Key Highlights of the JFNA General Assembly
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) is set to host its annual General Assembly in Washington DC from November 16 to 18. This event brings together a diverse group of leaders, thinkers, and influencers within the Jewish community. Among the notable speakers are former Chicago mayor and US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, bestselling author and podcaster Dan Senor, and Central Synagogue Senior Rabbi Angela Buchdahl.
The conference will focus on three central themes: rebuilding Israel, ensuring community security, and fostering Jewish engagement. These topics reflect the current challenges and opportunities facing global Jewry. The assembly comes two years after the October 7 massacre and as the last living hostages have returned home, marking a significant moment for Jewish communities in Israel, the United States, Canada, and beyond.
Leadership and Vision
Shira Hutt, JFNA’s executive vice president, emphasized the importance of this gathering. “Two years after the October 7th attacks, with the last living hostages finally home and the war coming to an end, our community is opening a new chapter in which we must both continue confronting the monumental challenges we face and leverage our powerful resilience to build a stronger and safer Jewish future,” she said.
Emanuel will engage in a conversation moderated by CNN contributor Scott Jennings and Fox News’s Jessica Tarlov, discussing the Jewish community and today’s political environment. Senor will address what comes next for Israel and the surge of engagement in Jewish life. Olivia Reingold of The Free Press will examine media bias and misinformation.
Reflections on History and Future
The Assembly will also mark 30 years since the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. This session will feature reflections by his granddaughter, Noa Rothman, and a debate on the future of a two-state solution three decades after his murder. The discussion, presented with the journal Sapir, will include Israel Policy Forum chief policy officer Michael Koplow and Commentary editor John Podhoretz, moderated by former Channel 13 News anchor Tamar Ish-Shalom.
Rabbi Buchdahl, whose forthcoming book is titled Heart of a Stranger, will serve as scholar-in-residence. She is the first woman to lead Central Synagogue in its 180-year history.
Diverse Speakers and Topics
Other featured speakers include Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the former IDF spokesperson who led the military’s strategic communications during the Israel-Hamas War, former White House speechwriter and award-winning author Sarah Hurwitz, and Shalom Hartman Institute scholar Dr. Micah Goodman.
The event will also address pressing issues such as Israel’s information war online and in the media, pushing back against antisemitism in education, understanding Iran’s global reach, the mental health crisis in Israel, and how to sustain and deepen the “surge” in Jewish engagement seen across communities over the past two years.
Community Engagement and Future Goals
Conference co-chairs Joan Lubar and John Crouch of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, highlighted the importance of the General Assembly. “As our world continues to rapidly evolve, it is more important than ever for the Jewish community to gather at forums such as the General Assembly that provide opportunities to engage with our most pressing issues,” they said.
“We look forward to welcoming nearly 2,000 of our community members as we work to build our collective future around the values we all hold dear.”
The General Assembly regularly attracts federation professionals, lay leaders, philanthropists, rabbis and educators, and Israeli and North American policymakers. Organizers expect robust participation this year given the shifting security, diplomatic, and communal landscape and the need to translate emergency solidarity into long-term strategy and investment.
