Georgette Bennett

Georgette F. Bennett (born November 12, 1946) is a Hungarian-born sociologist, author, speaker, philanthropist, and humanitarian specializing in conflict resolution and building bridges between communities. The former broadcast journalist is the founder of Multifaith Alliance, Inc. and the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding as well as a co-founder of the Global Covenant of Religions/Global Covenant Partners.

Early life and education

Bennett was born in a bombed-out apartment building in Budapest, Hungary, one year after the end of World War II. The child of Holocaust survivors, Bennett and her parents arrived in New York as stateless refugees in 1952. Her father died one year later, leaving his wife, a 36-year-old widow, in a new country.

Bennett holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University, a B.A. from Vassar College, and an executive degree in Banking from the American Bankers Association/University of Delaware Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Career

Sociologist and advisor

Bennett has spent more than three decades advancing interreligious relations. A sociologist, author, and advisor on philanthropic and public affairs matters, she works globally with interfaith leaders to delegitimize the misuse of religion to justify violence.

Bennett has served on task forces and committees to promote conflict resolution, including the U.S. State Department of Religion and Foreign Policy's working group on conflict mitigation for countering religion-based violence. She has also served as Deputy Assistant Director for the Administration of Justice, head of the Criminal Justice Task Force for the New York City Office of Management and Budget, and Coordinator for Training and Evaluation, and Personal Consultant to the Police Commissioner for the New York City Police Department.

While at NYPD, Bennett contributed to the early work on Community Policing and helped train the first female police officers to take on patrol duties. Also, in her early career as a criminologist, the first federally funded crime victim service center was established by Robert Reiff based on an idea that she developed.

In 2013, after reading a report on the Syrian crisis, Bennett founded the humanitarian organization the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, now Multifaith Alliance (MFA). The Multifaith Alliance provides basic necessities that victims of conflict need to survive: food, shelter, medicine, medical care, clean water, and warm clothing. The organization has since worked to raise awareness and mobilize more than $415 million of humanitarian aid benefitting nearly four million Syrian war victims. Bennett brought together historical enemies to build an aid pipeline from Israel to Syria.

In 1992, Bennett founded the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, whose mission is to combat religious prejudice. There, she developed their core signature programs: Education, Religious Diversity in the Workplace, the Religious Dimension of Patient-Centered Care, and Peacemakers in Action. She established partnerships with institutions and organizations, such as Columbia University, Fordham University, Princeton University, Catholic Theological Union, International Rescue Committee, National Crime Prevention Council, Pfizer, Inc. She served for three years on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Workplace Diversity Special Expertise Panel.

Bennett is a co-founder of the Global Covenant of Religions/Global Covenant Partners, which focuses on delegitimizing the use of religion to justify violence and extremism. She was the Principal of Bennett Associates, an international consulting practice focusing on crime prevention, financial services, government agencies, and media. She worked on corporate communications, planning and development, media production, and conference/workshop design and presentation.

She has been a Managing Director for Government Relations and Public Affairs (Consultant) with Milstein Brothers Capital Partners, Emigrant Savings Bank, and Milstein Properties, in New York City since 1991. She is also the Chief Grants Manager at the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation.

Philanthropist

Bennett is an active philanthropist, focusing her personal charitable activities on conflict resolution and interreligious relations. She serves on the boards of Third Way and the Jewish Funders Network, where she is the Past Chair, and was formerly Vice Chair, Chair of the Membership Committee, and co-chaired the 2015 Annual Conference. She is on the National Board of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council and Inter-Jewish Muslim Alliance. She also serves on the Boards of the Center for Peace Communications and Bridging Insights. She is an advisory board member for the International Rescue Committee and the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Jewish Theological Seminary[7] and an Honorary President of Religions for Peace. In the U.K., she formerly served on the advisory board of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East.

Author

Bennett has authored or co-authored five books, several manuals, and over 80 articles. Her books are:

• Religicide: Confronting the Roots of Anti-Religious Violence

• Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By: How One Woman Confronted the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of Our Time

• Crimewarps: The Future of Crime in America, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987

• Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice: An Introduction

• Safe Place to Live: A Management Manual to Help Communities Plan Crime Prevention Programs

She is a contributing writer on several platforms, including New Thinking, U.S. News & World Report, Huffington Post, Muck Rack, The National Interest, Wall Street Journal, Times of Israel, Religion News Service, The Hill, and The New York Times.

Speaker

In 2022, Bennett presented a mainstage TED Talk, 3 Steps to build peace and create meaningful change.

In March 2022, on International Women's Day, she was interviewed by Mika Brzezinski at the Forbes 3050 Summit to discuss what people can do to help displaced persons. The same year, Bennett addressed groups at the NY Public Library, Vassar College, Cornell University, and Manhattan College; the American Jewish Archives/Hebrew Union College, and the Joshua Heschel Rabbinical School at the Seminario Rabínico Lationoamericano. She also has given briefings to the Washington Institute (2022) and the International Rescue Committee (June 2017).

