Yotam Zach Speaks, Inspires at Agudath Israel

On Tuesday, September 15, the CAI Men's Club and Israel Program Committee welcomed speaker Yotam Zach, 23, to Caldwell. Yotam is the 2009-2010 Youth Shaliach (emissary) from Israel.

Yotam took the audience through a very thorough but inspiring timeline that began all the way back in 1936 when his grandparents fled an oppressive Iraq and post-war Europe respectively. He spoke of growing up in the Tel Aviv suburb of Azur where his parents held high ranking civic titles.

Yotam spent much of his lecture talking about the public relations and physical wars that were fought in the Gaza strip during his days of military service. Two of the most challenging but impactful experiences were having to remove Jews from Gaza during disengagement and battling Kazam rocket-launchers during the incursion. But the P.R. war seems to have been one of the toughest things Yotam had to deal with. Friends would call him on his cell phone to verify and refute disparaging reports about the Israeli military seen on international media.

Towards the end of the presentation, Yotam encouraged the audience to write letters of hope for POW Gilad Shalit and talked about reactions from the death of IDF pilot Assaf Ramon.

Yotam will be spending the year engaging with Jewish communities of all ages in the Metrowest area and Rutgers University. We highly recommend having him speak to your group. You'll get some great stories about what it's like growing up in Israel and you'll be able to connect with a young Israeli who genuinely wants bring a bit of the Holy Land to the States. For more information contact Men's Club President Adam Shandler at adshandler@gmail.com.

Thanks to Yotam for giving us a strong start to the Men's Club 2009-10 programming calendar, and to Randi Brokman for suggesting this terrific speaker. (At right, Yotam Zach, center, poses with, from left, Men's Club VP Marty Schenker, Israel Committee Co-President Harvey Hershkowitz, Men's Club President Adam Shandler and Israel Committee Co-President Lee Gladstein.)

David Schenker Talk RESCHEDULED - MARCH 17

The CAI Men's Club has rescheduled its David Schenker speaking event for Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The visit will commence at 8 pm in the Adult Lounge. There is a $5.00 speaking fee for this event.

In light of a very tight race for Prime Minister in Israel, complicated by corruption charges and a suffering economy, this should be a very enlightening talk! Mr. Schenker, who is the Director on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, will also reflect on Israel's conflict in Gaza and the impact of a nuclear Iran.

For more information on this event or to RSVP, contact Marty Schenker at 973-439-1699.

WINEP's David Schenker to Speak at CAI

The Agudath Israel Men's Club is proud to sponsor a very important speaker.

Middle East expert and former Pentagon policy advisor David Schenker will discuss the latest developments in the region. Schenker will talk about the impact of the Israeli elections (slated for earlier in the day) and potential peace negotiations with the Palestinians in light of the recent conflict in Gaza. He will also survey Iranian progress on its nuclear weapons program and what it means for the region.

Currently, Mr. Schenker is the Director of Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. His advisements guide both U.S. military and political activity in the Middle East region. While working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2005, Mr. Schenker was awarded the Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service in 2005.

Come hear the real story about what's going on in the Middle East from a real insider!

Tuesday, February 10th, 8 pm. Admission is $5.00, payable at the door.