October 7th: A Year of War on the Battlefield and in the Media

Jonathan Conricus is a former IDF (Israel Defense Forces) spokesperson who served for 24 years as a combat commander, including in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. He recently retired as lieutenant colonel and is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Jonathan was the first Israeli officer to be seconded to the United Nations, during which he provided military and strategic analysis for UN peacekeeping forces.  

Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, the fourth president of American Jewish University (AJU), is an advocate for academic innovation. His leadership at AJU includes fostering growth in the Maas Center for Jewish Journeys, expanding the Maven digital platform, and improving the Brandeis-Bardin Campus. Formerly, he served as president and CEO of the Newseum and the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. Notable achievements include successfully overseeing a half billion-dollar fundraising campaign, implementing a university-wide strategic plan, and enhancing educational programming at Colgate University, where he was president from 2010 to 2015. Dr. Herbst holds a summa cum laude bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, as well as a master’s and doctorate in political science from Yale University. He is the author of the award-winning “States and Power in Africa” and, with several co-authors, the just-published “Making Africa Work.” In addition to many books and articles, he has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other digital and print publications around the world.