Shelley Neese is the Vice President of the Jerusalem Connection International, a nonprofit organization based out of Washington DC. Shelley lived and studied in Israel from 2000-2004, where she learned conversational Hebrew and received her M.A in Middle Eastern Studies from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The high point of her studies—and first crack at investigative journalism—was her master’s thesis examining the secret, multilateral negotiations ending the 2002 siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. As a freelance columnist for several publications, her articles have appeared in the Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva, FrontPage Magazine, and more.
Shelley has been present for the most central events in the Copper Scroll Project over the last decade, including the initial excavation at Qumran in 2009. An experienced public speaker, Shelley is on the Jewish National Fund’s Speakers Bureau. She has addressed various Jewish student groups and participated on debate panels.