Who will be the head of one of the most important organizations in the Jewish-Zionist world?
The Enrichment Committee, which elects the chairman of the Jewish Agency, convened today (Wednesday) and interviewed Irina Nevzlin and Danny Danon, two of the leading candidates for the senior position. And Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States.
In the afternoon, members of the committee interviewed Nevzlin, the wife of MK Yuli Edelstein of the Likud, and expressed interest in her philanthropic activities as chairman of the Nadav Foundation and also in her connection to the Jewish world.
The committee members, as well as Nevzlin herself, commented on the fact that the interview was conducted on the day of aliyah and she said that for her it was a matter of closing a personal circle after she first came to Israel as a girl when she was 13 years old.
Nevzlin, who immigrated to Israel in 2006, said after the interview that: "Israel's connection to the Diaspora and the connection of the Diaspora to Israel is a national task for anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish people, their resilience and security. The roots and the connection of the Jewish communities and the younger generation around the world to the Jewish identity and the State of Israel. "
Aliyah event of the Jewish Agency in 2019 // Photo: Coco,
The committee then interviewed Danny Danon and during the conversation Danon detailed his vision and plans, should he be selected for the position. Danon told Israel Today after the interview before the committee: "It compliments me that my candidacy for the position of chairman of the Jewish Agency is being considered positively. The future of the Jewish people has always been a top priority for me in all the positions I have held, from the Jewish Agency envoy to the United States, a Member of Knesset, a minister, and of course the Israeli ambassador to the UN for five years. The challenge of the Jewish people is to strengthen the connection between Israel and the communities around the world, and to bring the younger generation closer to issues related to Judaism and Israel. "I see the role of the chairman of the Jewish Agency as an important mission."
After Elazar Stern announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing his candidacy following the storm that erupted after he said about the shredding of the complaints he received, when he was the head of the IDF in the IDF, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid asked to delay the election of the next chairman. Meanwhile, the name of Tzipi Livni, former deputy prime minister and foreign minister, was mentioned as a candidate for the position of chairman of the Jewish Agency.
Livni noted that: "I do not know what the source of the publication is. For years I have not responded to the theories that deal with me and so now."