More than 50 rabbis, cantors and pastors and nearly 30 rabbinical students spent four days together meeting, learning and discussing at Jewish National Fund-USA’s annual Global Conference for Israel’s Rabbinic Summit. In addition to enjoying the conference’s full offerings of plenaries and panels covering topics ranging from resilience to security and civil defense to international law, the summit enjoyed several exclusive learning opportunities.
The summit was led by Jewish National Fund-USA’s Rabbis for Israel National Advisory Council, headed up by Rabbi Erez Sherman of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles.
The summit opened with a “l’chaim” toast in the Vintage Vibes, Modern Vision wine-tasting event featuring wines of Israel’s Galilee. As a conference all about Israel, bringing Zionists together from around the world, the clergy naturally benefitted from sessions such as “Tough questions and tough answers: An interactive discussion about how the climate surrounding Israel is splintering communities, campuses and families.”
The conference’s keynote speech was delivered by Rabbi David Wolpe who spoke on the future of American Jewry, a critical topic for both rabbis and rabbinical students alike. The students had the unique opportunity to meet directly with Col. Richard Kemp of the British Army for lunch and learn about the geopolitics of the Middle East.
For Rabbi Robert Tobin of B’nai Shalom in West Orange, N.J., the summit was an invaluable chance to gather and learn, he shared. “Our private conversations as clergy across denominations with Jewish thought leaders and leading Zionists provided context and inspiration for my Israel efforts back home,” said Tobin. “Jewish National Fund-USA’s incentives for rabbis to lead congregational volunteer missions (and the complete support to organize them for us) is an unparalleled benefit for being a Rabbis for Israel member. I returned home with concrete resources and was inspired by my colleagues’ commitment to our voices as rabbis.”
Rabbinical student Rebecca Van Wagner from the Academy of Jewish Religion shared her perspective, saying, “At a time when discourse around Israel is stifled, and to be a Zionist is outside the pale in certain spaces, it was a joy to engage with other Zionists at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference for Israel. I was moved hearing first-hand from their partners in the Western Galilee about the impact of the war on their communities, from Rabbi David Wolpe and professor Shai Davidai in an intimate conversation about campus antisemitism, and other sessions, all with the space to unpack the information with other rabbinical students. What a powerful conference and a resurgence of the pride of being a Zionist!”
Rabbis and lay-people alike enjoyed the opportunity to connect with each other and with international leaders, and conference-goers are already looking forward to Jewish National Fund-USA’s 2025 Global Conference for Israel, which will take place on Oct. 23-26, 2025, in Hollywood, Fla. Early-bird registration closes Feb. 28, 2025.
For more information, visit jnf.org/global.
