Watch presentations from first "Limmud Israel: Tel Aviv at Night" conference, "The Shared Destiny of the Jewish People"

Israeli decision makers and thought leaders came together on October 22, 2018 for the launch of Limmud Israel in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America’s "General Assembly."

Staff for Limmud Israel poses with Eli Ovits, CEO, at Tel Aviv event

The first ever Limmud Israel event was held at Tel Aviv's Brodt Center for Jewish Culture. An array of Israeli thought leaders and decision makers in politics, media, finance, high tech, and culture offered their visions on the shared destiny of the Jewish people.

"This launch of Limmud Israel is a momentous event for the Jewish people, convening participants from across the country together with communal leaders from across North America,” said Limmud Israel event chair and president of the Am Yisrael Foundation, Jay Shultz.

Each talk revolved around the broad concept of "The Shared Destiny of the Jewish People" and include a Q&A session with the audience. Most of the audience members were Anglo-Israeli citizens, at a greater proportion of dati'im than attending the General Assembly.

JooTube.TV chronicled a session in each of the evening's 3 time-slots.

Limmud CEO Eli Ovitz introduces Tel Aviv Councilmember Lior Shapira to present a welcome from Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai's office. (0:23) 



Part 1: Tel Aviv Councilmember  Lior Shapira presents remarks from the municipality. Allison Kaplan Sommer introduces Panel: "Torah & Technology - Towards Wealth and Wellbeing" - Michael Eisenberg (Alef VC) and Jon Medved (OurCrowd).Part (0)(13:32) 


Panel : "Torah & Technology - Towards Wealth and Wellbeing" - Michael Eisenberg (Alef VC) and Jon Medved (OurCrowd); moderated by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Israeli V.C. Michael Eisenberg's D'var Torah emphasizes ethics over avarice at Limmud Israel (16:24) 

Financier, Jonathan Medved, explains how he sees foreign companies' visiting and investments in Israel validate biblical prophecy (25:41) 


Second panel: “Israel At 70 - Looking Forward” Jewish Agency longtime, recently-retired  leader, Natan Sharansky, interviewed by Times of Israel's David Horovitz on issues of Zionism and Aliyah. (48:32) 


Third panel: "Investing In Shared Destiny- Economics & The Israel-Diaspora Relationship" Michael Freedman (Asquith Israel), Joanna Landau (Vibe Israel), Oren Charnoff (Hanaco Ventures) & Prof. Avi Weiss (Taub Center). (48:58) 

"Investing In Shared Destiny - Economics and The Israel-Diaspora Relationship"  with Prof. Avi Weiss (Taub Center), Joanna Landau (Vibe Israel), Oren Charnoff (Hanaco Ventures) -moderated by Michael Freedman (Asquith Israel). Economics & The Israel-Diaspora Relationship."  (2:19)

“Heartfelt thanks to our partners,” said Limmud chief executive Eli Ovits. “We call on visionary organizations and individuals to join us in order to enable Limmud to reach a new level of impact across Israel.”

Socio-economist Dr. Avi Weiss (The Taub Center)

Limmud Israel — Tel Aviv After Dark was produced in partnership with the Am Yisrael Foundation, Times of Israel, Jewish Federations of North America, Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Brodt Center for Jewish Culture, Tel Aviv International Salon, White City Shabbat, Hillel Israel, Aleph VC, OurCrowd, Golan Heights Winery, Limmud, Limmud Jerusalem and Limmud FSU.

Limmud is a cross-communal, multi-generational, grassroots, volunteer-led international network of communities celebrating Jewish learning and culture.  Founded in the UK in 1980, today there are 90 Limmud communities in 42 countries. The Limmud communities in Israel include Limmud Arava, Limmud Galil, Limmud Golan, Limmud FSU Israel, Limmud Haifa, Limmud Jerusalem, Limmud Modi’in, and Limmud Yeroham.   (Some text adapted from Times of Israel with thanks).   

