Speakers Action Group and FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER Present "Global Terrorism”: Inside The Mind Of The Jihadist

TORONTO, Canada -- November 15, 2004

Global Terrorism: Inside the Mind of the Jihadist features dynamic keynote speaker, Dr. Bruce Tefft, prestigious panelists David Harris, John Thompson, Tom Kaye, Leo Adler and Moderator Marni Soupcoff. This timely and critical discussion will explore the nature and impact of the Jihadist and how it relates to Canada. Presented by the Speakers Action Group and Friends of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, this town hall meeting will be held on Thursday, November 25, 2004 at 7:00 pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre located at 93 Charles St. (corner Queen’s Park Crescent across from the ROM). Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Free admission.

Dr. Bruce Tefft is a counter-terrorism and intelligence advisor to the New York Police Department (NYPD), as well as a Senior Associate with Orion Scientific Systems and a former counter-terrorism expert for the Directorate of Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Dr. Tefft has over 29 years of experience in the field and is an articulate and experienced speaker in the field of counterterrorism.
David B. Harris, President, INSIGNIS Strategic Research formerly served as Chief of Strategic Planning of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). His specialties are in intelligence, counterterrorism and international affairs. He is a sought-out lecturer and commentator in Canada and abroad.

John Thompson is President of the prestigious Mackenzie Institute which conducts research and provides commentary on matters pertaining to organized violence and political instability. He has written a comprehensive book on this topic titled, Other People's Wars: A review of Overseas Terrorism in Canada.

Chief of Police in Owen Sound, Tom Kaye, is Immediate Past President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. He is a member of the Executive Board of Governance for the Central Intelligence Service for Ontario and has undergone specialized antiterrorism training in both the United States and Israel.Director of National Affairs of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, Leo Adler is a prominent criminal lawyer in Toronto. Adler’s formidable expertise and knowledge of Canada’s legal system regarding terrorism will provide a unique outlook to the forum.
Moderator and lawyer, Marni Soupcoff, is a writer and member of the Editorial Board for the National Post and a writer for the American Enterprise Institute.

The Speakers Action Group is a non-profit organization made up of committed, concerned volunteers of different faiths who wish to promote greater understanding among Canadians of events occurring in the Middle East with Israel and her neighbours. Headed by co-founders Shirley Anne Haber and Joan O'Callaghan, the Speakers Action Group has a roster of over 50 speakers. With expertise on a variety of topics, the speakers are available, at no charge, to address group gatherings, functions and seminars. To make arrangements for a speaker, contact Joan O'Callaghan at ejoan@sympatico.ca or Shirley Anne Haber at fax #416-225-3599.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies is a Canadian human rights organization dedicated to fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. With over 40,000 members of all faiths, it confronts important contemporary issues including racism, antisemitism, terrorism and genocide. Friends is affiliated with the world-wide, Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, an accredited Non-Government Organization with status at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, OSCE and the Council of Europe, with offices in New York, Miami, Paris, Jerusalem, Buenos Aries and Toronto. At 95, Simon Wiesenthal still works from his Vienna office.