The gathering seeks to forge bridges of connection and trust linking Israel with Diaspora Jewry, businesses with the US administration, and classical Zionism with the emerging landscape of technology, economics, and global communications. The summit will spotlight the period's central questions – how to build the day after the war, what role the American Jewry plays in shaping Israel's future, and how to preserve mutual responsibility and shared values connecting the Jewish people across the ocean.

The summit comes at a dramatic moment. Israel has been recovering from its longest war in history, while the American Jewish community confronts a rising wave of antisemitism and a New York mayoral election where an anti-Israel candidate leads in polls. Against this backdrop, New York – home to the world's largest Jewish community outside Israel – will transform for one day into an extraordinary gathering place for leaders, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and diplomats.

Among the many prominent figures participating in the New York summit are Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, former Ambassador David Friedman, former Ambassador Gilad Erdan, Israel's Ambassador to the US Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the parents of fallen hostage Omer Neutra, the parents of returned hostage Edan Alexander, Senator John Fetterman, philanthropist Sylvan Adams, Strauss Group Chairwoman Ofra Strauss, businessman and entrepreneur Adam Neumann, Rashi Foundation Chairmain Shaul Shani, philanthropist and businessman Michael Eisenberg, HaShomer HaChadash CEO Yoel Zilberman, Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, Masa Israel Journey CEO Meir Holtz, Rabbi Ari Berman, Elan Carr, and additional senior guests from the worlds of policy, academia, high-tech, and the Jewish community.

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a primetime press conference about his COVID-19 policies Monday evening. It went poorly for him.

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Channel 12 News reporter Ofer Hadad spoke for many Israelis when he said, "Mr. Prime Minister, on the one hand, you're signaling urgency and fear, and on the other hand, confusion.

"You decide to require a Green Pass for entry into shopping malls, and then you do an about face. You call for children to get vaccinated and then we discover that the education minister is – at best – refusing to mobilize the school system to this end. You ask the citizens of Israel not to travel abroad. And then your family flies off to the Maldives. You're confusing us."

Bennett's confused and contradictory policies on COVID-19 are of a piece with his confusing and failed policies in every other major policy sphere. From his dealing with the Biden administration, the Palestinians, Iran, Diaspora Jewry, the economy and beyond, Bennett's policies are a muddle of self-defeating contradictions.

Consider the situation with the Biden administration. Bennett said that by forming a radical ruling coalition dominated by the Left and the Islamist Ra'am Party, he would vastly improve Israel's relations with the administration. Bennett and his partner, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, insisted that then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had brought Israel-US relations to a crisis through his close relations with then-President Donald Trump and the Republican party. Bennett and Lapid claimed that once they took charge, ties with the Biden administration would vastly improve.

But the opposite has occurred. On Tuesday, Channel 13 News reported that for the past three weeks, President Joe Biden has refused to speak with Bennett. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refuses to engage in any serious discussion of the administration's Iran policies.

In a phone call with Bennett three weeks ago, Blinken reportedly refused to seriously discuss Iran's nuclear program and the nuclear talks in Vienna. Instead, he focused obsessively on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and Jewish neighborhoods in northern, eastern and southern Jerusalem, to which the administration passionately objects. Blinken escalated the administration's demands that Israel stop construction for Jews in Jerusalem's northern Atarot neighborhood.

Blinken's animosity reinforced the already strong sense that the Biden administration views Israel as an irritant, not an ally. For Blinken, Biden and their colleagues, Israel is the problem in the Middle East. As for their supporters on the radical left, Biden and his team wrongly view Israel as the "occupier" in its capital and national heartland.

Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Tuesday. Whereas Bennett's advisors told the media that the purpose of his visit was to discuss Iran, a US official insisted that Sullivan's primary goal was to step up the pressure on Israel to stop Jews from building homes in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and only after that would he discuss Iran.

