WASHINGTON, DC — J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace organization, announced today that it will honor Alexandra C. Stanton and Daniel A. Kohl with the 2017 Tzedek v’Shalom (Justice and Peace) Award at the annual J Street Gala on the evening of February 27th in Washington, DC.
The annual award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to the promotion of peace and social justice in the Middle East and America and whose public service is an exemplar of the core Jewish value of tikkun olam – “healing the world.”
“Dan Kohl and Alex Stanton perfectly represent the new wave of impressive, politically-savvy American Jewish leaders dedicated to securing Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state and to promoting the values and goals of our community here at home,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street. “They understand what it takes to create the political space for progress and to positively impact decisions made at the highest levels of American government.”
Both Stanton and Kohl have a long history of advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and supporting strong American diplomatic leadership to help a create a more peaceful Middle East. Stanton serves as the Vice-Chair of J Street’s Board of Directors and the co-chair of JStreetPAC, the group’s political fundraising arm. Kohl is a member of the Board of Directors of JStreetPAC and a former member of J Street’s senior staff, having served as Political Director and Vice President for Political Affairs from 2009 to 2012.
Both honorees are veteran political activists and fundraisers with close ties to the senior leadership of the Democratic party. Kohl has served on the National Finance Committees of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Kerry. His extensive involvement with the American Jewish community includes serving on the boards of the American Jewish Committee, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the Milwaukee Jewish Day School (as Board Chair), Washington Hebrew Congregation and UW-Madison Hillel. He is currently Senior Advisor with Baker Hostetler’s government practice group.
Stanton has held senior positions in large public enterprises, including the NYC Mayor’s Office of Appointments for Mayor Bill De Blasio, the Empire State Development Corporation (New York State’s economic development agency) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, DC. In addition to her roles with J Street, she currently serves as Vice President of the Board of the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill, New York, and Vice President of Doctors of the World – USA. In 2013, Stanton was appointed by President Barack Obama to the Board of Trustees of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She is the CEO of Empire Global Ventures LLC.
The recipients will receive their award at J Street’s annual Gala on February 27th, the capstone of the group’s sixth National Conference, which will take place February 25-28th in Washington DC.