Lisa Schiffren is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum. As a rule, she takes a dark view of the direction our culture and its institutions are heading. Naturally, as a parent, with a stake in the future, and a patriot, she hopes to be proven wrong as often as possible.
Schiffren is particularly interested in culture, politics, defense policy, and, really, the whole range of human folly. Her work appears in National Review /NRO, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. She’s been on the usual TV and radio shows. She writes speeches and other materials for a range of private and public clients, but likes doing political work best.
Schiffren is a native New Yorker, with a B.A. in History from Bryn Mawr College. She was an editorial writer at the Detroit News, winning awards for coverage of welfare policy, crime, education and other urban issues. She covered national politics and spent a couple of years in and out of Pakistan and Afghanistan covering the Soviet War, traveling on foot and horseback, with the Mujahedeen. A stint in the Defense Department’s office of Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict, followed. Then it was off to the Bush I White House, where she wrote speeches for Vice President Dan Quayle, including the well known “Murphy Brown” speech, which ultimately sparked national interest in longstanding welfare reform goals. Both issues – Afghanistan and the consequences of widespread single motherhood – still threaten the continuity of Western Civ, and require frequent comment.
These days Schiffren lives in New York City with her three teenage daughters, and an energetic puppy. She is delighted to be back at IWF – of which she was an original founder, way back in 1993, when conservative women were still an exotic species.
Benjamin Sweetwood recently graduated with honors from Columbia University in the City of New York. While at Columbia he majored in political science with a focus on international relations and Chinese foreign policy. He has provided research for some of Columbia’s leading political science professors. Ben has worked at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, providing research for various scholars. He also worked as a personal research assistant to noted author, columnist, and pundit Jonah Goldberg. At Columbia University he chaired the American Enterprise Institute’s Executive Council, was President of Christians United for Israel, and was the Vice President of Students Supporting Israel. In 2015, Ben was awarded the Roger Pilon Fellowship, a yearly scholarship honoring a student of high academic achievement who works to advance the ideals of classical liberalism. Ben also blogs on political issues and world affairs, and his writing has appeared in such publications as The Times of Israel and The Tab.
Julius Krein is editor of the new conservative quarterly, American Affairs. After graduating Harvard in 2008, he has been involved in various business enterprises and has contributed to conservative publications such as The Weekly Standard.
Joshua Charles is the co-author of the #1 New York Times best-selling book The Original Argument, author of the recent bestseller Liberty’s Secrets: The Lost Wisdom of America’s Founders, and the co-author of the new release God, Israel, and You: The Scandalous Story of a Faithful God.
Joshua is a concert pianist, having studied Piano Performance for his undergraduate, and performed throughout the United States and Europe. He also holds a Master of Arts in Government with a certificate in Global Politics, and is currently completing his law degree. Joshua is a public policy Fellow at William Jessup University, a columnist, an Israel Experience Scholar, and a member of the Council for National Policy.
Joshua frequently speaks about historical, cultural, political, and theological issues relevant to our times. He is now a Writer and Researcher at the Museum of the Bible, and speaks around the world about the ways in which the Bible has impacted human civilization.
Jonathan Yudelman is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Boston College. He holds a BA in Jewish Thought and an MA in Philosophy from the Hebrew University. He was a 2013 Tikvah Fellow. His writing on culture, philosophy and politics has appeared in publications including Azure, First Things, the Jerusalem Post, and the LA Review of Books.
Aron White teaches Talmud at Yeshivat Hakotel in the Old City of Jerusalem, whilst studying for Rabbinic Ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and has written numerous articles on issues of Jewish thought and law for TorahMusings.com. He works part time for CAMERA/UK Media Watch, and his writing on political topics have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, the Daily Caller, JNS, and the Algemeiner. Aron is the founder and director an organization called Olim VeTormim, which encourages people who have made Aliyah to Israel to donate blood regularly, and is the co-director of Shalhevet, a summer Jewish learning program for British University students.
Jonathan Silver is Senior Director at the Tikvah Fund, where he oversees a range of educational programs and publishing ventures. He was educated at Tufts University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He maintains research interests in ancient Greek and Hebraic political thought, and the theory and practice of American government.
Sarah Rindner teaches English literature at Lander College for Women, a division of Touro College. In the past she has also taught English at Ma’ayanot and SAR High Schools. Her writing on Jewish and literary topics has appeared in the Jewish Review of Books, Mosaic Magazine, and her website, The Book of Books. She is also currently the Jewish Liaison for CanaVox, a project of the Witherspoon Institute.
Charles Raith II, Ph.D. is Director of the Paradosis Center for Theology and Scripture and currently holds the J. Vernon McGee Chair of Biblical Studies and is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at John Brown University. He academic interests include historical theology from the high-Middles Ages to the early Reformation era, theological interpretation of scripture, and modern ecumenism. He has articles in numerous journals, including Pro Ecclesia, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Logos, Calvin Theological Journal, Journal for the Theological Interpretation of Scripture, amongst other. His books include Aquinas and Calvin on Romans: God’s Justification and Our Participation (Oxford University Press, 2014), After Merit: John Calvin’s Theology of Works and Reward (Vendenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016), Ecumenism: A Guide for the Perplexed (Continuum, 2017; with R. David Nelson), and The Gospel of John: Theological-Ecumenical Readings (edited volume, Cascade, 2017).
In helping create CUFI’s new outreach for millennials, called“Israel Collective”, Raj drew creativity and ingenuity from his diverse media background. Raj’s career journey spans from covering dozen of Hollywood red carpets, to reporting at multiple college football national championship games, to filming Rolling Stone cover shoots and conducting movie press junkets for ESPN. But Raj came to CUFI after his admiration for Israel matured during his three years as a television host for TheBlaze TV Network. Raj and his wife Caitlin live in Brooklyn.