Following Sullivan's meeting with Bennett Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported that as far as Iran was concerned, far from coordinating positions and reaching a joint plan of action to block Iran from becoming a nuclear power, Sullivan merely presented a vague plan of increased sanctions and Security Council condemnations of Iran that the US might implement against Tehran at some point in the future if the Iranian regime fails to agree to reach a nuclear deal in Vienna.

Bennett has no policy for managing relations with the most hostile US administration in history. Although Bennett ostensibly opposes Washington's dictates on nullifying Jewish property rights, Defense Minister Benny Gantz is essentially toeing the administration's line. After Yehuda Dimantman was murdered last Thursday by Palestinian terrorists on his way to his yeshiva in Homesh in Samaria last week, Gantz didn't order the destruction of the terrorists' homes. He ordered the destruction of Dimantman's yeshiva.

Gantz has given retroactive approval for thousands of illegal buildings in Area C that the Europeans built for the Palestinians, and approved the construction of thousands more.

This brings us to Iran's nuclear weapons program. According to Gantz and Lapid, Iran's achievement of independent military nuclear capabilities is imminent. Yet Bennett has no policy for dealing with this state of affairs. Once a week the media report the IDF's detailed operational plans for destroying Iran's nuclear installations. Twice a week the media report that Israel lacks the capacity to attack Iran's nuclear installations and needs America to take care of Iran for us.

These opposing views presumably reflect the points of view expressed in Bennett's security cabinet. There, apparently preventing Iran from achieving independent military nuclear capabilities is presented as an all-or-nothing deal, with no middle ground. Israel has no diplomatic options. It has no option to help the Iranian people bring down the regime. Sabotage is apparently off the table.

Either the entire Israeli Air Force flies to Iran to destroy all of its nuclear sites, or America will rescue Israel – at the cost of Israel's sovereignty and national identity.

What is the source of Bennett's strategic confusion?

Bennett's COVID-19 policies provide a clue. To date, Bennett has only fully implemented one clear-cut decision. He barred all non-Israeli citizens from entering Israel.

Whether you are a grandparent who wants to see your Israeli grandchildren, or a high school class scheduled to spend a year in Israel, if you don't have an Israeli passport, Bennett says, "Keep out."

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To date, criticism of Bennett's ban on tourists has focused on the economic price Israelis are forced to pay. According to the Israel Association of Travel Agencies and Consultants, by banning entry to foreigners, Bennett has caused severe economic distress to 100,000 travel agents, tour guides and their families.

But there is an additional, much deeper cost: the Jewish cost.

Over the past week, expressions of outrage at Bennett's blanket ban among Diaspora Jews have multiplied. Jews worldwide express feelings of hurt, outrage and humiliation at what they perceive as an abandonment and betrayal. Israel is the homeland of the entire Jewish people – wherever they dwell. Despite this, Bennett is making a distinction between Jews based not on the COVID-19 status, but on the passports they hold.

After South African native Eliyahu Kay was murdered last month as he made his way to work at the Western Wall, members of the South African Jewish community flew to Israel to pay their respects. While their flight was in the air, the government announced a ban on entry to non-Israelis arriving from Africa. The first people to be turned away were the Kay family's friends. They arrived on a Friday morning and were forced to return to South Africa, in violation of Shabbat.

South Africa's Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein lashed out in anger at Bennett's actions.

The ban on Diaspora Jews, he said, "is causing terrible human suffering. It's dividing families, people can't come for family celebrations, or just to see their relatives. It's a moral disgrace, and cannot be defended on the grounds of medical safety."

Bennett's move, Goldstein and many other Diapsora Jews say, is a betrayal of the central foundation of Zionism.

As Goldstein put it, "The future sustainability and success of Israel depend on if it fulfills the reason for its existence. That is to be a Jewish state. If you violate the Jewish identity of the Jewish state, if you take away its reason for being, that is a strategic threat to the state of Israel."

At the outset of his Coronavirus cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Bennett said, "We are discussing the heart of the policy. We who are responsible, have no good options."

Bennett's statement touched the essence of leadership – deciding between imperfect options in an environment of uncertainty, and implementing policies whose ultimate outcome is unknowable.

