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IAC National Summit Day One: Speakers Preach Unity Amidst Judicial Crisis in Israel

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January 20, 2023
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Social Equality Amichai Chikli. Photo by Shahar Azran

As the 2023 the Israeli-American Council (IAC) National Summit convened for the first day of its three-day conference on January 19, the theme among the speakers was unity amidst Israel’s current judicial crisis.

The conference, which is taking place at the Fairmont Hotel in Austin, TX, began its first main plenary with IAC Founding and current CEO Shoham Nicolet saying that “Israel is still searching for a golden path” as a democracy. Nicolet said that even when the “temperature of these battles rise” in a democracy, it’s important for the Jewish and Israeli-American communities to “respect, trust, support, [and] love with no conditions Israel, its people and its democracy.” Nicolet said that the various conference sessions will “allow these exchanges and ideas” to debate the current political situation in Israel.

In a similar vein, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told the conference via video recording that the “unbreakable bond” between the United States and Israel “goes beyond particular parties or particular moments.” Herzog acknowledged that after the most recent election in Israel, “questions were raised by many of our friends around the world and in the United States” regarding whether Israel will still continue to stand for “democracy, liberty and equality.” Herzog declared that Israel “democracy is strong,” saying that the differing voices among the branches of Israeli government simply reflect “the greatness of our democracy.” Herzog added that the “rule of law” and “freedom of speech” are “pillars of our Jewish and democratic state.”

“Israel will never compromise on its defining principles,” Herzog proclaimed, telling conference attendees: “We rely on all of you to be bridges of dialogue and ambassadors of goodwill.”

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Social Equality Amichai Chikli also spoke during the main plenary and was asked about the concerns from American Jewish leaders about the current Netanyahu government. “We were very honest with our agenda and it is our responsibility to follow this agenda,” Chikili replied. However, he did say that the government is listening to Jewish leaders and cares about their concerns regarding the current government.

The current government was not the only subject of conversation during the plenary. Israeli Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization of Israel Noa Tishby focused on the issue of antisemitism, saying that the recent tirades from rapper Kanye West resulted in his social media following doubling, which shows that antisemitism is an “addiction” that the world hasn’t been able to get rid of yet. While she acknowledged that criticism of Israel isn’t antisemitic, Tishby argued that anti-Israel activists don’t care about Israeli government policy, as to them, Israel’s very existence is illegitimate. She also pointed out that the “diverse” nature of Israel’s prior coalition government should have been a boon for pro-Israel activists, yet nothing really changed in the pro-Israel activism sphere.

Chikli discussed his perspective that the current challenge in the U.S. is being able to “keeping Jewish identity strong and alive,” as “Jewish identity is getting weaker” in the country. “Zionist identity is being attacked seriously by the [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement] and other organizations and states sometimes that try to delegitimize our rights as a people,” Chikili said. He called upon the Israeli-American community to explain to American Jews the “challenges” of being an Israeli and to help fight antisemitism in the country.

Chikli was also asked about the possible cancellation of Israel’s grandfather clause, which allows for anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to immigrate to Israel provided that they don’t practice another religion. “Israel will always remain safe haven for Jews everywhere on Earth,” he replied, adding that the government is taking steps for “to help the Jewish community to help themselves.” He went onto highlight the fact that in 1990, 93% of olim came from former Soviet Union states; that number declined to 40% in 2002 and 8% in 2020. “We have an issue here,” Chikli said, adding that “we need Israel to be a strong Jewish state.”

Other speakers included Mark Wilf, President and CEO of the Minnesota Vikings, and Adam Neumann, former CEO and Co-Founder of WeWork.

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