Jewish Federation's political-analysts' conversations at JFNA's General Assembly in Los Angeles

Politics panel at General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America ("J.F.N.A."), November, 2017.

Christina Bellantoni (LA Times), Hugh Hewitt (Salem Radio), Adam Nagourney (NY Times),
Jake Sherman (Politico), Danielle Berrin, (Jewish Journal)

"Did You Hear?: Informed Looks Inside the Current Political Climate." 

Part 1: "Expect the Unexpected: Perspectives on Today’s Politics"

Moderator, Danielle Berrin (senior writer & columnist at the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles; Christina Bellantoni (Assistant Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times), Adam Nagourney (L.A. Bureau Chief, New York Times), Jake Sherman (senior writer, Politico), Hugh Hewitt (daily morning-program host, Salem Radio. 

(From left: Christina Bellantoni (Asst Managing Editor, L.A. Times), Adam Nagourney (L.A. Bureau Chief, N.Y. Times),
Hugh Hewitt (national morning radio show host)

Part 2:  "New Politics:  Emerging Policies that Impact Our Work."

Moderator, Danielle Berrin (senior writer & columnist at the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles; Christina Bellantoni (Assistant Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times), Adam Nagourney (L.A. Bureau Chief, New York Times), Jake Sherman (senior writer, Politico), Hugh Hewitt (daily morning-program host, Salem Radio. Mr. Hewitt was the only conservative journalist on any conference panels).

"Playing it Safe: Jewish Community Security for Today’s New Normal" discussion among Jewish Federations and police at Jewish Federations' General Assembly

The Jewish Federations' of North America's General Assembly in Los Angeles panel,  "Playing it Safe: Jewish Community Security for Today’s New Normal," addressed the Jewish Federations' plans to work with police to provide protection for Jewish synagogues and schools.  Panelists are:
Lt. Adrian Diaz- community liason at the Seattle Police Dept;  
Jason Periar, Security Chief Jewish Federation of L.A.; and 
Michael Masters - formerly Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, Illinois. He takes over as head of the Secure Community Network ("SCN"), a venture between the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America. 

Discussion with JFNA & CPMJA's Secure Communities Network ("SCN"). Video chronicled by JooTube.TV at JFNA General Assembly in Los Angeles, Nov 13, 2017.

Part 2: Audience's Questions and Speakers' Answers (includes SCN's Doron Horowitz discussing Jewish protection on College campuses:

Interview with Michael Masters, the incoming director of the Secure Community Network, the security arm of national Jewish community organizations:

Q: Why do you call it "Scan?"

Michael Masters, Dir., Secure Community Network

A: We usually refer to it as Secure Community Network or "SCN."

Q: Would you describe what it is, please?

A: SCN is a network. What we do is we work on a number of different verticals. We work to liaise with federal law enforcement state and local law enforcement on security issues and matters impactful to the Jewish community to help ensure that we are able to prevent, protect-against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from security matters - whether man-made or natural.

We also work very diligently on training issues so members of our team work regularly with local security directors in the various Federation's as well as with communities to do training on active threat, active shooter situational awareness.

Q: Is it an initiative of the Federation's of North America?

A: It was founded in 2003/2004 by the Jewish Federations of North America as well as the Conference of Presidents. And those are the two main initiating partners and then there's a board obviously. And then we have partners that we work with around the country and with law enforcement.

Q: Do you work with the synagogues?

A: We are delighted to work with any Jewish communal institution. Day schools, synagogues, summer camps, if they are a part of the community or looking for assistance resources support- we are there for them.

Q: But does the initiative have to come from them or do you go to a synagogue and say here we're available to help protect you?

A: So, traditionally I mean the organization has worked to raise awareness of its existence. Obviously if there are institutions that we haven't touched . . .

Q:  How would a synagogue engage your organization?
A:  Well, part of our strategic plan for fiscal year 2018 is to really be more proactive in outreaching throughout the community. Not just to the Federations, but the smaller communities around the country -  as well as their institutions -  to serve as a resource for the whole community.