To succeed at policymaking in conditions of deep uncertainty, every leader requires three things – core convictions, experience, and public support. Unfortunately, Bennett lacks all three.

In the past, Bennett presented himself as a conviction politician. He wrote a book on how to fight COVID-19. He published a plan to apply Israeli sovereignty over Area C and another one to destroy Hamas. When Bennett abandoned his ideological camp to form a government with the left, he abandoned all of his books and plans and any glimmer of a conviction. Now, as prime minister, he has no ideological foundation to guide him.

When Bennett abandoned his ideological camp, he also abandoned his voters. And thus he lacks public support.

Public support is important for two reasons. First, leaders without public support lack the ability to convince their colleagues in government to stand with them. Second, leaders with a public behind them are expected to serve that public.

As for experience, Bennett never held real executive office. Bennett's experience was as a pitchman. He sold start-ups. He set out perfect policies he never had to implement in the real world. He ran campaigns.

So when Prime Minister Bennett talks to his ministers about choosing between bad options, he has no convictions and no experience to guide him. And he has no constituents to whom he owes allegiance. Bereft of all three components of leadership, Bennett is the apotheosis of an empty suit.

Bennett's blanket ban on entry for tourists demonstrated his lack of all three.

To be sure, with the advent of the highly contagious Omicron COVID-19 variant, Israel, like all other states, is compelled to take steps to limit insofar as is practicable the spread of the virus. At the outset of the pandemic two years ago, lacking sufficient COVID-19 tests and treatment protocols, and with no vaccines in sight, the government's decision to temporarily close the borders to non-citizens – like its decision to enact a national shutdown – were understandable.

But today, tests, treatments and vaccines are abundant. An experienced leader guided by Zionist convictions and sensitive to the cost his policy would impose on voters and other important stakeholders, would look at the situation and recognize that there are more options than having the country completely open or completely closed to tourists. For instance, the government could require tourists entering the country to abide by the Green Pass requirements of vaccinations, PCR tests and quarantine. Such a policy would reduce the danger of contagion, while limiting the damage to the economy and relations with Diaspora Jewry.

Bennett can repair the damage he has caused Diaspora Jewry fairly easily by cancelling his entry ban and applying the Green Pass criteria to foreign visitors. Repairing the damage his inexperienced, conviction-free and unsupported positions in all other spheres are causing will not be so simple.

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A satirical news show and an interfaith coalition of high school students dedicated to fighting hate are among the winning projects from the groundbreaking American Jewish Committee (AJC) Disrupt Antisemitism initiative, the first incubator to fund innovative ideas by young American Jews to combat antisemitism.

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A panel of AJC staff, journalists, and business leaders considered nearly 70 submissions and selected five. Each will receive $10,000 in seed money from AJC as well as access to AJC experts in advocacy, finance, and technology to help launch their projects locally, nationally, and online.

"Bold new ideas are critical to combat the growing threats to Jews in the US," said Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, Director of AJC's Alexander Young Leadership Department. "The creative thinking of Jewish innovators will help the rising generation of American Jews lead us in fighting hate."

The winners were announced a week after AJC's The State of Antisemitism in America 2021, the largest-ever surveys of American Jews and the US public on antisemitism in America, was issued. Among its findings were that 90% of American Jews believe antisemitism is a problem, nearly one-quarter reported they experienced antisemitism in the last 12 months and 39% limited their activities or concealed their Jewishness out of safety concerns. In addition, 86% of American Jews, ages 18-35, think antisemitism is a problem, with 37% saying it's "a very serious problem," in the US today, and 30% said it has increased a lot over the past five years.

The winners of the Disrupt Antisemitism initiative include:

Olive Branch Pictures: Olive Branch Pictures is a graphic novel and animation studio that fosters mutual understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. Olive Branch is producing a film and graphic novel called Shira and Amal, about an Israeli girl and a Palestinian girl who learn to cope with the loss of loved ones by escaping into the world of music.

