This is not just another conference. It is a strategic moment.
In times of calm, conferences are about networking. In times of upheaval, they become something else entirely: strategic infrastructure. The Jewish and Israeli-American community is living through such a moment.
Since October 7, Israeli-Americans across the United States have often found themselves as a second line of defense, on the front lines of Jewish life: in schools, on college campuses, in boardrooms, online spaces, and public discourse. At the same time, Israel is fighting on multiple fronts, the Middle East is being reshaped in real time, and antisemitism has surged globally with a speed and intensity many believed belonged to the past.
Across our community, the same tension is palpable: a deep connection to Israel, a growing sense of responsibility, and an urgent, unsettled question: what now?
The Israeli-American Council's 10th National Summit, taking place January 15–17 in Florida, is not a celebration. It is about writing the next chapter.
The summit is where these platforms come to life, bringing together Israeli-Americans, Jewish Americans, and Israelis not as separate audiences, but as partners confronting shared challenges and shaping shared solutions.
From solidarity to strategy
Last year's Summit reflected this reality when Royal Highness, Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi addressed participants, offering a candid perspective on regional dynamics, courage, and the long arc of Middle Eastern history. This year, General Erik Kurilla, Commander of US Central Command, will address the summit, underscoring how directly the security of Israel, the region, and the United States is now intertwined.
These are not symbolic appearances. They reflect a deeper truth: Israeli-Americans are no observers of history. We are stakeholders in it.
Where vision becomes action
One of the most significant additions to this year's summit is the Expo, designed not as a showcase of ideas but as a bridge where opportunities meet possibilities. The Expo will feature Israeli real estate projects that encourage long-term thinking about investment, rebuilding, and growth, not as transactions, but as commitments to Israel's future. Israeli innovation and technology companies, including strategic partners such as Israel Aerospace Industries, will demonstrate how Israeli ingenuity continues to lead even under the pressures of war.
Israeli universities, pre-military academies (mechinot), hospitals, and leading medical researchers will be present, offering insight into how education, science, and healthcare are shaping Israel's recovery and resilience. Alongside them, more than 50 Israeli and US-based NGOs will present their work on the ground, rebuilding communities, supporting displaced families, strengthening Israeli society, and reinforcing Jewish life in the United States.
This is not an expo of ideas alone. It is an ecosystem of action.
Why this gathering matters now
Communities do not become resilient by accident. They become resilient because people meet, debate, align, learn, invest, and commit together.
At this year's Summit, participants will grapple with questions many are asking privately, but few are addressing collectively:
How do we strengthen our society while also reinforcing Jewish and Israeli-American communities in the United States?
How do philanthropy, investment, innovation, and civic leadership intersect in a noisy and polarized world?
How do we move from crisis response to long-term recovery — for Israel and for our communities here?
How do we raise the next generation with confidence, clarity, and pride?
These conversations are not theoretical. They shape real decisions where people invest, how they give, how they lead, and how they show up in public life.
Resilience as a choice
At its core, this summit is about resilience.
The resilience of Israel – rebuilding, innovating, healing, and defending its future.
The resilience of Jewish and Israeli-American communities standing strong amid antisemitism, polarization, and uncertainty.
The resilience of leadership – choosing engagement and responsibility over comfort.
Resilience is not passive.
It is built – deliberately.
A moment of decision
Israeli-Americans are no longer a quiet or peripheral community. We are entrepreneurs, investors, educators, parents, soldiers' families, students, and civic actors. We influence culture, philanthropy, policy, and public discourse – whether we choose to or not.
The question is not whether we have a role.
The question is whether we step into it intentionally.
Some will come to the Summit to listen. Others to engage. Many will leave with new responsibilities as donors, advocates, investors, mentors, and community builders. That is by design.
In moments like this, disengagement is tempting. To stay home. To scroll. To assume someone else will step forward.
History teaches us something different: communities that endure are the ones that gather.
Not to agree on everything, but to agree on what matters.
This summit is not about slogans or soundbites. It is about building the connective tissue between Israel and the Diaspora, between values and action, between today's crisis and tomorrow's future.
This is not an invitation to attend another conference.
It is an invitation to take part in a strategic moment for a community still defining its role and its responsibility.
If you care about Israel.
If you care about Jewish continuity.
If you believe resilience is built, not declared
Then this moment matters.
And showing up matters.
The writer is the Israeli-American Council's chief communities officer.
