NEW YORK | On the night of its unique and spectacular Young Leadership Committee fundraising event in New York, Seeds of Peace officially announced that Janet Wallach, the widow of Seeds of Peace founder the late John Wallach, will take over as President of the international nonprofit organization.
“Seeds of Peace has been an important part of my life since my husband, John, created it in 1993. Under his direction as well as that of past president, Aaron Miller, I have been honored to remain integrally involved in the organization’s growth—helping it to become one of the most internationally recognized institutions working for peace in the Middle East and other conflict regions,” said Janet Wallach. “I look forward to contributing to Seeds of Peace in a more official capacity as Seeds of Peace expands in its second decade; with over 3,000 graduates—many of whom are now young adults trained and positioned to become leaders, Seeds of Peace is needed more than ever.”
During the three years Mr. Miller served as President of Seeds of Peace, Janet Wallach remained in the New York office as Executive Vice President. Miller, who transitioned to the role of Senior Advisor, is currently at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars working on his new book “America and the Much Too Promised Land: The Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace” (Bantam/Dell, 2008). After an extensive executive search, Seeds of Peace chose Wallach as the natural successor to Miller.
Janet Wallach is a journalist and the author of eight books—writing extensively about the Middle East. Her most well-known book, “Desert Queen; The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell” (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1996), has been translated into twelve languages and was praised by The Boston Globe for being “as timely as today’s headlines.” “Wallach comfortably commands the political and diplomatic history of the Middle East,” said the Chicago Tribune.
Janet Wallach has spent much of her life living and working in the Middle East, and has also co-authored “Arafat: In the Eyes of the Beholder” (Carol Publishing, 1991, updated 1997); “The New Palestinians” (Prima, 1992), and “Still Small Voices” (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1988). Her most recent book, “Seraglio” (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 2003) is an historical novel that was called “both serious and enchanting” by Publisher’s Weekly. Janet Wallach has been a frequent contributor to The Washington Post Magazine as well as a contributor to Smithsonian Magazine and other periodicals. She has written cover story profiles of Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; Reza Pahlavi, putative heir to the throne of Iran; Palestinian envoy Hassan Abdul Rahman; Saudi entrepreneur Adnan Khashoggi; First Lady of Egypt Jihan Sadat; and the British official Gertrude Bell.
The official announcement of Janet Wallach as President took place at the Seeds of Peace fundraiser A Journey Through the Peace Market on Thursday, February 16th. This star-studded fundraiser featured “Best New Artist” and 3-time Grammy winner, John Legend as well as 40 Israeli, Palestinian, Indian, Pakistani and Afghan Seeds of Peace program graduates.
With recent events and leadership transitions in the Middle East, Seeds of Peace has recently been highlighted as a critical organization to the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because it is investing in a new generation of leaders who are capable of understanding and reaching out to the “enemy.” Former President Bill Clinton spoke to this at the World Economic Forum in Davos just weeks ago when he praised the work of Seeds of Peace and discussed the importance of finding ways to help people understand the other side.
Seeds of Peace is dedicated to empowering young people from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence. Since 1993, it has graduated over 3,000 teenagers from its internationally-recognized program that begins at its Camp in Maine and continues through its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem. More information can be found at www.seedsofpeace.org.