Defining Moments

I was born the year Hitler came to power. There was no Israel. There was a Holocaust. Six million Jews were slaughtered for the crime of being born, and hardly a blip registered on the world's conscience. The world was indifferent-it pretended not to know. Israel was created in 1948, and I decided I wanted to be part of the rebirth of the Land and the redemption of the People of Israel. That has been my passion . . . and my purpose. That was my defining moment.I have had the privilege to work with some extraordinary and courageous people who taught me valuable lessons about leadership and life. These stories are first-hand accounts of how people-some famous, some not-followed their passion, lived their purpose, and aspired to be part of something greater than their selves. These people had the courage to seize their moment and make the world a better place, revealing valuable lessons on the path to a more rewarding life.

Gordon Zacks

Zacks chaired the Florence Melton Adult Minischool, which provides high-quality adult Jewish education in over sixty cities in four countries. An active advisor to Vice-President and President George HW Bush, Zacks was integrally involved in Israeli-American relations throughout the Bush and Reagan administrations. He was a founding member and chairman of the Young Leadership Cabinet of the United Jewish Appeal.