Abraham, S. Daniel 1924-

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Abraham, S. Daniel 1924-

PERSONAL:

Born 1924, in Long Beach, NY; married second wife, Ewa Sebzda; children: (first marriage) four; (second marriage) Sarah, Sam.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Palm Beach, FL. Office—Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, 633 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., 5th Fl., Washington, DC 20004; fax: 202-624-0855.

CAREER:

Businessman, philanthropist, and author. Thompson Medical (pharmaceutical firm), founder, board chair, president, and chief executive officer, 1947-98; Slim-Fast Foods, founder, 1976-2000; Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, cofounder. Military service: U.S. Army; served during World War II.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Honorary doctorates from the Israeli Universities of Bar Ilan, Ben Gurion, and Tel Aviv, and from Yeshiva University, New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

My Fifteen Years of Private Meetings with Arab and Israeli Leaders from the Madrid Conference through the Oslo Accords, introduction by Bill Clinton, Newmarket Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Peace Is Possible: Conversations with Arab and Israeli Leaders from 1988 to the Present, foreword by Bill Clinton, Newmarket Press (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

A semireclusive billionaire who made his fortune selling diet products, including the hugely popular Slim-Fast drinks, S. Daniel Abraham is also known as a philanthropist with a strong interest in Israeli and Middle Eastern affairs and in fostering peace in the region. As the author of Peace Is Possible: Conversations with Arab and Israeli Leaders from 1988 to the Present, Abraham draws on his experiences from traveling to the Middle East on sixty trips for the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, which he cofounded with late Utah Congressman Wayne Owens. During these trips, Abraham talked with both Arab and Israeli leaders and attempted to build a peace strategy. The author's book uses meeting transcripts, notes, and excerpts from Abraham's diary kept during the Middle East trips, thus providing an inside look at these negotiations. Noting that many books have been written about the complicated relationships between Israel and its neighboring countries, a California Bookwatch contributor wrote that "few hold the content and impact of" Abraham's book. A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that the author's "intimate style … allows Abraham to maintain a straightforward tone devoid of grandstanding," adding that Abraham "gives an uncommon perspective" on Israel and the Middle East.