Harley Lippman
President George W. Bush appointed Harley Lippman to serve as a member of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad and has been reappointed by every president since. In this role, Harley personally spearheaded efforts that uncovered over 20 mass graves across Poland of Jews massacred by Germans between September 1939 and March 1942, two years before the Holocaust. Harley’s tremendous efforts to keep alive the memory of Jews slaughtered in mass graves led Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2023 to award Harley with the medal called Medal Opoekin Miejsc Pamieci Narodowej – “Guardian of National Memorial Sites.”
In 2022, Harley was appointed by President Biden to serve on the USAID Partnership for Peace Fund (MEPPA). MEPPA is the largest investment by the U.S. Congress in peace-building in the Middle East, fostering economic, social, and political connections between Israelis and Palestinians. This can serve as a foundation for joint economic ventures, fostering tolerance, and ultimately coexistence.
Harley has been recognized by Forbes as “a great example of ‘soft power’ in Washington. He is one of the few people who maintain a good relationship with both sides of the aisle and has a reputation for being highly effective.” This has led Harley to meet with world leaders that include President Biden, Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss issues of U.S. Foreign policy; Israel; and ways to build better, more peaceful relationships amongst Middle Eastern nations.
Harley was honoured in May 2019 in the US Senate at the annual US Congressional Tribute event marking May as Jewish American Heritage Month which began in 1980. The Congressional Tribute featured U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives, government officials, diplomats, and national Jewish leaders. The Hon. David F. Eisner, Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury, represented and read the proclamation by President Trump issued in honour of Jewish American Heritage Month. Remarks were also delivered by HE Yousef Al Otaiba, ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America who spoke about the importance of tolerance, praising Harley Lippman for his leadership.
Harley frequently meets with political leaders from across the international community to address issues relating to how technology is impacting geopolitics, US foreign policy, Gulf security, and the advancement of Jewish and Christian ties. Harley maintains deep relationships with Gulf leaders. His strong ties to the region began in 1998 on a mission with the Anti-Defamation League to discuss the implications of Iraq’s war in Kuwait and more broadly US-Saudi relations. Since then, Harley has met with the leadership from the Gulf and broader Middle East including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. Since the 1990s, Harley has participated in Anti-Defamation League delegations to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians meeting on numerous occasions with PA President Yasser Arafat and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Beyond the Middle East, Harley’s expertise extends to South-East Asia having participated in 2002 on a mission with the American Jewish Congress to meet with China’s political leadership to discuss US-China collaboration and Chinese-Taiwanese relations.
Harley’s leadership has led him to advance the interests and security of Jewish and Christian communities around the world. As part of a mission with the Anti-Defamation League, Harley Lippman met with Pope John Paul II in 1997, and as former President of ISGAP, Harley met with Pope Frances on multiple occasions and set up a working team with the Vatican to protect Christian communities across the Middle East.
Harley serves on the board of Advisors of Yale University’s School of Management. Harley is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at Columbia University’s Graduate School of International and Public Affairs. Harley also serves on the boards of foreign policy think tanks including the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a Council member of the Brookings Institution.
Harley is recognised as a thought leader in international affairs offering commentary on breaking news to international outlets including Saudi TV, CNBC, Fox News, Sky News, Dutch, Swiss and Chinese TV.