Rabbi Emeritus M. Bruce Lustig, in conversation with George Selim, Executive Vice President & Chief Engagement Officer, ADL, Rev. Christopher L. Zacharias, Executive Director, Interfaith Action for Human Rights, and national security consultant Fayrouz Saad, will address the rise in hate speech in the United States and the roles played by individuals, organizations, and the government in affecting this trend and protecting those in need.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS (Scheduled to attend)

George Selim serves as the principal deputy to the CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. George provides a critical external voice for ADL to policy makers and the press, particularly on topics of national security, civil liberties, and public policy. He oversees multiple divisions special initiatives to include Development, External Affairs, and Leadership.

Prior to his appointment at ADL in 2017, George served in the administrations of Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump. He served as the Department of Homeland Security’s first Director of the Office for Community Partnerships. Concurrently, he was selected to lead a newly created Countering Violent Extremism Task Force to coordinate government efforts and partnerships to prevent violent extremism in the United States. Before assuming these roles, George served for four years at the White House on the National Security Council Staff where he focused on policy development and program implementation matters for both domestic and international security threats. Prior to his work at the White House, George served as a Senior Policy Adviser at the DHS Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. He has also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Arab American Institute, and served one year with AmeriCorps.

George holds an MA from Georgetown University and a BA from Walsh University.

Since April 1999, Reverend Christopher L. Zacharias has been the Senior Pastor of the John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church in Washington, D.C.

He is also a program coordinator for the Leadership Council for Health Communities, a leader of the D.C. Poor People’s Campaign, a Vice President of the Mayor’s Council on Religious Affairs, and chaired the Faith Community of the D.C. Census 2020 Count.

In San Francisco, he was the NAACP’s Third Vice President. He was on the Buchanan YMCA’s Board of Directors. He was on the Executive Boards of Unity—Bridging the Gap between African Americans and Jews, Faith in Action. He served on the Interfaith Council in San Francisco and Washington, DC.

A Pittsburgh native, Reverend Zacharias earned his Doctorate of Divinity from the United Theological Seminary, his Master of Divinity from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Wilkes University. Reverend Zacharias is a proud father and grandfather, married to his lovely wife and soulmate, Kim.

Fayrouz Saad has been a community builder at the local, state, and federal levels. She has been on the front lines organizing the Arab-American community throughout the state of Michigan before moving on to direct the city of Detroit’s Office of Immigrant Affairs under Mayor Mike Duggan. She was later Director of Public Engagement at USAID and Assistant Secretary for Partnership Engagement at the Department of Homeland Security under President Biden. Fayrouz also ran for congress in Michigan’s 11th district in 2018.