Professional Staff

Sarah Havdala is a Policy Analyst and former intern for JINSA. Sarah is pursuing a master’s degree in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy at American University in Washington, D.C., where she also obtained her bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a

Chloe Zeldin is a Programs Associate at JINSA. Chloe earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Chloe’s previous professional experience includes internships with the Democratic staff of the House Oversight Committee, the United States Central Command,

Jonah Brody is a Policy Analyst at JINSA. His research interests include Middle Eastern geopolitics, counterterrorism, and Turkish foreign and security policy. Jonah holds an M.A. in International Security from Sciences Po Paris, a B.A. in History from the University

N. Nolan Judd joined JINSA as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO after previously serving as a policy intern during his undergraduate studies. Nolan is a graduate from the University of Glasgow, where he graduated with a M.A.

Blake Johnson is the Communications Director for the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. Blake has more than 17 years of media and communications experience in Washington, D.C., having worked at think tanks, public affairs firms, and television and

Yoni Tobin is a Senior Policy Analyst at JINSA. Yoni holds a B.A. in International Relations, with honors, from Boston University and an M.A. in International Security Policy from Columbia University. He previously worked at the Center for Naval Analyses,

Matthew Kenney is Vice President for Government Affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Matthew brings more than 15 years of legislative advocacy and communications experience to his role at JINSA, having previously served in both

Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Most recently, Blaise was a Fellow at the Hudson Institute. Prior to that, he

IDF MG (ret.) Yaacov Ayish is the Julian and Jenny Josephson Senior Vice President for Israeli Affairs at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). General Ayish served in the IDF for 36 years and retired in 2016,

Yaniv Menahem is the Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s (JINSA) Director for Middle East Operations, a position he has held since March 2025. He previously served as JINSA’s Middle East Operations Manager from April 2018. Prior to his