More than 120 major Jewish leaders, decision makers and prominent academics from around the Jewish world attend Tuesday the two-day “Conference on the Future of the Jewish People" in Jerusalem.
The goal of the conference, in which both Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will participate, is to hold in-depth discussions on the strategic issues affecting the future of the Jewish People and the State of Israel.
The conference is organized by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), a body established by the Jewish Agency for Israel, in partnership with the NADAV Foundation.
According to JPPI President Avinoam Bar-Yosef, the conference will, for the first time, raise the issue of managing the budgets and resources within the Jewish world in light of the ongoing global economic crisis and the changing trends in Jewish philanthropy.
“For the first time, we can see that the Israeli government is taking Diaspora Jewry seriously, viewing it as a strategic asset to Israel, and that it is willing to invest in its future to maintain its power and influence,” he said.
He added: “We will hold a special session at the conference with senior government officials and leaders of Jewish organizations to identify joint projects that can strengthen future generations. Separately, conference participants will look at the entirety of the resources available within the Jewish world and will consider more efficient ways to utilize them to meet future strategic needs of the Jewish people.”
The plenaries will include a conversation with President Peres hosted by Ambassador Dennis Ross, a lecture by Jewish-French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy, and encounters with leaders of Israeli political parties and with the US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky.
The Jerusalem-based JPPI was established as an independent think-tank that aims to help ensure a thriving future for the Jewish people by providing analytical and strategic planning tools on issues of paramount importance to the Jewish world.