Ambassador Jacob Finci
A member of the century-old local Sephardic community, Amb. Finci is a Bosnian lawyer, diplomat and preeminent human rights activist. He is among the founders of the Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society La Benevolencija. During the Bosnian war, La Benevolencija was the only Bosnian humanitarian organization working as implementing partner for UNHCR, and was one of the most successful NGOs, in the assistance of all citizens of Sarajevo and Bosnia Herzegovina on a non-sectarian basis. In 1993, during the Bosnian war, Amb. Finci became president of La Benevolencija and vice-president of an umbrella agency for Bosnian NGOs. In 1995 he was the first elected president of the Jewish Community of Bosnia Herzegovina. Between 1996 and 2000 he was the director of the Soros Foundation – Open Society Fund for Bosnia and Herzegovina. A lawyer by training and profession, in the year 2000, Amb. Finci was elected chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Bosnia Herzegovina. A year later he was appointed chair of the Constitutional Commission of Federal Parliament. He has been a member of the Association of free intellectuals Circle 99 and of the Inter-religious Council of Bosnia Herzegovina. He is the only Bosnian representative to the Advisory Council of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. For his work, Amb. Finci was decorated several times, including Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and French decoration Chevalier Legion Of Honor. He also received the Primo Levi prize in May 2013.

Dr. Mustafa Cerić
Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Co-recipient of the 2003 UNESCO Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize. Recipient of the International Council of Christians and Jews Annual Sternberg Award. Received the 2007 Theodor-Heuss-Stiftung award and named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists UK. Also a 2008 recipient of Eugen Biser Foundation award and, in 2008, accepted the invitation of Tony Blair to be on the advisory council of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

Andrey Azoulay
Counselor to His Majesty the King of Morocco. Member of the Royal Academy of Morocco and of the Royal Academy of Spain for Economy and Finance. President of the Executive Committee of the Foundation for the Three Cultures and the Three Religions, based in Seville (Spain), as well as the Founder and the Chairman of ‘Identity and Dialogue’. Mr. Azoulay has received distinctions throughout his career including the conferring of the titles of Commander of the Wissam Al Arch (Kingdom of Morocco) and Commander of the Legion d’Honneur (France).

Rabbi David Rosen
Knight Commander of the Order of Gregory the Great in recognition of his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation. Winner of the Mount Zion Award for Interreligious Understanding and the Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award. Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. International Director of Interreligious Affairs of AJC and its Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding. Former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and a past Chairman of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations. Co-President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, Honorary President of the International Council of Christians and Jews, and serves on the Executive of the World Council of Religious Leaders and on the Elijah Institute’s Board of World Religious Leaders.

Sally A. Painter
Senior Advisor in the Clinton Administration. She has an extensive track record working with Central Europe on security and policy issues, including successfully representing countries on their NATO and EU bids as well as a Visa Equity Coalition of seven countries where legislation was passed in the U.S. Congress which allowed their citizens to enter the US visa-free. Ms. Painter is on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Committee on NATO, The Truman National Security Project, the Global Fairness Initiative, Partners for Democratic Change, and is a founding member of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue. She received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Republic of Hungary and The Minister of Defense’s Award for Distinction from the Republic of Latvia.