Richard Pearlstone, Chairman of the Board of Governors,
My dear friend, Zeev Bielski, the efficient and friendly and energetic and powerful, Chairman of the Executive,
Mr. Hagai Meron, the Treasurer of the Jewish Agency,
Mr.  Mark Leibler, Chairman of the World Board of Trustees of Keren Hayesod,
Mr. Avi Pazner, World Chairman of Keren Hayesod,
Mr. Joseph Kanfer, Chairman of the Board of the United Jewish Communities,
Kathy Manning, Chair of the UJC Executive
Julie Koshitsky, Past Chair of Keren Hayesod Board of Trustees,
Agency Members,
Board of Governors,
Distinguished Guests,
Dear Friends,
 
I warmly welcome you here in Jerusalem, the city of faith and inspiration, the very heart of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years, since King David established his kingdom here and his son Solomon built the Temple here; the city to which so many generations of persecuted Jews, in every corner of the world, turned their hearts in prayer – Shaharit, Minha and Arvit – "and let our eyes behold thy return to Zion", the united capital of the sovereign State of Israel.

This distinguished session of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors takes place as we mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.  If only we look back at the long way we have come since the beginning of Zionism; if we remember that despite all the pitfalls, hostilities, wars and terrorism, the Jewish people's journey back to its homeland never stopped; if we imagine, in our minds, the situation of the Jewish people after the Holocaust and the situation the Jewish state was in when it was born, when regular Arab armies invaded it from every corner, if we look at everything we have created and built here in the land of Israel over the past sixty years – the Jewish population which has grown tenfold, the thriving township and villages, the prosperous economy, the vibrant society, the culture, science, medicine, hi-tech – if we remember all these, then we will believe in our ability to meet every challenge, overcome the shadows in the reality of our lives and march together with our brothers from overseas toward a great future for the State of Israel and the entire Jewish people.

Our journey to this point has not been easy.  Every time we proudly note the State of Israel's glorious achievements, we remember the heavy price, primarily the thousands of our soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the defense of the country, and their bereaved families, and those who are still held in the hands of our enemies. They are engraved in the heart of the nation, with unbounded honor and gratitude. I need not tell you that the dangers and threats to Israel's security have not passed, and in some sense, they are even graver than before. However, the Israeli Defense Forces is strong and we know how to defend ourselves. Peace is a supreme Jewish value and the heart's desire of the State of Israel, and we are willing to make painful compromises for the sake of peace, but we will never compromise on our security.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The timing of this session affords me the opportunity to share with you thoughts and plans which I have been contemplating for a while, to change the paradigm of relations between the State of Israel and the Diaspora. I believe that the time has come, and your gathering in Jerusalem at this time should be a milestone in the joint journey of the Zionist movement, Israel and the Jewish people.

The State of Israel is fundamentally a creation of the Jewish People and its central project. From the earliest days of the Zionist movement, Diaspora Jewry has played a critical role in nation-building by developing Israel's social capital, donating vast funds and lobbying on the world stage on behalf of Israel.

The State of Israel has benefited tremendously from the Diaspora's contribution. Israel has benefited from 3 and one half million olim, bringing the country's Jewish population to more than 6,000,000. On its 60th anniversary Israel boasts one of the strongest economies in the world (By the way, our GDP in 2007 stood at almost $170 billion dollars), and this is a dramatic change in spite of the reduction of the rate of the dollar and Israel remains an oasis of democracy amidst autocratic regimes. Yet at the same time a serious crisis is facing world Jewry. Precisely at a time when the State of Israel is flourishing, the Jewish People outside Israel meets unprecedented challenges:

- Low birth-rate and skyrocketing assimilation and intermarriage rates – approximately 50% of North American Jews intermarry, in France-40%, United Kingdom-40%, Russia-80%, Hungary-60% Argentina-45%, and in Brazil, 45%.
- Decreased rates of communal affiliation – only 24% of young North American Jews belong to Jewish organizations. 
- Increased distance from Israel – less than 25% of North American Jews under the age of 35 self-identify as Zionist.
- Decreased sense of belonging to the Jewish People – less than 50% of North American Jews under 35 have a "strong sense of belonging to the Jewish People", although I recognize that there are islands of Jewish renaissance and bursts of Jewish cultural creativity (literary, artistic and musical expressions) in the Diaspora in many Jewish centers across the world.

