Kobby Barda

AIPAC's Grassroots Path to Congress Kobby Barda

This book looks at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's origins, foundations, and organizational structure.

Isaiah "Si" Kenen, AIPAC's founder and long-time leader, created what can be described as the organization's three-dimensional inverted pyramid, giving it far-reaching influence and impact.

Following Kenen's work through AIPAC's inception and reaching into the mid-1970s, the book looks at key moments and decisions in the years under Kenen's leadership. These decisions helped a small lobby with minimal manpower and resources become a well-established network of organizations, individuals, and communities spanning the entire United States and advancing American relations with Israel.

From Israeli and American archival materials and protocols, interviews, news articles, and academic papers, the book analyzes Kenen's decisions and AIPAC's structure. Using the lens and language of management and human resources, the author sheds new light on the topic in this adaptation of his Thesis dissertation. The dissertation was awarded top honors on the Dean's List for 2020.