Institute Names Former Israeli UN Ambassadors Scholar-Statesmen

Honors Trustees Jill and Jay Bernstein

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the ratification of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy presented its 2017 Scholar-Statesman Award to three former ambassadors who enhanced Israel’s position in the world body: Dore Gold, Dan Gillerman, and Ron Prosor.

The Institute conferred its most prestigious prize, now in its eleventh year, at a gala dinner in New York City that also paid tribute to Washington Institute Trustees Jill and Jay Bernstein. The event was attended by more than 400 guests.

“Though the UN issued Israel its birth certificate, it has long been hostile to the Jewish state, singling out Israel for condemnation and attacking its very right to exist,” said Institute Executive Director Robert Satloff, who is the Institute's Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy. “The Institute is proud to recognize three exemplary diplomats who have fought for justice and fairness for Israel in the world body.”

Amb. Dore Gold, a scholar by training, served as Israel’s permanent representative to the UN from 1997-1999. His most recent government service was as director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry from 2015-2016. Amb. Gold currently serves as president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), a think tank, where he authored his 2004 book, Tower of Babble: How the United Nations Has Fueled Global Chaos, based on his experience as Israel’s ambassador to the UN.

Amb. Dan Gillerman served as Israel’s permanent representative to the UN from 2003-2008 and was the first person appointed to the post from Israel’s private sector. Amb. Gillerman oversaw the first successful Israeli resolution ever adopted by the UN and was elected vice president of the General Assembly in 2005, the first Israeli to hold that office since Abba Eban in 1953. He currently serves as chairman of the International Board of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, chairman of Gillerman Global Ltd., and senior advisor to Blackstone Israel.

Amb. Ron Prosor served as Israel’s permanent representative to the UN from 2011 to 2015 and earned a reputation as one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats during his 30 years in the Foreign Ministry, including serving as director-general from 2004-2007. At the UN, Amb. Prosor, served as vice president of the General Assembly and chair of the United Nations Human Rights Committee and has the distinction of having convened the first General Assembly session on anti-Semitism. He currently serves as the Abba Eban Chair of International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC) and is a Distinguished Fellow with the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC.

Executive Director Satloff conducted a thought-provoking conversation with Ambassadors Gold, Gillerman, and Prosor on the UN and Israel’s status within the organization.

The Institute also honored Institute Trustees Jay and Jill Bernstein who have been generous, longtime supporters of the Institute and other nonprofit organizations. The Bernsteins have attended numerous Institute conferences and participated in Institute trips to the Middle East. Jay is currently a member of the Institute’s Board of Directors.

Institute Trustees James Schreiber and son Zachary Schreiber praised the Bernsteins for their outstanding commitment to the Institute, their work on behalf of other charitable causes, and their profound devotion to their family.

The dinner was co-chaired by, Kathy and Gene Bernstein, Natalie and Matthew Bernstein, Carol and Roger Einiger, Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg, Susan and Leonard Feinstein, Ahuva and Martin J. Gross, Shelly and Michael Kassen, Linda and Tony Rubin, Lori and Zach Schreiber, Wendy and James Schreiber, Sofia and Mikhail Segal, Shonni Silverberg and John Shapiro. Vice chairs were Meredith Berkman and Daniel Mintz, Buzzy Geduld, Ruth and Sid Lapidus, Robin Chemers Neustein, the Pollack Family, Johanna and Lief Rosenblatt, Denise and Thomas Stern, Jeffrey Talpins. Honorary chairs were Lorraine Abramson, Susan and Roger Hertog, Merryl H. Tisch and James S. Tisch, and, Mortimer Zuckerman.

About the Washington Institute: The Washington Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research institution funded exclusively by U.S. citizens that seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them. Drawing on the research of its fellows and the experience of its policy practitioners, the Institute promotes informed debate and scholarly research on U.S. policy in the region.

Media Contact: Ian Byrne, 202-230-9550, email.