Malcolm Hoenlein has been the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations since June 1986. He is the founding executive director of the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Early life and career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hoenlein received his B.A from Temple University and his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. While he was at college, Hoenlein helped to found the North American Jewish Student Network and served as its chairman. NAJSN was the North American affiliate of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). He has taught international relations and served as a Middle East specialist at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). In addition, he served on the editorial staff of Orbis, FPRI's journal of international affairs. Hoenlein is the recipient of many awards and tributes from organizations and individuals, including State of Israel Bonds, President Ronald Reagan, American ORT, Brandeis University, Jerusalem College of Technology, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. He played a key role in organizing the massive National Solidarity Rally for Israel in Washington, D.C. on April 15, 2002. A recent poll ranks him as the most influential American leader on Jewish community affairs. Hoenlein is associated with and serves on the boards of many communal, educational and civic organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, America-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Uzbekistan-U.S. Chamber, the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, Jerusalem's Sha'arey Tzedek Medical Center, the Fairness Project and One Family. He is chairman of America's Voices in Israel and co-chair of Sharing for Life. He serves on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of several companies, including Bank Leumi USA. He is also the Director of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals since 2001. President George W. Bush appointed Hoenlein to serve on the honorary delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008. Political opinions On Sept 18, 2008 Hoenlein announced that the coalition of groups sponsoring a rally to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had concluded they must rescind an invitation to vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin. According to an interview Hoenlein gave to NBC/NJ, the invitation was initially extended to balance Sen. Hillary Clinton, who had long been on the rally agenda. The sequence of events became highly politicized, gaining significant media attention. According