Henry Siegman is a German-born American rabbi, foreign policy analyst, and President Emeritus of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP). Born in Frankfurt, Germany, he fled with his family to Belgium and later immigrated to the United States in 1941 to escape Nazi persecution. He completed his education at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi, and served as a U.S. Army chaplain during the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
Siegman served as Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) from 1978 to 1994, having previously managed the Synagogue Council of America. Following his tenure at AJCongress, he joined the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) as a Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies. He later helped establish the U.S./Middle East Project as an independent policy organization dedicated to Middle East peace diplomacy, serving as its President until assuming the role of President Emeritus in 2016.
Throughout his career, Siegman has published extensive analytical essays in publications including The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and the London Review of Books. His writings provide detailed critiques of U.S. foreign policy and Israeli military governance, consistently arguing that permanent control over the Occupied Palestinian Territories constitutes a de facto regime of apartheid and that a sustainable resolution requires prioritizing international law and equal rights over unilateral territorial control.
Siegman is one of the signatories of the 2025 public statement, “Global Jewish Call on the UN and World Leaders to Sanction Israel,” which urged international institutions and governments to enforce arms embargoes, diplomatic sanctions, and legal measures against Israel over its actions in the Occupied Territories.