Photo credit: Avi Ohayon / GPO
President Isaac Herzog announced the launch of a Crucial global survey to shape dialogue and leadership development within the Jewish world — the first step in its Voice of the People initiative. The survey will help establish a new global Jewish advisory council to address the most pressing challenges facing Jewish communities in Israel and the Diaspora.
President Isaac Herzog said: “We are currently engaged in protecting the State of Israel and building the strength of the Jewish people in the midst of a challenging war and rising anti-Semitism. At the same time, we face critical issues that demand our attention. In response, we are establishing the Voice of the People Council, which will ensure that the Jewish people can thrive in a changing world. The survey we are launching today will shape the Council and, with it, the discussions that affect the future of the Jewish people. I encourage everyone to get involved and help build our shared future.”
Voice of the People (Kol Ha’am, in Hebrew) was created to become an incubator for innovative and practical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the Jewish people worldwide, while also nurturing international Jewish leaders. Led by CEO Shirel Dagan-Levy, the initiative will set goals and objectives to implement the ideas developed in working groups to create real change in shaping the Jewish future.
The initiative calls for the creation of an international Jewish council composed of 150 world leaders – 50 representatives from Israel, 50 from the United States and Canada, and 50 from other countries. This council will meet online once a month for two years, culminating in a conference in Israel in March 2025, which all representatives will attend in person.
The first step to launch the project is to distribute a survey to the global Jewish community to select the topics for discussion at the first Council meeting. This survey will be open for 45 days, after which the results will determine the Council’s priorities and strategic actions. Twenty survey respondents will be selected to participate in a private conversation with the President during the virtual launch event on September 15, 2024.
So I took the survey and left the following answers:
Please describe the most pressing challenges facing the Jewish people today. Consider issues related to identity, customs, community, Israel, or global challenges.
Lack of empathy for fellow Jews
Please select the 5 biggest challenges from the 10 listed below:
- Our collective memory
- Jewish culture and heritage
- Economic discrimination against Jews and Israelis
- Jewish identity and practice
- A journey together: Israel and the relations of Judaism worldwide
How do recent events impact your sense of Jewish identity and community?
I have come to terms with the fact that Jews inside and outside Israel are surrounded by anti-Semitic non-Jews who want us all dead.
“Voice of the People” is a joint project of the President’s Office, the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, which work with philanthropic foundations such as the Azrieli Foundation, the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation and the Wilf Family Foundation.
