On Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 a.m., Jewish National Fund-USA will hold its annual Breakfast for Israel featuring a keynote speech from Ambassador Ido Aharoni. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the event, where they will hear about the nonprofit’s continuing work building up Israel post-Oct. 7 and fundraise for the Jewish state.
“Our annual Breakfast for Israel is the perfect way to introduce both newcomers and veterans to everything the organization does for the land and people of Israel,” said Louis Rosenberg, Jewish National Fund-USA’s executive director in Greater Los Angeles. “Attendees will learn about Jewish National Fund-USA’s bold and visionary Build Together plan for Israel’s South and Reimagine plan for the North and how the organization is partnering with Israelis to repair, rehabilitate and renovate damaged communities. The Breakfast is also a great way to meet fellow Zionists in the Greater LA community and unite in solidarity with the people of Israel.”
Aharoni is the Global Distinguished Professor for International Relations at New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science and was Israel’s longest serving Consul-General in New York and the tri-state area. At the breakfast, he will be speaking about the situation in the Middle East from a bird’s eye view perspective.
“I will provide the audience with some observations after 13 months of intense fighting woven in with some political perspectives, as well as insight into how the Israeli political system is functioning,” he told the Journal. “Some of my conclusions may seem counterintuitive, but I think it’s important to bring them to the center of the conversation.”
On a personal level, Oct. 7 was a big shock to Aharoni, just like it was to all Israelis. His son was called to serve in the reserves, and he said the post-Oct. 7 period has brought about “uncertainty and ambiguity, strife and violence. These are not good things for any person to be exposed to and are not easy to handle, including on the national level. I’ve been devoting more and more time to public work on behalf of the cause and it’s one of the things that I feel I can do in my humble way. Since Oct. 7, I visited over 25 communities in North America and addressed dozens of audiences in-person.”
For those who don’t know what to do at this time to fight for Israel and stand up for their Jewish values, Aharoni has a few suggestions.
“Avoid disengagement from institutions or events that are unpleasant or controversial because of the antisemitic or anti-Israel sentiments,” he said. “The response should be exactly the opposite: rather than disengage, we need to engage even more forcefully. We need to show up and be present.”
The ambassador also encourages people to be vigilant and not buy into the view that the world is black and white.
“Life is not a constant struggle between good and evil,” he said. “There’s lots of gray and lots of complexities, and we need to educate ourselves, as well as our friends and our peers, about those complexities. Israel is much greater than its problems and challenges. Let us not sell Israel short by reducing it to the conflict.”
He continued, “As long as Israel is perceived only through the prism of conflict, bloodshed, tension, danger and all those things, nothing good is going to come out of it. We need to stop preaching to the choir. What we should be doing is giving people the opportunity to connect to the people of Israel on an emotional level.”
Since Oct. 7, Jewish National Fund-USA has pledged to rebuild in Israel’s North and South and created havens for displaced communities. The organization has worked on bomb shelters and resilience centers to “address the physical and psychological needs of Israelis living on Israel’s northern and southern frontiers,” according to Rosenberg. “Our work to date includes supporting evacuees, providing trauma therapy, respite activities and agricultural assistance, supplying firefighting and protective equipment, providing support for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and so much more.”
In addition, nearly 4,000 people have participated in a Jewish National Fund-USA Volunteer in Israel Mission to help restore and renew 20 impacted communities in the Israel envelope.
Rosenberg is looking forward to the breakfast, which is currently sold out and waiting list only, and hearing from Aharoni.
“A respected academic and media commentator, Ambassador Aharoni offers unique, insightful perspectives on Israel’s internal and global challenges, making him an inspiring and authoritative voice on Israeli affairs and international relations,” he said.
“We need to be proactive, and we cannot sit idly by.” – Ambassador Ido Aharoni
Aharoni believes that it’s important for community members to attend the annual breakfast, “because it’s a fateful moment in our people’s history, not only because of the presidential elections in the United States and its ripple effects, but also because of the rise of antisemitism and the need to effectively educate people and fight ignorance,” he said. “Jewish National Fund-USA plays a major role in this regard as a visionary organization — for example, creating the World Zionist Village. We need to be proactive, and we cannot sit idly by.”
For more information or to be added to the waitlist, please send an email to RSVPLA@jnf.org.
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