2025-07-01 11:42 <br/> Tags: #organization #Israel #KeyOrganizations #WorldJewry #Yishuv ![[image-152.png|627x147]] # Jewish Agency - The Jewish Agency was the quasi governing body of the [[Yishuv]] - pre-statehood Israel. - After Israel was declared on May 14, 1948, the Jewish Agency remained a core Israeli institution, closely tied to the [[World Zionist Organization]]. - Today the Jewish Agency is involved in raising and dispersing funds from the Jewish diaspora to Israeli organizations and institutions. - The Jewish Agency also has the mandate of Jewish immigration to Israel. - The Jewish Agency is recognized as the legitimate representative of World Jewry. - The Jewish Agency has always been almost entirely dependent on American Jewish funding. #### Founding and Early History - After WWI, what used to be Ottoman Palestine came under British control as granted by the League of Nations "Mandate for Palestine." - Article 4 of the Mandate states, "An appropriate Jewish Agency shall be recognized..." - Article 4 was initially fulfilled by the [[Palestine Zionist Executive]], a Jewish governing body established in Palestine in 1921. - In 1929, the Palestine Zionist Executive was reformed as the Jewish Agency. - The Jewish Agency was formed at the 1929 World Zionist Congress, the legislative body of the [[World Zionist Organization]]. - The governing seats of the Jewish Agency were arranged to be 50% Zionist and 50% non-Zionist. *The inclusion of 50% non-Zionists to govern the Jewish Agency beginning in 1929 breaks the myth that "it's just the Zionists." Who were the non-Zionists invited to the Jewish Agency? Jews obviously.* - This 50/50 constituency was always lopsided in favor of the Zionist faction, and by 1948 the non-Zionists had mostly left. - The Jewish Agency was in charged with overseeing Jewish immigration to Palestine, security, economic development, diplomacy with the British and Arabs, liaising with the Jewish diaspora and their organizations, etc. - The Jewish Agency formed/coordinated with Jewish institutions to execute its mandate: - The [[Haganah]] - Paramilitary force - The [[Jewish National Council]] - Diplomatic assembly, especially vital for Arab-British negotiations - [[Jewish National Fund]] - Primary organization buying land in Palestine - [[Histadrut]] - Major labor union - [[Keren Hayesod]] - Fundraising - [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] - Fundraising - [[United Israel Appeal]] - Fundraising --- - [[Chaim Weizmann]] was elected first president of the Jewish Agency in 1929. - Weizmann was also the [[World Zionist Organization]] president at the time. - [[Louis Marshall]], the somewhat non-Zionist American Jewish founder and leader of the [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)]], was elected chairman of the Jewish Agency executive board. - In 1935, [[David Ben-Gurion]] became chairman of the Jewish Agency executive. - He was chairman until 1948 when Israel was founded. - Other early Jewish Agency leaders include: - Rabbi [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]] - [[Moshe Sharett]] - Led the Jewish Agency political department. Second Prime Minister of Israel. - [[Edmond de Rothschild]] was elected honorary chairman. - [[Felix Warburg]] was elected chairman of the administrative committee. - [[Nahum Sokolow]] - President 1931-1933. - [[Arthur Ruppin]] - Chairman 1933-35 - [[Reuven Shiloah]] - Jewish Agency political department operative. Founder of [[Mossad]]. #### Post 1948 - JAFI ![[image-153.png]] *Jewish Agency headquarters in Jerusalem* - After Israel declared its independence in 1948, the Jewish Agency was no longer the governing nucleus of the state. - The Jewish Agency became a state institution that continued to facilitate Jewish immigration to Israel, Israeli social and land development, and coordination of diaspora programs/funding. - The Jewish Agency, which was initially called the Jewish Agency for Palestine, became the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) after Israel gained statehood. - In 1952, the Israeli Knesset enacted the "World Zionist Organization - The Jewish Agency (Status) Law," which clarifies the WZO and the Jewish Agency as being the same thing. - This 1952 reformation placed the Jewish Agency under the umbrella of the World Zionist Organization. - Since 1952, the Jewish Agency has been legally charged with the organization of Jewish immigration to Israel and coordination with the diaspora Jewish organization. - The Jewish Agency was again reformed in 1971 for structural/tax exemption purposes. - The Agency's American fundraising conduit [[United Israel Appeal]] was given a large permanent share of the Jewish Agency's board seats. - The 1971 Jewish Agency changes allowed the Jewish Agency to avoid obligatory US foreign agent registration. - The 1971 reconstitution gave American Jewry increased power over Jewish Agency activity, and alleviated federal pressure. - The primary American Jewish