrey Lax is a professor of law at the City University of New York (CUNY) and has chaired the department of business at Kingsborough Community College (KCC) for the past 15 years. He is the co-founder and chair of the board for Students, Alumni, and Faculty for Equality

Henry Srebrnik

Henry Srebrnik teaches comparative politics and ethnic relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. He obtained BA and MA degrees in political science and history at McGill University, Montreal, an MA in Contemporary Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, and his PhD in political science, from the University of Birmingham in England.