June 8, 2009 / 16 Sivan 5769

The Jewish Agency is recruiting young leadership from around the world to participate in the October Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem and to become involved in Jewish Agency governance and decision making in the future, Board of Governors Chairman Richie Pearlstone announced.

“The goal of the Global Forum for Emerging Leaders is to develop and train a core group of emerging leaders for Jewish Agency and our partners,” Pearlstone said in a letter to Federation Chief Executives. The move represents “the creation of an official platform through which emerging leaders can help shape the future of the organization, and an opportunity to work in collaboration with peers from around the world to design and develop meaningful programs for JAFI.”

The Forum will include educational sessions with Jewish Agency department directors, Board members and leadership; it will also include a strategic planning workshop where participants will develop a group work plan for their involvement in the organization. Group members will hold special advisory sessions throughout the year with Pearlstone where they will have input into organizational policy and direction.

Pearlstone’s letter reaches out to Federation Executives, Jewish Agency Board members and several other organizations to make recommendation on young leaders in their communities who may be interested to becoming part of the Forum, which also seeks to include young leaders from Europe, South Africa, Australia and Israel to be as reflective as possible of world Jewry today. The group is an outgrowth of the Jewish Agency’s next generation group, which was formed in June 2007 with 47 young leaders from Federations in North America and Europe and young leaders from Israel.

“If we want the Jewish Agency to be in the hearts and minds of Jews in twenty years from now, we have to start passing the torch,” said Iris Feinberg, Chair of Next Gen group. “Emerging leaders from our partnership communities around the world add a unique and important energy and perspective which is essential to the future of the Jewish Agency and the organized Jewish world.”

At the Jewish Agency Assembly meeting in November, the Next-Gen group brought together the young leadership of Keren Hayesod, UJC, and Kol Dor organizing a plenary session with veteran JAFI Assembly members where they discussed the role which Israel and global Jewish community play among younger Jews, and how to effectively bridge generational gaps within organizations.

For Israel’s 60th anniversary, the group launched a virtual birthday card (www.happybirthdayisrael.org ) aimed at attracting young Jews from all over the world to send Israel a birthday wish, as a sign of solidarity as the Israel marks this milestone year.

Criteria for eligibility include:

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• Proven leadership skills and working knowledge of the local, national, and international organized Jewish community
• Donations in 2009 to participants' local annual campaign (US participants to Federation; Israelis to the Jewish Agency or to its Israel Campaign, the Spirit of Israel; Outside US and Israel to Keren Hayesod)
• Commitment to taking on active leadership roles within the Forum group and participation in implementing the group work plan throughout the year
• Attendance of the annual forum in Israel at their own expense in October 2009 (including covering flight, hotel, and $200 registration fee which covers all meals).

For more information or to register for the Emerging Leaders Forum by August 15, 2009, please contact Michelle Kohn at 513-766-3109 or michellek@jafi.org; for press queries, contact Jacob Dallal, Director of Public Relations, at 212-339-6064 or jacobd@jafi.org . .