Jerusalem Post Conference: Issues facing Jewish community, Israel and New York

By Dr. Mark Meirowitz, Columnist of The Jewish Post

On June 1st, the Jerusalem Post held its 15th Annual Conference in Manhattan. Our Jewish Post Editor, Hank Levy, and this columnist had the privilege of attending.

A jam-packed audience spent an entire day hearing from the luminaries in the Jewish world and Israel, discussing the most challenging issues of our time. We thought it would be useful to highlight some of these presenters and presentations:

Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), called for the establishment of a new global news and public relations operation backed by a $1 billion budget and supported jointly by Israel and Jewish communities around the world. “Israel has been outstanding on the military front,” Lauder said. “But as good as it is militarily, that’s how bad it is on P.R. Israel cannot afford to ignore its public relations.” Lauder proposed that the initiative operate independently, in a dedicated facility, and function around the clock. “It should be in a separate building, and it should have a billion-dollar budget,” Lauder said. “it should be on day and night.” “Some of that billion dollars should come from Jews in the Diaspora,” Lauder said. “Diaspora Jews should partner with Israelis in this PR fight because in the end, it won’t just be protecting the Jewish state - it will be protecting the Jewish people worldwide.” Lauder’s proposal represents a call for a major new investment in Israel’s global communications capabilities and a new partnership between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide to strengthen the country’s voice on the international stage.

Ronald Lauder speaking at the conference. Photo by Marc Israel Sellem

This is a fascinating and ground-breaking idea to address the long-standing frustration with Israel’s Hasbarah – but the question is whether this will regrettably just fuel all of the conspiracy theories that have plagued the Jewish community in the US and Israel – the false notion that somehow the world’s Jews are working together in unison with Israel to promote an objective. Also, once again, the proposed solution to the problems of the Jewish community here and in Israel is monetary investment. Ideas like this should be taken seriously but thought through very carefully.

The Conference also heard important remarks from Israel’s terrific Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, and formidable Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon. They are truly working tirelessly to promote Israel’s interest here and throughout the world.

Photo by Marc Israel Sellem

The conference also heard from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who delivered a stark warning about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran, arguing that Tehran’s nuclear ambitions threaten not only Israel and the Middle East, but the security of the United States and the broader international community. Waltz cautioned that an Iranian nuclear breakout would trigger a regional arms race and create the risk that nuclear capabilities could ultimately fall into the hands of terrorist organizations. “If you think for a second Iran won’t hand that capability over to Hezbollah, the Houthis, or others, you’re mistaken,” Waltz said. “Now you have terrorist organizations with nuclear proliferation - something that I, as a Green Beret, and countless others have spent decades fighting to prevent. My colleagues have given their lives over the last 20 years to stop exactly that scenario from becoming reality.” The ambassador emphasized the importance of maintaining international pressure on Iran, including the use of snapback sanctions through the United Nations “One of the things the United Nations has done right is enact snapback sanctions to complement the maximum-pressure campaign that President Trump has reinstituted,” Waltz said. “We must continue using every available tool to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.” The Ambassador’s remarks underscored the administration’s commitment to confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, combating terrorism, and strengthening the strategic partnership between the United States and Israel.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaking at the conference. Photo by Marc Israel Sellem

These are very important ideas, but the question is how to achieve these objectives – as of this writing, President Trump has announced a deal with Iran, which many have reacted to with puzzlement as to how such a deal can actually achieve the objective of stopping Iran from going nuclear (which might precipitate the frightening possibility an arms race in the Middle East with countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia demanding a nuclear capability). If we end up with Obama/JCPOA 2.0, (the original version of which was an abysmal failure), then the heroic efforts of the USA working with Israel to stop Iran’s nuclear and malevolent objectives, will seem to be for naught. Further, where does this leave Israel, which is not officially part of this deal – is Israel left alone to fight Hezbollah (again with an emboldened Iran as its major supporter) – and also how is the deal enforced if Iran decides, as it has done before, to sneakily avoid compliance. Such a deal requires international fortitude – a sort of vigorous Article 5 world-scale approach uniting against the possibility of Iran’s trying to obtain a nuclear weapon. Remember that the first Iran deal was with the P5 +1 – not just the USA -- this deal is just with the USA – but actually with the President himself. What happens when Trump leaves office? We need to ponder this very carefully.

Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL) delivered a forceful address at the Conference, warning about rising antisemitism in the United States, praising President Donald Trump’s support for Israel and the Jewish community, and calling on Jews to stand proudly and fight for their future. Congressman Fine wears a yarmulke in Congress!

Congressman Randy Fine speaking at the conference. Photo by Marc Israel Sellem

Fine, the first Jewish Republican ever elected to Congress from Florida, reflected on the challenges facing the Jewish people and emphasized the importance of strength and resilience in confronting antisemitism. “In the 3,000-year history of the Jewish people, those who have prospered the most have been those who have leaned into the fight,” Fine said. “We are fortunate to have friends in that fight, and we have no greater friend than Donald J. Trump.” “Israel has never had a greater ally than President Trump, but American Jews have never had a greater ally than President Trump either,” Fine said. “We face the challenge of ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon,” he said. “Fortunately, we have a president who doesn’t just make promises - he keeps them.” Concluding his remarks, Fine delivered a message of confidence and determination for Jewish communities in the United States and around the world. “We are here to stay. We are going nowhere,” he said. “We are proud of who we are, and together we will ensure that the United States remains safe for Jews, that Israel remains strong, and that our days ahead will be greater than those behind us.” Clearly, these are encouraging words, but it is clear that the atmosphere surrounding us now is very daunting. These are very uncertain and worrisome times.

The Conference addressed the subject of terrorism in the Middle East with experts from the JCFA, such as Rawan Osman.

The Conference also had a fascinating panel (“Courts, Campuses and Congress: the Fight for Israel’s Narrative”) featuring the iconic WABC Radio host Sid Rosenberg who has distinguished himself in his defense of Jewish causes and interests – daily on his morning radio show. Sid daily speaks truth to power – with courage! It was a privilege to meet Sid in person at the Conference. That panel also featured Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Founder and President of Shurat HaDin, which has tirelessly fought the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people through legal means. Sid and Nitsana are truly inspirational leaders and heroes of our community.

Jewish Post columnist Mark Meirowitz with Sid Rosenberg

It is also worth mentioning the insights of Sharon Brownstone, VP, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer of EL AL, (as part of pa panel aptly entitled “Leading Through Uncertainty”) explaining the enormous challenges for Israel’s airline in these difficult times, including the rising cost of energy to run an international fleet.

All in all, lots of food for thought and a noble effort to pull together leaders in the Jewish community for a dialogue.

For the future, perhaps the conference should consider having less panels and individual presenters with an all-day session, and provide for less panels, with Q & A at each session or at least at some of the sessions, and time for networking throughout the program.

Understandably, the organizers want to attract attendees, but trying a bit more for a two-way dialogue might be worth considering. Also, having a chance to meet some of these luminaries in person would be very worthwhile. Other than the very high political officials from Israel and the USA, why not make it possible to meet and greet the other fascinating individuals from America and Israel who presented at the Conference?

In truth, the Jewish Community in New York and in Israel had an amazing experience at the Jerusalem Post 2026 New York Conference.

This was a source of enormous pride for Jews in New York and throughout the world that we are blessed with the high caliber of our own community members and our allies. But – we must not take anything for granted.

One subject notably missing was addressing the impact of the media on the perceptions of Jews and Israel. The Jerusalem Post, as a titan of the Jewish media, should organize a high-level panel for a future conference on the extraordinary influence television, social media and the newspapers (which as the New York Times) have on how people think about Israel and the Jews. Perhaps invite Bari Weiss to come and speak!

It was a great privilege to be at this impressive Conference.

L’Shanah Ha’Baah at the Jerusalem Post 2027 New York Conference (Next Year at the Jerusalem Post 2027 New York Conference!)

Am Yisrael Chai.