The Jewish Agency for Israel (Hebrew: הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, romanized: HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine,[5] is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).[6]
To ensure that every Jewish person feels an unbreakable bond to one another and to Israel no matter where they are in the world, so that they can continue to play their critical role in the ongoing Jewish story, by: 1. Connecting young Jews to Israel and their Jewish identity 2. Connecting young Israelis to the Jewish people and their Jewish identity 3. Aliyah and absorption 4. Supporting vulnerable populations in Israel.[1]
As an organization, it encourages immigration of Jews in diaspora to the Land of Israel, and oversees their integration with the State of Israel.[7] Since 1948, the Jewish Agency claims to have brought 3 million immigrants to Israel,[8] where it offers them transitional housing in "absorption centers" throughout the country.[9]David Ben-Gurion served as its chairman of the executive committee from 1935, and in this capacity on 14 May 1948, he proclaimed Israel's independence,[10] following which he served as the first Israeli prime minister. In the years preceding the founding of Israel, the Jewish Agency oversaw the establishment of about 1,000 towns and villages in the British Mandate of Palestine. The organization serves as the main link between Israel and Jewish communities around the world.[11][12]
By law, the Jewish Agency is a parastatal organization, but does not receive core funding from the Israeli government.[13] The Jewish Agency is funded by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Keren Hayesod, major Jewish communities and federations, and foundations and donors from Israel and around the world.[14][15] In 2008, the Jewish Agency won the Israel Prize for its historical contribution to Israel and to the Jewish community worldwide.[16]
Established as the Palestine Office (of the Zionist Organization) in 1908, the organization became the Zionist Commission, later Palestine Zionist Executive, which was designated in 1929 as the "Jewish agency" provided for in the League of Nations' Palestine Mandate[17] and was thus again renamed as The Jewish Agency for Palestine. After the establishment of the State it received its current name, The Jewish Agency for Israel.
1908–1928: Beginnings as an arm of the World Zionist Organization [edit]
The Jewish Agency began as the Palestine Office (Hebrew: המשרד הארץ-ישראלי, HaMisrad HaEretz Yisraeli; lit.'Office for the Land of Israel'), founded in Jaffa in 1908, as the operational branch of the Zionist Organization (ZO) in Ottoman-controlled Palestine under the leadership of Arthur Ruppin.[18] The main tasks of the Palestine Office were to represent the Jews of Palestine in dealings with the Turkish sultan and other foreign dignitaries, to aid Jewish immigration, and to buy land for Jews to settle in.
– 1923–31
Frederick Hermann Kisch
– 1931–33
Haim Arlosoroff
– 1933–35
Arthur Ruppin
– 1935–48
David Ben-Gurion
– 1948–56
Isaac Herzog, former Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency Executive is charged with administering the operations of the Jewish Agency, subject to the control of the board of governors.[87] It has 26 members, of which 24 are chosen by the board of governors. The executive is composed in the following manner: 12 members designated by WZO and 12 members designated jointly by JFNA/UIA and Keren Hayesod. In addition, the World chairperson of Keren Hayesod and the chairperson of the JFNA Executive are ex-officio members in the executive. Doron Almog is the current chair.[88]Yaakov Hagoel was serving as acting chairman since Isaac Herzog vacated the position upon becoming Israel's 11th president.[89]
The board of governors, which meets not less than three times a year, is the central policy-making body of the Jewish Agency. The 120 governors play a crucial role in the governance of the agency in overseeing budgets and operations and in recommending policy to the agency. Members of the board are elected to serve for a two-year term in the following manner: 60 of the members (50 percent) are designated by WZO; 36 of the members (30 percent) are designated by JFNA/UIA; 24 members (20 percent) are designated by Keren Hayesod. The board of governors determines policy of the Jewish Agency for Israel and manages, supervises, controls, and directs its operations and activities. The current chairperson of the board of governors, as of July 2014, is Mr. Charles (Chuck) Horowitz Ratner.[87][97]
