Two former US Secretaries of State — Dr. Madeleine K. Albright and Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.) — headlined this year’s JUF Vanguard Dinner, where they discussed the U.S. role in world affairs, both arguing against isolationism.

“The world doesn’t work if the U.S. is not involved,” Albright said, in the conversation moderated by David Makovsky, a Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute and director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process. Powell agreed. “We need to start playing a vital role in the world,” he said.

The Vanguard Dinner, held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Monday night and attended by more than 1,100 people, launched the 2017 JUF Annual Campaign, which helps protect, sustain, and enrich the Jewish community. This year’s Event Chairs were Rebekah and Ilan Shalit, and the Vice Chairs were: Janna and Keith Berk; Gigi Cohen and Michael Levin; and Elissa and Craig Goldsmith. JUF’s Annual Campaign Chairman for 2017 is Larry Levy. (View photos from the event)

Albright and Powell discussed a wide variety of foreign-policy topics, mostly focused on the Middle East — from the crisis in Syria to the nuclear deal with Iran, from the Arab Spring and ISIS to the War in Iraq, and even back to the Gulf War. A great deal of the conversation revolved around Russia’s involvement in these areas and how best to deal to deal with Putin’s aggression.

The discussion also turned to the interplay between domestic and foreign affairs. Albright decried the anti-Israel anger on college campuses, and expressed solidarity with Israeli and Jewish students. Powell noted that a politically divided country with a gridlocked Congress weakened America’s stature when trying to influence foreign leaders.

Israel was a major focus. Both experts discussed the peace process and whether the goal should be, as the moderator put it, “a homerun” or more on incremental successes, “singles and doubles.” Albright said a major effort should be made to explain that the Israel-Palestinian conflict was not to blame for everything in the Middle East. Powell reassured that there should be “no doubt in the mind of Israelis — the US will be there for them” regardless of who is president, and pointed to the success of the Iron Dome defense system.

The discussion concluded with warm, personal memories of the late Israeli leader Shimon Peres.