The Israel Hayom Summit in New York opened Wednesday evening, bringing together senior figures from Israel and the US, government officials, business leaders, heads of organizations and prominent members of the Jewish world.
Held for the second consecutive year at the InterContinental hotel in Manhattan, in the presence of Israel Hayom publisher Prof. Miriam Adelson, the summit features discussions, interviews and panel sessions addressing the major challenges facing Israel, the US and the Jewish world. "We are at risk," Taglit-Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark warned when asked whether Israel was losing the next generation of Diaspora Jewry.
Speaking during a panel moderated by Israel Hayom reporter Adi Nirman, alongside Birthright alumnae Jacqueline Korren and Leah Aguuire, Mark said the challenge was "urgent and could become a strategic threat to Israel over time," partly because of the role Diaspora Jews play in investing in the Israeli economy. "We recently conducted a survey showing that roughly 25% of young Jews would come to Israel regardless of the circumstances, 25% would not come under the current circumstances, and 50% are still considering it," Mark said.
"We can win them back and reconnect them with us. We need to show them what Israel really is, without hiding anything. We need to let them speak with Israelis their own age and hear their perspectives, and take them out of the endless stream of biased information they are exposed to, including on certain college campuses."
According to Mark, Birthright has brought 70,000 young Jews to Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, and accounts for approximately 90% of groups visiting the country. "I would be happy if we had more partners in this effort," he said. "It all depends on us. We will be in a much better position if, instead of complaining, we start trying things we have never tried before."
'I didn't even know about Oct. 7'
Aguuire, a graduate of the Birthright Israel Excel leadership program, said she grew up in New York and became disconnected from her Jewish roots, despite her family's history of persecution because of their Jewish identity. "When I was 12, we left the religion, and I went to a regular school. I became completely assimilated," she said. "Being Jewish had become so unimportant to me that I didn't even know about Oct. 7."
Aguuire said friends encouraged her to join a Birthright trip in 2024, an experience that changed her life. "I experienced the vibrancy and beauty of Israel. I spoke with Israelis and saw how proud they were of their Jewish identity. Then we went to the Nova festival site, and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see what had happened there," she recalled. "The trip I almost happened to take by chance brought me back as a proud Jew, by choice, just as it has done for so many others."
Korren, a Birthright alumna who leads a global influencer program, said she had never imagined building a career around Jewish identity. "If you had told me three years ago that I would be working as a professional Jew, I would have been shocked. I had never considered it," she said.
Following training at Reichman University, Korren said she reached two conclusions: "We are fighting a military war and a media war at the same time," and "There are not enough resources for young Jews to enter the conversation, while the other side has virtually unlimited funding."
Korren approached Mark and Birthright's leadership with a proposal to revive a program aimed at content creators.
According to Korren, 175 creators from 16 countries participated over the course of a year, collectively reaching an audience of 10 million people. The goal is to bring 1,000 creators into the program. "The program gave me a voice, and now we can give thousands of Jewish creators a voice as well, allowing them to express and share their Jewish identity online."
Bringing Jewish identity to social media
"Influencers build trust with millions of people. They influence what people buy, believe and feel," Korren explained.
She described a runner who began publishing Israel-related content and secured advertising deals while openly wearing a Star of David, as well as a beauty influencer who now incorporates Ahava skincare products and Shabbat candle lighting into her content. "People are exposed to these messages through someone they trust. That is why personal stories are so important, and why we will continue investing in them," she said.
Aguuire said that after her Birthright trip, she joined the Excel program. "Birthright opened the door for me, but Birthright Excel was what really pushed me to think about responsibility, leadership and making a difference."
She subsequently became president of her campus Hillel chapter and founded an Israeli culture club that now operates across nine New York campuses. "I realized that feeling connected to Judaism is not enough. We need to build and strengthen Jewish communities and their ties to Israel."
"Most importantly, I realized that I wanted to learn Hebrew so that my children would never experience the loss of connection to Israel that I had experienced," Aguuire continued.
She said she established a YouTube channel through which she teaches Hebrew to thousands of people. During her time in Excel, she also worked with a team to develop EBY, named after Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the pioneer of modern Hebrew, with the aim of revitalizing the language among Diaspora communities.
In addition, she created a podcast featuring founders from the Excel community. "My experience with Birthright and Birthright Excel taught me that I have an active role to play in writing the current chapter of an ancient Jewish story."
Asked whether there was still reason for hope, Mark replied, "Why not? These are two exceptionally talented women, but we have brought 950,000 people to Israel."
He called for expanding Birthright's activities and connecting more young people to Israel. "If we want a strong future here in Israel, we need to build it together with Diaspora Jewry. We need them, and they need us. This is a perfect opportunity, at a time when both communities are under threat, for us to unite. Not just talk about it, but actually do it."
