HIAS, originally known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, has worked since 1881 to provide rescue, resettlement and reunion services to Jews in need throughout the world and to other oppressed migrants. Its headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland. Mark Hetfield is president, and Beth Oppenheim is CEO.

Lee Shai Weissbach is a history professor at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He is an expert on small-town Jewish life in America, especially in the South, where surveys show traditional observance tends to be lower than in other areas.

Michael Weil heads the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. The federation is working to revitalize the local Jewish community in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which cut the city’s Jewish population by one-third.

Annelise Orleck is a history professor at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. She is an expert on Jewish-American immigrants, especially Soviet immigrants.

Hasia Diner is a professor of American Jewish history, Hebrew and Judaic studies and director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University in New York City. She is co-author of Her Works Praise Her: A History of Jewish Women in America From Colonial Times to the Present. She says a major problem facing […]

Rabbi Reuven Firestone is a professor of medieval Jewish and Islamic studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. He is the author of numerous books on Jewish-Muslim relations, including An Introduction to Islam for Jews and Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims.

Mehnaz Afridi is an assistant professor of religious studies at Manhattan College. She is a frequent speaker on the subject of Muslim-Jewish relations.

Ellen Smith is a lecturer in Near Eastern and Judaic studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She is also principal of Museumsmith, a firm that helps museums with exhibitions and historic site interpretations. She has helped mount numerous exhibits on Jewish culture throughout the country.

Ilan Troen is a professor of Judaic studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. He is the founding editor of the journal Israel Studies, published three times a year, and has written 10 books on American, Jewish and Israeli history.