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AJ2025

On July 21, 2025, Reut USA and the Rabbi Sacks Legacy co-led a conference on American Jewry as the Great Diaspora of our Time. We set our eyes on the year 2054, when our community will mark 400 years since the arrival of the first group of Jews to New Amsterdam. In this nearly three-decade period, a new generation of leaders and community members can be educated; every single institution of our community can be reinvented; massive resources can be shifted; and another glorious chapter in the history of American Jewry can be written.

Panels

  • Great Diasporas in Jewish History: What can American Jewry learn?

  • The Rise of American Jewry as a Great Diaspora

  • The Destiny of American Jewry as the Great Diaspora of Our Time

  • Round Tables: Key challenges facing American Jewry as a great diaspora

    • 1: Safety and security of our communities

    • 2: Curriculum and experiences of a great diaspora

    • 3: Great boards and resilient institutions

    • 4: National gratitude and Hakarat Hatov in America

    • 5: Leadership pipeline

    • 6: America’s 250th celebrations

    • 7: Strategic institutions

    • 8: Community relations

    • 9: Making Jewish life affordable

  • Leadership Response

  • Drasha by Rabbi Shaul Robinson: Ceremony and Celebration: The Holiday Essays of Rabbi Sacks as Inspiration for American Jewry

  • Morality: Jews and American Values (based on Rabbi Sacks essays for the high holidays)

  • The “National Security” of American Jewry

    America’s 250th Celebration and Jewish Contribution to America

  • Future Perfect: Priorities for a Decade of Renewal of American Jewry

Participants

​Keynotes, Moderators, Speakers, Respondents, Roundtable Leaders

  • Dana Adler, Doctoral Student, Florida Atlantic University

  • Sandy Antignas, VP, JCRC-NY; Chair, United Israel Appeal (JFNA)

  • Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, President, AZ Advisors

  • Joanna Benarroch, President, Rabbi Sacks Legacy

  • Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Head of School, Yeshiva Flatbush

  • Rosh Kehila Mijal Bitton, The Downtown Minyan

  • Joni Blinderman, Executive Director, the Covenant Foundation

  • Laurie Blitzer, Global Chair, Birthright Excel

  • Jonathan Cannon, Incoming CEO of Rabbi Sacks Legacy

  • Elan Carr, CEO, Israeli American Council

  • Mark Charendoff, Maimonides

  • Phil Darivoff, Chair Emeritus and Trustee, Weitzman Museum

  • Ted Deutch, CEO, AJC, former Member of Congress, 

  • Aaron Dorfman,  Executive Director, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy

  • Karen Everett, Incoming Chair, Jewish Educational Project

  • Ellen Finkelstein, CEO, Hadassah

  • Dr. Misha Galperin, Former President, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

  • Dana Gibber

  • Prof. Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, Clinical Professor of Law, Cardozo School of Law

  • Gidi Grinstein, Founder and President, Reut USA

  • Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, Senior Advisor to Provost, Yeshiva University

  • Sarah Hurwitz, fmr. US HMC, author, speechwriter

  • Dr. Dodie Katz, Senior Director, Jewish Day Schools Strategies, Tikvah Fund, Sacks Scholar

  • Lois Kohn-Claar, Board President, Jewish Education Project

  • Andrew Klaber, Chair, Rabbi Sacks Legacy Corp

  • Rabbi Daniel Kraus, Director of Community Education, Congregation KJ; VP, Strategic Partnerships, Birthright Israel Foundation; Sacks Scholar

  • Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, Principal, SAR Academy

  • Dr. Rabbi Joy Levitt, Rabbi, fmr. President of Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, visiting senior research at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

  • Brittany Levy, Birthright Excel

  • Rabbi Dr. Dov Lerner, Lecturer, Yeshiva University; Sacks Scholar; Community Rabbi

  • Secretary Jack Lew, Former Ambassador to Israel, Former secretary of the treasury, Professor of International and Public Affairs at SIPA

  • Abigail Lindenbaum Tambor, Board member and former President of Maharat 

  • Rabbanit Karen Miller-Jackson, Matan Adult Education Institute, Israel, Sacks Scholar

  • Michael Miller, Former CEO, JCRC NY

  • Amb. Tom Nides, Former Ambassador to Israel, Vice President, Blackstone

  • Stacey Popovsky, Executive Director, Leffell Foundation

  • Zoya Raynes, Chair of the Board, Jewish Funders Network

  • Rabbi Shaul Robinson, Rabbi, Lincoln Square Synagogue

  • Rebbetzin Sarah Robinson, Rabbanit and Professor of Social Work, Yeshiva University, Sacks Scholar

  • Jackie Soleimani, Birthright Israel Foundation

  • Amb. Dennis Ross, Counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, Washington Institute

  • Irina Rakhlis, Executive Director, Millstone Scholars

  • Prof. Jonathan Sarna, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

  • Rabbi Marc Schneier, Rabbi, President, The Hampton Synagogue and The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding

  • Rabbi Daniel Sherman, Rabbi, West Side Institutional Synagogue

  • Phil Siegel, Founder and Managing Partner, Tritium Partners

  • David Siegel, CEO, ELNET

  • Rabbi Chaim Strauchler, Senior Rabbi, Rinat Yisrael

  • Dr. Jeff Solomon, Senior Advisor, Chasbro Investments

  • Caryl Stern, Executive Director, Liontree Foundation

  • Rabbi Simon Taylor, National Director of Communal Engagement, Orthodox Union

  • Dr. Tamara Mann Tweel, Senior Program Director for Civic Initiatives, the Teagle Foundation and strategic advisor to Civic Spirit

  • Tikvah Wiener, CEO, Kadima Coaching

  • Matt Williams, Vice President of ADL

  • Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, Founder, Zionist Rabbinic Coalition

  • Chanan Weisman, Director, SAPIR Institute, Maimonides Fund

Documents

Below are documents and summaries of the discussions and insights from the AJ2025 conference​ (click to download)

  • Conference summary notes (here)

  • Read our 11-Point Agenda for Renewal of American Jewry (here)​

Videos

Copyright © 2025 AJ2054 - All Rights Reserved.

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