The Gesher Leadership Institute
The Gesher Leadership Institute seeks to create a new level of civil leadership in Israel that will lead to a cohesive Israeli society. We bring together a representation of Israeli society, including politics/government, religious life, the military, and the media and engage in a series of professionally facilitated courses that address pressing social issues in Israeli society as well as Israel’s rift with Diaspora Jewry in an open and respectful The meetings culminate to a week-long visit to a Jewish community abroad where the participants learn from and become familiar with Diaspora Jewry. The trip abroad exposes the participants to the multi-faceted ways Judaism is practiced around the world as well as the unique challenges that each community is forced to confront. Participants learn first-hand how various Jewish communities relate to Israel and how this has evolved over the last number of years.
There are three main tracks:
- GesherEducation: Gesher in partnership with the Ministry of Education, recruits senior Educational leaders in Israeli society for the GesherEducation course to delve deeper into the educational leadership in Israel and thus create concrete and measurable changes in the way the next generation consumes knowledge about the greater Jewish people.
- Project Community: Gesher Leadership Institute, in conjunction with Ministry for Diaspora Affairs, has initiated the “Community” project to expand the knowledge base and deepen the connection between public opinion leaders in Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The project is designed to provide the participants with information about current trends in Diaspora Jewry and challenges in Israel-Diaspora relations, strengthen the sense of Jewish peoplehood, and provide tools and direction for potential activities of opinion leaders, each in his own field, in order to connect Israeli society to Diaspora Jewry and strengthen its connection with world Jewry.
- Gesharim: Senior Israeli leaders who set the public agenda in written, electronic and social media are candidates for the Gsharim course. Journalists from varying media outlets and personal backgrounds will come together and meet the “others” – those who share the same professional standards but have different ideologies and are products of different sectors in Israeli society. This fascinating meeting of minds who serve as the springboard for promoting respectful dialogue, which will delve deeply into the fundamental issues in the public agenda.
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