No. 39: Ifat Ovadia-Luski, Yaakov Hagoel, Shai Davidai: Defending Israel worldwide

Ifat Ovadia-Luski - Chair of KKL-JNF

Ifat Ovadia-Luski (48), married and mother of three, serves as the Chairwoman of the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). She took office about two years ago, becoming the first woman in history to lead KKL-JNF and one of the national institutions of the Zionist movement. She heads an organization with over 1,000 employees, manages an annual budget estimated in the billions of shekels, and leads a board of 37 members representing various movements and parties.

Since the outbreak of the war, Ovadia-Luski, together with KKL-JNF’s board, has spearheaded significant initiatives to support border communities and evacuees. These efforts include: providing emergency funding directly to affected councils during the first week of the war; allocating resources for standby units in the North and South; organizing recreational activities for evacuees in hotels; relocating the residents of Kibbutz Kfar Aza to temporary housing at Kibbutz Ruhama; and connecting Jewish communities abroad to support Israel.

Additionally, she launched initiatives to honor women heroes of the war by naming a path in their honor at Ofakim Park and planting trees in memory of those murdered at the Nova party in Re’im Forest. Recently, KKL-JNF approved further assistance plans, including support for communities in the western Negev and the North amounting to NIS 225 million; supporting firefighting teams in the North; and upgrading the Re’im campsite near the Nova party area. Another initiative led by Ovadia-Luski last summer was the renewal of cooperation between KKL-JNF and JNF-USA for rehabilitation and development projects in Israel, totaling about $50 million, after more than two decades of disconnect between the organizations.

Yaakov Hagoel - Championing Zionism in a Year of Challenge

Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, and representative of World Likud, has faced a year marked by war, rising antisemitism, and an increased demand for aliyah. His leadership, rooted in Jewish and Zionist values, continues to address the urgent needs of the Jewish people globally.

At the beginning of the “Operation Swords of Iron” war, the WZO launched a center that coordinated donations of essential supplies from the Diaspora to Israeli soldiers on the front lines. The organization also provided mobile shower facilities and supported numerous other initiatives for our soldiers.

Hagoel called on Jewish communities in Israel and abroad to offer vacant apartments to evacuees and displaced families. Over 500 apartments are currently being used by those affected, including families of hostages. He also organized dozens of international delegations to witness the destruction firsthand and show solidarity with the residents of southern and northern Israel.

Following the October 7 massacre, Hagoel convened the Jewish People’s Challenges Conference, bringing together 500 Jewish leaders from 38 countries to discuss the war and the surge in antisemitism.

Under Hagoel’s leadership, the WZO was asked by the Israeli government to assist the Hostage and Missing Persons Directorate, providing support to returning hostages and to their families.

Through the WZO’s Settlement Division, seven new neighborhoods have been established to temporarily house kibbutzim attacked on October 7.

Hagoel also successfully advanced a government initiative to commemorate Jews from the Diaspora who lost their lives in antisemitic terror attacks. Additionally, he pressed the President of Argentina to reopen the investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing, seeking justice for the victims.

Shai Davidai - The educator who stood up for Israel

Shai Davidai, an assistant management professor at Columbia Business School, is one of the most outspoken and fiercest critics of the university’s administration for its handling of antisemitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 massacre.

Days after October 7, hundreds of dueling protesting students faced each other on Columbia’s campus. On October 12, an Israeli student was assaulted outside the main campus library of Columbia University in New York City, according to police.

Davidai quickly condemned then-university president Minouche Shafik for allowing student groups who chanted pro-terror songs to remain on campus without retribution.

In a now-viral video posted on his personal YouTube channel on October 18, Davidai addressed a group of supporters holding posters of Israeli hostages and said, “We cannot protect your children from pro-terror student organizations because the president of Columbia University will not speak out against pro-terror student organizations.”

Columbia’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine collected more than 8,000 signatures in April calling for Davidai’s termination, accusing him of using social media to incite harassment and violence against pro-Palestinian students “under the guise of fighting antisemitism,” the Columbia Daily Spectator reported.

A Zionist organization garnered more than 31,000 signatures in support of Davidai after the professor’s announcement that the university formally launched an investigation into his conduct.

“Who do you think they will come for after me? Do you think they’ll be done?” Davidai said at a rally in August, ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. “If you’re waiting to speak up, you might wait too long, and when you want to speak up, you might find that they’ll already have taken your voice and taken your opportunity to speak up.”

“So, here is a message to all professors out there, Jewish and non-Jewish professors, decent people who know the difference between right and wrong,” he said. “If you speak up and they come after you, I personally will have your back.”