Israeli President Herzog’s Vision of Voice of the People Unveiled With Global Jewish Leaders
President Herzog’s inaugural Voice of the People summit brought together 50 people from Israel, 50 from North America, and 50 from other regions to address rising antisemitism, strengthen Israel-Diaspora ties and promote internal diversity
Over five days at a hilltop hotel in Israel’s northern city of Haifa, 150 Jewish delegates attended President Isaac Herzog’s inaugural Voice of the People (VoP) summit. The conference kicked off a two-year collaborative effort to tackle critical challenges facing the community.
“We were selected to wrestle with and develop new solutions for a new Jewish future,” Shama Meshtali, founder of the Emma Lazarus Institute for Liberty and Tolerance, told The Media Line. “We represent an incredible wealth of Jewish diversity, and we’ve been dedicated to helping Israel and Am Yisrael live that mission of being a light unto nations.”
Notably, a custom-built algorithm selected panelists from over 1,500 applicants to ensure an eclectic range of perspectives. Shirel Dagan-Levy, CEO of VoP, explained that the program used over 100 data parameters—including gender, geography, Jewish affiliation, and profession—to assemble the group, with a focus on bringing diversity to the room “by all means.”
Good things for the Jewish people mean showing diversity. People must understand we’re not mainly white, European Jews. There are Jews worldwide, of all colors and cultures.
The diverse representation at the summit—ranging from secular to ultra-Orthodox and from European activists to Ethiopian Jews like Naftali Aklum—showcased a vibrant tapestry of Jewish life often overlooked. Aklum told The Media Line, “Good things for the Jewish people mean showing diversity. People must understand we’re not mainly white, European Jews. There are Jews worldwide, of all colors and cultures.”
Panels covered topics ranging from a surge in antisemitism to strained Israel-Diaspora relations as participants began charting a course for a more unified Jewish future. The atmosphere alternated between intense strategy sessions and lively camaraderie as participants huddled in workshop rooms by day and forged personal bonds by night. “I just saw them together dancing and hugging and crying together,” Dagan-Levy told The Media Line. “They did not know each other four days ago; it was the first time they met. It’s like magic what happened here.”
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President Herzog conceived the initial initiative in 2023, a time of intense internal debate in Israel amid mass protests over a proposed judicial overhaul and growing concerns about Jewish unity, including a broadening secular and ultra-Orthodox divide. In light of this, Herzog’s office spent months surveying Jewish communities to identify the top issues. Initially, participants and planners expected to focus on long-standing topics like education and religious identity. However, the trajectory of VoP changed dramatically after the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, and the war that followed.
Everything that was bubbling below the surface – the antisemitic ideology that many of us did not take so seriously – erupted after October 7. The difference between before and after October 7 in academia is huge. We realized the scope of the problem and how serious it is… we were essentially asleep for 20, 30 years while this ideology was being spread, and we woke up.
“Everything that was bubbling below the surface – the antisemitic ideology that many of us did not take so seriously – erupted after October 7,” observed Rona Kaufman, a US-based academic who researches antisemitism, in conversation with The Media Line. “The difference between before and after October 7 in academia is huge. We realized the scope of the problem and how serious it is… we were essentially asleep for 20, 30 years while this ideology was being spread, and we woke up.”
With antisemitism now one of the top concerns, much of the discussion in Haifa focused on how to combat the alarming rise in anti-Jewish hate that many have described seeing worldwide. In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, Jewish communities from North America to Europe and Australia have reported a sharp uptick in antisemitic incidents, ranging from harassment and vandalism to violent attacks. Many summit delegates shared personal accounts of communities on edge – schoolchildren afraid to wear Jewish symbols, synagogues increasing security, and college students facing hostility on campus.
“Right now every Jew and ally needs to be a better advocate, because we’re losing the battle for our people,” warned Yuval David, a prominent American-Israeli activist and filmmaker. “Losing the battle looks like the wars we’re seeing – nations and terrorist organizations attacking Israel and attacking Jews internationally. Losing the battle means Jewish safety on college campuses eroding, and Jews around the world feeling afraid to wear a Magen David (Jewish star) in public.”
Similarly, Khaled Hassan, a British foreign policy advisor and council member, pinpointed the dangerous transition from casual prejudice to systemic antisemitism: “Every society has antisemites,” he told The Media Line, “but it becomes problematic when it’s institutionally allowed—either through ignorance or deliberate silence after horrific events. This conference is crucial because we’re here to build bridges and tackle challenges head-on.”
So many Jews feel they aren’t Jewish enough, but there’s no one way to be Jewish. We must make people feel welcome exactly as they are, empowering them to participate confidently.
For Jewish advocate Amy Albertson, fighting antisemitism means encouraging unaffiliated Jews to assert their rightful place within communal spaces. “So many Jews feel they aren’t Jewish enough, but there’s no one way to be Jewish,” she stressed. “We must make people feel welcome exactly as they are, empowering them to participate confidently.”
As delegates prepared to depart Haifa, the emphasis turned to tangible initiatives to fulfill the summit’s ambitious goals. For many council members, moving swiftly from concept to concrete action is essential. This includes Diego Troqueira, Vice President at The Walt Disney Company, who told The Media Line, “At the end of two years, President Herzog said he wants to see something real.”
“There’s a lot of groups that talk but don’t always do,” he said around a determined grin. “I want us to move from idea to action, to fail fast if necessary, to break things and ultimately improve Jewish lives.”
