Advocating with Intelligence
The rise of misinformation, extreme bias, and hate-motivated incidents in California reflects troubling national trends, underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated community response grounded in data collection and evidence-based reporting.
Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN) is leading this charge by equipping communities not only with the tools and resources to drive effective advocacy but also with the essential support to foster meaningful relationships across diverse groups. By strengthening connections and building trust, IAN empowers communities to collaborate more effectively, share strategies, and amplify their collective impact.
Together, we can cultivate a better-informed, safer, and more resilient California, built on the power of shared purpose.
Leadership Team
Susan George, CEO
Julie Marzouk, Board Secretary
Adele Gershater, CFO
Susan brings over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to IAN. She has led multiple initiatives across diverse sectors, including health, housing, the arts, peacebuilding, and anti-discrimination. Susan also has a background in music, specializing in opera, musical theater, and choral performance.
Adele Gershater, CFO
Julie Marzouk, Board Secretary
Adele Gershater, CFO
Adele, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from UCLA and an MBA from Santa Clara University. Her extensive career spans finance roles at leading tech companies like Intel Corporation and Oracle. She later founded and operated her own successful accounting and tax services firm. Currently, Adele serves as the Chief Financial Officer for a prestigious watch retail company. Adele resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband.
Julie Marzouk, Board Secretary
Julie Marzouk, Board Secretary
Julie Marzouk, Board Secretary
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author, and activist with over fifteen years of experience in both private and nonprofit sectors. She began her legal career at Bingham McCutchen before directing the Immigration Unit of the Public Law Center. Julie also served as an Associate Law Professor at Chapman University, leading the Family Protection Clinic.
A published author, Julie's work has appeared in local, international, and Jewish media outlets. She holds a BA in Political Science from Brandeis University and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law.
IAN In the Media
By Julie Marzouk
On Sept. 11—the 23rd anniversary of terror attacks—the U.S. House of Representatives received bipartisan approval for the markup of H.R. 9495, a bill that would terminate the tax-exempt status of terror-supporting organizations. The bill specifies how the Department of Treasury would evaluate a nonprofit’s material support for terrorism using legal standards outlined in 18 U.S.C. 2339B, which have been in place since 1996. Hamas has been recognized by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997. In response to this week’s bill, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which continues to present itself as a defender of civil rights, released a press release opposing the House measure. If enacted, the legislation could be used to go after CAIR and its well-documented ties to Hamas.
Continue reading here.
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author and board member of the Intelligent Advocacy Network.
Dear California Candidate:
We are reaching out on behalf of three diverse organizations united by a deep concern over the growing and harmful influence of extremist groups in American democracy. We share these concerns about extremism across the political spectrum. We write to you today specifically about CAIR: the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
As election day nears, you may be inclined to accept all possible endorsements. As someone who cares about civil and human rights, you may believe that the values and objectives of CAIR align with your own. But CAIR’s own words and actions tell a different story. While the organization publicly claims to be a civil rights organization, CAIR’s praise of violence and its refusal to denounce terrorist activities reflect values that are fundamentally at odds with genuine human rights advocacy and should be rejected.
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network, Anila Ali is the Board Chair and President of American Muslim & Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council, and Sarah Levin is the Executive Director of Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.
November 24, 2024 / American Spectator
By Julie Marzouk
If you listened to the hysteria from the floor of the House of Representatives on November 21, 2024, you might believe that the bill HR 9495 entitled “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” is a radical bill designed to give President-elect Trump unchecked powers to label all of his political enemies terrorists. The reality is that the same legislation designed to target non-profits who support terrorism passed the House with bi-partisan support in April of 2024.
Last spring, neither Democrats nor non-profits were concerned with the strength of due process assurances built into the bill (179 Dems voted for the bill). Then, Donald Trump was elected. A bill selectively tailored to address the issue of foreign terrorist influence in American non-profits suddenly became known as the “non-profit killer” bill (only 15 Dems voted for the bill).
Continue reading here.
Julie Marzouk is an attorney, author, and board member of the Intelligent Advocacy Network.
December 16, 2024 / New York Post
By Susan George
A bill that would choke off funding for terror-supporting nonprofits has stalled in Congress — amid the lies of its potential targets.
The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, HR 9495, passed the House last month.
Critics have labeled the legislation a “nonprofit killer,” intentionally misleading both the public and lawmakers about its specifics in an effort to derail it.
One of its loudest opponents is the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which has painted the legislation as “nefarious” and warned it will do catastrophic harm to charities. CAIR claims the bill strips nonprofits of
due process.
Continue reading here.
Susan George is the CEO of Intelligent Advocacy Network.
What we're reading
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
The remains of a bus in Israel after a Palestinian terror attack on July 16, 2021 during the second Intifada. (Wikimedia Commons)
Orange County Register - November 11, 2024
By Julie Marzouk, IAN Board Member
Anti-Israel activists insist that their protests in America are protected under the First Amendment. After calls for a “Jew hunt” in Amsterdam and the orchestrated attacks that followed the online organization, it is time to evaluate when hateful rhetoric, such as “globalize the intifada”, crosses from protected speech to incitement of violence.
Continue reading here.
The Court Case About Who Funds CAIR
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
Wall Street Journal - November 27, 2024
By WSJ Editorial Board
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, made headlines last year for its leader’s reaction to the Hamas slaughter of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023: “I was happy to see people breaking the siege.” When CAIR next makes headlines, it might be for revelations about who’s funding the group, and from where.
On Monday a federal magistrate judge in Minnesota issued a discovery order in a lawsuit against CAIR by Lori Saroya, a former employee and board member. Among the items that CAIR is directed to hand over are documents showing every donor of $5,000 or more from 2014-2022, as well as contributions by “any individual or entity within, or any governmental unit of, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Kuwait between 2007 and 2014.”
Continue reading here.
U.S. Sanctions Iranian & Russian Entities Pushing Disinformation
After the Amsterdam riots, chants against Jews must be evaluated as potential incitement to violence
U.S. Sanctions Iranian & Russian Entities Pushing Disinformation
Foundation for Defense of Democracies - January 2, 2025
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on two entities from Iran and Russia on December 31 for their attempts to influence the 2024 U.S. election by maliciously spreading disinformation online. “The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith said in the statement.
Continue reading here.