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| Freedom of Expression

LEVY FORUM for Open Discourse

Made possible by the generosity of Paul and Karen Levy, the Levy Forum for Open Discourse is dedicated to exploring the most urgent topics of our time in a spirit of fearless inquiry. The forum is held annually in Palm Beach, Florida, between December and April. It features leading authors, public intellectuals, and national leaders who share their important insights with us.
  • Dates

    January 27, 2026
    February 24, 2026
    March 19, 2026
    April 15, 2026

  • Time

    5:30 PM Reception
    6:00 PM Presentation and Q&A

  • Location

    Palm Beach Synagogue

    120 North County Road
    Palm Beach, FL 33480
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EVENT
DETAILS

ACTA is pleased to announce the 2025–2026 season of the Levy Forum for Open Discourse at the Palm Beach Synagogue, funded by Paul and Karen Levy. Paul Levy sits on ACTA’s Board of Directors, and we are honored to organize and support this outstanding series.

The fourth season of the Levy Forum will feature seven exceptional scholars and public leaders. Tickets for all events are on sale now.

EVENT
DATES

January 27: Carlos Campo and Meir Soloveichik will join in a conversation entitled, “Cherishing and Strengthening America’s Heritage of Religious Freedom,” moderated by Eric Cohen.

February 24: Robert Woodson will deliver an address entitled, “Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington: The Secret of Resilience and Empowerment.”

March 19: Allen Guelzo will deliver an address entitled, “The Shot That Really Was Heard ‘Round the World: The Global Impact of the American Revolution.”

April 15: Ben Sasse will deliver an address entitled, “The Moral Foundations that Sustain America.”

Carlos Campo

Carlos Campo is the president and chief executive officer of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. His appointment follows a distinguished career in higher education, including service as president of Ashland University, president of Regent University, and chief academic officer at the College of Southern Nevada. Dr. Campo serves as vice chair of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most influential Latino Christian leaders.

Robert Woodson

Robert Woodson is the founder and president of the Woodson Center and a longtime civil rights activist. He has advised government, business, and philanthropic leaders on issues of poverty and community development, directed the National Urban League’s Administration of Justice division, and served as a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is a frequent media commentator, a best-selling author, and the recipient of numerous honors, including the MacArthur Fellowship, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Bradley Prize.

Rabbi Soloveitchik

Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik

Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik is director of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University and rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. He has lectured throughout the U.S., Europe, and Israel on topics relating to Jewish theology, bioethics, wartime ethics, and Jewish-Christian relations.

Allen Guelzo

Dr. Allen Guelzo

Dr. Allen Guelzo is a professor of humanities in the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. Previously, he served as the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar and director of the James Madison Program’s Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship at Princeton University. An authority on the life and politics of Abraham Lincoln, he is the author of many books on the American Civil War. He is a recipient of the Bradley Prize, and three of his books have been awarded the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize.

Ben Sasse

Dr. Ben Sasse

Dr. Ben Sasse is president emeritus of the University of Florida and professor in the university’s Hamilton Center. He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2015 to 2023, is a two-time New York Times best-selling author, and has taught at Yale University, the University of Texas, and Midland University, where he also served as president.


2022-2023 Season

January 25, 2023: Bret Stephens delivered an address entitled “Cancel Culture and The Jews.”

February 8, 2023: Nadine Strossen delivered an address entitled “Antisemitism: The First Amendment and Antisemitic Speech.”

March 2, 2023: Walter Russell Mead delivered an address entitled “The Arc of a Covenant – The U.S., Israel and the Fate of the Jewish People.”

2023-2024 Season

December 6, 2023: Ayaan Hirsi Ali delivered an address entitled “Free Minds, Free Lives: The Escape from Islamism.”

January 10, 2024: George Will delivered an address entitled “The Founders, the American Enlightenment, and Religious Freedom.”

February 6, 2024: Glenn Loury delivered an address entitled “What Has Become of the Partnership Between Blacks and Jews?

March 5, 2024: John Bolton delivered an address entitled “Middle East Challenges for America and Israel.

April 15, 2024: Bernard-Henri Lévy delivered an address entitled “The Wars Against Ukraine and Israel and the Duty of the Jewish People.

2024-2025 Season

December 4, 2024: Sir Niall Ferguson delivered an address entitled “Cold War II or World War III? The New Threat to Western Civilization.”

January 9, 2025: Ruth Wisse delivered an address entitled “Who Brought Antisemitism Back to America?

February 10, 2025: Bernard-Henri Lévy and Natan Sharansky presented “The Battle for Civilization: Israel and Ukraine.

March 19, 2025: Victor Davis Hanson delivered an address entitled “The New Middle East and Israel at the Crossroads.”  

April 9, 2025: John Bolton and Walter Russell Mead presented “Iran’s Nuclear Plans, Terrorism, and the Future of the Middle East.” 

2025-2026 Season

December 4, 2025: Roland Fryer and Jason Riley presented “America, Race, and Building a More Perfect Union.”

January 7, 2026: Larry Arnn and Walter Russell Mead presented, “Education and Politics.”

UPCOMING
EVENTS

There are no upcoming events.

WHO WE ARE

Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

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