Shalom Magazine

 By Shirley Nigri Farber
We do not know who the Jewish leaders of tomorrow will be. Neither is there an explicit formula, or specific training for those that will take our communities into the future. Judaism has many facets, communities are pluralistic, and our relation to Israel takes into account all of the dimensions of our societies. Future Jewish leaders need to be able to deal with diversity and adversity, inside and outside the Jewish people.

 Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making an effort to guarantee that at least the next generation of leaders is deeply committed to advocate for Israel and maintain the strong connection between our land and the Diaspora. In this vein, the MFA is currently organizing seminars for young Jewish leaders all over the world.

In 2001, while living in Brazil, I was invited to attend yet another conference in Israel, but this time, not for a few days of meetings, as had been the case in the previous years. This time, the Young Leadership Diplomatic Seminar was taking me for a three-week, intensive learning experience in Jerusalem, along with about 40 other young adults. Before traveling, the consul asked me to sign a letter stating that I did not plan to make Aliyah (not a requirement anymore). Since I had attended conferences organized by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption or the Jewish Agency, so that letter was a surprise.

After that, I got married, moved to the U.S., and lost contact with the people that I met at the seminar. It was only in 2010 that I heard back from the MFA: They realized that it was important to keep in touch with alumni, and they wanted to gather them together. The idea was to create a network of people committed to Israel, and to keep them up to date with current events and efforts to promote Israel. Ten years ago, this was called Hasbara. Now, they call it "Rebranding Israel."

In September of 2010, I attended the first Regional YJLDS in Chicago, where I had a chance to meet people who were as passionate for Israel as I am, people who possess both the required knowledge, and the desire to be engaged in advocacy. Some of them work for Jewish organizations, some volunteer, and some promote Israel in their spare time.

This past October, I attended the YJLDS in Miami, with 40 other people from various parts of the U.S. and also from Latin American countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, and Brazil. The seminar included lectures on Israel and the Jewish world from professional and very knowledgeable diplomats such as Matthew Levin of AIPAC; Jacob Solomon, CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation; Jerry Ostrov, CEO of the Strategic Communications Center; State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff (FL-R); and Dr. Haim Koren. Recent seminars were organized in various countries by Ami Mehl, director of the Jewish Communities Department of the MFA - a very charismatic leader who contacted each of the seminar’s alumni from around the world, and stayed in touch with them between reunions.

Alumni of the seminars, according to what I saw and heard, tend to agree that programs like this are the best way to secure the future of Jewish communities as they help to develop a leader’s knowledge as well as a worldwide perspective of our people.

"The MFA encourages discussion, disagreement and true depth of knowledge. It is a great way for Jews around the world to directly engage with Israeli foreign policy which includes support, a sense of community and even respectful argument on important issues that affect us all." says attorney Daniel Pomerantz of Chicago. "The MFA seminar community became a resource for me: I reached out to people whom I had never even met, and when I asked them specific questions, I got a quick n knowledgeable response," said Masha Merkulova, from the San Francisco Bay area. David Feinman, Senior Legislative Associate of the Jewish Federations of North America in Washington, agreed: "Beyond the knowledge gained from the long list of great speakers, the connections made are invaluable," he said.

Tali Trachtenberg of Guatemala says: "The most important lesson I took was that in fact, we are not the future leaders, we are the current leaders, and as Young Professionals we all have much to contribute."

I must admit that once someone attends the seminar, he/she returns with the requisite energy and knowledge to go out and speak about Israel, write letters to newspapers and articles, and participate in other forms of advocacy. But as the weeks go by, you get back to your work and life.

Many of the participants maintain a large network of communications on the Internet, with their blogs, websites and Facebook friends. Some were even updating their Facebook and Twitter feeds during to the lectures on subjects they had just learned. With all due respect to the present leaders, it is our young people who are best equipped, as they already possess both the voluminous energy and the high-tech skills to successfully function as a Jewish leader in the ever-changing world.