leader involved in the 1971 changes was [[Max Fisher]], a Republican megadonor and behind-the-scenes political operative. #### Involvement With American Jewry - The Jewish Agency operates in the United States through the "Jewish Agency for Israel-US." - The JAFI-US is headquartered in Manhattan. - The Jewish Agency has always relied on financial and political backing from the United States. - The [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]], a massive American Jewish fundraising organization, sends money to the Jewish Agency through its subsidiary the [[United Israel Appeal]]. - The [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] is the precursor to the JFNA. The UJA was reformed as the JFNA in 1999. - In the 1930s and 40s a constellation of Jewish Agency-aligned groups used their overlapping structures to effectively carry out the will of the Jewish Agency under the guise of philanthropy/community building. - These organizations included: - [[United Israel Appeal]] - [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] - [[Keren Hayesod]] - [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)]] - [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)]] - [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]] - These organizations set the agenda for American Jewry. They organized rallies, ran fundraising campaigns, published media, and lobbied the government. >[!info] The Jewish Agency, The AZC, AIPAC, and FARA - In the 1950s the primary American Jewish lobbing organization was the [[American Zionist Council (AZC)]]. - In 1954, the federal government began to investigate the AZC after it discovered millions of dollars coming from the Jewish Agency via the [[United Israel Appeal]] and [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]]. - The AZC money (~$5 million), was used to fund Israeli propaganda and lobbying. - As a consequence of 1960s congressional hearings, the AZC was forced to admit, "the AZC has received virtually all of its operating funds from the Jewish Agency for Israel." - The Jewish Agency, which is considered part of the Israeli government, cannot fund lobbying entities that are not registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA). - The lobbying arm of the AZC was called the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA). - The AZCPA was formed by [[Isaiah L. Kenen]], a former official of the Jewish Agency. - The AZCPA separated from the AZC in 1954 to avoid government investigation. - The AZCPA still remained under the AZC umbrella. - In 1959 the AZCPA renames itself to the American Israel Publica Affairs Committee - [[AIPAC]]. - In 1962, under heavy pressure from [[JFK Assassination|JFK]] to register as a foreign agent, the AZC transfers all its activities to [[AIPAC]]. - After [[JFK Assassination|JFK is killed]], the pressure on the Jewish lobby to register under FARA was gone. - In 1966 the AZC ceased all operations; the metamorphosis from AZC to AIPAC while avoiding federal pressure was complete. --- - The Jewish Agency is the primary governmental partner with the American organization [[Birthright Israel]]. - Birthright provides free ten day trips to Israel for all Jews aged 18-26. - Birthright Israel was founded in 1999 by [[Michael Steinhardt]] and [[Charles Bronfman]]. - The Jewish Agency is in a 50/50 partnership with the Israeli government to facilitate the organization [[Masa Israel Journey]]. - Masa Israel Journey provides free long term (up to a year) trips to Israel for Jews of the diaspora. - Masa Israel is an Israeli organization, however its target audience is diaspora Jews, and most of them American. - The Jewish Agency's *Partnership2Gether (P2G)* program creates city-city links with Israeli cities. - For example, under the P2G program, Chicago is a "twin city" with Kiryat-Gat, an Israeli city. - P2G sends American Jews to their "home towns," i.e. their corresponding Israeli "twin city." - Quote from the Jewish Agency P2G web page: "It’s important for Israelis and American Jews to have a strong connection because at the end of the day, we’re all Jewish." - The Jewish Agency's *Shlichim* program sends Israeli emissaries to schools and campuses worldwide, many of them coming to the Unites States. - The Shlichim emissaries are sent abroad to "educate" on behalf of Israel. #### Notable Figures - The Jewish Agency, has had innumerable notable Israelis and Americans in its leadership roles, probably more than any organization mentioned in this project. - Prime Ministers, government ministers, Israeli presidents, IDF generals, intel officials, businessmen, etc. - #### Israeli figures: - [[Chaim Weizmann]] - First president - 1929-1931 - Top early Zionist - [[Nahum Sokolow]] - Second president - 1931-1933 - Leading early Zionist - [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]] Member of the executive - ~1930s - Prominent religious figure - [[Arthur Ruppin]] - Chairman of the executive - 1933-1935 - [[Eliezer Kaplan]] - Treasurer - 1933-1948 - Future Israeli Finance Minister - [[David Ben-Gurion]] - Chairman of the executive - 1935-1948 - First Prime Minister - Zalman Shazar - Chairman of the executive - 1956-1961 - Third president of Israel - [[Moshe Sharett]] - Chairman of the executive - 1961-1965 - Second Prime Minister - [[Levi Eshkol]] - Held various leadership positions - 1929-1963 - Third Prime Minister - Uzi Narkiss - Head, information and immigration dept. - 1968-1991 - Prominent Maj. Gen. in the [[1967 Six Day War]] - Pinchas Sapir - Chairman of the executive - 1974-1975 - Held many senior ministerial positions - [[Simcha Dinitz]] - Chairman of the executive - 1987-1994 - Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. during the [[1973 Yom Kippur War]] - [[Abraham Burg]] - Chairman of the executive - 1995-1999 - Former speaker of the Israeli Knesset (parliamentary body) - [[Sallai Meridor]] - Chairman of the executive - 1999-2005 - Later Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. - [[Natan Sharansky]] - Chairman of the executive - 2009-2018 - Israeli politician & famous refusenik - [[Isaac Herzog]] - Chairman of the executive - 2018-2021 - 11th and current Israeli president - [[Yaakov Hagoel]] - Acting chairman of the executive - 2021-2022- Current [[World Zionist Organization]] Chairman - [[Doron Almog]] - Current chairman of the executive - 2022-present - IDF Maj. Gen. - #### American Figures: - [[Louis Marshall]] - Co-founder - 1929 - Prominent American Jewish leader - [[Henrietta Szold]] - Head of education + health - founder of [[Hadassah]] - [[Max Fisher]] - Chairman of the board of governors - 1971-1983 - [[Richard Pearlstone]] - Chairman of the board of governors - 2007-2011 - Current honorary board member - [[James Tisch]] - Chairman of the board of governors - 2011-2014 - Billionaire Jewish communal leader - [[Charles Horowitz Ratner]] - Chairman of the board of governors -2014-2017 - [[Mark Wilf]] - Current chairman of the board of governors #### Funding Sources - The Jewish Agency take in about $300-$400 million in annual revenue. - Ex. in 2023 the Jewish Agency took in $395 million. - The Jewish Agency is funded by a mixture of Jewish organizations, megadonors, and U.S. government grants. - The [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]] are the largest single backer of the Jewish Agency. - The JFNA sends money to the Jewish Agency through the [[United Israel Appeal]]. - The [[United Israel Appeal]] and the [[Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)]] have facilitated hundreds of millions in U.S. federal grants to the Jewish Agency since the 1970s. - The federal grant money is ostensibly given for immigration and humanitarian purposes. - The Jewish Agency receives significant backing from Israel's high tech and finance sectors. - Israeli corporate donors include: - [[Bank Leumi]] - [[Bank Hapoalim]] - [[Checkpoint Software Technologies]] - [[Gazit-Globe]] - The Jewish Agency releases annual reports that name hundreds of its largest donors. - The annual reports are split into levels of $25.000+, $50,000+, and $500,000+. - #### Donors include: - [[Sheldon Adelson]] and [[Miriam Adelson]]'s [[Adelson Family Foundation]] - $500,000+ - [[Richard Pearlstone]] and the [[Pearlstone Group]] - $50,000+ - [[Marc Rowan]] - $50,000+ - [[Michael Dell]]'s foundation - $500,000+ - [[Christians United For Israel (CUFI)]] - $500,00+ - [[Len Blavatnik]]'s family foundation - $500,000+ - Government of Germany through the [[Claims Conference]] for holocaust reparations - $500,000+ - [[Jewish National Fund]] - $500,000+ - [[Bill Davidson]]'s foundation - $500,000+ - [[James Tisch]] and [[Merryl Tisch]] foundation - $500,000+ - [[Genesis Philanthropy Group]] - $500,000+ - [[Jan Koum]]'s family foundation - $500,000+ - [[American Jewish Committee (AJC)]] - $50,000+ - [[Haim Saban]]'s foundation - $50,000+ - [[Paul Singer]]'s [[Paul E. Singer Foundation|Foundation]] - $5,036,430 from 2011-2024[^1] - [[Jay Ruderman]]'s Ruderman Family Foundation - $25,000+ - [[Crown Family Foundation]] - [[Arthur Blank]]'s family foundation - $50,000+ - [[Friends of the IDF (FIDF)]] - $500,000+ - [[Max Fisher]]'s foundation - $500,000+ #### References - Jewish Agency for Israel. _“Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia”_. “Jewish Agency for Israel.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Agency_for_Israel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Agency_for_Israel). - Jewish Virtual Library. “Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).” https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-agency-for-israel-jafi - “The Palestine Mandate.” Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, Yale Law School. [https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp#art4](https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp#art4). - Encyclopedia Britannica. “David Ben-Gurion.” (context for his role chairing the Jewish Agency). [https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Ben-Gurion](https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Ben-Gurion) - World Zionist Organization–Jewish Agency (Status) Law, 5713-1952. [https://www.adalah.org/uploads/oldfiles/Public/files/Discriminatory-Laws-Database/English/18-World-Zionist-Organization-Jewish-Agency-Status-Law-1952.pdf](https://www.adalah.org/uploads/oldfiles/Public/files/Discriminatory-Laws-Database/English/18-World-Zionist-Organization-Jewish-Agency-Status-Law-1952.pdf). - Department of Justice FARA case file chronology & document scans. “DOJ Orders the AZC to Register as a Foreign Agent (1962).” _IsraelLobby.org / IRmep (FOIA series)._ https://www.israellobby.org/azcdoj/ - “Kiryat Gat,” _Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia_, (P2G twin city context) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Gat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Gat). - “Bringing the American Jewish Experience to Israel through P2G Fellows,” _Jewish Agency for Israel_. [https://www.jewishagency.org/bringing-the-american-jewish-experience-to-israel-through-p2g-fellows/](https://www.jewishagency.org/bringing-the-american-jewish-experience-to-israel-through-p2g-fellows/). - State of Israel. _World Zionist Organization-Jewish Agency (Status) Law, 5713–1952._ (official English translation, PDF). [https://www.adalah.org/uploads/oldfiles/Public/files/Discriminatory-Laws-Database/English/18-World-Zionist-Organization-Jewish-Agency-Status-Law-1952.pdf](https://www.adalah.org/uploads/oldfiles/Public/files/Discriminatory-Laws-Database/English/18-World-Zionist-Organization-Jewish-Agency-Status-Law-1952.pdf) - U.S. Department of State (archived). “United Israel Appeal: 2003 Final Report.” https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/prm/rls/32176.htm - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _“Leadership | The Jewish Agency - U.S.”_ [https://www.jewishagency.org/leadership/](https://www.jewishagency.org/leadership/). - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _“2017 Performance Report.”_ PDF. [https://cdn.fedweb.org/fed-32/2/JAFI%2520Annual%2520Report%25202017.pdf](https://cdn.fedweb.org/fed-32/2/JAFI%2520Annual%2520Report%25202017.pdf) - Jewish Agency for Israel. _Proceedings of the Founding Assembly of the Reconstituted Jewish Agency, Jerusalem 21–24 June 1971._ Jerusalem: Jewish Agency for Israel, 1971. [https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/foun/FOUNDING%20ASSEMBLY%20OF%20THE%20RECONSTITUTED%20JEWISH%20AGENCY%20JUNE%201971.pdf](https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/foun/FOUNDING%20ASSEMBLY%20OF%20THE%20RECONSTITUTED%20JEWISH%20AGENCY%20JUNE%201971.pdf) - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _Thank You to Our Donors 2022._ PDF. 2022. [https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors-2022.pdf](https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors-2022.pdf) - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _Thank You to Our Donors 2021._ PDF. 2021. [https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors-2021.pdf](https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Thank-You-to-Our-Donors-2021.pdf) - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _2020 Donors to The Jewish Agency._ PDF. 2020. [https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2020-Donors-to-The-Jewish-Agency.pdf](https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2020-Donors-to-The-Jewish-Agency.pdf) - The Jewish Agency for Israel. _2023 Jewish Agency Impact Report: Federations Core Dollars._ PDF. 2023. [https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Jewish-Agency-Impact-Report-Federations-Core-Dollars.pdf](https://www.jewishagency.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Jewish-Agency-Impact-Report-Federations-Core-Dollars.pdf) - Birthright Israel. “FAQ.” (funding partners include the Jewish Agency). https://www.birthrightisrael.com/faq - Masa Israel Journey. “How It Works.” (“powered by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government”). https://www.masaisrael.org/about/how-it-works/ - The Jewish Agency. “Shlichim (Emissaries): Bridges to Israel.” https://www.jewishagency.org/shlichim/ - Public Intelligence. “AIPAC (Isaiah Kenen and the AZC context).” (PDF). https://info.publicintelligence.net/AIPAC.pdf - Moshe Sharett. _Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia_. “Moshe Sharett.” Last modified October 14, 2025. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Sharett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Sharett). - Simcha Dinitz. _“Simcha Dinitz (1929 – 2003).”_ Jewish Virtual Library. [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/simcha-dinitz](https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/simcha-dinitz) [^1]: ProPublica, “Paul E Singer Foundation,” [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272009342](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272009342)