Uri L'Tzedek: The Orthodox social justice organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression. Uri L'Tzedek will take on antisemitism in progressive spaces by conducting workshops with partner organizations on how antisemitism is manifested and can be fought.

New Zionist Congress: The goal of New Zionist Congress is to combat the rising tide of anti-Zionism in youth-centered spaces. According to AJC's recently released State of Antisemitism in America survey, over 80% of both Jews and the US public consider anti-Zionism – as represented by the statement "Israel has no right to exist" – antisemitic. The group's board members include journalist Bari Weiss, Israeli actress Noa Tishby, and columnist Blake Flayton, the group's CEO.

Jew or False: A digital content series designed to fight antisemitism, Jew or False is a satirical news show that aims to fight Jew-hatred, inspire Jewish pride, and correct misinformation on issues important to the Jewish community. The project is led by writer and director Jason A. Kessler.

Intercommunity Youth Initiative: Conceived by students from Yeshiva University Los Angeles High School, the initiative will bring Jewish and non-Jewish high school students together for a fellowship program designed to build trust, foster understanding, and fight antisemitism and racism.

AJC has taken action to combat antisemitism since its founding 115 years ago. It works with governments to act and forge alliances with other religions and ethnic groups to form a united front against hate. AJC has conceived and helped establish bipartisan taskforces in the House and Senate to combat antisemitism to address antisemitism and protect Jewish communities.

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Michael Oren says he has been "integrally linked to the Jewish Agency" for years. The former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former Knesset member is one of eight candidates to head the organization. He has a long history with the Jewish Agency for Israel, which he hopes will continue – with him at its helm.

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According to Oren, 66, the Jewish Agency used to be viewed "as a sinecure for politicians."

"That practice seriously impaired [its] image and effectiveness," he said. "It would be tragic if now, at this most critical time for the Jewish people, the position were again to be given to politicians who have limited familiarity with the Jewish world."

He acknowledged that former Jewish Agency heads Natan Sharansky and Isaac Herzog did manage to elevate the organization.

Oren had kind words for his competition, telling JNS that he has "high regard for the people running against him" and that this is a race "between very qualified people," which "says a lot about what happened to the agency over the last decade."

On Tuesday, Intelligence Services Minister Elazar Stern withdrew his candidacy for the chairmanship of the Jewish Agency. This now leaves a smaller field of just eight candidates and raises the chances of those who might have lost to Stern.

Aside from Oren, other candidates include former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and World Likud head Danny Danon, former member of Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahum, Bar-Ilan University law professor Yaffa Zilbershats, former head of IDF Central Command Uzi Dayan and Irina Nevzlin, the wife of former Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.

Oren made aliyah through the Jewish Agency, resided in an absorption center and served as a lone soldier. He also went to the Soviet Union with the Jewish Agency, and years later, he worked with the agency as an ambassador and then a member of Knesset.

He is a well-known figure in the Jewish world, a self-described "political centrist" and a "traditional Jew with strong ties to both liberal and Orthodox Judaism," who views himself as "uniquely acceptable to all streams."

Oren addressed the growing chasm between American and Israeli Jews, saying "we are at a crisis point. There is no other organization or institution that brings us back from that brink other than the Jewish Agency. The question is how."

'Young Israelis meeting young American Jews'

Oren went on to list a number of ways the Jewish Agency could lead the next generation of Jews. "The first thing we need to do is to recalibrate the way we reach out to young American Jews," he said. "They aren't in the synagogues or in Jewish organizations. We need to reach them where they are on social media with a Zionist message that they can understand because they are being bombarded by messages that say Israel is an apartheid state, that it is committing genocide. We need to address that."

"The chairman must lead the agency in reaching out to young Jews online with a message of inclusiveness, of both unity and respect for diversity, and a re-energized Israel education designed to preserve and strengthen Jewish identity, and Israel-Diaspora relations," he added.

Another avenue to reach young Jews, according to Oren, is to "increase the number of shlichim – the number of young Israelis who are meeting young American Jews."

Oren believes that the impact of Birthright "is as great if not greater on the Israelis who accompany the tourists as it is on the Americans who go on the tour."

