As 2007 comes to an end, we are proud to share the latest news about the Foundation and its accomplishments. You will find news about World Music Days, Journalism and Media Programs, Muslim- Jewish Dialogues, Awards, Events and a new Youth initiative. Please feel free to write to us and to forward this newsletter to others.

We are gratified that our mission has touched so many people. Thank you for your interest and support of the Daniel Pearl Foundation - - united, we can make a difference!

Judea and Ruth Pearl
www.danielpearl.org

On December 10, Judea and Ruth Pearl joined the President and First Lady at the White House for a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony, using the Menorah that Daniel's great grandparents brought to Israel from Poland in 1924.

''By honoring Daniel,” said the President, “we are given the opportunity to bring forth hope from the darkness of tragedy -- and that is a miracle worth celebrating during the Festival of Lights.'' To view a full transcript of President Bush’s remarks, photos and video, please click here. For a shorter version click here.

Earlier that day, marking the International Human Rights Day, the President met with 15 representatives of Jewish communities from around the world (including Judea and Ruth, whose family had to leave Iraq when she was a teenager) to discuss issues relating to discrimination and religious freedom. See Chanukah At The White House.

MUSIC
Sixth Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days Sets New Records
Throughout October, the Sixth Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days concert network spread a legacy of hope and empowerment through the universal language of music. Surpassing previous years, over 500 concerts in 42 countries were dedicated to the World Music Days theme of “Harmony for Humanity.” The full list of concerts, artists and countries is available at www.danielpearlmusicdays.org where you can also register performances for the 2008 Daniel Pearl World Music Days.

President George W. Bush sent a Presidential Message extending his appreciation to ''all those involved in Daniel Pearl World Music Days for promoting the values of tolerance, understanding, and respect.” Proclamations and official statements were also received from New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, California Governor Arnold Schwarznegger and the San Francisco and Los Angeles County Boards of Supervisors.

World Music Days Honorary Committee members Sir Elton John, Herbie Hancock, Theodore Bikel, Ida Haendel, Tania Libertad, Mark O’Connor, Salman Ahmad, Steve Reich, Yefim Bronfman, and Ravi Shankar dedicated concerts across the globe. International concerts were held in India, Canada, Macedonia, Germany, Italy, Israel, England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, and South Africa, to name a few. Festivals in Wales, Singapore, and Australia, as well as at several embassies, hosted performances. Youth groups and schools offered performances ranging from classical and world beat sounds to bluegrass, jazz, folk and rock.

In the United States, artists in 39 states participated. Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics brought his hip-hop based youth empowerment tour, “Take Back the Mic” to several universities; The Abrams Brothers - winners of the 2006 Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin- performed in front of 5000 middle school students at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted multiple artists of different genres; and renowned cellist Michael Fitzpatrick dedicated a special invocation in conjunction with an appearance by the Dali Lama.

FODfest (Friends of Danny Festival) - an annual concert series honoring the life and ideals of Daniel Pearl - kicked off a week long tour at Eddies Attic in Atlanta, a club where Danny performed in the early 1990s, and ended at the Off the Beat-n-Track recording studio in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where Danny started his journalism career and joined an orchestra and several bands. Other stops included Memphis, Asheville, Washington DC, Boston, and an outdoor concert in the Catskills in upstate New York. In all, 100 musicians from 14 states participated in one or more of the concerts; some knew Danny personally, many did not. FODfest celebrates World Music Days in a unique format that is part concert, part song swap, and part jam session; musicians gather together on stage and take turns leading songs and accompanying each other.

''Harmony for Humanity'' eStage
Extending the message of World Music Days, in 2007, “eStage” - a streaming Internet radio station - broadcast music inspired by the “Harmony for Humanity” theme throughout October. People in 74 countries listened an average of 23 minutes to programs including: music by members of the World Music Days honorary committee; recordings featuring Danny himself on violin, fiddle, and mandolin; music by current and past winners of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin; and audio stories, interviews, dedications and original compositions stressing international friendship and our shared humanity. An online ''gallery'' of written and visual media is available year-round on the eStage website.

