Middle East Forum forms Executive Committee

Philadelphia’s Top Businessmen Join Committee

PHILADELPHIA (August 30, 1999) -- The Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank whose mission is to influence policy on the Middle East through research, policy and educational outreach, has established an Executive Committee of leading Philadelphians, announced Board Chairman Joseph S. Zuritsky, who also is president and CEO of Parkway Corporation.

Joining Mr. Zuritsky on the Executive Committee are Forum Board Members Peter F. Arfaa (Peter F. Arfaa Architects P.C.); Abraham H. Frumkin, Esq., (Duane Morris & Heckscher LLP); Stanley D. Ginsburg (Diversified Investment Management); Jack O. Greenberg, M.D. (MCP-Hahneman); Murry S. Levin, Esq. (Pepper, Hamilton, LLP); Martin J. Silverstein, Esq. (Martin J. Silverstein & Associates); Jerry Sorkin (J.M. SORKIN); Leonard A. Sylk (Shelter Systems, Inc.); Thomas H. Tropp, Esq.; and Albert J. Wood (a retired businessman and MEF’s founding chairman).

The Forum is directed by world-renowned scholar Daniel Pipes, a key adviser to the U.S. government, who helps shape policy on such issues as American relations with Israel, the nature of fundamentalist Islam, and how to deal with Saddam Hussein. Pipes is the author of 12 books and hundreds of articles that have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Los Angeles Times and many other major metro daily newspapers and magazines throughout the country. He’s also appeared on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Nightline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and additional national news shows.

Established in Philadelphia in 1994, the Middle East Forum’s guiding principle is that the U.S. should maintain strong ties with Israel, Turkey, and other democracies as they emerge in the region. It publishes the Middle East Quarterly, a policy-oriented journal that covers the politics, economics, and culture of the region, and is distributed to all members of the U.S. Congress.

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For additional information about the Middle East Forum, contact Amy Shargel at the Forum office, by telephone (215-546-5406, ext. 16), e-mail (meqpubl@aol.com), or mail (1500 Walnut Street, Suite 1050, Philadelphia).

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