JFNA Update- Major Escalation in Israel

As the third day of fighting in Israel continues, JFNA’s Israel office has once again prepared this update and background on the latest of what is going on. Please feel free to share.

As always, we continue to monitor the situation closely and will send further updates as needed.

Below, find opportunities to learn more about what is going on in Israel. This page will be updated as we have more information concerning registration. 

May 11, 2021 at 1:00 PM join the Jewish Agency for Israel for a special briefing in English with Ambassador Dr. Michael Oren.  Michael B. Oren served as Israel's ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. As Ambassador, he was instrumental in securing U.S. support for Israel’s defense and upholding Israel’s right to security and peace. The Forward named Ambassador Oren one of the five most influential Jews in America and the Jerusalem Post listed him as one of the ten most influential Jews worldwide.

Born in the United States and educated at Princeton and Columbia, Dr. Oren has been a visiting professor at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown, and was a Distinguished Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. He has received fellowships from the British and Canadian governments as well as a Moshe Dayan Fellowship from Tel Aviv University and the Lady Davis Fellowship at the Hebrew University. His books, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East from 1776 to the Present and Six Days of War, were both New York Times bestsellers. He has won the Los Angeles Times History Book of the Year Award and the National Jewish Book Award. 

In Israel, Ambassador Oren served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, in the paratroopers in the Lebanon War, a liaison with the U.S. Sixth Fleet during the Gulf War, and an IDF spokesman during the Second Lebanon War and the Gaza operation in January 2009. He acted as an emissary to Jewish refuseniks in the Soviet Union, as an advisor to Israel's delegation to the United Nations, and as the government's director of Inter-Religious Affairs. He was a gold medal-winning athlete in the Maccabiah Games.

Wednesday- May 12 at 1:00 PM join IDF Spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus for a special briefing for Jewish Federations on the latest escalations in Israel. Watch the recording here.

Thursday- May 13 at 12:00 PM Join former Member of Knesset and expert in international law, Michal Cotler-Wunsh as she addresses the questions "What are the causes behind the current flare-up of violence in Israel? What's really going in Jerusalem and Gaza?  Register here. 

Thursday- May 13 at 1:00 PM- Amid rocket attacks and social unrest, tragic loss of life, and widespread safety concerns, our international partner, the JDC, is responding to the unfolding emergency in Israel. As in past crises, we are working with our government partners, local municipalities, and key human service organizations to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Israelis, including poor families, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Join us for an exclusive briefing from Executive Director of JDC Israel, Dr. Sigal Shelach, who will share an update on JDC’s current crisis response and emerging needs from her home in southern Israel. Register here.