President Isaac Herzog, former United States Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Vice Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) are all set to address the Jewish Federations of North America's annual General Assembly event on Sunday.
The annual event brings members of the Jewish community and leaders of Jewish communal institutions together each year to address their biggest challenges. This year's event, themed "What's Next?", looks to tackle tough questions facing the Jewish community after a difficult year that saw rockets raining down on Israel, the ongoing struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic and a spike in domestic extremism.
"With all the challenges facing Jews around the world—from rising antisemitism to the delegitimization of Israel—reinforcing the ties between the Jewish Communities of North America and Israel has never been more important," said Mark Wilf, Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Jewish Federations.
The Jewish Federations are the backbone of Jewish communal life in North America, representing 300 communities and raising over $2 billion annually that help fund key Jewish institutions, such as day schools, summer camps, JCCs, Hillels, Israel trips, synagogues, youth groups and family services. It also supports and partners with important organizations such as the Jewish Agency, Joint Distribution Committee and World ORT.
Leaders at the General Assembly are expected to hone in on LiveSecure, the Federations' new initiative to ensure Jewish communities across North America have access to security resources in the face of rising antisemitism.
"Even as we invest millions in fighting the hate that reaches our children over social media and even as we rally to help the marginalized across the globe, let us remember that our first and our best investment is in our communal infrastructure that we have spent decades building and then constantly adapting and readapting, to the demands of the moment," said Jewish Federations President and CEO Eric Fingerhut.
The General Assembly follows an event the Jewish Federations hosted Monday for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in New York for his first, in-person public address to the Jewish community.