The Assembly, which meets at least once every two years, is the supreme governing body of the Jewish Agency. It has 518 delegates who are elected in the following manner: 259 of the members (50 percent) are designated by the WZO; 155 of the members (30 percent) are designated by the Jewish Federations of North America/United Israel Appeal (JFNA/UIA); and 104 of the members (20 percent) are designated by Keren Hayesod. The Assembly is responsible for determining basic policies and goals of the Jewish Agency; receiving and reviewing reports from the board of governors; making recommendations on major issues; and adopting resolutions on the above.[87]
The director general is responsible, under the direction of the chairperson of the executive, for the implementation of policies established by the assembly, the board of governors and the executive. In addition, he/she is responsible for all operations and administration of the Jewish Agency, including implementation of long-term strategic goals. The current director general is Amira Ahronoviz, the first woman to hold the position.[98]
The Jewish Agency is funded by the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, major Jewish communities and federations, and foundations and donors from Israel and around the world.[99]
Due to the volatile U.S. dollar, the global economic crisis and the Madoff scandal, the Jewish Agency for Israel was forced to make significant cuts to its budget. The board of governors voted to cut $45 million in November 2008 and an additional $26 million at the February 2009 meeting.[100]
The organization's total operating budget in 2013 was US$355,833,000, and its projected operating budget for 2014 was US$369,206,000.[99] Its operating budget for 2019 is US$379,807,000.[15]
provides ten-day educational trips to Israel, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights for Jews ages 18 to 26 from around the world, completely free of charge.[104][105] The Jewish Agency is the largest organizational partner in the initiative and is directly involved in bringing thousands of participants on Taglit-Birthright each year, with a special focus on facilitating Taglit-Birthright experiences for participants from the United States and from the former Soviet Union (FSU).[106][82][107]
Taglit-Birthright Israel
is a public-service organization founded in 2004 by the Government of Israel's Office of the Prime Minister, together with the Jewish Agency.[108] It includes programs in Israel for Jews aged 18–30, including study programs, service programs, and career development. Programs last from 2–12 months.[109] In 2018 it provided scholarships to nearly 9,800 participants.[15] Masa also performs outreach and operates alumni activities.[110]
Masa Israel Journey
Israel Tech Challenge is a partnership of the Jewish Agency with the and other partners and donors. It offers trips to Israel of varying lengths for students and young professionals (aged 18–30) with knowledge in the field of computer science and programming. The programs offer visits with Israeli hi-tech professionals and academics, along with experience or training in coding, cyber security and/or data science.[111][112]
National Cyber Bureau
trains Jewish counselors from Zionist youth movements around the world in Israel, to give them tools for running educational Zionist programs in their home communities when they return. It was founded in 1946 by the World Zionist Organization. As of 2018, it had 17,000 alumni from around the world. Today the Machon trains several hundred young leaders each year.[15]
Machon Le Madrichim
allows Jewish teenagers from the diaspora to study in Israel and earn a high school diploma. Students start the program in ninth or tenth grade and graduate after the twelfth grade with a full Israeli matriculation certificate (bagrut). During the first year, students follow an intensive Hebrew-language program so that they become able to speak, read and write in Hebrew. The program is fully subsidized by the Israeli government. The Na'ale scholarship includes: fully subsidized tuition, free ticket to Israel, room and board, health insurance, trips, and extra curricular activities. Na'ale offers a variety of schools all over Israel from which candidates may choose, including secular, national religious, ultra-orthodox, kibbutz, and urban boarding schools.[113] The Jewish Agency is involved in recruitment in the former Soviet Union.[15]
Na'ale
"Students before Parents" ("סטודנטים לפני הורים", abbreviated as סל"ה, SELA, Selah), a program for young immigrants from the countries of the aimed at the preparation to the education in Israel, bringing young Jews to Israel in hopes that their families follow them.[114] The program includes learning Hebrew, English, mathematics, and Jewish history and tradition.