On the flip side, Israel is struggling both to impart compelling, meaningful Jewish content to its own youth and to embrace all those who wish to cast their lot with the Jewish People.  I am proud of all that Israeli governments – past and present – have done to address the critical question of conversion, but we have a long way to go yet.     

Current Jewish realities mark major shifts in the world Jewish community:  
- For the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple, Israel has once again become the largest concentration of Jews in the world and is fast on its way to becoming home to the absolute majority of all Jews worldwide under the age of 18;
- For the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple, the overwhelming majority of Jews worldwide live in physical and economic safety and security.  Although no one believes more than I do that Aliyah is the biggest and most meaningful way a Jew can contribute to Israeli society, we have to recognize that the era of mass Aliyah from countries of distress may have come to a close.  

With new realities, comes the need for a new paradigm!

The old paradigm of the Diaspora as benefactor and Israel as beneficiary may no longer continue. For the past sixty years, Israel has been the project of the Jewish People.  For the next sixty years, the Jewish People will need to be the joint project of Israel and Jewish communities around the world. Jews in Israel and around the world must be united not only in memorializing the past, but in preserving the future. Steps have already been taken in this direction. In recent times, the State of Israel has become increasingly involved in Diaspora Jewry. The Israeli government is a proud partner in several projects:
- Taglit and MASA, which have brought over 180,000 young Jews to Israel on ten-day trips and over 27,000 on semester to yearlong programs;
- The Cheftziba day school network in the former Soviet Union, sending Israeli teachers to educate over 10,000 young Jews and connect them to Israel and Judaism
-Morasha, the new initiative that brings thousands of young students engaged in Jewish study to visit Israel
-Chayil, a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education and the Jewish Agency which helps support 30 needy Day Schools primarily in Latin America and Europe
- Nativ, the basic Jewish identity course for immigrant soldiers, which has exposed 7,685 soldiers to Judaism since its inception in 2001;

These are just a few examples of the large investment the Israeli government is currently making in the future of the Jewish People. But, thus far, all these interventions have been episodic, not systematic. In this, the 60th year of Israel's founding, the time has come to significantly shift the paradigm of Diaspora–Israel relations and for the Government of Israel to assume much greater responsibility for the Jewish future worldwide. In practical terms, greater responsibility translates into greater investment. This new investment must be made in partnership and consultation with Jewish communities abroad. We can no longer speak of a big brother and a little brother, but of two brothers walking hand in hand, supporting each another where each needs it the most. This partnership manifests itself in two ways:
what we do – and how we do it.

This investment cannot be unilateral nor can it be merely a reaction to a particular group of philanthropists or a response to an emergency abroad. This investment must be consistent, ongoing, and in full partnership with Jewish communities abroad. Underlying this paradigm shift is an expectation that Jewish communities around the world will match the Israeli government's investment. 

- Imagine if every young Jew had the opportunity, either in high school or in college, to visit Israel followed by an extended stay within the framework of MASA later on;
- Imagine if young Israelis were sent to every Jewish school around the world to serve as goodwill ambassadors and informal educators;
- Imagine Jews around the world benefiting from the rich cultural offerings of Israeli "batei tarbut", just as the lovers of French culture around the world can frequent their local Alliance Francaise;
- Imagine new and exciting venues created to welcome Israelis living abroad into their local Jewish communities.

These are but a few ideas that might be realized if the State of Israel and Jewish communities around the globe work together to ensure the future of Israel's most important strategic asset – the Jewish People.    

Dear Members of the Board of Governors,
For the past 80 years, the Jewish Agency for Israel has served as the outstretched arm of the Jewish People in its central project – building the State of Israel and helping to save Jews from different parts of the world. The time has come now for the Jewish Agency to assume the additional responsibility of being the agent of the State of Israel for preserving the Jewish future. In order to fulfill this new and amplified mission, the Jewish Agency will need to re-evaluate its current structure, management and governance – a process, which I know is already underway.  Perhaps, the time has even come for this venerable institution to change its name – from the Jewish Agency for Israel to the Agency for Israel and the Jewish People.  

