World Mizrachi, in conjunction with the World Zionist Organization, held a meaningful and emotional send-off day this past Monday, for some 280 outgoing Religious Zionist Shlichim [emissaries] about to leave this summer for their many destinations around the globe.
The event took place at Bar Ilan University and the air was filled with positive energy, as ourgoal was to galvanize all the Shlichim from our affiliate organizations to work as one unified movement with one vision as a part of the World Mizrachi Movement. The Shlichim of World Bnei Akiva, Torah MiTzion , Bat Ami Sherut Leumi girls, Lavi [for university campuses] and teachers of the WZO all came together as one to discuss the challenges ahead and to acquire additional tools for their work abroad.
Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett attended the event and addressed the shlichim. He said that nowadays in order to advocate for Israel, one must have a strong Jewish identity, as all issues pertaining to Israel and discussed in the global media ultimately stem from our history and our heritage.
Rav Doron Perez, Director-General of World Mizrachi, emphasized the importance of working together as one movement since the whole is always greater than the sum total of the individual parts. He also spoke about how we should deal, from a spiritual point of view, with the BDS phenomenon and the delegitimization campaigns against Israel.
Rav Yona Goodman, the Educational Director of Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva, gave a presentation focusing on our goals as Religious Zionists working in the diaspora communities and the Latma crew gave a comic satire performance about anti-Semitism today. Several other dignitaries honoredus with their presence and inspirational words: Mr. Avraham Duvdevani [Duvdev] the Chairman of the WZO, Rav Yechiel Wasserman the Head of the Department of Religious Affairs of the WZO, Mr. Gael Grunewald the Deputy Chairman the of the JNF, and Rav Prof. Daniel Hershkovitz the President of Bar Ilan University.
Within the next year, World Mizrachi plans to organize a number of conferences targeting different population groups in order to raise awareness in Israel for the ever-growing need for high-quality Shlichim to serve the global Jewish community.
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