"For many Israelis," he said, "this is the first encounter with Jewish peoplehood. They know Israeli national identity, but they don't know what they have in common with their cousin 'Josh' in Long Island. It's transformative. We need to increase that number."

Oren said he was the first Israeli ambassador to meet quietly with the haredi leadership of North America and noted that some want to be closer to Israel. "We have to reach out to them as well," he said.

Oren said his dream is to inaugurate a "Haredi Birthright."

"They have a growing population, and a large part of it seeks a different relationship with Israel," he said, emphasizing, of course, that "it will be different than the current Birthright. We're not going to take them to nightclubs in Tel Aviv. But we can show them Israel in a different way. Think about the music scene and how many great haredi musicians there are in this country."

"We are not going to change their way of life in any way," he said. "It would be geared specifically towards them. It is not just an opportunity; it is an obligation."

While the idea of a haredi birthright or even Zionism won't resonate with a significant portion of haredim, there are also non-haredi American Jews who are close to, if not already, beyond the pale.

"The Jewish world is in crisis," said Oren. "At a time of swiftly rising antisemitism, vast numbers of Jews, especially young people in the United States, have become alienated from Jewish identity, Jewish peoplehood and the Jewish state. The Jewish Agency has the unique ability and historic responsibility to defend the Jewish people and bring us back from the brink."

"There are processes underway in the United States that have nothing to do with us," said Oren. "We didn't invent critical race theory or 'woke'-ism and yet Israel is on the receiving end. It's been shocking to me."

He said he tried as much as possible to meet with 16- and 17-year-olds, graduates of Jewish schools during his time in the United States. "They are steeped in this, on the 'apartheid state.' It is shocking. They are surrounded by it, marinating in it."

Oren emphasized it is not too late for the agency to reach these youth and show them the true face of Israel.

"That is the goal of the Jewish Agency," he said. "The government cannot do it. The Jewish Agency needs to be as inclusive as possible; not divisive. That is not easy to do today with so much polarization."

With regard to the BDS movement on American campuses, Oren said he does not believe it is a lost cause, "but we are losing it."

He called on Israel – and the Jewish Agency, in particular – to reach out to Jews and pro-Israel activists on campuses.

"We have a responsibility to the pro-Israel activists on these campuses," he said. "We can't abandon them. We have to be there for them. It is a monumentally challenging period and will be for a long time to come. I don't see any change on the horizon."

'Sit around and talk'

Asked about the divide between the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Chassidic communities in America, Oren said he wants to expand the dialogue between these groups through a program he used to run as ambassador called "The Tishes." (A "tish" is a gathering, usually of Chassidic Jews, around the leading rabbi during which they engage in spiritual discourse).

As ambassador, Oren said he had instructed all nine consulates across North America to set up "tishes" around which would sit representative leaders of all the different streams of Judaism.

"The idea was to sit around and talk," he said. "By and large, they were overwhelmingly successful. Many of these rabbis had never met one another."

Now, said Oren, he wants to expand this project "manifold."

"It was only under the auspices of Israel that they would come around the table because Israel was neutral," he said. "I want to do it all over the world."

Oren said he is interested in expanding his "tish" idea and is particularly committed to his idea of a haredi birthright.

He said the Jewish Agency has played a significant role in "a great part" of his life. "I know the Jewish Agency very well," he said. "Frankly, I am indebted to it."

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Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is one of the candidates to head the Jewish Agency, the largest Jewish nonprofit organization in the world. If elected, she would become the first woman to head the agency.

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Established in 1929, the Jewish Agency predates the state itself and acted as a central player in its establishment and development. Today, it facilitates aliyah to Israel, in addition to the absorption of immigrants and funds programs in Israel and around the Jewish Diaspora. "Its history and impact are immeasurable on the state of Israel," Hassan-Nahoum told JNS.

Former chairman Isaac Herzog recently vacated the position when he became Israel's 11th president this summer, following the seven-year term of Reuven Rivlin.

