Voices of Impact
Isaac Raskas Ohrenstein, a Harvard student and WJC-Lauder Fellow, sits down with leaders and changemakers in the Jewish world to explore their impactful work across business, politics, academia, and philanthropy. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and the World Jewish Congress website.
Episodes
122 episodes
Legacy, Loyalty, and Leadership: Leon Recanati
Leon Recanati is the Chairman and CEO of GlenRock Israel, a private investment company, and the Chairman of the Yahel Foundation. Before founding GlenRock, Leon served as the Chairman and CEO of IDB Holding Corporation Ltd., one of Israel’s lar...
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22:27
Hamptons, Heritage, and Honor: Rabbi Marc Schneier
Rabbi Marc Schneier is the founding Rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue and the President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. He has been received by heads of state across the Gulf and was the first rabbi to be hosted at the royal palaces of...
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32:55
Partnership, Passion, and Purpose: Miles Nadal
Miles Nadal is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Peerage Capital, a Toronto-based investment firm with holdings in real estate brokerage, wealth management, and self-storage. Under his leadership, Peerage has grown into a family of entrepre...
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52:01
Integrity, Impact, Investing: Michael Leffell
Michael Leffell is the chairman and founder of 10 East, Canoe Intelligence, and Portage Partners, a privately held firm focused on alternative asset investments. Before his retirement in 2010, he served as deputy executive managing member of Da...
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22:17
Finance, Football, Family: Alex Swieca
Alex Swieca is an investor focused on the future of sports, media, and technology. He serves as Strategic Advisor to Avenue Sports, a division of Avenue Capital Group, and is the founder of QB1 Ventures, which invests in early-stage U.S. and Is...
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34:50
Guidance, Governance, Giving: Doug Korn
Doug Korn is the founder and Managing Partner of Victor Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm. Previously, he played key roles in building three other firms as an early-stage Associate and Vice President at The Blackstone Group,...
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52:59
Activism, Accountability, Awareness: Jacki Karsh
Jacki Karsh is a six-time Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist covering Los Angeles County for LA36's LA County Channel, where she reports on social and humanitarian issues. For nearly a decade, she has also served as anchor and mode...
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34:09
Ambition, Affinity, and Asia: Dr. Allan Zeman
Dr. Allan Zeman is the Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings and Wynn Macau, as well as the owner of Paradise Properties Group, a real estate developer in Thailand. A Hong Kong resident for over 50 years, he has played a prominent role in both gov...
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49:21
Community, Cannabis, Conviction: Wendy Berger
Wendy Berger is a Chicago-based real estate developer, entrepreneur, and civic leader. She is the CEO and Founder of WBS Equities, a firm specializing in the development and acquisition of industrial properties for food and beverage manufacture...
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33:32
Origins, Outreach, Opera: Dr. Sharon Azrieli
Dr. Sharon Azrieli is a Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist who serves as a director of the Azrieli Group and the Azrieli Foundation. A critically acclaimed opera singer, she has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Canadian Opera Compan...
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31:59
Sovereigns, Statecraft, Bretton Woods: Josh Lipsky
Josh Lipsky is the Chair of International Economics and Senior Director of the GeoEconomics Center at the Atlantic Council. He previously served as an advisor and speechwriter to Christine Lagarde at the IMF and as a U.S. State Department appoi...
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23:07
Ethiopia, Tikkun Olam, Tenacity: Dr. Rick Hodes
Dr. Rick Hodes is an American physician who has spent the past 35 years in Ethiopia serving as the Medical Director for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Based in a public hospital in Addis Ababa, he treats children with s...
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24:26
Ideology, Influence, Institutions: Dr. Jehuda Reinharz
Dr. Jehuda Reinharz is the President and CEO of the Mandel Foundation. He was appointed by Mort Mandel in 2011, after serving as President of Brandeis University from 1994 to 2011. Dr. Reinharz’s prior roles at Brandeis include Provost, Directo...
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45:00
Responsibility, Reach, Recognition: Dafna Meitar Nechmad
Dafna Meitar-Nechmad is Chairwoman of the Board of Governors at Tel Aviv University. A former partner at Meitar Law Offices, she transitioned from a leading legal career to focus fully on philanthropy. Dafna is President of the Zvi and Ofra Mei...
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34:12
Momentum, Management, Milwaukee: Alex Lasry
Alex Lasry is the Chief Executive Officer of the FIFA World Cup 26™ New York-New Jersey Host Committee. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce and spent nearly a decade as a...
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26:33
Influence, Negotiations, Power: Robert Wexler
Congressman Robert Wexler is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Ballard Partners, where he also serves as a Co-Managing Partner in Tel Aviv and a Special Advisor in Istanbul. He is also the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for...
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32:14
Consumers, Communication, Loyalty: Laurie Ann Goldman
Laurie Ann Goldman is the President and CEO at Tupperware Brands Corporation. She previously served as the CEO of Avon North America and the CEO of Spanx from 2002-2014, where she built the brand from a small start-up to a global business. Befo...
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41:22
Innovation, Inclusion, Intelligence: Alan Feld
Alan Feld is the Founder and Managing Partner of Vintage Investment Partners. He previously served as a General Partner at Israel Seed Partners and Vertex Ventures. Before that, Alan was Managing Director of Evergreen Capital Markets/Robertson ...
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34:45
Diplomacy, Wisdom, Acquisitions: Amb. Alfred Moses
Ambassador Alfred Moses is an attorney and the chairman of UN Watch in Geneva. He has served as the national president of the American Jewish Committee, special counsel to President Carter, U.S. ambassador to Romania, and the special presidenti...
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31:46
Public Service, Philanthropy, Leadership: Eric Gertler
Eric Gertler is the Executive Chairman & CEO of U.S. News & World Report. He previously served as Commissioner, President & CEO-designate of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency. Eric is a trustee of the ...
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41:12
Stewardship, Succession, and Strategy: Matthew Bronfman
Matthew Bronfman is Chairman and CEO of BHB Holdings, a private investment firm, and Chairman of Bronfman Rothschild, Lincoln Avenue Capital, and Bronfman LLC. He controls the IKEA franchise in Israel and has extensive real estate holdings in t...
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34:20
Healthcare, Heritage, Giving: Sara Crown Star
Sara Crown Star is a Venture Partner at FemHealth Ventures, a firm advancing innovations in women’s health. FemHealth Ventures Fund I, with a 0.93x DPI and 40.2% IRR, ranked in the top 10% of VC funds in the 2021 vintage. She previously served ...
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31:04
Capitalism, Disruption, Venture: David Blumberg
David Blumberg is the Founder and Managing Partner of Blumberg Capital. Before founding Blumberg Capital in 1991, he managed international investments at the Bronfman Family Office (Claridge), Adler & Co. Venture Capital, APAX Partners, and...
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58:28