Dr. Joan Lurie is a physicist and remote sensing scientist as well as a lifelong Zionist.  She has represented International Council of Jewish Women (ICJW) at the United Nations in New York as an NGO for more than a decade.  She is a member of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development.  She also represents ICJW on the Board of the American Section of World Jewish Congress and is active in Jewish affairs in New York, in Israel and at the UN.

 

Joan is currently a co-chair of the informal caucus of Jewish NGOs (JNGO).  She believes that there should be peace between Israelis and Palestinians and that the “path to peace begins in the classroom”.  Because of Joan’s awareness of the hate, antisemitism and incitement taught in UNRWA schools,  the caucus has become a project-oriented organization: “UNRWA: Stop Teaching Hate” with the goal of reforming the education presently delivered by UNRWA to Palestinian children.  Joan has co-authored several papers on the subject and spoken about it several times.

 

In 2014, Joan participated in WJC’s solidarity mission to Israel during the Gaza war.  She has lectured on the use of satellite imagery in archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority and at an archeological field school at Tel Dor, Israel.

 

As a UN representative, Joan is a member of the Executive Committee of ICJW and interacts with other members from 33 countries including representatives at the UN in Geneva, Paris and Vienna.