About Us

Joseph Quesnel is the Founding Director of the Canadian Foundation for Universal Ethics Education. A policy analyst and writer based in Canada, Joseph has spent his career researching and writing on ethics, Indigenous policy, and public affairs. He has been a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and a research associate at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and has also worked with the Indigenous Resource Network, the First Nations Tax Commission, and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, contributing extensively to Canadian policy debate. He holds an Honours B.A. from McGill University and a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University, and has also completed coursework at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His work reflects a deep commitment to universal moral principles and their application in contemporary society.

Joseph is currently a student at the Noahide Academy of Israel, where he is pursuing the Academy’s M.A. in Universal Ethics and Civilization.

Joseph Ben-Ami — Interim Chair

Joseph C. Ben-Ami is a Jewish writer and public speaker. A former naval officer, Ben-Ami was a policy aide to Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd prime minister, and Stockwell Day, Harper’s predecessor as party leader. He has worked on national political and advocacy campaigns in Canada and has served on numerous not-for-profit boards, including the international advisory board of Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation.

Rabbi Dr. Moshe Perets is the Founder and Executive Director of the Noahide Academy of Israel – International Institute for the Seven Universal Laws. He holds an MD from the University of Louvain of Brussels, an MS in Biomedical Research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and received Rabbinical Ordination from the Chabad Yeshiva of Brussels in 2011.

Rabbi Shimon Cowen

Rabbi Dr. Shimon Dovid Cowen connects traditional Judaism and the universal Noahide Laws with modern secular society through his extensive writing and lecturing in Melbourne, Victoria. The son of former Australian Governor-General Sir Zelman Cowen, he holds a PhD in social philosophy and politics from Monash University and received rabbinic ordination from prominent leaders in both Australia and Israel. In 1998, he established the Institute for Judaism and Civilization, where he currently directs research into how Torah traditions intersect with contemporary arts, sciences, and civic values. Cowen previously served as a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University and managed the Kollel Menachem Lubavitch postgraduate Rabbinic Institute. His published books, including The Theory and Practice of Universal Ethics—the Noahide Laws and Politics and Universal Ethics, frame these universal moral principles as an objective ethical compass for all humanity.

Sophia Leis

Sophia Nafziger Leis is a public policy professional and Jewish community advocate based in Ottawa. She has experience working on Parliament Hill and currently works for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Sophia is passionate about civic engagement, democratic institutions, and strengthening Jewish participation in public life. She has been involved with Hillel, CIJA and other Jewish community initiatives, bringing a perspective grounded in both policy experience and community engagement as a CJPAC alumna. Her work reflects a commitment to thoughtful advocacy, relationship-building, and ensuring that diverse voices are represented in public policy conversations. Sophia is also pursuing her academic goals in international relations and Spanish linguistics at the University of Ottawa.