Schusterman Family Philanthropies launched its ROI Summit in Jerusalem this week with dozens of participants from around the world — roughly three-quarters of them new members and the rest returning participants — with a focus on rebuilding Israeli society, combating antisemitism and improving Israel-Diaspora ties, the organization said.

The ROI Summit, which has been running for 18 years and counts some 1,700 people in its active alumni network, was historically an annual gathering, with some 150 participants attending each year. After an interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit returned as normal in 2022. A summit with only existing members, no new ones, was planned in December, but the event was ultimately called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

The summit, which launched on Sunday, is “taking place in the shadow of Oct. 7, and the effects of the war and rising antisemitism are prominent themes of the gathering,” organizers told eJewishPhilanthropy.

The five-day event is also being held after Schusterman Family Philanthropies shifted its U.S. operations to focus solely on grantmaking, cutting its Reality program and leadership fellowship. That pivot also included scaling back the ROI Summit and directing it toward Israel-related initiatives and efforts related to combating antisemitism and anti-Zionism, the organization’s co-president, Lisa Eisen, told eJP earlier this year.

As such, the focus areas for this year’s gathering include: contemporary Israel challenges; resilient and safe Israeli society; and combating antisemitism and building bridges to Israel.

“Many Summit participants were active in leading relief efforts throughout the past year, including running large civil society efforts, organizing humanitarian situation rooms, dealing with resilience and trauma, addressing antisemitism and building understanding of Israel, and more,” the organizers said.

In total, there are 86 participants from 12 countries. Of these, 61 are new participants — in order to be invited, they must be recommended by existing members — and 25 are returning ROIers. 

Much of Schusterman Family Philanthropies’ top leadership will attend the gathering including Stacy Schusterman, the chair of the foundation; Lynn Schusterman, the founder and chair emerita; Ohad Reifen, the CEO of Schusterman Family Philanthropies – Israel; and Eisen.

The gathering is being led by ROI’s co-directors Beri Rozenberg and Tamar Gil Menachem. The theme of the event is “Beyond the Horizon.”

“As Israel and Jewish communities around the world navigate this time of war, rising antisemitism and significant political, cultural, societal and technological changes, the horizon represents our ability to see through the storm, find direction and prepare for the promise of a better future,” organizers said.