Dr. Sharon Azrieli is a Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist who serves as a director of the Azrieli Group and the Azrieli Foundation. A critically acclaimed opera singer, she has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and L’Opéra de Paris, as well as major orchestras worldwide. In business, Sharon has founded and led real estate ventures in Canada and the U.S., and invested in theatre and film. She sits on the boards of the National Arts Centre of Canada, the McCord Museum, and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, among others. Sharon holds a PhD in Music from the University of Montreal and degrees from Vassar, Juilliard, and Parsons.
Josh Lipsky is the Chair of International Economics and Senior Director of the GeoEconomics Center at the Atlantic Council. He previously served as an advisor and speechwriter to Christine Lagarde at the IMF and as a U.S. State Department appointee for public diplomacy. At the White House, Josh helped coordinate President Obama’s participation in the G7, G20, and other global summits. Earlier in his career, he worked on Capitol Hill and at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Josh is an Economic Diplomacy Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a JD from Georgetown, a Master’s from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA from Columbia.
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Ethiopia, Tikkun Olam, Tenacity: Dr. Rick Hodes
Dr. Rick Hodes is an American physician who has spent the past 35 years in Ethiopia serving as the Medical Director for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Based in a public hospital in Addis Ababa, he treats children with severe spinal deformities, heart disease, and other complex conditions. In partnership with a Ghanaian surgeon, Dr. Hodes founded a spine program that now serves over 400 new patients annually and performs surgeries across Ethiopia, Ghana, and the United States. Dr. Hodes has also cared for refugees across Africa and collaborates with a cardiac center in India. He’s been recognized as a CNN Hero, awarded five honorary doctorates, and featured in the HBO documentary Making the Crooked Straight and Marilyn Berger’s book This is a Soul.
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Ideology, Influence, Institutions: Dr. Jehuda Reinharz
Dr. Jehuda Reinharz is the President and CEO of the Mandel Foundation. He was appointed by Mort Mandel in 2011, after serving as President of Brandeis University from 1994 to 2011. Dr. Reinharz’s prior roles at Brandeis include Provost, Director of the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, and Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History. Dr. Reinharz has authored or co-authored over 100 articles and 34 books. He holds nine honorary doctorates and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He also serves on numerous boards, including the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he is a life member and former Chairman. In 2024, Dr. Reinharz received the Leo Baeck Medal and was awarded the President of Israel Prize for a second time. He holds bachelor's degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, a master’s from Harvard, and a Ph.D. from Brandeis.
Dafna Meitar-Nechmad is Chairwoman of the Board of Governors at Tel Aviv University. A former partner at Meitar Law Offices, she transitioned from a leading legal career to focus fully on philanthropy. Dafna is President of the Zvi and Ofra Meitar Family Fund, founder of TAU’s Institute for Law and Philanthropy, and a longtime member of the Zvi Meitar Center for Advanced Legal Studies. She has held leadership roles with the Israeli Opera Friends’ Association, the Jewish Funders Network, and Committed to Give, and helped establish Keshet, Israel’s first donor-advised fund. Internationally, Dafna has served on the Metropolitan Opera’s Managing Director’s Committee and currently sits on its Advisory Committee, as well as the Guggenheim Museum’s International Director’s Council.
Isaac Raskas Ohrenstein, a Harvard student and WJC-Lauder Fellow, sits down with leaders and changemakers in the Jewish world to explore their impactful work across business, politics, academia, and philanthropy. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and the World Jewish Congress website.
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