# Project Interchange > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Project_Interchange > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Project_Interchange.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Interchange > Source revision: 1351249797 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Exchange program to Israel Project Interchange Formation 1982 Founder Debra Berger Headquarters Washington, D.C. Director Nisha Abkarian Parent organization American Jewish Committee (since 1992) Website projectinterchange.org **Project Interchange** (**PI**) is an American program that arranges education visits and seminars to [Israel](/source/Israel) for American and international leaders in different fields. Established in 1982, PI is run by the [American Jewish Committee](/source/American_Jewish_Committee). Each year, PI invites 300 professionals from [journalism](/source/Journalism), religion, government, [health care](/source/Health_care), security, and academia to participate. Since 1982, over 6,000 participants from over 115 countries have attended PI programs.[1] Each PI delegation's week-long visit is customized to emphasize their specific interests. Activities include site visits and meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian professionals, policy-makers, civil society leaders, and government officials.[2] ## Impact In 2008, PI offered 25 seminars for more than 300 participants, including university presidents, [clergy](/source/Clergy), journalists, public health leaders, state officials, [Rhodes Scholars](/source/Rhodes_Scholarship), UN ambassadors, immigration and integration experts, and [environmental](/source/Natural_environment) experts. On their return to their home countries, PI encourages participants to write articles, give interviews, begin collaborations with partner organizations in Israel, and get involved with local issues of common concern with the Jewish community.[3] ## Notable alumni - [Gillian Bird](/source/Gillian_Bird), Former Australian Ambassador to the United Nations[4] - [Lonnie Bunch III](/source/Lonnie_Bunch), Founding Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture - [Juan José Gómez Camacho](/source/Juan_Jos%C3%A9_G%C3%B3mez_Camacho), Former Ambassador of Mexico to the United Nations[4] - [Steve Chabot](/source/Steve_Chabot), Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives[5] - [Michael V. Drake](/source/Michael_V._Drake), Former President, The Ohio State University - [Ajit Doval](/source/Ajit_Doval), National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India[6] - [Michael Fitts](/source/Michael_Fitts), President, Tulane University[7] - [John Anderson Fry](/source/John_Anderson_Fry), President, Drexel University[8] - [Carlos Giménez](/source/Carlos_A._Gim%C3%A9nez), Former Mayor, Miami-Dade County, Florida[4] - [Christy Haubegger](/source/Christy_Haubegger), Founder, *Latina* magazine - [Alberto Ibargüen](/source/Alberto_Ibarg%C3%BCen), CEO of the Knight Foundation - [Ioannes Kasoulides](/source/Ioannis_Kasoulidis), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cyprus[6] - [Ro Khanna](/source/Ro_Khanna), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives[9] - [George Muñoz](/source/George_Mu%C3%B1oz), banking executive[10] - [Péter Niedermüller](/source/P%C3%A9ter_Niederm%C3%BCller), Former Member, European Parliament[11] - [Annise Parker](/source/Annise_Parker), Former Mayor, Houston, Texas - [Martha E. Pollack](/source/Martha_E._Pollack), President of Cornell University - [Kasim Reed](/source/Kasim_Reed), Former Mayor, Atlanta, Georgia[4] - [Ramona Romero](/source/Ramona_Romero), Former General Counsel, U.S. Department of Agriculture - [Jacky Rosen](/source/Jacky_Rosen), U.S. Senator from Nevada[12] - [David Skorton](/source/David_J._Skorton), Former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution[6] - [Sonia Sotomayor](/source/Sonia_Sotomayor), Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States[4] - [Ted Strickland](/source/Ted_Strickland), Former Member of Congress[5] - [Holden Thorp](/source/Holden_Thorp), Former Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill[8] - [Henry T. Yang](/source/Henry_T._Yang), Chancellor, University of California, Santa Barbara[8] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Our Story"](https://www.ajc.org/projectinterchange/our-story). *Project Interchange*. [American Jewish Committee](/source/American_Jewish_Committee). December 13, 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Sample Project Interchange Itinerary | AJC"](https://www.ajc.org/projectinterchange/sample-project-interchange-itinerary). *www.ajc.org*. December 19, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["About Project Interchange | AJC"](https://www.ajc.org/projectinterchange/about-project-interchange). *www.ajc.org*. December 10, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_4-4) ["Government Officials and Diplomats | AJC"](https://www.ajc.org/projectinterchange/government-officials-and-diplomats). *www.ajc.org*. December 10, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_5-1) ["Ohio congressman sees Israel for the first time"](https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/archives/ohio-congressman-sees-israel-for-the-first-time/article_594d275b-0b2e-5c58-9f3a-72b0c1108258.html). *Cleveland Jewish News*. December 23, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_6-2) ["Delegations | AJC"](https://www.ajc.org/projectinterchange/delegations). *www.ajc.org*. December 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Tulane president visits Israel to explore collaboration opportunities"](https://medicine.tulane.edu/news/tulane-president-visits-israel-explore-collaboration-opportunities). *Tulane University School of Medicine*. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_8-2) ["NAICU President Co-chairs Visit to Israel by Presidents of Major U.S. Universities"](https://www.naicu.edu/news-events/news-from-naicu/2011/naicu-president-co-chairs-visit-to-israel-by-presi?page=3). *NAICU*. July 5, 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Kassel, Matthew (February 24, 2022). ["Ro Khanna reflects on his first trip to Israel as a congressman"](https://jewishinsider.com/2022/02/ro-khanna-reflects-on-his-first-trip-to-israel-as-a-congressman/). *Jewish Insider*. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Committee, American Jewish. ["Latino Alumni of AJC Project Interchange Seminars in Israel to Discuss Experiences, Impact at Reunion"](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latino-alumni-of-ajc-project-interchange-seminars-in-israel-to-discuss-experiences-impact-at-reunion-262132531.html). *www.prnewswire.com* (Press release). Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["AJC Project Interchange Moment: Na'el Zoabi and Péter Niedermüller"](https://transatlanticinstitute.org/videos/ajc-project-interchange-moment-nael-zoabi-and-peter-niedermuller). *AJC Transatlantic Institute*. June 20, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Campus Notebook: Idahoans in Africa highlight congressional travel"](https://www.rollcall.com/2019/10/18/campus-notebook-idahoans-in-africa-highlight-congressional-travel/). *Roll Call*. October 18, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2023. ## Further reading - [Selected list of participants 2011](https://web.archive.org/web/20120806004031/http://projectinterchange.org/?page_id=541) - [Selected list of participants 2013](https://web.archive.org/web/20131026144305/http://projectinterchange.org/?page_id=541) - [Selected alumni quotes](https://web.archive.org/web/20170310105425/http://projectinterchange.org/?page_id=6985) ## External links - [Official website](http://projectinterchange.org/) v t e American Jewish Committee Presidents Mayer Sulzberger (1906–1912) Louis B. Marshall (1912–1929) Cyrus Adler (1929–1940) Sol M. Stroock (1941) Maurice Wertheim (1941–1943) Joseph M. Proskauer (1943–1949) Jacob Blaustein (1949–1954) Herbert B. Ehrmann (1959–1961) Morris B. Abram (1964–1968) Arthur J. Goldberg (1968–1969) Philip E. Hoffman (1969–1973) Elmer L. Winter (1973–1977) Maynard I. Wishner (1980–1983) Alfred H. Moses (1991–1994) Harold Tanner (2001–2004) Michael L. Tichnor (2022–) CEOs David Harris (1990–2022) Ted Deutch (2022–present) Other key people Elliot E. Cohen Felice D. Gaer Jerry Goodman Max Horkheimer Avital Leibovich Nathan Perlmutter Norman Podhoretz A. James Rudin Jacob Schiff Harry Schneiderman Kenneth S. Stern Marc H. Tanenbaum Institutions Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council Project Interchange Transatlantic Institute Publications American Jewish Year Book (1908–2008) The Authoritarian Personality (1950) Commentary (1945–2007) Present Tense (1973–1990) "Progressive Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism" (2006) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Project Interchange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Interchange) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Interchange?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.