For now, Yaakov Hagoel is serving as acting chairman of the Jewish Agency. Traditionally, the prime minister suggests a candidate, who must be approved by nine of 10 members on the selection committee (including Hagoel and other representatives of the World Zionist Organization, Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Federations of North America), and with unanimous confirmation from the board of governors. The chosen successor will serve a four-year term.

The committee is set to meet with all candidates, passing the name of an approved candidate to the board of governors by mid-October. It is not required to vote for the prime minister's choice, though it has only rejected such a selection – when the committee rejected then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's choice of Likud Party minister Yuval Steinitz in 2018.

JNS sat down with Hassan-Nahoum to speak about why she believes she is the best person for the job.

Q: What do you bring to the table that makes you the best fit for the job?

"First, I was a Diaspora Jew until 20 years ago, so I understand the mentality of the Diaspora and have complete empathy for and a unique understanding of their challenges.

Second, I'm an immigrant, and the Jewish Agency is still the organization bringing immigrants to the State of Israel, an ongoing enterprise and even our raison d'être. Jerusalem absorbs the largest number of immigrants on a yearly basis, many of whom I end up helping in one way or another. I understand new immigrants, their challenges and what could help them make their aliyah more successful. When working with Diaspora and aliyah, it also helps that I speak several languages – a package that can take the agency to the next level in its development.

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Last, as well as being a fundraiser for 12 years and a lawyer before then, I became a consultant to organizations wanting to be more successful in fundraising and engagement. This is exactly the skill set that the Jewish Agency is looking for – someone who can attract a new audience, who can bring in young engagement and help them do the work they do."

Q: In this next phase of the Jewish Agency's development that you refer to, what would you do differently or keep the same if awarded the position?

"One thing I'd keep the same is the organization's prioritization of Diaspora engagement with Israel, which the Jewish Agency shifted towards years ago in a very wise evolution. That focus was needed then and is still needed today.

"However, to take the agency to the next level, we need to understand how to engage the new generation effectively, young people who are mainly impacted digitally. We need to communicate with them to bring them in, to inspire and excite them.

"I would also engage the government for better absorption programs for olim; we are not thinking creatively enough about how to make the immigrant life better, helping them find good jobs, schools, etc. and we need to be much more engaged and sensitive to the absorption process."

Q: How do you view the gap between Israel and Diaspora Jewry? What do you believe can be done to bridge that gap?

"As a now-Israeli for 20 years, I understand the importance of the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. I don't buy into the whole "us vs. them" mentality; we are one people. Yes, we are one people living in different places, with different mentalities and challenges, but ultimately, we are one. And if we absorb this fact, then disagreements can be viewed as something between any normal family. We need to ensure that the Diaspora understands that we see them as one people with us and do our utmost to embrace all our communities, whether we agree with them or not.

"To bridge the gap, the Diaspora must understand Israel's richness, pluralism and diversity. In the current toxic intersectionality culture, many Diaspora Jews feel for the embodiment of white colonialism, and that is because there's a lack of understanding of our history and our diversity. To inspire the new generation with our incredible heritage and bridge that gap, we must communicate the best of all we have to offer in our incredible diversity of backgrounds, opinions and creativity in this county.

In my work, I speak to a lot of students, and the most important thing I want them to take away is pride in our incredible history and achievements. We are the only people who managed to solve our own refugee crisis after a genocide. We are a special people. To bridge the gap, I hope to imbue others with the same passion I have for our people, notwithstanding the issues we must fix."

Q: You have said previously that you understand the sensitivities of living as a Jewish minority, with its difficulties and dilemmas. What are the main issues facing worldwide Jewry today?

"Just as the Diaspora doesn't fully understand Israel, Israel doesn't understand the Diaspora, its community life and what it means to be a minority. Over the last few years, and especially in America and Europe, there has been a rise in antisemitism. Jews are being attacked in synagogues, on the streets for wearing a kippa, and it's been a shock for many.

