Michael Cherney presenting The Senator "Scoop" Jakson Award to Hon. Richard Perle.

The first international Jerusalem Summit took place on October 12-14, 2003 in Jerusalem.

Prominent political scientists and public and religious leaders from the States, Europe, Russia and Israel gathered in Jerusalem during Sukkoth, the holiday that, according to the Bible, should be the Feast of All Nations.

The purpose of the Summit is to lay down a basis for gathering in Jerusalem the international forces of reason who realize the danger of radical Islam and the role of Israel as a spiritual and strategic center in the battle against the new embodiment of the world evil.

The Summit was sponsored by the Michael Cherney Fund, Israel's Ministry of Tourism, Jerusalem Mayor's Office, and the National Unity Coalition, an umbrella organization for over 200 American Christian and Jewish organizations that support Israel.

The Summit's three days of discussions were dedicated to the three key aspects of moral and security crisis of our civilization and practical solutions.

1. Israel is a moral alternative to both Eastern Totalitarianism and Western Moral Relativism The world is in a deep crisis. The UN can no longer provide moral leadership. The center that would unite the mankind can be only in Jerusalem, the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel. This must be the forum of the best representatives of nations (as opposed to the government representatives as the UN) who would gather in Jerusalem to discuss global problems on the rock of eternal spiritual laws, rather than on the ever changing sands of political interests.

2. Israel is not only a spiritual answer to the world's moral crisis, but also a practical answer to the security crisis. Israel is Ground Zero in the Global Totalitarianism's assault on the free spirit of humanity. A terrorist Palestinian State will be a debacle for the entire civilization and an act of capitulation to terror and demagoguery.

3. There is an alternative to the suicidal Oslo process. The world must change its paradigm of thinking and carefully consider humane and practical solutions to the Palestinian problem that will keep the Holy Land whole.

At the Mikhail Cherney Fund's initiative, the Summit also established the annual Senator Henry Jackson Award for Moral Principles and Vision in Politics. The first award was given to Richard Perle, who had worked as Senator Jackson's aide in his youth and subsequently followed his teacher's moral principles in his career.

The Summit participants included:

Ehud Olmert, Vice Prime Minister of Israel
Benyamin Netanyahu, Israel's Finance Minister
Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Transportation Minister
Beni Elon, Israel's Tourism Minister
Dr. Uzi Landau, Israel's Minister in PM office
Eliot Engel, US Congressman (NY)
Richard Perle, Former US Deputy Secretary of Defense, Resident Fellow at American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Professor Daniel Pipes, Director, Middle East Forum; US Inst. Of Peace Board
Alan Keyes, UN Ambassador under President Reagan, a Conservative Christian leader Dr. Avi Beker, Secretary General, World Jewish Congress
Mike Evans, President, Jerusalem Prayer Team
Dr. Hillel Fradkin, President, Center for Ethics and Public Policy, US
Dr. Frank Gaffney, President, Center for Security Policy, US
Sergei Filatov, President, Congress of Russian Intelligentsia

Press-conference of the Jerusalem Summit.
From Left to Right:
Dmitry Radyshevsky, Director of the Michael Cherney Foundation
Uzi Landau, Israel's Minister for the Strategic Cooperation between US and Israel
Richard Perle, Member of the Defense Policy Board
Benny Elon, Israel's Minister of Tourism
Daniel Pipes, Director of the Middle East Forum
Cal Thomas, TV Host, FOX News