He's been called one of the five most influential Jewish leaders in the United States, and one of the ten most influential Jewish leaders in the world. Michael Oren stepped down last month after four years serving as Israel's ambassador to the United States. His talk, "Israel: The Ultimate Ally," was the 162nd Landon Lecture at Kansas State University. Oren was born in update New York and raised in New Jersey to conservative Jewish parents; he was appointed ambassador to the U.S. in 2009 by President Benjamin Netanyahu.