former Soviet Union
Youth Futures, the mentorship program for middle-school students, is active in 36 locations around Israel. Some localities served by Youth Futures are Jewish, while others are mixed and, in recent years, the Jewish Agency has begun to serve children and families living in completely non-Jewish locales: East Jerusalem (100% Arab participants), Tel Aviv-Yafo (32% of participants are Arab), Acco and Matte Asher (34%), Lod (57% Arab/Bedouin), Horfeish (100% Druze), and El Kassum (100% Bedouin).[156]
[157]
Choosing Tomorrow, one of The agency's "Young Activism" training programs, includes three groups of Arab university and college students (total 40 students) who are being trained to create their own social-welfare programs that will specifically benefit their local (Arab) communities. These groups are in Be'er Sheva, the Jezre'el Valley, and a group at the Alkassemy Arab College. Additionally, Choosing Tomorrow groups in the Negev work to improve medical services to the Bedouin population, by teaching Arabic to local doctors and helping them understand and connect with Bedouin culture.[156][158][159]
social entrepreneurship
Neve Midbar is a boarding school that develops leadership among teenage Bedouin boys.
Net@ is a program supported by the Jewish Agency. In its chapters in Ramle, Nazareth, Acre, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv-Yafo, Jewish and Arab teenagers study computers together, volunteer in community computer labs together, and serve as mentors together to junior-high school participants. In addition, Net@ has all-Arab chapters in Umm Al Fahm, Yirka, and Tira. 25% of all counselors in Net@ are Israeli Arab.[156]
[160]
As part of its efforts to strengthen Israeli society[155] and to support vulnerable populations in Israel, the Jewish Agency has, for many years, supported or operated programs that encourage co-existence between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, and programs designed specifically to serve Israel's non-Jewish citizens, and they continue to create new ones.[156] Some of the programs:
At the February 2010 Board of Governors meeting, Natan Sharansky announced a shift in the priorities of the Jewish Agency from Aliyah to strengthening Jewish identity for young adults around the world.[165]
From 1948 until 2009, the Jewish Agency was organized into departments: the Aliyah and Absorption department, which was responsible for the immigration and integration of Jews coming to Israel; the Education department, which worked to deepen the connection of Jews worldwide to Israel; and the Israel department, which focused on improving the lives of socio-economically vulnerable Israelis.[166] (A fourth department, for Agriculture and Settlement, had been in operation starting in 1948, but had closed long before 2009.)
In order to increase efficiency, the Jewish Agency, under the leadership of its new chairman of the executive, Natan Sharansky, decided to restructure the organization.[167][168] Along with the organizational restructuring came a new focus. As the first decade of the 21st century came to a close, The agency noted that most of global Jewry was now located in democratic, stable societies that were relatively friendly to Jewish residents.[169][170] As "Aliyah of Rescue" became urgent for decreasing numbers of Jews, new challenges were arising for world Jewry, most notably, Agency leaders remarked, the need to engage young Jews in Jewish culture and to help Israeli Jews and those who live outside Israel to understand each other and feel connected to what they call the "global Jewish family."[169][171] While continuing "Aliyah of Rescue" operations, The agency decided to focus its primary energies on fostering a strong relationship between world Jewry and Israel, and on encouraging Aliyah based on a love for the country, what it calls "Aliyah of Choice."[172] Its main vehicle for doing so would be to bring Jews from around the world to Israel on short- and long-term tourist programs to allow them to get to know the country and to give Israelis the opportunity to get to know them and vice versa.[173] Parallel to these efforts, The agency decided to increase its investment in strengthening Jewish communities around the globe. Its goals would be to grow local Jewish leadership, to strengthen Jewish identity, and to deepen the connection of communities worldwide to Israel and to the Jewish people as a whole.[174]
At the October 2019 board of governors meeting, which marked the 90th anniversary of the organization, the board passed a decision to somewhat shift the Jewish Agency's areas of focus, in response to new critical challenges that had arisen for the Jewish people. Its "renewed mission" moving into its tenth decade focuses on three areas:[175]
