Lisa Palmieri-Billig

Lisa Palmieri-Billig has worked with AJC since 2005. Previously, she held this position for the ADL, and before that worked in the Rome office of the World Jewish Congress during the Ecumenical Council (Vatican II). Born in Vienna, she escaped to New York with her family in 1938. After teaching at several universities in New York, she moved to Rome in the 1960s to teach English. As a journalist, she is a Vatican specialist (“vaticanista”), and corresponds for Vatican Insider – La Stampa, as well as serving as The Jerusalem Post’s Rome correspondent since 1965. Her reports from Rome and the Vatican on interreligious topics have appeared in English, Italian, and German. She has written extensively on the papacies of Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. She was Vice President of the European section of the World Conference of Religions for Peace for 25 years, and a cofounder and now Honorary President of the Italian section. She also served as cofounder and the first President of the Rome Jewish-Christian Friendship Association. She received an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College and a B.A. from Barnard College. She was recently named one of the 15 key Jewish voices in the Jewish Christian dialogue.