New Musical Compositions Dedicated to Daniel Pearl
British composer David Heath released a new CD “A Song for Daniel Pearl'' featuring world renowned oboist John Anderson and organist Andrew Lucas. Heath’s ''Elegy for Daniel Pearl,'' from the documentary “The Journalist and the Jihadi,” featuring violinist Ittai Shapira is included.

Singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman (one of Danny’s favorites) composed a new song for Danny “Isn’t it Golden Now.” You can listen and view the lyrics on the World Music Days eStage.

“Stories from My Favorite Planet,” commissioned by the Foundation and composed by Russell Steinberg, was re-released in November 2007. This trio for violin (Mitchell Newman), piano (Russell Steinberg, and reader (Joshua Cox) is based on five of Danny’s articles from the collection “At Home In The World.'' The reissued CD includes a new track, “Elegy,” narrated by John Schneider; it is available at the website “Donate Now.”

Jazz singer Jan Short premiered her ''I Dream a Dream of Danny'' at Carnegie Hall during World Music Days.

Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin Awarded to Two Teens
Crafted by master violin-maker Jonathan Cooper of Maine, the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violins are given each year to two rising musicians, chosen by a committee headed by violinist and composer Mark O'Connor, to play for one year. This year Ruby Jane Smith 12, of Mississippi and Michael Barnett 18, of Massachusetts were the awardees. Ruby Jane Smith is a country music prodigy and a recent Mississippi state fiddler champion. ''I am speechless. I can only hope I can give through my music a little of what Daniel Pearl gave through his life,'' said Smith on receiving the award. Mike Barnett is already an accomplished musician; having played and recorded with several bands, most recently the ''newgrass'' ensemble Northern Lights. Mike composed a violin guitar piece for Danny and dedicated it at a multi faith World Music Days event at Western New England College on October 15. We welcome Jane and Mike to the growing club of musical “ambassadors'' for the Foundation and World Music Days, now numbering nine outstanding performers.

JOURNALISM
NEW PROGRAM- The Daniel Pearl Media Internship for Israeli and Palestinian Youths
Created in partnership with Crossing Borders, this program provides two-month internships with newspaper, radio and television hosts for ten Israeli and Palestinian youth who have previously participated in coexistence training programs. These internships steer young people from both sides towards journalism, and thus amplify voices of reason and mutual acceptance in their respective societies.

Daniel Pearl Journalist Fellowships
In partnership with the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships, this annual program places mid-career journalists from South Asia and the Middle East at major U.S. newsrooms and includes training seminars and one week at a Jewish publication. In 2007, Fellows from Egypt and Iraq worked respectively at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal’s Washington bureau.

2007 Daniel Pearl Editorial Fellows
The Daniel Pearl Editorial Fellowship program is conducted in partnership with the International Center for Journalists. Two editors from the Middle East or South Asia spend five weeks in U.S. newsrooms and a few days at a Jewish publication. The 2007 winners were:
Ramy Mansour from Damascus, Syria who spent time at the Los Angeles Times, is an editor at Al Watan (Syria’s first independent political newspaper), and responsible for the paper’s weekly opinion column, as well its monthly supplement MAAN (TOGETHER). Mr. Mansour spent a few days at the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.

Joseph Raj from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, undertook his fellowship at the Houston Chronicle. He is a veteran of 15 years with The Star, the largest English-language daily in Malaysia, and has worked as the newspaper's Assistant News Editor for the past three years. His job responsibilities include ''feeding news'' to Star's web portal, the leading online news portal in Malaysia with approximately 40 million page views every month. He spent a few days at the Jewish Herald-Voice in Houston.

