Memphis Jewish High School to Bring to Memphis Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, Former Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff, & Professor Benjamin Ish-Shalom, Founder & Director of Beit Morasha  

Pair to also speak at Baron Hirsch Congregation as Scholars in Residence  for Synaplex Program on March 3rd               

    Memphis, TN (2/20/07) – In keeping with its commitment of reinforcing the understanding and love of Israel to its student body, Memphis Jewish High School will welcome two distinguished Jewish leaders to Memphis on Thursday, March 1.  Former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. General Moshe “Bogie” Yaalon and Professor Benjamin Ish-Shalom, founder & director of Beit Morasha, will be speaking to the school’s student body about events in Israel and the importance of Jewish identity in the context of a global Jewish community.                  
    In addition, both will serve as Scholars in Residence at Baron Hirsch Congregation for this Shabbat’s Synaplex program.  General Yaalon will be speaking during the main Shabbat services on Saturday, March 3 where he will be sharing with the congregation his views on the current situation in Israel and the importance of Jewish education in terms of building “national resilience” within Israel.  In addition, later that day, Professor Ish-Shalom along with General Yaalon and Rabbi Shai Finkelstein, senior rabbi of Baron Hirsch, will be discussing the topic “Confronting the Identity and Moral Crises in Israeli Society and the IDF.”  In addition, there will be a unique opportunity to learn about the Conversion Institute within Israel that Professor Ish-Shalom heads and the Nativ Program which serves the IDF.  During their Memphis visit, both gentlemen also will meet with several community leaders in various settings.             
    Andy Groveman, president of Memphis Jewish High School and former president of Baron Hirsch Congregation, says “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to have the caliber of individuals and speakers as these two Jewish leaders represent.  We are extremely proud to welcome them to our community.”             
    Capping a distinguished career as an officer in the IDF, General Yaalon served as the 17th IDF Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005, during which time he led the army’s successful effort to quell the Palestinian terror war launched in September 2000.  Drafted into the IDF in 1968, he served in the Nahal Paratroop Regiment.  After fighting as a reservist in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he returned to active duty and completed officer’s training.  He held several command positions in the IDF Paratroop Brigade and was wounded in combat at the end of the 1982 Lebanon War.  He rose through the IDF ranks, culminating with his appointment as Chief of Staff in 2002.   
    General Yaalon pursued advanced studies at the command and staff college in Camberly, England and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa.  Born in 1950, General Yaalon is now serving as Chairman of the Center for Jewish Identity and Culture at Beit Morasha of Jerusalem and is a distinguished fellow at the Shalem Institute.              
    Prof. Benjamin Ish-Shalom is the founder and rector of Beit Morasha, and one of the world’s leading proponents for Jewish unity and moderation.  Prof Ish-Shalom is the founding chairman of the Board of the Institute for Jewish Studies – the Joint Conversion Institute, an innovative conversion institute that combines Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform perspectives on Judaism while meeting the requirements of Jewish Law, which was established by the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency following the recommendation of the Ne’eman Commission.             
    The recipient of the prestigious 2004 AVI CHAI Prize for Leadership in Promoting Jewish Unity, Prof. Ish-Shalom was commended for his “extensive and diverse efforts to develop a shared cultural foundation and promote fruitful dialogue among the different segments of Israeli Jewry.”  With a Ph.D in Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University, he has served on the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion, and Yeshiva University, has lectured worldwide, and has published numerous books and articles on Jewish Thought and Philosophy.  In addition to his teaching at Beren College, Prof. Ish-Shalom currently teaches at Bar-Ilan University.