The JPPPI is honored to have been selected this year by President Shimon
Peres to lead the preparations and generate the content for his first
presidential conference, Facing Tomorrow.
This decision could not have been made without the success and the
energy that emerged at The Conference on the Future of the Jewish People
held last July in Jerusalem with the participation of leaders, thinkers and
prominent professionals. This year’s Facing Tomorrow conference gives us the
opportunity to push forward the work and momentum of last summer based
on three integrated elements:
1. 60 years of Israeli independence as a Jewish and democratic state and as
the core state of the Jewish People;
2. Efforts made by Israel to examine itself and its relations with the Diaspora
and repair what needs repairing;
3. The election of Shimon Peres as President of Israel in light of his lifelong
contribution as a partner in laying the foundation of the Jewish state and
because he is a leading political figure with a vision that still inspires us,
Diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews alike.
The policy background documents prepared and collected in this book are
aimed to provide the participants in the advance day of working groups, as
well as the invitees to the main conference, with the primary tools for making
the deliberations of both gatherings as efficient, productive and inspired
as possible.
The concept of this book is based on a process of strategic thinking and work
generated by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute during its five years
of existence and is based on the evaluation of the situation and dynamics
affecting the Jewish People like--
• Major shifts such as: Iran and the rise of radical Islam; the vulnerability of
the civilian population in Israel; and the fact that Israel has become the
largest Jewish community in the world.
• Challenges and concerns such as: The cost of Jewish life and affiliation;
creating new means of belonging and community life when religion is no
longer the main factor in Jewish belonging; and enhancing the status
of women.
In meeting these challenges it is critical to understand the opportunities
available to us. We need to take advantage of our assets based on the
substantial soft and hard power acquired over the last century by the Jewish
People. The building of a Jewish and democratic Israel and a strong and
influential community in the Diaspora—mainly in the West; the outstanding
human resources; the solid Jewish education; the creation of high levels of
wealth, and the tradition of philanthropy.
Having said that, we need to digest and deal with our liabilities too: The
limited capacities for collective decision-making and action; the current
deficits in leadership and weakness in developing the next generation
of leaders. These are the tough questions in the chain of continuity from
generation to generation.
This book is divided into two parts. Part one contains the papers prepared for
the advance day of working groups and deals with geopolitics: mega-trends
impacting world Jewry and Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the
Islamist challenge, the Jewish civilization and rise and decline theory, and the
urgent issue of global leadership in the 21st century.
The first part of this book also includes papers relating to Jewish identity,
Jerusalem as the civilizational capital of the Jewish People, demography,
and Tikkun Olam.
Part two provides overviews of topics which are meant to add a deeper
value to the agenda of the main conference, Facing Tomorrow, and which
impact the Jewish future. It includes papers on the frontiers of scientific and
medical research, technology and economic trends.
The challenge for the JPPPI has been immense, but as the raison d’etre of the
institute is to make a contribution to the thriving future of the Jewish People,
we couldn’t miss this opportunity to be at the heart of this conference. The
future of the Jewish People, the future of a democratic and Jewish Israel, the
future of the world and the interaction and interdependence of the three is
what this conference is all about.
This effort would not have been possible without the inspiration of President
Peres and Ambassador Dennis Ross, the JPPPI’s Chairman. It would also
not have been possible without the professional guidance and quality
assurance of the institute’s Founding President, Professor Yehezkel Dror; the
intensive investment in conceptualizing the conference and its content
made by Ambassador Avi Gil, a Senior Fellow of JPPPI; and the experience
and determined commitment of Israel Maimon, Chairman of the conference
steering committee.
May this work be blessed with a fortune of ideas that will lead us forward and
allow us to add our contribution to a better tomorrow.
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