In June 2010, following an intensive process, the Jewish Agency approved a new mission and strategy: Inspire Jews throughout the world to Connect with their people, heritage and Land, and Empower them to build a thriving Jewish future and a strong Israel.

The new Strategic Plan, “Securing the Jewish Future: Forging a Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish People” sets the high-level directions that will position the Jewish Agency as it moves forward to meeting the challenges and imperatives of the Jewish People in the 21st century.

Since the plan was approved, they have worked intensively to decide how to implement. They’ve brainstormed with their top professional staff, reviewed extensive research and conducted a series of interviews with members of the strategic planning committee, as well as with their partners and funders.

Beginning Sunday, in Jerusalem, the Board of Governors will once again convene; high on the agenda – the first steps towards implementation.

Here’s just a small taste of how the Jewish Agency envisions their future; we’ll have more next week.

Responding to Imperatives
The imperatives facing the Jewish world which we believe our new strategic directions and the central vehicle of strengthening Jewish identity will address are:

• Ensure that young Jews from around the world do not opt out of the global Jewish collective and remain connected to Israel;
• Connect young Israelis who are increasingly distanced from their Jewish roots to the global Jewish collective;
• Help vulnerable population groups in Israel;
• Ensure that people who decide to make aliya can realize their dreams;
• Help Jewish communities in emergency situations;
• Connect FSU Jewry to the global Jewish collective.

The Operational Strategy to Realize our New Mission
The Jewish Agency must adopt a focused operational strategy. Based on the unique added value of our core expertise, we will focus all our efforts on the following two global strategic drivers, both of which are highly effective in strengthening Jewish identity and a sense of connection. Each driver is built of a set of activities which operate simultaneously and in synergy so as to create an integrated impact that is cumulative and powerful:

• A fully-integrated range of continually-expanding and deepening Israel experiences to enrich Jewish life and create aliya opportunities;
• A range of identity-building social activism opportunities for all young Jews to help vulnerable populations and bridge social gaps in Israeli society.

We have selected these strategic drivers, well researched to be sure that they are effective, because they can generate the highest possible impact in strengthening Jewish identity, and because through our core expertise, we are uniquely positioned to play a central, integrative role in promoting them. [emphasis added]

In addition, unique regional circumstances require two further complementary thrusts:

• A comprehensive approach to the aliya of FSU Jewry and their reconnection to their Jewish roots;
• The capacity both to enable the aliya of olim from countries of distress and respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations in Israel. Today this requires a particular focus on helping Ethiopian olim.