I mean that's the value of our system. But of course if somebody contacts us we are going to be responsive to them and their issues their concerns and try to support them which ever way.

Statesman Netanyahu address to U.N. shows true western leadership: 'If Obama continues to enable Iran's nuclear weaponizing, Israel will defend many others from her"

Netanyahu tells U.N. General Assembly, "He (Iranian President Rouhani) fooled the world once. Now he thinks he can fool it again. You see, Rouhani thinks he can have his yellowcake and eat it too!  . . . But I will never compromise on the security of my people and of my country of the one and only Jewish state." Remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu During General Debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, October 1, 2013 "I feel deeply honored and privileged to stand here before you today representing the citizens of the State of Israel. We are an ancient people. We date back nearly 4,000 years to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have journeyed through time, we've overcome the greatest of adversities, And we reestablished our sovereign state in our ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel. The Jewish people's odyssey through time has taught us two things: Never give up hope. Always remain vigilant.  Hope charts the future. Vigilance protects it. Today, our hope for the future is challenged by a nuclear-armed Iran that seeks our destruction. But I want you to know: that wasn't always the case. Some 2500 years ago, the great Persian King Cyrus ended the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. He issued a famous edict in which he proclaimed the right of the Jews to return to the Land of Israel and rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. That's a Persian decree, and thus began an historic friendship between the Jews and the Persians that lasted until modern times. But in 1979, a radical regime in Tehran tried to stamp out that friendship. As it was busy crushing the Iranian people's hopes for democracy, it also led wild chants of "Death to the Jews!" Now, since that time, Presidents of Iran have come and gone. Some presidents were considered moderates, others hardliners. But they've all served that same unforgiving creed, that same unforgetting regime – that creed that is espoused and enforced by the real power in Iran, the dictator known in Iran as the Supreme Leader, first Ayatollah Khomeini and now Ayatollah Khamenei. President Rouhani, like the presidents who came before him is a loyal servant of the regime. He was one of only six candidates the regime permitted to run for office. Nearly 700 other candidates were rejected.  So what made him acceptable? 

Benjamin Netanyahu appeals to Americans to thwart Obama's Palestinian-"peace" tactic to force Israel into self-endangering concessions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed an audience of North American Jewish Federations, convening in New Orleans, declaring that Israel's peace-preparedness is being undermined by the world's tolerating of Palestinian intransigence. PM Netanyahu perceives that the Palestinian Authority is balking at direct negotiations in the confidence that the Obama Administration will dictate concession-pressures against Israel that the Palestinians would not achieve on their own.





Mr. Netanyahu reaffirms that he is willing to make mutual compromises with the Palestinian Authority, but the Palestinian refusal to negotiate directly without preconditions belies their true reticence to living peaceably alongside Jewish Israel.


Update 12  November:  Aaron Klein in World Net Daily:

Obama's Israel squeeze: Worse than you know

Demands Jewish state retreat from territory vital for survival

PA official told WND the Obama administration instead has adopted the Palestinian position that the Jordan Valley should become part of a future Palestinian state entirely.

The official said the U.S. had proposed that international troops, along with Jordanian and Palestinian forces, would patrol the area.

The Jordan Valley encompasses a massive swath of territory. Israeli security analysts and commentators long have argued the country is indefensible without the valley.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated multiple times the Jordan Valley is so vital to Israel's security that Israel must control it in the future.

Netanyahu himself said at a Knesset faction meeting last February that Israel could never agree to withdraw from the Jordan Valley under any peace agreement signed with the Palestinians. 

Netanyahu told the Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the Jordan Valley's strategic importance along the eastern border of the West Bank made it impossible for Israel to withdraw.

The Jordan Valley runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It continues another 96 miles south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba along the Jordanian border. The Jordan Valley forms the border between Israel and Jordan in the north, and the eastern strip of the strategic West Bank in the south.