Program for Jewish Civilization

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Michael Oren: The Gaza Crisis from an Historical and Personal Perspective

Michael B. Oren is a professor in the Program of Jewish Civilization in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Specializing in the diplomatic and military history of the Middle East, he also comments on Middle Eastern affairs for CBS.

Dr. Oren is the author of Six Days of War: June 1967 and The Making of the Modern Middle East, published in 2002 by Oxford University Press. His most recent book, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present, was eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and won a National Council of the Humanities History Book Award.


Ambassador Dennis Ross: Restoring America's Standing in the Middle East

Ambassador Dennis Ross discusses the trends and future in Arab-Israeli relations as well as perspectives on dealing with Iran.

Dennis B. Ross served as the director for policy planning in the State Department under President George H.W. Bush and special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clinton. The envoy and chief negotiator under both Republican and Democratic presidents, Ross was integral in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process during his tenure.
 He is now counselor of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Cynthia Ozick: Jewish Identities, Transcending Boundaries

Cynthia Ozick is among the major living American writers, acclaimed for her many works of fiction and criticism. She was a finalist for the National Book Award for her previous novel, The Puttermesser Papers, which was named one of the top ten books of the year by the New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, and the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Her most recent essay collection, Quarrel & Quandary, won the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. Ozick’s work has been translated into thirteen languages worldwide. Her classic novella The Shawl was produced for the stage in New York, directed by Sidney Lumet.

Interview with Jacques Berlinerblau on 2008 U.S. Elections

Marking the longest nomination process in U.S. history, the 2008 election cycle has hosted record breaking fundraising efforts, voter turnout and a long battle for the first African American to become the Democratic nominee. Jewish civilization professor Jacques Berlinerblau discusses the 2008 election cycle's historical significance, the role of the media in the election, as well as trends in political communication, political socialization, and voting behavior, especially among young voters.