Titled “The Time is now,” the meeting will focus on efforts to return the hostages being held in Gaza, and will spotlight the agency’s ongoing rehabilitation programs to strengthen northern and southern Israel.

By JNS staff

Hundreds of Jewish community leaders are arriving in Jerusalem this week for the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors meeting, which is focused on generating global momentum for the release of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

At the March 2-4 meeting—whose theme is “The Time is Now”—participants will hear the Jewish Agency’s current vision from the organization’s chairman of the executive, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, board of governors chairman Mark Wilf and CEO Yehuda Setton.

The meeting will spotlight the agency’s ongoing rehabilitation programs to strengthen northern and southern Israel, which are being advanced together with the World Zionist Organization, Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod.

The programs span individual and group support for families affected by terrorism, the restoration and expansion of communities decimated by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, the absorption of new immigrants into those areas, assistance to businesses affected by the war, the creation of partnerships between these communities and world Jewry, continuous support for children and youths affected by the war under the Youth Futures program, support for lone soldiers under the Wings program and more.

Members of the board will also meet with philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson and former Mossad head Yossi Cohen.

With antisemitic incidents surging more than 300% worldwide since Oct. 7, according to data compiled by the Jewish Agency and its partners, discussions at the meeting will also focus on efforts to strengthen the resilience and security of Jewish communities across the globe.

The agency will present data on the protection of Jewish institutions abroad through its Security Assistance Fund, as well as data on the strengthening of community resilience globally through the JReady emergency response network. Finally, the meeting will highlight the record-breaking increase in the number of Jewish Agency shlichim (emissaries) serving in Jewish communities worldwide.

“We are in the midst of a security, economic and social crisis. Today, more than ever, there is a need for the Jewish people to genuinely come together to lead the rehabilitation and recovery of the State of Israel,” said Almog.

“Together with our partners, we will focus our efforts on the younger generation, who give us strength and who will shape the course of our future. Through our collective effort, we will build a society that realizes the vision of the ingathering of the exiles, not only in the physical sense but also in the moral sense. We will continue to fight for the release of all the hostages and act with strength and love for a future of freedom, security, and hope, and for building an exemplary society in Israel that strives for excellence in every sector and never leaves the vulnerable behind,” he added.