Herzog initiative launches first global projects tackling AI, antisemitism and Jewish resilience
Global initiative unveils new programmes after 18 months of consultation with Jewish communities, including leaders in Britain
When Israeli President Isaac Herzog launched Voice of the People, the goal was ambitious: bring Jews from around the world together to think beyond immediate crises and focus on the future.
This week, that vision took a significant step forward.
The global initiative unveiled its first wave of projects during Wednesday’s From Blueprints to Life gathering, with participants identifying antisemitism, artificial intelligence, social division and Jewish identity among the issues they believe will shape Jewish life in the years ahead.
The event marked a new phase for the programme, moving it from discussion and consultation into practical action.
For Voice of the People chief executive Shirel Dagan, it was an important milestone.
“When we started a year and a half ago, it was a piece of paper – the vision of President Isaac Herzog,” she told Jewish News. “It became a tangible thing.”
Voice of the People brings together 150 council members from six continents to identify long-term challenges facing Jewish communities and develop practical responses.
Among the projects unveiled this week was Hack the Hate, which aims to use technology to combat antisemitism, and One Five Seven, an initiative focused on ensuring Jews are represented fairly within artificial intelligence systems and digital information platforms.
Other programmes include MTT, which seeks to address growing social fragmentation and polarisation, Tiny Tribe, designed to strengthen Jewish identity among young children and families, and Otzera, a proposed model for long-term communal resilience and investment.
Several of the projects focus on artificial intelligence, reflecting growing concern about how future generations may increasingly learn about Jews through digital platforms rather than personal interaction.
The launch follows months of consultation with Jewish communities around the world, including a visit by Dagan to London in February.
During the trip, she met representatives from the Board of Deputies, CST, the United Synagogue, PaJeS, UJIA, UJS and LSJS, as well as Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, discussing issues ranging from antisemitism and student wellbeing to leadership development and the future relationship between Israel and Diaspora communities.
Looking back on the visit, Dagan said the conversations reinforced the importance of building stronger connections between Jewish communities facing similar challenges.
“What stayed with me most is that it’s all about people and connecting,” she said.
“This visit for me, meeting people face to face, listening – this is how you build trust and relationships.”
Many of the concerns raised during those meetings have only become more pressing.
Since Dagan’s visit, the British Jewish community has faced a series of serious incidents, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green in an attack treated by police as terrorism, alongside suspected arson attacks affecting Jewish communal infrastructure in north-west London, including the torching of a Hatzola ambulance.
“I think that, unfortunately, things just got worse,” Dagan said.
“We keep seeing more and more antisemitic events globally, in the UK, US, France, Canada, and in lots of places.”
Yet she argues that responding to antisemitism alone is not enough.
One of the initiative’s most significant achievements so far, she said, has been bringing together people who would otherwise never have met.
“To see the connections that were created between people – people who did not know each other 18 months ago feel like family,” she said.
“When something happened to one another, the first thing is to pick up the phone and say, ‘How are you? Do you need something from us?’”
While participants come from different countries, communities and political perspectives, Dagan believes the future of Jewish life depends on the ability to work together despite disagreement.
“We need to understand that we don’t have to agree,” she said.
“But we need to respect.”
As Voice of the People enters its next chapter, organisers hope the projects unveiled this week will provide practical tools for communities grappling with challenges that increasingly cross borders – from antisemitism and artificial intelligence to leadership and identity.
“The name of our event is From Blueprints to Life,” Dagan said.
“Ideas move into action.”
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