Extraordinary Zionist Congress to take place in Jerusalem next week

The Extraordinary Zionist Congress, marking the 75th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel and the 125th anniversary of the first Zionist Congress in Basel, will be held at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem on April 19-21.  Over 2,000 Jewish leaders and young people from Israel and all over the world will gather in Jerusalem. 

The conference, with President Isaac Herzog in attendance, will be held for three days. Leaders will discuss strengthening the relationship between the different parts of the Jewish people, the challenges of Zionism today and more. Additionally, hundreds of entrepreneurs will be hosted to promote the actualization of Herzl's vision in 2023.

Making Herzl's dream come true

"We are proud to host the thousands of Jewish leaders and entrepreneurs coming from all over the world despite the tense security situation in Israel now as a gesture of Zionist unity and solidarity. The situation in Israel requires us to remember that we are family, and it doesn't matter where each of us comes from in the world. Herzl's entrepreneurial vision did not only include the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, but also the establishment of an economic and social entrepreneurial society committed to creating a better world, said Yaakov Hagoel, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization."

"The thousands of leaders and young men and women who will come to the Congress will discuss the challenges in the Jewish world as well as focus on the goal of marketing the State of Israel back to their countries and communities as a Jewish state based on Herzl's democratic and social foundations."

Several gatherings will be held at the special Zionist Congress, including the Herzl Conference for Social and Economic Entrepreneurship, with over 300 entrepreneurs who seek to put Herzl's vision into practice. In August 2022, as part of the events of the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, entrepreneurs were invited to Basel to the Herzl Conference for Social and Economic Entrepreneurship for meetings on creating connections, brainstorming and collaborations, and discussing how it would be possible to influence the future to improve the life and well-being of all of humanity.

Thanks to the participants, Herzl's vision took on new and up-to-date meaning, and the entrepreneurs' activity continues in the Herzl Forum for Social-Economic Entrepreneurship. At the upcoming meeting, the forum will deal with ideas, initiatives and projects that can advance and focus Israel's industries in multiple fields, including the United Nation's seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.

A youth conference for informal education and young leadership will also be held as part of the Congress. Among the participants will be 1,000 young Israelis who will meet with young people from around the world. The young people, ages 18-23, represent fourteen global Zionist youth movements from various countries worldwide. As part of the youth conference, there will be a round table meeting that will discuss issues related to Zionism, the State of Israel and the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The young participants are considered leaders or have leadership potential in the Jewish communities to which they belong in the Diaspora.

Many of the Jewish youth are members of the global youth movements representing the entire mosaic of Zionism. These young leaders come from countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Mexico, Belgium, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Venezuela and Israel.

Sergio Edelstein, board member of the World Zionist Organization who is responsible for the youth conference: "The connection between the young people who are part of Zionist youth movements and who will lead Diaspora Jewry and the State of Israel and the future generation is a strategic asset for the State of Israel. As educators, it is our duty to educate to build a bridge between the Diaspora and the State of Israel, a country with 75 years of prosperity, a country that is a home. A home that welcomes every Jew who wishes to live a Jewish life as the norm, a home where every citizen receives equal rights."

Gusti Yehoshua Braverman, a member of the board of the World Zionist Organization responsible for the Zionist Congress: "The special Zionist Congress is gathering in Jerusalem after a two-and-a-half year postponement caused by the coronavirus and in the shadow of a severe dispute in Israel that threatens the internal cohesion that is so essential to our ability to deal with the external threat. I believe that the representatives of the Zionist movement who come from all over the world, representing all political views and currents, know as they knew in times of controversy in the past, to call on the government of Israel to unite around the Zionist idea and ensure that the third Temple will continue to be founded on the principle of a Jewish and democratic state; the home of the Jewish people wherever they are."