New Articles Published by PEARL World Youth News
PEARL World Youth News is a unique Internet-based international student news service formed in partnership with the International Education and Research Network (iEARN). High school students collaborate on stories, acting as investigators, correspondents and editors for secondary school newspapers around the world. More than 60 students from 12 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa to date have registered to obtain the PEARL Journalism Certification. PEARL Reporters have recently reported on the Pakistan political emergency, Hurricane Noel and the Special Olympics. See these articles and more at PEARL World Youth News.

Based upon input from educators, in 2007 the program expanded to include an online curriculum that helps teachers integrate journalism into their lesson plans.

LECTURES AND PANELS
Bernard-Henri Lévy Speaks at the Annual Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at Stanford
French social philosopher, author and journalist Bernard-Henri Lévy delivered the Second Annual Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at Stanford on November 15. In ''A Philosopher's View of the 21st Century,” Lévy spoke of his personal investigation into Pearl’s murder in Pakistan, as well as the changing role of politics and religion in the global arena. The event was co-sponsored by Stanford University’s Office of the President and Hillel at Stanford.

Each year, the Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture Series features journalists and opinion makers who have contributed original analyses or constructive approaches to problems of international concern. The next lecture is scheduled for February 26, 2008 at UCLA featuring David Brooks of the New York Times. These lectures are open and free to the public.

Press Under Fire Forum in Israel
The Press Under Fire Symposia feature worldwide panel discussions on the role of media in areas of conflict, the protection of reporters in dangerous zones, press freedom, and the perception of Western media abroad. In 2007, a memorial panel took place in Eilat, Israel, as part of the first conference of the Tel Aviv Journalists Association. Judea Pearl offered the opening remarks.

DIALOGUE
Daniel Pearl Dialogues for Muslim-Jewish Understanding Attract a Wide Audience
This traveling program engages multi-faith audiences in a frank conversation, aimed at reaching an understanding between the Jewish and Muslim communities. In October 2007, a special dialogue was conducted with Imam Souleiman Ghali, a Lebanese-born Palestinian who heads the Islamic Society in San Francisco. In front of a packed audience at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Judea Pearl and Ghali addressed the basic issues underlying the Arab-Israeli conflict. In November, Dr. Judea Pearl and Dr. Akbar Ahmed conducted a Dialogue at the first Kansas City Festival of Faiths. More than 900 people attended to hear the two professors’ message of reconciliation.

These public dialogues carve a path of legitimacy for voices of moderation and inspire participating communities to continue conversation at the grass roots level. In 2006, Professors Ahmed and Pearl were awarded the first annual “Purpose Prize'' by the non profit Civic Ventures for initiating the series.

Judea Pearl Leads Community Discussions in US and Canada
In 2007, Judea Pearl led public discussions at over 20 community centers and college campuses on topics including: “Carving a Path for Muslim Jewish Dialogue,” ''The Ideological War on Terror,'' and ''Being Western, American and Jewish in the Post 9/11 Era.''

2007 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS NAMED IN HONOR OF DANIEL PEARL
Stanford University, Daniel Pearl Memorial Internship- Awarded to Niraj Sheth to work in the Wall Street Journal London bureau.

Los Angeles Press Club, Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism – Presented to slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya of Novaya Gazeta.

Sciences Po & Wall Street Journal (Paris) – Awardees this year were Caroline Gillet of Belgium, Fannie Olivier of Canada and France's Madeleine Leroyer.

The South Asian Journalists Association Daniel Pearl Award – Awarded to Paul Watson of the Los Angeles Times for outstanding print reporting on South Asia.

Chicago Press Veterans Association, Daniel Pearl Award –The 2007 recipient was Paul Salopek of the Chicago Tribune for best exemplifying Danny’s courage, and high standards.

Daniel Pearl Berkshire Scholarship – Sponsored by the North Adams Transcript and the Berkshire Eagle for a high school student to study journalism or music, Brian Mastroianni was the 2007 recipient.

The Anti-Defamation League / Moss Family Daniel Pearl Award – Bestowed on a person who makes the most positive impact on the image of Jews and Judaism in the Muslim world. The 2007 awardee was Dr. Robert Satloff, Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.