Honorary Committee

  1. Wolfgang Petritsch served as the European Union’s Special Envoy for Kosovo and the European Union’s Chief Negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks. Petritsch’s diplomatic career also has seen him serve in Paris and New York and he served as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina between August 1999 and May 2002. In this role, Petritsch was the final authority on civilian implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.
  2. Jeremiah Baronberg, Business Development Manager with the Government Affairs practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Washington, D.C. Formerly served with the US Helsinki Commission in the United States Congress
  3. Ambassador Nedzad S. Hadzimusic, Vice President for Government and International Relations at American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina; served as Ambassador-Director of the Center for Security Cooperation (RACVIAC) 2007-09 and Assistant Minister for Multilateral Relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; co-author of the BiH Strategy for EU Integration, and the BiH Security Strategy
  4. Adnan Hasic, Bosnia-based media consultant who has worked with a number of local and international firms and NGOs in managerial and administrative capacities. He currently owns and heads New Marketing Solutions, a marketing and brand development consultancy. He also chairs the board of the New Democracy Initiative which promotes the protection of human rights, inter-religious dialogue and tolerance. He was extremely instrumental in hosting the fourth Muslim Jewish Conference in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 2013.
  5. Mag. Dr. Jameleddine Ben Abdeljelil, Assistant for Islamic Studies at the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Vienna, Editorial Board Member of polylog ‘magazine for intercultural philosophizing’ and Board Member of the WiGiP (Viennese society for intercultural philosophy)
  6. Rabbi Andrew Baker, OSCE – Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism
  7. Timna Brauer, Austrian singer-songwriter with Yemeni roots. She represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 and is the daughter of painter, writer and singer Arik Brauer
  8. Eduard Dolinsky, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee
  9. Rafi Elul, advisor to the President of Israel for social and welfare matters, former consultant to the Prime Minister of Israel in social and welfare matters, former member of the Israeli Parliament for eight years, formerly one of the youngest mayors in Israeli history at the age of 24
  10. Aleksandr Feldman, Member of the Ukrainian parliament. He was named National Philanthropist of the Year and his Aleksandr Feldman Charitable Foundation was recognized as National Foundation of the Year. Along with the Foundation he heads the International Center for Tolerance
  11. Dipl. Ing. Dr. Franz Fischler, President of the Eco-Social Forum, former European Union’s Commissioner and former Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry in Austria. Expert on international food crisis and development, and advocate of the UN Millennium Development Goals
  12. Prof. Eveline Goodman-Thau, first orthodox woman Rabbi and Founder of the Hermann Cohen Academy in Buchen (Odenwald); as Director she organizes conferences and learner’s seminaries, especially for Jewish women
  13. Josef Hader, Austrian comedian and actor
  14. André Heller, Austrian artist, author, singer and actor
  15. Dr. Michael Häupl, Mayor of the City of Vienna
  16. Ibrahim Issa, Co-Director of Hope Flowers School, Bethlehem, where students receive a human-rights based education dedicated to peace, democracy, human rights, conflict-resolution and understanding alongside the formal national curriculum
  17. Dr. Peter Jankowitsch, Secretary General of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe, Honorary President of the Austrian Society for Euopean Politics and President of the Austrian Jerusalem Foundation. He is a high Austrian Diplomat and served as Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the Republic of Austria in Dakar. He also used to be Secretary of State for European Affairs and Ambassador to the OECD.
  18. Patricia Kahane, President of the Karl Kahane Foundation
  19. Abbas Khider, award winning Iraqi-German writer (a.o. honorary certificate Iraqi International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA))
  20. Dr. Alois Mock, former Vice-chancellor and Foreign Minister of Austria, former President of the International Democratic Union (IDU), Founder of the Central European Initiative (CEI)
  21. Susanne Scholl, Austrian journalist and writer, former Head of the ORF bureau in Moscow
  22. Dr. Zeynep Taluy-Grossruck, former Director of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), Private Sector Development Branch
  23. Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, City Councillor, Vienna, former Speaker of the Austrian Green Party
  24. Dr. Josef Ostermayer, curently serving as the Chancellery Minister of Austria. Previously he was the State Secretary for Media and Coordination at the Federal Chancellery since 2008.