Rebuffing Bibi, Jewish Agency Appoints Opposition Head

Isaac Herzog Image by Getty

By JTA June 24, 2018

(JTA) — The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors unanimously approved Israel’s opposition leader Isaac Herzog to replace Natan Sharansky as its head.

The board voted on the appointment Sunday June 24, accepting the nomination of the Leadership Nominating Committee, composed of the leaders of The Jewish Agency’s constituent organizations – the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod-UIA, and the World Zionist Organization. Herzog will step down from the Knesset and start his four-year term on August 1.

Herzog was approved despite the opposition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Jewish Agency rejected Netanyahu’s preferred choice, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz — the first time the agency has rejected a prime minister’s pick for the position in 23 years, according to Haaretz.

“A Jew is a Jew is a Jew, no matter his denomination… I promise to work hard on promote Jewish unity and to partner with the Prime Minister and the government to achieve this crucial goal,” Herzog said following his approval.

The Jewish Agency for Israel, founded in 1929, is the largest Jewish nonprofit in the world. Under Sharansky, the agency moved away from its traditional mission of bringing and settling new immigrants to Israel and focused on building global Jewish identity.

“We are the only organization whose leadership includes representatives of both the coalition and the opposition, of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jewry, and of Jewish communities around the world. We are the independent voice of the Jewish people and, at the same time, our main partner is the government of Israel. It is essential that we preserve both our independence and our partnership, and I wish you much success in that crucial endeavor,” Sharansky told Herzog.

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