Bennett was interviewed by Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, Chair and Co-Founder of the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics Faith Centre.

Bennett, along with Academy Award-winning actor, F. Murray Abraham spoke to the Women’s Forum of NY in November 2021 and she made numerous virtual presentations in that same year for the Seton Hall Holocaust Center (November), the Israel Ideas Festival (October). The Cornell Institute of Politics and Global Affairs (February).

In November 2016, Bennett participated in a Refugee Policy Brief/Legislative Event in San Diego.

In February 2015, Bennett was invited to give the inaugural lecture to help launch the Faith Centre at the London School of Economics (LSE). Later that month, she spoke at New York University. She delivered the keynote address at the 2015 NGO Conference at the United Nations, calling on NGOs and the UN to respond to the Syrian refugee disaster and a growing global migration crisis.

Bennett is a speaker with Investment Institute and was featured on Hadassah Presents: Women of Vision. She has spoken and given presentations and lectures at venues such as Oxford Literary Festival, Cambridge University, Chautauqua Institute, Chatham House, the 92nd Street Y, Institute for Islamic, Christian Jewish Studies, Sisters of Salaam Shalom, Peace Webinar, UN Consultation, High Commissioner for Human Rights, the High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, All World Gatyari Pariwar & Dev Sanskriti University, The Impossible Summit, Women’s Forum, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, New York, Center for Interreligious Dialogue at The Jewish Theological Seminary, and Religions for Peace, 10th World Assembly, Lindau, Germany.

Bennett delivered opening remarks during the United Nations Counterterrorism Week and spoke at the Pontificia Universita Gregoriana, Rome, Italy, as well as the Rings of Faith Meeting of the Global Covenant of Religions in Amman, Jordan. Earlier, she was invited to give an address in Jordan at the first anniversary conference of King Abdullah II’s Amman Message. She has also given briefings to the UK Parliament in London (December 2014), the European Parliament in Brussels (September 2014), and the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa (June 2015).

In April 2009, she addressed the Second Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Alliance of Civilizations, and the UN Global Compact Office, Istanbul, Turkey.

Journalist

Bennett spent a decade as a broadcast journalist. As a television and radio commentator, she was a network correspondent for NBC News and host of Walter Cronkite's PBS current affairs series, Why in the World? She created three syndicated radio programs and was a regular commentator for Metromedia's 10 O'Clock News. Additionally, she created stories for 20/20, 60 Minutes, and MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.

Working with Nick Pileggi as her editor, she was also a contributor to New York Magazine.

Bennett was previously affiliated with the Center for Policy Research in New York and the Center for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco.

Academic

Bennett is a former faculty member of the City University of New York, where she taught sociology, education, research methods, law enforcement, and criminology, and also taught at New York University.

Private sector

In the private sector, Bennett serves as Managing Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs for Emigrant Bank, the nation's oldest and largest family-owned and operated private bank. She works directly with Emigrant's Chair, Howard Milstein, and the Milstein family on public affairs, civic, and philanthropic matters.

Earlier in her career, she served as a consultant to Chemical Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) and was Chief Marketing Officer and head of Private Banking for the First Women's Bank.

Bennett's international consulting practice focused on financial services and media, including corporate communications, planning and development, media production, and conference/workshop design and presentation for clients such as the Manhattan Institute for Policy Studies, ABC-TV, and 20th Century Fox.

Publications

Books and manuals

• Bennett, G. and White, J. Religicide, November 2022

• Bennett, G. Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By, September 2021.

• Bennett, G. et al. Religion in the Workplace: A Guide to Navigating the Complex Landscape. Prepared for the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, 2009

• Bennett, G. Crimewarps: The Future of Crime in America, Anchor/Doubleday, Revised 1989

• Bennett, G. Crimewarps: The Future of Crime in America, Doubleday, 1987

• Bennett, G. A Safe Place to Live: A Management Manual to Help Communities Plan Crime Prevention Programs. Prepared for Insurance Information Institute and Crime Prevention Coalition, 1982

• Bennett, G. et al. Protecting Against Crime: A Comprehensive Guide to Safeguarding Yourself and Your Family; Your Personal Property and Your Business. Prepared for The Research Institute of America, Inc., 1982

• Bennett, G. Unlocking America: Commercial Union’s Keys to Community Crime Prevention Volume II. Prepared for Commercial Union Insurance Companies, 1981

• Bennett-Sandler, G., Frazier, R, Torres, D., and Waldron, R. Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Houghton-Mifflin, 1979

• Sandler, G., Milton, C., Abromowitz A., Crites, L., Gates, M., and Mintz, E. Women in Policing: A Manual, Dec 1974

