CBS' Bob Simon will speak at Fairfield University April 4

Monday, 11 March 2013 12:28

60 Minutes contributor Bob Simon will deliver the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies at Fairfield University on April 4.The 2013 Carl and Dorothy Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies at Fairfield University will be delivered by Bob Simon, who has been contributing regularly to 60 Minutes for more than 16 years and reporting for CBS News since 1967. 

The event will take place on Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. at Fairfield University’s Quick Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20 and are available through the Quick Center Box Office, 1-877-ARTS-396 or online at quickcenter.com.

Mr. Simon’s topic will be “Understanding Israel and the Middle East.”

A veteran foreign correspondent, he was based in Saigon, London and Tel Aviv for most of his career before joining 60 Minutes. Born in the Bronx, Mr. Simon was named CBS News’ Chief Middle Eastern Correspondent in 1987 and is recognized as the premier broadcast journalist in that part of the world. He was captured by Iraqi forces near the Saudi-Kuwaiti border during the opening days of the Gulf War in January 1991. He and the other three members of CBS News’ coverage team spent 40 days in Iraqi prisons, an experience he wrote about in his book “Forty Days.” 

Among scores of major awards, Mr. Simon has 24 Emmys for reporting that has included “Shame of Srebrenica,” a report on heinous acts of genocide in Europe, and “The Lost Children,” a report on orphaned children shipped to Australia.  He’s been honored with a Peabody Award (2000) for “a body of work by an outstanding international journalist on a diverse set of critical global issues.” In 1996, he received an Overseas Press Club (OPC) Award, a Peabody Award and two Emmy Awards for his coverage of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and another OPC Award in 1991 for his coverage of the Gulf War. His career was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in September 2003.

He has covered the activities of countless major international figures, including Pope John Paul II’s historic visits to Poland and Cuba and the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. 

The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies Lecture has brought renowned speakers to Fairfield University, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. Fairfield University’s Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies was founded in 1994 with an initial endowment from Carl and Dorothy Bennett of Greenwich. Its goal is to enrich the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual life of Fairfield University through lectures, programs, and other special events. For information, visit www.fairfield.edu/judaic/js_lectures.html.