mission and values

Our Mission

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.

Our Values

Modern Engagement

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.

Mutual Responsibility (Arevut)

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.

Leadership and Activism

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.

Innovation

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

Aliyah and Jewish Peoplehood

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.

Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State

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.

Humanism and Liberalism

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.