President Isaac Herzog hosted Fellows of the Wilf Leadership Summit of Masa Israel Journey, founded by the Jewish Agency and the government of Israel on Thursday.
The event was hosted at the President's Residence in Jerusalem and was attended by some 100 young Jewish adults aged 21-30 who were selected from over 11 different countries.
During the event, the group of Masa fellows had the opportunity to present Herzog with a variety of initiatives to promote global Jewish communities, strengthen ties with the State of Israel and combat antisemitism.
At the conclusion of the summit and the accompanying immersive Israel experience, the 100 fellows will be expected to take on key positions in their Jewish communities back home.
These countries include the US, Canada, Argentina, England, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium, Germany, Romania, South Africa and Turkey.
During the leadership program itself, the Masa Journey participants acquire practical tools from the world of adaptive leadership using a method developed by the Harvard Business School, which considers leadership a skill that can be performed anywhere and at any time.
Addressing the crowd of Masa fellows, Herzog called them "the future leaders of the Jewish people," and said: "I implore you to be more involved, more curious, in the great story of what it means to be Jewish. We are a small nation, 15 million people, in a sea of 8 billion people in the world. We have an incredible story to tell, a great history, and a bright future."
Concluding his speech, he added that "this is an experience that will accompany you for the rest of your life. I have met with people who had the same experience 20, 30, or 40 years ago and have since changed the world and transformed Israel as a leading country."
Also addressing the crowd was Masa Israel Journey CEO, Ofer Gutman.
"These 100 young leaders will become ambassadors of Israel in global Jewish communities. They were carefully selected based on their activity in Jewish communities regarding global social issues, their personal skills and abilities and their desire to lead change," he said.
"The summit is a unique experience, in addition to their participation in the various Masa Israel programs volunteering, internships and teaching and academics. We thank the president of the country for his activities to nurture the future generation of the Jewish world and for his consistent support for the activities of Masa Israel Journey."