Kol Israel serves to advance the dreams and expectations of Global Jewry in its relationship with Israel.
The State of Israel is the beating heart of the Jewish People, its existence realized through the efforts of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) founded by Theodor Herzl.
Today, the WZO serves to connect global Jewry to Israel through its World Zionist Congress (WZC), which empowers Jews from around the world to take an active role in shaping our collective destiny in Israel and around the world. Kol Israel serves as the unifying voice of Global Jewry in the WZO and at the Congress.
Kol Israel is an a-partisan, non-denominational faction bringing together Jews from all backgrounds and political ideologies: right wing and left wing, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Secular, Sephardic and Ashkenazic, to educate and engage our next generation of leaders and activists who carry the mantle of Jewish continuity forward. We believe Zionism should come with no hyphens or predispositions and wish to serve as a home to all Jews who wish to work for a better Israel and Jewish peoplehood without any political or religious framework.
Kol Israel believes that the Zionist Congress should be a global ingathering of Jewish multiculturalism representing the diverse make-up of Jewish life and culture, where delegates put aside their differences and come together around the Zionist ideal of ensuring global Jewish continuity with Israel at its center. Israel’s remarkable story and wondrous achievements should be a source of unifying pride for the Jewish People, igniting joint enthusiasm and active participation in the greatest Jewish project in modern times.
Therefore, Kol Israel believes in the primacy of Israel education among global Jewish youth and that the State of Israel needs the involvement of Global Jewry in public squares, institutions, and parliaments worldwide while also seeking to promote immigration to Israel from global communities worldwide.
Kol Israel views the WZO’s departments of Diaspora Affairs, Education, Pioneering Youth and Future Generations and Aliyah advancement and its delegates involvement in the Zionist Congress as vital platforms and tools towards achieving our shared objectives.
Kol Israel also seeks to bring Zionism to the 21st century by engaging diaspora Jewry with Israel in innovative ways using the latest technologies and new ideas.
Informal education of the next generation is a method that yields positive results in the context of maintaining a Jewish and Zionist Identity. We advance the transmission of knowledge and open dialogue, through Zionist engagement with Israel at its center, using innovative and inspiring methods. Through our partners, we encourage the creation of an educational process intended to develop the person’s personality, creativity, and diverse abilities, tailor-made to create the next generation of Zionist leaders. We encourage open and transparent dialogue among professionals, thought leaders, and practitioners, seeking to create an environment that welcomes diverse opinions among our youth today. This discourse should take place while standing against hatred, antisemitism, and fake news, which pose a threat to the Zionist enterprise.
We actively pursue the sages’ teaching of: “all of Israel are responsible for one another”. This includes strengthening the relationship between the State of Israel and global Jewry through support and creation of platforms that provide an important opportunity for Jewish youth to make a positive contribution towards the building of Israel and partnership with youth movements that champion pioneering and Aliyah.
We inspire individuals, communities, and by extension global Jewry, to forge their link to the chain of Zionist continuity within the Zionist movement. This includes active outreach to policymakers and thought leaders, and facilitation of the cooperation among like-minded individuals and organizations against the rise in antisemitism and on behalf of Israel, with a focus on campuses and other next-generation focused platforms. We embrace all organizations and groups within all countries who accept and support the principles of General Zionism and call upon them to join us in working to improve Israel and the lives of Jews.
We believe that the Zionist Movement and its institutions have been suffering from deep stagnation and politicization that have prevented them from optimally fulfilling the needs of Jews in Israel and the diaspora. Therefore, we seek to instill innovative and modern thought processes and actions in the work of the National Institutions, focusing on harnessing Israel’s hi-tech industry to manifest and implement Zionist ideas
We view assimilation, especially among the younger generations, as a danger to the continuation of the Jewish people. Therefore, we hold the view that Aliyah and Jewish peoplehood are the optimum expressions of Zionism. We accord full support to our chalutz Youth Movements - Hanoar Hatzioni, FZY, and Young Judaea - and other youth groups which demonstrate loyalty to the principles of General Zionism. Simultaneously, we offer support and a home for programs that promote Jewish peoplehood, with an emphasis on building communities around the world.
We believe in promoting the values of a Jewish and democratic state, as they appear in Israel's declaration of independence. Maintaining and promoting these values are key to Israel remaining a relevant and attractive homeland to Jews from around the world.
We aspire to strengthen respect for basic freedoms, democratic principles, and ideational pluralism. To do so we engage based on mutual help, tolerance, personal example, and respect for fellow men.
We have an active youth movement, Hechalutz Hamerchav, that is active in 15 cities reaching around 1,500 people. The Machane in January hosts 300-400 children. Hechalitz runs seminars all year round and activities every Shabbat, and runs the youth department in the JCC in all communities.
We have a counselor who does programs about Zionism for families. StandWithUs teachers in seven Jewish high schools, runs seminars and workshops for youth, gives lectures in synagogues, and has fellow on university campuses.
Our affiliate in Canada is under development Via StandWithUs we have 14 high school interns, 23 fellows on university campuses
Activities are done for Yom Hashoa, Hazikaron, Haatzmaut, and Chanukah. A series of zoom lectures has begun featuring Confederation representatives. There is programming for madrichim of Habonim and Bnei Akiva. We are exploring expanding to universities and broadening the programming.
Federation of Zionist Youth runs bi-monthly meetings for 11 to 15 year olds as well as summer camps for this age group. Hundreds of 16 year olds go on “Israel Tour” for 3 ½ weeks. Then there is “Year Course” for high school graduates – 9 months in Israel with Young Judea. There are also subsidies for March of the Living for the participants. 17-18 year olds have a 2 year leadership program that includes seminars, shabbatons, and participating in leadership votes and positions in FZY. They also have summer trips which they lead as well as the Diller Teens program. There are monthly programs on campuses – educational sessions on Israel with a different topic each time. There are also seminars for program alumni including leadership training.
Via Dorshei Torah V’tziyon there are 140 rabbis in the field including Hillel educators or executive directors in Temple, Harvard, Cornell, GW, Penn, UCLA, Brandeis, and Ontario. There is also the Meorot program for university leadership.
Via StandWithUs we bring Israel education to 5,000 students in 220 middle schools, 50,000 students in 355 high schools schools including 125 students in an internship program and 165 in teen leadership council, and we engage 62,000 university students with 150 Emerson fellows on 250 campuses.
We run 25 Israel education events per year aside from celebrating the Israeli holidays. We run an annual trip to Israel for ten top students. We are exploring expanding our activities to five universities.
We have hundreds of active members and do one major Zionist event per year in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf. We are exploring conferences and events in collaboration with StandWithUs and neighboring countries.
We join with others to run events for holidays. We are exploring becoming active in the areas of Hebrew, Jewish studies, and history classes. We are also running a series of events via zoom to educate about Israel and Zionism.
Secretary-General
Founding Director General of the Arizona Israel Trade
and Investment Office
former chairperson of the World Confederation of United Zionists
Interim Secretary-General of the World Confederation of United Zionists
Concepcion de Uruguay, Argentina,
Director of FSU outreach
Marketing and project coordinator and the personal assistant to the Chairman
Director of European outreach
Secretary-General of the Hejalutz Lamerjav youth movement
Member of Kol Israel’s leadership team
Head of Education at Hanoar Hatzioni Olami
educated in the Jewish education system
