Gesher

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

What an extraordinary week in New York City.

Leading two separate delegations of influential Israeli leaders and Mayors to the heart of the Jewish community in New York was a profound experience. Over the past several days, we engaged in deep, honest, and transformative dialogues with communal leaders, organizations, and the next generation of young people.

These meetings were not about sharing our story but about listening. We explored the complexities of our shared destiny and the critical importance of the bond between Israel and the Diaspora. Our goal was to bridge divides and strengthen the connection to our global family, and the insights we gained were invaluable.

The week culminated in a powerful moment of unity as we marched together in the Celebrate Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue. Standing shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands of others, the energy was a testament to our collective resilience.

Our team is returning home with a heightened sense of connection to our brothers and sisters overseas. We are reminded that we are not working in isolation. We are part of a vital and vibrant partnership that spans the globe.

I am incredibly grateful to all the partners who made this week possible, including קק״ל - קרן קימת לישראל , בית בן-גוריון בתל אביב and the מרכז השלטון המקומי בישראל Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, as well as to the members of our delegations for their vision, intellect, and commitment to a shared future.

I am also grateful to all of the leaders and people we met with and all those who hosted our group in their offices or in their homes throughout the week. Without the hospitality and generosity of these individuals, none of this would have been possible.

Together, we are building the strategic social infrastructure that will sustain our people for generations to come.

29/04/2026

Words have the power to build bridges or burn them. Following recent public discourse regarding the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora, our CEO, Ilan Geal Dor shared a vital perspective in מקור ראשון (link to the original article in Hebrew in the first comment).

While the original article was published in Hebrew, we believe the message of the "Great Jewish Family" is one that must be heard by our partners and friends worldwide.

Read the full English translation (thanks Gemini) below.
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Calling US Jews "Traitors" is a Failure to Understand the Relationship Between Israel and the Diaspora

By Ilan Geal-Dor | April 24, 2026

In a recent article, the harsh term "traitors" was used toward broad segments of American Jewry. Beyond the provocative verbal bluntness, this reveals a concerning worldview that reduces Zionism to a technical, contractual, and cold "here and now" relationship. It is a simplistic approach that ignores the deep, rooted essence of the State of Israel as the national home of the entire Jewish people.

The Great Jewish Family

We must correct a common error: the connection between Israeli Jews and Diaspora Jews is not a parent-child relationship. The State of Israel is not the "parent" who educates, scolds, or acts as a patron, and we in Israel are not the sole guardians of their identity.

We are brothers. We are members of the same ancient family, sharing a common history and an inseparable shared destiny. Within this family, the connection is horizontal and equal; it is based on mutual responsibility (Arvut Hadadit), not on relations of authority.

Belonging Beyond Geography Belonging is not merely a function of geography. It crosses oceans and political borders. As Zionists, Aliyah remains a central and supreme value for us. We strive and pray so that every Jew finds their home here with us.

However, even if a Jew does not move to Israel, they remain a brother. They do not lose their right to sit at the family Shabbat table. The inability, or even the lack of will, to move at one point in time does not turn a Jew into a "traitor".

A Shared Destiny Since the "Black Shabbat" of October 7th, we have seen this shared destiny in action. We have seen:

• Volunteers who came in the heat of the conflict to pick fruit in the fields of the Gaza envelope.
• Professionals who dropped everything to assist on the civil front.
• Brave young people who fought for Israel's reputation on hostile campuses.

They did not do this as "strangers" lending a hand to a foreign country, but as family members who feel that any harm to Be'eri or Metulla is a direct hit to their own home.

The Mosaic of Our Strength

The Jewish people is not a monolith, but a complete puzzle where every piece - whether it is in Los Angeles, Paris, or Johannesburg - is essential to completing the picture. The thought that we can "give up" on entire parts of this puzzle is a fatal blow to the national, spiritual, and cultural resilience of the State of Israel itself.
We need their spirit and their support, and they need us as a center of identity and pride. Not as scolding patrons, but as loving brothers.

A Call for Partnership

We must move from a language of exclusion and petty accounting to a language of partnership and deep responsibility within the Great Jewish Family. The word "traitor" must not be spoken within the Jewish home.

At the end of the day, despite all the disagreements and distances, we are one family. And brothers, even when they choose different paths and even when they are far from home, always remain brothers.

