Jewish Community News

December 2003

Terrorism expert Steven Emerson to speak at Federation's annual dinner

Steven Emerson

Steven Emerson, an expert on terrorism and national security, will headline the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose's annual dinner on Saturday, Jan. 10. The event will begin with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and is open to families that have made a minimum $1,800 gift to the 2004 Annual Campaign. Marci Fox-Greene and Wayne Greene are co-chairs of the event.

Among his many credentials, Mr. Emerson serves as NBC's terrorism analyst. Since Sept. 11, 2001, he has appeared on NBC and all the other major network television stations and in over 500 newspaper articles. He has authored or co-authored five books, including his latest release "American Jihad, The Terrorists Living Among Us" (Simon and Schuster, 2002).

Emerson also serves as executive director of the "The Investigative Project." He started "The Investigative Project" in 1995 following the broadcast of his documentary film "Jihad in America" on public television. The film exposed video of clandestine operations of militant Islamic terrorist groups on American soil. It received the George Polk Award for best television documentary, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism.

Emerson also received the top prize from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE) for best investigative report in both print and television for the documentary. The documentary, which was excerpted on "60 Minutes," is now standard viewing for federal law enforcement and intelligence organizations.

Over the past three years, Mr. Emerson has testified more than a dozen times before Congress, and he has briefed the National Security Council at the White House as well. Oliver Revell, former head of FBI Investigations and Counter-Terrorism, has stated that Emerson is "more knowledgeable on international Middle Eastern terrorist issues and groups than either the FBI or CIA."

The $1,800 dinner is an annual fundraising event for the Jewish Federation of San Jose. Members of households with a minimum gift of $1,800 to the Annual Campaign are eligible to attend the dinner. For more information contact Jyl Jurman at 358-3033 x32.