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Ralph Nurnberger Lecture Series

September 22, 2015

Dr. Ralph Nurnberger, a Principal with Gray Global Advisors, is a professor of International Relations at Georgetown University. Over a 40-year period, he has held senior positions in the legislative and executive branches of government as well as serving as the director of a major international economic initiative that was created with the backing of the U.S. government to promote development in the Middle East. As active lecturer for Georgetown and the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Nurnberger has addressed a wide range of audiences on a variety of topics, including overall American foreign policy, American policies in the Middle East, the history of the Middle East conflict, and current American political issues, including electoral analyses, political campaigns and matters before Congress and the President:

• November 2, 2015 — “The Life of Yitzhak Rabin: Warrior for Peace”
  Professor Nurnberger lectured on the contributions of the late Yitzhak Rabin, who served as Prime Minister of Israel during the mid-1970s and mid-90s, from his legacy transformation from war hero to Nobel Prize winner and his influence on the evolution of the modern state of Israel. B’nai Israel Congregation, in Rockville, Maryland hosted the program.

• October 1, 2015 — “Denmark’s Defiance: Protecting A Nation’s Jews in WWII”
  Dr. Nurnberger discussed the decision of the people of Denmark in 1943, led by their King, to defy Adolph Hitler order to arrest and deportation of the 8200 Jews that lived in Denmark to the Nazi internment camps. Acting as a united group, the king, the political leadership and the citizens of Denmark concealed, protected and smuggled all but 450 of the nation’s Jewish population out of the country to destinations of safety. As a result of the Danish acts of humanity, most returned to Denmark at the end of the war to homes and businesses that were preserved. The Smithsonian Associates sponsored this program.

• September 13, 2015 — “The Iran Agreement: Is it good for America?”
  Dr. Nurnberger discussed issues related to the Iran deal, including whether the agreement is in the best interests of the United States; the lobbying campaigns by the supporters and opponents of the agreement.

• May 11, 2015 — “The Assassination of John F. Kennedy”
  Dr. Nurnberger reviewed the events of November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, when President John F. Kennedy assassinated, including the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald and the Warren Commission report on President Kennedy’s assassination. The Smithsonian Associates sponsored this program.

• May 4, 2015 — “The Assassination of President McKinley”
  Dr. Nurnberger discussed the effects of President William McKinley’s foreign policy agenda including the Spanish-American War, his troubled family life and his assassination by anarchist Leon Czolgosz shortly after his election to a second term. Smithsonian Associates hosted this event.

• April 27, 2015 — “The Assassination of President James Garfield”
  Professor Nurnberger discussed the efforts of President James Garfield to eliminate corruption in the political establishment and enact civil service reform, while serving as President for only 200 days. Garfield was shot by the deranged assassin, Charles Guiteau, and lingered for almost three months before dying. Nurnberger examined the questions that linger about Garfield’s medical treatment and the impact his death had on the country.

• April 20, 2015 — “The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators”
  Dr. Nurnberger discussed John Wilkes Booth’s conspiracy to kidnap, and subsequently, assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and how Lincoln’s death altered the course of American history. This event was sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates.