48 | MAY 11 • 2023 

ERETZ

J

ewish Federations of North 
America hosted its Israel at 75 
General Assembly during the 
last week in April “with calls for deeper 
engagement between Israel and the North 
American Jewish community.”
The event overlapped with Israel’s 
Memorial and Independence Days with 
seminars in Tel Aviv the first day and then 
site visits to commemorate the Holocaust, 
those that sacrificed over Israel’s existence 
and its celebratory anniversary. It was 
reported that about 3,000 attended the 

gathering. Several thousand Israelis rallied 
outside as well to advocate against the pro-
posed judicial reforms.
While the Jewish Federations hosted a 
convening last fall in Chicago, they wanted 
to commemorate the milestone year to 
highlight the “decades-long investment 
in building and supporting a flourishing 
Jewish state.” The next General Assembly 
is scheduled for fall 2024 in Washington, 
D.C. 
Sitting in the front row being greeted 
by the president of the state during the 

Opening Gala was Tova Dorfman, former-
ly of Detroit, who now is the president of 
the World Zionist Organization (see story 
on page 50).
Dr. Conrad Giles has attended every 
General Assembly since 1982. “While 
Lynda and I have been attending GAs 
since the early ’80s, this was a special 
experience. To realize that we and our 
great community have been part of this 
nation’s growth over the last 75 years gave 
us both a sense of pride as we celebrated 
with thousands of others this seminal 
moment in the history of 
Israel.”
Giles serves as the current 
World ORT president and 
accompanied a group from 
Cleveland, Ohio, to the Kfar 
Silver Youth Village near 
Ashkelon, where delegates 
saw the changes to the vil-
lage made possible thanks 
to the support of donations 
from the U.S., Canada and 
across Europe.

Conversations with 
JFNA’s Leadership

Federation’s General 
Assembly marks Israel’s 
75 anniversary.

ADAM FINKEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The stage at 
the Jewish 
Federations of 
North America 
General Assembly 

LEFT: Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid speaks at the Jewish Federations of North America General 
Assembly in Tel Aviv on April 24, 2023. RIGHT: Linda and Conrad Giles, right, at the GA.

COURTESY OF JFNA/AMNON GUTMAN

