Leaders of North American Jewry meet with Yair Lapid in New York

Management meeting in New York Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and other leaders of North American Jewry with former Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Israel Policy Forum, Hillel International, and other Jewish organizations in the United States.

The main issue discussed at the meeting was the reform of the judicial system in Israel, which led to a political crisis. Last month, 30 leaders of the US Jewish community took the unprecedented step of organizing an emergency mission to Israel to urge the country's leadership to compromise on the proposals of President Yitzhak Herzog. Jewish Federations also issued a statement on the importance of protecting checks and balances and respecting the rights of minorities in any reform option.

Chairman Jewish Federations of North America Julie Platt said at the meeting that the most important thing at the moment is to find common ground and build bridges between different views on judicial reform.

“We know how deep today's divisions in Israel are. But each side must do everything possible to reach a compromise,” Platt said.

Jewish Federations of North America also expressed their condolences for the loss of innocent lives as a result of the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Israel.

The meeting in New York took place less than two weeks before the 75th General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of the United States and Canada, which will be held in Jerusalem. President Yitzhak Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the General Assembly. Leaders of Jewish communities in North America will gather in Israel to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Jewish state, honor the memory of those who died in Israel's wars, and discuss with Israeli leaders the main problems in relations between the Israeli and North American Jewish communities.

During a meeting in New York, Yair Lapid stressed the importance of the common democratic values ​​between the United States and Israel and said that the United States is an important partner in supporting Israel as a democratic Jewish state.

“Jews in the US and Canada should never give up on Israel,” Lapid said. Governments come and go, but the State of Israel will remain. Israel's connection to the Jewish diaspora is now more important than ever."