Joshua E. London has recently joined the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) as Deputy Director, with the responsibility to help develop and coordinate public policy research and initiatives on behalf of the Jewish community.
Mr. London comes to the IPA from the Jewish Policy Center, a politically conservative Washington, DC-based non-profit think-tank and sister organization to the Republican Jewish Coalition, which he served for more than four years as Director of Policy and editor of its quarterly journal, Details. He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Davis, and a M.A. in social science from the University of Chicago.
The IPA works to protect Jewish interests and freedoms by providing government officials with informative policy briefings, advocating legislative and regulatory initiatives, and coordinating the OU’s constituency’s grass-roots political activities. The IPA works to bring the unique perspective of Jewish law and tradition to bear upon the widest range of public policy issues confronting American society at-large.
Previous to coming to the OU, Mr. London worked at The American Spectator magazine as a Senior Editor; at the Center for Print and Broadcast Media, a division of the Leadership Institute (a politically conservative educational foundation in Virginia); and for The Governor’s Office of California under Governor Pete Wilson.
As a freelance writer, Mr. London has written on politics, public policy and other topics for many publications, including the American Spectator; Human Events; National Review Online; Details: Promoting Jewish, Conservative Values; and The Washington Examiner. He also contributed a chapter on “Jewish Family Values” to Public Policy and Social Issues: Jewish Sources and Perspectives (Praeger Press, 2003).
In September 2005, Mr. London’s book, Victory in Tripoli: How America’s War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation, was published by John Wiley & Sons. This history of America’s war against North African Muslim pirates under President Thomas Jefferson is a timely and insightful account of America’s first interaction with the Arab world, and, more importantly, the story of America’s first war against Islamic terror. The National Review calls Victory in Tripoli an “exciting story of the war on terror—circa 1800.” Booklist says it is “sound history” and “thoroughly readable.”
Mr. London has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, and has lectured widely throughout the United States. Most recently, he has spoken about his book and the current war on terror at Barnes & Noble bookstores across the country; for the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia; for the Navy Museum, at the Washington Navy Yard in the District; and is scheduled to speak on March 15 to the Marine Corps Association in Quantico, Virginia. He is married and lives in Washington.