We are honored to shine a spotlight today on Shalom Orzach, Senior Educator at the iCenter and the keynote facilitator at Let’s Talk About Israel on Sunday, April 14.

Shalom is an acclaimed public speaker on contemporary Israel who brings extensive knowledge, humor and passion and loves sharing stories about life in the land of so much promise. He has been a Senior Educator with the iCenter since 2014. Born in England, Shalom currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children.

Shalom is son of a Holocaust survivor and grew up in the company of aunts and uncles of the closest type albeit not family. Their experiences, Yiddish banter, humor, and optimism have very much shaped who he is today.

Prior to the iCenter, Shalom served as the AVI CHAI Project Director and Director of Education in the Shlichut and Israel Fellows unit for the Jewish Agency. He has served as a consultant for the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Jewish Peoplehood Committee, was a scholar on the prestigious Jerusalem Fellows Program, as well as serving as the Executive Director of Jewish Renewal for United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA).

While in Buffalo, Shalom will serve as a scholar in residence at Kehillat Ohr Tzion from April 12-13 before serving as the keynote facilitator at Let’s Talk About Israel. At the conference, Shalom will help create a safe space for us to deepen our relationships with the state of Israel, connect with one another and experience Israeli culture. While the conference will address the current war, the main focus will be on the land of Israel and its significance to the Jewish people. Shalom will deliver a keynote entitled, “The ‘State’ of Israel, its People and Country” and lead a workshop titled, “History: Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow (with thanks to Fleetwood Mac).”

Let’s Talk About Israel will take place on Sunday, April 14 from 9 am to 2 pm at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara. Registration is $36, includes a kosher Israeli lunch and is available at https://bit.ly/letstalkaboutisrael24.