A Shabbat In Solidarity With Israel

Join us for a special Shabbat in Solidarity with Israel on September 7, following 9AM Morning Services, with Jonathan Conricus and Alon Penzel.

Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow at the “Foundation for Defense of Democracies” and the owner of “Conricus Communications”. He recently retired as an IDF Lieutenant Colonel, after serving in the IDF for 24 years as a combat commander in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, as a military diplomat, foreign relations expert and international spokesperson. He was the first IDF officer to be seconded to the UN HQ in New York where he provided strategic analysis for UN peacekeeping.

During the first three months of the war against Hamas, he represented the IDF in international media in hundreds of interviews across top-tier networks, often explaining complex situations on the ground, in addition to delivering dozens of updates on IDF social media accounts for millions of interested viewers around the world. Between 2017-2021, Jonathan served as the IDF’s International Spokesperson, responsible for the global public affairs, social media and public diplomacy of the IDF.

Jonathan can speak about and answer diverse questions on any of the following topics: Israel and its military history, threats and opportunities; Israeli society; the Iranian axis of evil, focusing on Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Sunni extremism in the Middle East; counter-terrorism, Israel and the international media; UN peacekeeping forces, programs and bodies in the Middle East; Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Jonathan is a proud Zionist, a strong believer in the crucial bond between the State of Israel and the Diaspora, and has so far dedicated his whole professional life to represent and defend the good name of the State of Israel in the world. Jonathan is native in Hebrew, English and Swedish, and intermediate in German and Arabic.

Alon Penzel is the author of the recently published “Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th 2023,” the first and only thorough, explicit, and verified record of first-hand accounts of the atrocities carried out on October 7th, 2023, in Israel.

Alon is an Israeli spokesperson, author, lecturer, journalist, social activist and TV anchor. He served as IDF spokesperson for the foreign press in the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and today, he represents the State of Israel in the international arena at global conferences, events, and lectures. Alon participated in “Model UN” and even won the prestigious “Ramon Award” for excellence and leadership after publishing his first book at the age of sixteen. As a specialist in international relations and diplomacy, Alon completed a negotiation course on behalf of Harvard University in the United States and is currently studying political science at the University of Haifa.

The book is already becoming a crucial part of the historical documentation of the horrors of that day, the extent of the damage, details of the perpetrators. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also offered to distribute the book to diplomats, government officials and others through their offices.