"In July, I led an Israeli mission of solidarity to the Diaspora communities with Gesher to New York. We went to learn what the challenges were and how we could help. The fact we are seeing a resurgence of antisemitism in America – the land of the free and the melting pot of society – that is very disturbing, and we need to help these communities feel safer again.

"Another main challenge for the Jewish people is not the various streams of Judaism and how everyone prays, it's the unaffiliated who are our greatest challenge—the disconnected, the apathetic, the disengaged, young Jewish people totally disinterested in their heritage and Israel.

Q: How can you promote unity and cohesion, and why are you the right person to do that?

"With my skill set, passion, energy and creativity. I straddle many worlds that need to be brought together. I am a Sephardi, a Latin, an Anglo, a woman, a liberal, a feminist, and I speak a few languages.

"I understand the sensitivities of many groups, and I believe that everyone who wants to strengthen the Jewish people is welcome in the Jewish tent. Diversity is part of the beauty of the Jewish people, and I am proud that we have so many different types of people, languages and cultures; but at the same time, we share the same heritage."

Q: We have spoken several times together about the importance of women in political leadership positions. You have shared your belief that being a woman is a strength – that women have qualities and skills infused with emotional intelligence, empathy and the ability to dedicate themselves to a higher cause. How are these traits vital for the head of the Jewish Agency?

"The Jewish Agency is the largest Jewish agency in the world, representing all the Jews. Women are natural consensus-builders, and to be an empathizer, thinking about so many different people with so many needs, would be an asset to the role. Women are uniters by nature – we do it every day – and this could be applied to uniting the entire Jewish people.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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ORT America welcomes 14 participants to its new National Leadership CohORT Program, an exclusive 18-month leadership development, learning and mentoring opportunity for the organization's future leaders.

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"Having new faces join our ranks as we embark on our 100th year will energize our base and ensure the highest level of support for our students and educators in more than 30 countries around the world," said Howard Lanznar, chairman of the board of directors.

Upon completion of the program, participants will gain a deeper understanding and connection to ORT and the Jewish community with the tools needed to be strong advocates and supporters.

Emphasis will be placed on strengthening skills and understanding of the crucial role of American Jewish philanthropy to prepare and excite them about their future roles in their local communities, as well as nationally and internationally. "I feel a great sense of responsibility and commitment to ORT and look forward to taking an active role while continuing my family legacy," said participant Emily Korotkin of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "I'm also fortunate to have the chance to meet like-minded people from across the country and form new professional and personal relationships."

Participants will learn from field experts about philanthropy and nonprofit management, in addition to engaging with ORT board members and leaders from across the spectrum of American Jewish life. They will also be invited to travel on a mission to an international location to visit an ORT program and engage directly with students and educators.

"The new CohORT is our way of investing in the future of the organization and doing our part to build Jewish communal leadership more broadly," said Barbara Birch, president and CEO of ORT America. "We believe this program and these leaders are essential to our growth and success, and that they will make their mark on Jewish life in the years to come."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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Close to 150 young Israelis will volunteer in Jewish communities around the world as emissaries of the Jewish Agency over the coming ahead of the conscription to the Israel Defense Forces.

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The recently high-school graduates get a one-year deferment in their mandatory military service so that they could take part in this program, with the goal of educating people of all ages about Israel and its culture, as well as support the Diaspora during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 18-year-olds will be lending a helping hand in youth groups, schools, and community centers in the United States, Canada, Paraguay, Mexico, South Africa, England, France, Hungary, Italy, and for the first time also in Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, and even Monaco.

"These youngsters will bring the Israeli experience to hundreds of thousands of Jewish children and teens, and foster the connection between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry," Jewish Agency Director-General Amira Ahronoviz said.

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Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai has spoken with the heads of the international Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements and told them, speaking for Israel's new government, that he was committed to "Israel being open to all three streams, and recognizing them on an equal basis."

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When Shai took over at the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, he held a round of phone conversations with Rabbi Moshe Hauer, head of the Orthodox Union; Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, head of the Conservative Movement; and Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Shai stressed his personal commitment, as well as that of the new government's, to ensuring that Israel be open to all streams of Judaism and Jewish communities.

