Global young leaders unite
Throughout the program, the group was addressed by several community lay leaders in Buenos Aires and visited various Jewish institutions such as the Jewish community centre AMIA.
Four Australians joined a select group of 60 young Jewish leaders from 27 different countries in Argentina to participate in the Zionist Leadership Academy (ZLA) global summit from March 9 to 13.
Through conferences and online workshops, the ZLA hopes to create a network of next-generation Zionist leaders to support and drive their communities in the Diaspora with a focus on Israel advocacy, Jewish continuity and philanthropy.
The conference provided an important opportunity for the young leaders to share the strengths and challenges of their Jewish communities and learn about the experiences of living in Jewish communities elsewhere.
For Australian Jesse Klass, the summit provided a “spectacular opportunity” to meet like-minded leaders from around the world.
“We came together and discussed how we are all fighting the same fight and are all in this together. We created incredible connections which we will endeavour to foster and inspire each other through our love of Israel,” he said.
Klass, together with Karmi Shariev and Nicole Stanislav, were at the summit representing JNF Australia.
Stanislav said the conference was inspiring and gave her renewed motivation to continue the work she does for her community in Sydney.
Throughout the program, the group was addressed by several community lay leaders in Buenos Aires and visited various Jewish institutions such as the Jewish community centre AMIA.
They also toured historic buildings and synagogues before being flown to the Iguazu region to participate in leadership workshops.
The workshops and panel topics ranged from philanthropy to Jewish continuity, from community-building initiatives to interfaith dialogue and outreach, which were presented both by participants and by the organisations’ leaders.
Mai Gutman represented the Zionist Federation of Australia. She said the summit was eye-opening and gave her a new perspective on the Australian Jewish community.
“We are so lucky to live in a community as cohesive as ours, one with such a strong connection to Judaism and with so many supportive institutions that encourage religious and Zionist education and exploration,” she said.
“There are communities out there who fight tooth and nail to maintain their presence, where population decline, intermarriage and a general apathy toward Jewish continuity are some of the main challenges they face.
“Recognising the privilege to live in a culturally rich community fills me with immense pride and inspires me to fight for other communities to have the same sense of security.”
The ZLA was jointly established by the World Zionist Organisation and KKL-JNF.
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