Book chapters

• Bennett, G., “Getting Behind the Headlines and Going Where the Action is: My Career as a Sociologist in Non-Academic Settings.” Sociologists in Action. Chapter 1, SAGE Publications, Inc., 2014

• Bennett, G. & Dubensky, J. “Preface,” in Little, David, Peacemakers in Action: Profiles of Religion in Conflict Resolution, Cambridge University Press, 2007

Selected articles and op-eds

• Bennett, G and Abraham, F. Murray. “When the UN deadlocks, humanitarian NGOs step in”. The Hill, Opinion Contributors, September 25, 2023

• Bennett, G. “How to Keep Peace and Help UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Succeed.” NewThinking.com, May 30, 2023

• Bennett, G. “Welcoming Earthquake Victims From Syria Makes Sense for America.” NewThinking.com, May 24, 2023

• Bennett, G. “US Owes More Than an Apology to Its Indigenous People This Thanksgiving.” InsideSources.com, November 22, 2022

• Bennett, G. “We Already Know How to Reform the Police.” The Hill, Opinion Contributors, July 18, 2020

• Bennett, G. “Why We Must Deflect and Debunk Hate Speech.” Religion News Service, August 5, 2019

• Bennett, G. “Trump’s Proposed Cuts on Refugee Aid Make No Sense.” The National Interest, November 2, 2017

• Bennett, G. “The Many Reasons Why Admitting Fewer Refugees Is Wrong.” The New York Times, OP-ED, June 15, 2017

• Bennett, G. “Congress is Fast-Tracking Two Shameful Anti-Syrian Refugee Bills.” The Daily Beast, July 10, 2016

• Bennett, G. “Why Blame Victims of Terror for The Evil Acts of The Terrorists?” The Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2015

• Bennett, G. “An Unusual Religious Alliance to Aid Refugees.” The Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2015

• Bennett, G. “Syrian Refugee Crisis Strain’s Jordan’s Resources.” Huffington Post, February 26, 2015

• Bennett, G. and Martini S. “More Syrian Horror: Aiming at Doctors and Hospitals.” The New York Times: The Opinion Pages Letter to the Editor, February 26, 2015

• Bennett, G. “Abortion: Whose Religious Beliefs Should Prevail?” Huffington Post, July 16, 2014

• Bennett, G. “Helping Syrian Refugees.” The New York Times: The Opinion Pages Letter to the Editor, October 21, 2013

• Bennett, G. “Helping Syrian Refugees: A Jewish Imperative?” The Jewish Week, September 27, 2013

• Bennett, G. “Writing Jews Out of History: The Sounds of Silence.” Huffington Post, March 31, 2012

• Bennett, G. “Tanenbaum Center 9/11 Reflection: For A Unified, Understanding New York.” Huff Post Religion, September 7, 2011

Awards and recognition

Bennett has been recognized by the Syrian American Medical Society for her work on behalf of Syrian war victims. She has been awarded the prestigious AARP Purpose Prize. In 2021, she was named as one of Forbes 50 Over 50 Women for Impact and was specifically cited, along with Condoleezza Rice, Dr. Najat Arafat Khelil, and Susan Rice, as one who shaped the course of modern American foreign policy and human rights.

Bennett also has been listed as a noteworthy religious organization executive by Marquis Who's Who.

In 2015, Bennett received the Activist Award from Project Kesher, and the Lives of Commitment Award from Auburn Theological Seminary.

In 1975 and 1976, Bennett won two national awards from the American Society for Public Administration for her organizational development work in the criminal justice field, where she helped spearhead programs—such as crime victim services, community policing, and rape response units—that helped to launch national and international movements.

Bennett has won many other awards and honors, including:

• Alumni Achievement Award, New York University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, 2019

• Global Impact Award, Society for International Development(SID) Israel, Walla! OLAM, 2019

• Veteran Feminists of America, Oral History, 2018

• VIP Jurist, Film Your Issue 2018 Youth Award Initiative

• 20 Years of Visionary Leadership, Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, 2017

• Proclamation from the City of New York, Brooklyn Public Advocate, 2016

• Lives of Commitment Award, Auburn Theological Seminary, 2015

• Mentorship Award, Women of Wealth, 2011

• Celebration of New York’s Finest Philanthropists Award, Association of Fundraising Professionals, 2009

• Distinguished Service Award, New York City Comptroller’s Office, 2004

• Global Tolerance Award, Friends of the United Nations, 2004

• Nominated for Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities, 2003

• Interfaith Gold Medallion, International Council of Christians and Jews, 1997

• Certificate of Appreciation, American Women in Radio and Television, 1985

• Award for Outstanding National Contribution to Advancement and Professional Development of Criminal Justice Administration, American Society for Public Administration, 1975, 1976

Personal life

Bennett is the widow of interreligious relations pioneer, Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, who died in 1992, seven weeks before their son and only child, Joshua-Marc Bennett Tanenbaum, was born. She has been married since 2001 to Leonard Polonsky CBE.