Suzy & Wally Marks, Jr. z"l 2025 Trailblazer Forum

Save the date for the Trailblazer Forum on January 26, 2025.

Join us for a critical conversation between our honorees about bias and narratives in media

Registration starts at 10:30 AM. The program will begin at 11:15 AM.

We're eager to announce that our Trailblazer honorees this year are the Forward and MSNBC chief correspondent Ali Velshi.

The honorees have delved into complexity in their news coverage of events in Israel Palestine, the Middle East region, and how those events have spurred action and conversation in the US.

The Forward delivers incisive coverage of the issues, ideas and institutions that matter to American Jews. Its rigorous reporting and balanced commentary on politics, arts and culture have won numerous awards year after year, including repeated recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily, the Forward soon became a national paper, the most widely read Jewish newspaper anywhere. Its perspective on world and national news, and its unparalleled coverage of Jewish arts culture and opinion have made it the most influential nationwide Jewish media outlet today.

Ali Velshi is an award winning journalist, host of "Velshi" and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC, and a weekly economics contributor to NPR's "Here And Now." He has covered multiple US Midterm and Presidential elections and significant news stories around the globe, including extensive reporting from Israel Palestine during the current crisis, Ukraine and across Central and Eastern Europe during the Russian invasion, the Syrian refugee crisis from Turkey and Jordan, and the Iran Nuclear Deal in Tehran. Velshi is known for his immersive on-the-ground reporting and his interactive discussions with small groups, which form part of his ongoing series, Velshi Across America.

Ali Velshi and Forward editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren will join us at the Trailblazer Forum, on Sunday, January 26, 10:30 AM at the Skirball Cultural Center. Together, they will help us contend with our bias and challenge our narratives -- and with their own as well. We look forward to sharing more about each of our honorees with you in the weeks to come.

Diamond Sponsors

Wally Marks III

Ruby Sponsors

Paul Beck | Josh & Lisa Hofheimer | Paula & Barry Litt | Nurya Shabir & Muhammad Adaya

Sapphire Sponsors

Pervez & Jasmine Delawalla | The Fakhri Family | Dr. Lo Sprague, PhD | Sanford Weiner

Platinum Sponsors

Rachel Andres & Ben Tysch | Halim & Saranya Dhanidina | Luis & Lee z"l Lainer

Gold Sponsors

Tzivia Schwartz Getzug & Steve Getzug | Aziza Hasan & Sani Abdul-Jabbar | Zuzana, Shawn, Abby, & Talia, and Renata Landres

Molly & Zach Rubin

Silver Sponsors

Loren Bloch & Ping Ho | Judy Glass | Andrea Hodos & Rabbi Aryeh Cohen |

Susan Laemmle & John Antignas

Bronze Sponsors

Melissa Balaban & Adam Wergeles | California Conference for Equality and Justice | Dodi Fromson | Janet Halbert

Kathy Kobayashi & Hal Barron | Jeanney Kutner

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