Speaking at ADL’s Sills-Glass Graduation. Orchard Lake, Michigan. 2014. Photograph: CraneGang.smugMug.com
The Sills/ Glass Leadership Institute was a great forum for talking about both theoretical and tangible solutions to some of our contemporary, pressing issues, such as terrorism, extremism, anti-Semitism, and general hate-fueled behavior.”
In 2013-2014, I participated as a Sills-Glass Leader with the Anti-Defamation League. A powerful and content-rich program, the Sills-Glass Leadership Institute (also known as GLI) is designed to introduce young community leaders, academics, and policy-makers to the Anti-Defamation League. During the ten-month immersive program, our group attended seminars, dinners, and a three-day National Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. Alongside nearly 500 attendees, we heard from internationally-renowned speakers on topics such as hate crimes, terrorism, extremism, global anti-Semitism, Israel advocacy, government affairs, Holocaust education, immigration reform, and LGBT-policy.
Michigan Region’s Sills/ Glass Delegation. Washington, District of Columbia. 2014. Photograph: A. Zimberg.
Some highlights from the 2014 Washington D.C. National Leadership Summit:
- U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez delivered the Keynote Address
- James B. Comey, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation [Speaker]
- Ambassador Ron Dermer, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States [Speaker]
- National Director Abraham H. Foxman will speak about his personal story
National Director Abe Foxman addresses the crowd. Washington, District of Columbia. 2014. Photograph: A. Zimberg.
- Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns received the ADL Distinguished Statesman Award
- Panel on U.S. Policy Challenges in the Middle East with Elliott Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations; Tamara Cofman Wittes, Brookings Institution; Rob Satloff, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Jeffrey Goldberg, Bloomberg View and Ron Kampeas, JTA Washington Bureau
- Washington, DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier will receive the ADL William & Naomi Gorowitz Institute Service Award
- Report from Capitol Hill with Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO)
Opening dinner at the ADL’s National Leadership Summit. Washington, District of Columbia. 2014. Photograph: A. Zimberg.
- Workshops on: Strategies to Prevent Terror and Violent Extremism; Immigration Reform; Safeguarding Religious Liberty While Fighting Discrimination; U.S. Leadership Against Global Anti-Semitism; Challenges in the Fight for Civil Rights and Equality
- Ask The Pundits with Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg News and Laura Meckler, Wall Street Journal and Stacy Burdett, ADL Director, Government and National Affairs
- Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement for Progress in 2014 with Hilary Shelton, NAACP, Rea Carey, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Vanessa Cardenas, Center for American Progress, Deborah Lauter, ADL Director, Civil Rights
- On the Frontlines Against Cyberhate with Monika Bickert, Facebook, Jeffrey Rosen,National Constitution Center, Jennifer Hanley, Family Online Safety Institute and Steven Freeman, ADL Associate Director, Civil Rights
Lobbying on Capitol Hill for immigration reform and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Washington, District of Columbia. 2014. Photograph: A. Zimberg.
All summit participants got the opportunity to lobby their local Congressman/ Congresswoman on the topics of immigration reform and the historic Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). It was an honor to visit the office of Representative John Conyers, the second longest-serving incumbent in Congress and a champion for human rights in Detroit.
I enjoyed getting to know the Anti-Defamation League and highly recommend the program to interested young leaders. The Sills/ Glass Leadership Institute was a great forum for talking about both theoretical and tangible solutions to some of our contemporary, pressing issues, such as terrorism, extremism, anti-Semitism, and general hate-fueled behavior. GLI has branches around the country, from Dallas and Los Angeles to Denver and New York City. The Michigan chapter of the ADL begins their recruitment for 2014-2015 Glass Leaders tonight.
Click here for the application and feel free to reach out with any questions.
