A global network of Jewish leaders brought together by Israeli President Isaac Herzog has finished its inaugural term with more than 20 initiatives under development, roughly 2,500 applications for its second cohort, and a fresh challenge: converting the relationships and projects built since its launch into programs that last.
The initiative, called Voice of the People, concluded its first council term in Budapest from October 19 to 21. Jewish professionals and community leaders from around the world gathered to address issues ranging from antisemitism and disability inclusion to public communication and business cooperation across the Middle East.
The council has 150 members, split evenly among Israel, North America, and the rest of the world. Its first gathering took place in Haifa in March 2025. Herzog founded the project with the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Azrieli Foundation, Wilf Family Foundations, and the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation. According to the organization, more than 20 projects in education, communication, technology, and regional cooperation have reached the proof-of-concept stage, and applications for the second cohort more than doubled those for the first. Inaugural members will stay connected through an alumni network as a new group is chosen.
The Budapest meeting took place amid political polarization, rising antisemitism, and unrest affecting Jewish communities in several countries. Robert Ejnes, executive director of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), spoke as riots were still unfolding in France. "What you've seen over the last few days are riots that concern all of France, not only the Jews," he said, rejecting the idea that the disturbances were primarily aimed at Jews. Still, he said antisemitic incidents and hostile social media posts had risen sharply since October 7, 2023, blaming much of the increase on far-left parties, particularly La France Insoumise, and noting that Jewish organizations were cooperating with French police and government authorities.
Herzog attended the gathering during an official visit to Hungary, meeting President András Baka at Sándor Palace and Prime Minister Péter Magyar at the Hungarian Parliament on October 20. Baka called the visit one serving "an important purpose," while Herzog described Hungary as "a friend and an ally" and praised its role in promoting balanced relations between Israel and the European Union. Baka described Hungary as a safe country for Jews with a zero tolerance policy on antisemitism, and called for full respect for international humanitarian law, saying Israelis and Palestinians alike must be able to live in security and dignity.
Addressing the council, Herzog acknowledged divisions within the Jewish world. "There have always been disagreements, and there always will be, but our responsibility is to create encounters and connection," he said. Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh offered a similar view of Jewish life in Budapest: "You can live freely as a Jew. You can walk in the street with your kippah, or whatever way you want to look Jewish."
Participants pointed to cross-border connection as a central achievement. British council member Rebecca Spagnoletto said, "We're finally together in the same room.. We are getting over our differences and sitting together at the same table to talk to each other." Hannah Geller, an American video producer and director at the American Jewish Committee, called it "an unparalleled opportunity" to understand Jewish life in other countries, an experience shaping her goal of producing videos reflecting the diversity of Jewish backgrounds.
Other members raised issues that get less attention in Jewish security and advocacy discussions. British journalist Josh Aronson, who is autistic, pushed for greater disability inclusion, saying Israel's experience in that area could be shared widely. "I want the Jewish people to bring that to the world, that people with disabilities are capable of doing everything," he said. Naftali Aklum of Israel's Ethiopian National Project SPACE program described media as another front in Israel's conflicts, arguing, "This is on us, to change the way people think about the Jewish people around the world."
Some initiatives have reached beyond Jewish communal institutions. Mikhal Ben Joseph and entrepreneur Noam Meirov created the Abraham Executive Academy, a network connecting business leaders across the Middle East and neighboring regions. Its first summit drew about 30 participants from roughly 10 countries to Berlin in May, including businesspeople from Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia, with support from the German Bundestag. "Nobody thought it was going to be possible in the middle of the war to bring these people together for a week of reimagining what Middle Eastern business, geopolitics and collaboration could look like," Ben Joseph said. The organizers aim to expand the network into what she called a "Davos of the Middle East."
The gathering also marked a transition for what began as an experiment. Deborah Apeloig, founder of Tikun Talks, called the first members "guinea pigs in this first experiment," saying staff refined the program through focus groups and regular conversations, flexibility that mattered because much of the term unfolded during wartime. American journalist and filmmaker Yuval David urged the council to look beyond crises: "We can't only be reactive. We need to be proactive." For inaugural members, the central challenge has shifted from bringing leaders together to keeping partnerships alive, securing support, and turning promising ideas into sustainable programs.