Shai also said he would do everything in his power to strengthen ties between the Diaspora Affair Ministry, the Israeli government, and all parts of the Diaspora.

The leaders of the various movement welcomed Shai to the role and expressed their desire for cooperation and dialogue.

"I expect to continue to strengthen ties with Jewish leadership and communities around the world, with the goal being to form a good, strong relationship between Diaspora Jewry and Israel," Shai said, adding, "the Jewish tent is a big one, and it can and should include all streams and communities of the Jewish people."

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While thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have marched across the globe, there has also been an unusual surge in pro-Israel rallies on four continents.

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The shows of support, which have been organized by various bodies in over 16 countries, have included rallies with Israeli flags and signs expressing the right of the Jewish state to defend itself. 

In Winnipeg, Canada, hundreds of Israel supporters stood up to a large crowd of Palestinian supporters at city hall, with a large police contingency serving as a buffer between the sides.

In the United States, numerous pro-Israel rallies were held in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Galina Blank, 50, attended the rally in Los Angeles to "show my unwavering support for Israel … she [Israel] is not alone. We are with her and will support her until the end."

Along the support in countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Georgia and Germany, pro-Israel rallies were also held in countries that are lesser-known for involvement in the conflict or support for Israel, such as Japan and South Africa, where the ruling party harbors clear anti-Israel sentiments. 

In several countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Panama, Slovenia and Germany, the Israeli flag waved on government buildings. 

Meanwhile, as the IDF was fighting on the ground to defend Israeli civilians, students were fighting out of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya to defend Israel's good name on social media sites.

The fighting in Gaza has sparked an ongoing wave of anti-Israel incitement across social media platforms. In response, a war-room of sorts has been established at the IDC, where some 180 volunteers gather to voice Israel's position. The teams of volunteers identify flashpoints of hate speech and false information and try to provide a counter-balance.

For example, the students have produced dozens of original content items containing images and videos in different languages in an effort to disseminate them wide and far. Others are tasked with flagging and reporting malicious and false information to the social media companies themselves. 

Prof. Uriel Reichman, the president and founder of the IDC, said: "Members of the Public Diplomacy Program and activists ACT.IL activists fight year-round against anti-Israel activity online. The volunteers in our war-room provide a direct and independent student voice that reverberates across the globe."

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I was sorry to hear of the passing of Sheldon Adelson, a Jew who loved his people and loved Israel. He was a huge American patriot, who saw anchoring the alliance between Israel and the US as a mission. While alive, his story about a kid who sold newspaper becoming a successful businessman fired up the imaginations of everyone around him. His determination and ability to spot opportunities, take risks, be daring, and carry out plans were his trademarks.

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Aside from his global businesses, in the last few decades Sheldon used his abilities to influence public life. It would be hard to count the many and varied philanthropic initiatives to which Sheldon contributed his wealth, most of which deepen the ties between the Jewish people to their land and legacy.

Sheldon fostered links between Diaspora Jewry and the state of Israel by giving to Yad Vashem, Taglit-Birthright, Garin Tzabar - Israeli Lone Soldier IDF Program, and medical and academic projects. The Innovation Center at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and the Adelson School of Medicine at Ariel University, where we met last Hanukkah, were an investment in Israeli research, medicine, and development. The importance of founding such an institution at this time cannot be overstated. Generations of doctors and other medical workers will thank him for the initiatives, and we will all benefit from the fruits of the investment and the belief that beat in Adelson when he was determined to launch an excellent new faculty of medicine that opened its doors to all Israelis and everyone who wants to learn.

In places where there were no men, Sheldon "strove to be a man," to invest his wealth and time, to be there, to help and offer support.

More than anything, Sheldon believed in the strategic alliance between Israel and the US, and saw deepening the ties between the two countries as the surest investment in the future of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.

I extend my condolences to Miriam, the love of his life, and his partner on the path of contributing to building up the nation and the land, as well as to the entire family.

May his memory be a blessing.

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