The Jewish Agency is recruiting young leadership from around the world to participate in the October Board of Governors meeting in Jerusalem and to become involved in Jewish Agency governance and decision making in the future.

In a letter to Federation Chief Executives, Board Chair Richie Pearlstone described the Forum this way, “The goal of the Global Forum for Emerging Leaders is to develop and train a core group of emerging leaders for the Jewish Agency and our partners.” The move represents “the creation of an official platform through which emerging leaders can help shape the future of the organization, and an opportunity to work in collaboration with peers from around the world to design and develop meaningful programs for JAFI.”

The Forum will include educational sessions with Jewish Agency department directors, Board members and leadership; it will also include a strategic planning workshop where participants will develop a group work plan for their involvement in the organization. Group members will hold special advisory sessions throughout the year with Pearlstone where they will have input into organizational policy and direction.

Pearlstone’s letter reaches out to Federation Executives, Jewish Agency Board members and several other organizations to make recommendation on young leaders in their communities who may be interested in becoming part of the Forum. JAFI also seeks to include young leaders from Europe, South Africa, Australia and Israel to be as reflective as possible of world Jewry today. This group is an outgrowth of the Jewish Agency’s next generation group, which was formed in June 2007 with 47 young leaders from Federations in North America and Europe and young leaders from Israel.

“If we want the Jewish Agency to be in the hearts and minds of Jews twenty years from now, we have to start passing the torch,” said Iris Feinberg, Chair of Next Gen group. “Emerging leaders from our partnership communities around the world add a unique and important energy and perspective which is essential to the future of the Jewish Agency and the organized Jewish world.”

For more information or to register for the Emerging Leaders Forum (by August 15, 2009) please contact Michelle Kohn, michellek@jafi.org.