The process of implementing the new paradigm and ideas should get under way at a Coordinating Committee. As the ongoing forum for coordinating the joint activities of the Government of Israel and the Jewish People through the Jewish Agency, the Coordinating Committee will become the headquarters for this process.
At tomorrow's Coordinating Committee, concrete steps will be discussed designed to produce a set of carefully constructed interventions and a proposed budget by February 2009. We must also convene a series of hearings around the Jewish world to ensure that the global Jewish community is an active partner in this process. Leading Jewish institutions and organizations should be invited to take an active role in this process, along with the Jewish Agency.

Dear friends and partners,

This new vision for the Jewish Agency and the State of Israel must be directed primarily to the young generation of Jews.  Strengthening Jewish education in Jewish communities, teaching the Hebrew language, increasing awareness regarding Jewish legacy and culture, instilling Zionist values, strengthening the affinity of Jewish youth worldwide to the State of Israel, and inculcating a strong sense of Jewish identity and a sense of pride for belonging to an ancient nation, whose contribution to human civilization is immeasurable – these are our goals.  The Jewish people is not like every other nation.  It is unique and it has a destiny. Therefore, the State of Israel is not like any other state either. We strive to achieve peace and shape a model society, which is based on the justice and solidarity envisioned by Israel's prophets, and we have a mutual responsibility toward securing the future of the Jewish people and realizing the hopes of generations and the glory of Jerusalem.  In the words of the Prophet Isaiah:
[Translation:]
"…For, as the earth sends forth its growth and as a garden sprouts forth its seedlings, so will my Lord, Hashem, cause righteousness and praise to sprout in the presence of all nations; For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be still, until her righteousness emanates like a bright light, and her salvation blazes like a torch" (Isaiah, 61, 11).

For many years I had the privilege of addressing this group of very serious, distinguished and devoted Jewish leaders from almost every corner of the world and I always, always felt that I'm part of a big family that really cares for the people of Israel, for the State of Israel, for the security of Israel, for the well-being of all our people and I will forever be grateful to all of you.  I remember how many times I saw so many of you coming and going, investing your time, your fortunes, your means in order to take part in building the State of Israel and building Jewish life across the world  and helping to save Jews and I was always inspired by this participation, by this care and by this love. 

This is a source of enormous power for all of us and certainly and primarily for the State of Israel.  And we are not ashamed of it and I personally don't like to hide it.  I'm proud to talk about it.  And I don't care what sometimes people say, "listen, it may not sound quite well".   I said it sounds very well.  We Jews have learned from our history that only when we are together, all of us, everywhere, we are stronger and we can save ourselves and protect ourselves and ensure our future. 

What is also true that over the years, and through the developments that took place and particularly through the developments that took place here in the State of Israel and at the same time in the Jewish centers across the world, we have come to a point where we have to try and think of a somewhat different pattern of building up the daily relations between Israel and the Jewish communities, and to reexamine the structure of the old institutes that have been the focal point and the center for the interrelations between us and the Jews across the world.  And I think that we are mature enough and strong enough and confident enough to be able to do it - not by trying to shatter the basic foundations of relations, which have been a source of strength, but by improving it in order to be able to become more adequate and more relevant to the challenges of the future. 

Some of the statistics that I outlined here are very troubling.  We can't ignore it.  We can't bypass it.   You know it, I know it, and everyone who cares knows it.  We have to involve many more Israelis in the Jewish life across the world – much more than we have ever done before.  And I think that Zeev Bielski is doing the right thing in offering you the participation of many more prominent Israelis - successful, capable Israelis who care enough for Jewish life to be part of the Board of Governors in order to participate not just in what happens here, but in what happens in the Jewish world, and in the connection between us and you, in every corner of the world.  We have to reexamine the structure, we have to reexamine again and again how we will build up the relations that were established for so many years and need natural renovation.  We don't have to be afraid of it.  We don't have to even fear that there may be someone may have felt that this is an improper criticism.  It is not.  It is a genuine desire to make sure that what we have been doing for the last 60 years together should be reinvigorated and re-strengthened, so that what we will do in the next 60 years will be as successful and as powerful and as significant as what we have done in the last 60 years. 

Therefore I call on all of you to think about it and to work with us.  And I promise you that we will avail ourselves to you in every possible manner, so that we can work together and build together and make sure that the Jewish future here and everywhere is as great as our past.  This is our challenge, this is our destiny, and I am certain and I am confident that this is within our reach because as Herzl said, if only we want it , it will happen. 

Thank you very much.