18/09/2025

"The sound of the shofar raises the spirits of all – religious and secular, Right and Left, “Bibi supporters” and “Kaplan protesters” alike. The blasts make no distinctions and erect no barriers. Their sole purpose is to open the hearts of all Israel. In an era of internal fracture, that is a message of extraordinary urgency."

Read this important Rosh Hashana message from our CEO Ilan Geal Dor in today's The Jerusalem Post

25/08/2025

Our fearless leader, Orit Adato, was interviewed recently by the The Jerusalem Post. Definitely worth a listen!

"Adato rejects the common metaphor of Israel as a melting pot. Instead, she sees Israeli society as a puzzle where each piece maintains its unique identity while contributing to a cohesive picture. "You don't find two components that are exactly the same," she says, describing how leadership means building unity from diversity rather than erasing differences.
This philosophy drives Gesher, the organization where Adato now serves as chairperson. Founded over 50 years ago, Gesher has evolved from youth programs into a sophisticated operation training Israeli leaders to navigate the country's most challenging internal conflicts."

28/07/2025

We wanted to share with you these words that our head of content, Tzemach David Schloss, delivered last night in Kfar Silver, near Ashkelon as he addressed the parents of the 250+ campers in our Summer camp. In parallel, we have a camp running in Kfar Hassidim for the youth of Sderot. These two sessions along with our earlier session in July and our upcoming session in August, make for our biggest summer yetץ

Tzemach's perspective as a reserve soldier who has spent the last two years juggling between his work, his family and his hundereds of days of miluim provide an incredibly unique view and insight into Israel today. I urge you to read the below:

My name is Tzemach, and I’m the content director at Gesher.

I want to begin with something personal — I’m deeply moved to be here and to see teens running, playing, talking, and delving into deep and meaningful conversations. We’re here in Kfar Silver near Ashkelon. It’s not quite the “Gaza Envelope”, but it is still the South of Israel. Over the past two years, I’ve passed through this exact area as a reserve soldier on my way to war — both in tense times as well as quieter moments. The war is, of course, not over yet. We still have brothers in harm’s way, and missions yet to fulfill.

But seeing you here — with this energy, with this sense of togetherness — feels to me like a true marker of victory. A victory not necessarily won through weapons or territory, but a victory through the enduring spirit of our people. Your victory.
After the devastation of October 7th, the prophet’s words of comfort take on new life here: "And the streets of the city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets." It was originally written about Jerusalem, but today, we pray that these words will be true for every corner of our land.

At Gesher, we’ve made it our mission to do everything possible to stay united. Staying united isn’t just a nice idea — it’s essential to our very survival. When we’re not together, things become nearly impossible. But when we are — we can overcome anything.
That’s why we bring together diverse groups in Israeli society — in schools, in the security forces, among students, educators, and, of course, with you here — in this diverse group from Rishon LeZion. What you are doing here is not just having fun together. You are weaving threads of connection and cohesion. You’re building relationships between people from different backgrounds, meeting them at their best, and using that platform to build the future of our people and our country.

I want to thank the Rishon LeZion Municipality, Mayor Raz Kinstlich, and his incredible team — especially Iris, whom I know personally — for this deep educational partnership. For making possible, for the fourth year in a row, Camp Gimaliya — the largest camp Gesher has ever held in this format. For the first time, we have counselors who were once campers themselves. This camp is the result of tremendous work and resources invested in diversifying and enriching the group as much as possible.

There are many kinds of partnerships we engage in, but one that has lasted four years shows a level of trust that goes beyond technical agreements — it speaks to a shared educational language. Thank you for that.

And thank you to the devoted team of counselors and coordinators who run this camp — especially Naftali and Yonat. The big hearts of Naftali and Yonat are the driving force behind this summer camp. The energy they bring, combined with their educational wisdom and uplifting spirit, are rare and precious in today’s social reality — and it moves me deeply to see it in action. It shows how vision, ability, and positive atmosphere can come together to create an educational platform that builds our collective future.
Thank you to all our partners.

Thank you, parents, for your trust.
Thank you, campers, for your wholehearted engagement.

May we all know many more beautiful, life-filled days — like the ones you’re experiencing here at camp.