On November 8-10, 2,500 Jewish leaders came together in Washington, D.C. at Jewish Federations of North America's General Assembly, the premier gathering of the most influential voices in Jewish leadership, philanthropy, and policy, with a focus on securing our communities, rebuilding Israel, and inspiring Jewish engagement.

 

Across three plenaries, nearly 40 featured sessions, and dozens of formal and informal conversations, leaders explored the community’s most pressing topics, such as the recent elections in the United States and Israel, communal security, combatting antisemitism, Jewish education, and supporting Israel. 

 

“As I reflect on what we have done here in the last two days, and I recognize the enormous gravity and obligation that sits on every one of your shoulders, no matter what the costs, no matter what the sacrifice, no matter what the barriers,” said Jewish Federations of North America Chair Gary Torgow. “We each share a unique obligation and privilege during these unusual times to bear the burdens and feel the pain of so many in our communities and beyond, and to carry that spirit of unity everywhere we go. There are Jewish people across the globe counting on us to share and feel their burdens.”

 

General Assembly highlighted Frontline, the $35 million initiative that is adding 100 Community Relations professionals to Federations across the Federations system, with a focus on local and state advocacy, K-12 and higher education, and interfaith and intergroup partnerships. 36 of the first hires joined General Assembly for a special training track, and participated in an advocacy day on Capitol Hill with 100 of their peers.

 

On Israel, Jewish Federations announced that since the closing of the historic $908 million Israel Emergency Campaign, the system had raised and invested $283 million through the Rebuild Israel framework to support Israel’s long-term recovery, help rebuild communities, strengthen small businesses, expand mental health services, and support reservists and families affected by the war.

 

And while committing to continue reinforcing, modernizing, and expanding our communal security infrastructure, our leaders doubled down on the investment in Jewish joy, connection, and education.

 

“We will not miss this historic moment of surging interest and engagement in Jewish life to once and for all make a quality Jewish education affordable and accessible for all our families, while continuing to grow our Jewish camps, our Hillels, Jewish pre-schools and more,” said Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric D. Fingerhut. “Whether it is the new tax credit in the US, new investments from donors and even from the government of Israel, we know that the year ahead is one of unprecedented opportunity to invest in the future of Jewish life,” he added.

 

In Tuesday’s closing plenary, political analyst David Axelrod and journalist Eliana Johnson condemned the growing trend of antisemitism in politics.

 

“The merging of antisemitism and anti-Zionism is deeply, deeply troubling to me, and we've got to attack and approach and confront that directly,” Axelrod said. “This is an American problem, and we've got to confront it. The confluence of antisemitism and anti-Zionism is very, very dangerous. We've got to confront it in both parties."

 

“It's perfectly legitimate, I think, to have arguments about whether we should have gone into Iran and about American military commitments,” Johnson noted. “But it's different to say we need to change our relationship to Israel.”

 

Actress Selma Blair recalled the importance of her experience attending the Hillel Day School in Michigan, which “was a safe environment for me growing up, safe environment to explore the trials of Jews and history’s reaction to it and also the love of having a home and a school and a safe place always for the holidays.”

 

Sunday’s opening plenary featured a robust conversation with former Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and Antony J. Blinken, moderated by journalist Juju Chang. In their first joint public appearance since leaving office, the two held an in-depth discussion on the future of the Middle East, touching on aid to Israel, the war with Iran, the future of the Abraham Accords, and the rise in antisemitism across the globe.

 

On Iran, the former secretaries diverged in their approach. Pompeo argued that the United States must maintain the pressure on the regime, "broadly speaking, on the regime across every front, whether that's Hezbollah in Lebanon, or...Hamas is not going to give up their weapons. So, continue to apply pressure there. The economic blockade makes sense. I would advocate going after further assets inside of Iran."

 

Blinken, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of diplomacy. "We have a problem that didn't exist before, and that's the Strait of Hormuz. And the hard reality is, I think any resolution, if it's a diplomatic one, which I believe in at this point, unfortunately, is probably going to have to give the Iranians something, sanctions relief, something from the Strait itself. All of that is possible; it's doable, and I actually think preferable to escalating."

 

You can view plenaries, featured sessions, and photos, and sign up for information about the 2027 General Assembly at https://generalassembly.org.