Z3 Project

Z3 Project Building the Jewish future together. Empowering Jewish communities to take ownership of their identities, institutions, & shared future.

đź“™ Introducing Z3 Adjunct Fellow Shivi Greenfield's NEW book!Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome. Great civilizations rose, flou...
09/02/2026

đź“™ Introducing Z3 Adjunct Fellow Shivi Greenfield's NEW book!

Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome. Great civilizations rose, flourished and disappeared.

The Jewish people, tiny by comparison, endured.

In his new book, Greenfield asks why, and offers a provocative answer: Jewish survival was sustained not by power, territory or belief alone, but by a fierce and demanding form of love that bound individual lives to a shared destiny.

On September 17, join Shivi Greenfield and Z3 Institute Director David Hazony for a webinar conversation about the book

👉 Get the book: https://a.co/d/04xjCQ0Q
👉 Register for the webinar: https://paloaltojcc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/8117859724885/WN_AxvdmFiYTVaBKBbxCDwLug

đź“ŁEarly Bird registration is officially open for the Z3 Conference 2026! đź“ŁJoin us on November 1 in Palo Alto, CA, gatheri...
09/01/2026

đź“ŁEarly Bird registration is officially open for the Z3 Conference 2026! đź“Ł

Join us on November 1 in Palo Alto, CA, gathering leading voices from across the political spectrums of Israel and America for a day of debate and conversation.
Don't wait! Last year's conference sold out. Early Bird pricing is available for a limited time only. Can't join us in person? Sign up for the FREE livestream!

Register now at: https://buytickets.at/oshmanfamilyjcc/1920001

CHOOSING HOPE | A CONVERSATION WITH LUAI AHMEDIn challenging times, choosing hope takes courage.Z3 and StandWithUs North...
08/30/2026

CHOOSING HOPE | A CONVERSATION WITH LUAI AHMED

In challenging times, choosing hope takes courage.

Z3 and StandWithUs Northern California invite you to a special evening with Luai Ahmed, a Yemeni journalist and content creator known for speaking openly about extremism, antisemitism, racism, migration, integration, and online misinformation.

Join us for an important conversation about courage, truth, and the responsibility we each have to challenge hate while building a more hopeful future.

đź“… Wednesday, September 2
⏰ 7:30 PM PT
đź“Ť OFJCC, Palo Alto

Seats are limited. Register online or scan the QR code to secure your spot.

AUGUST 30, 1897 | A VISION BECAME A POLITICAL PROGRAM.At the First Zionist Congress in Basel, nearly 200 Jewish delegate...
08/30/2026

AUGUST 30, 1897 | A VISION BECAME A POLITICAL PROGRAM.

At the First Zionist Congress in Basel, nearly 200 Jewish delegates from 17 countries gathered around a shared question: Could the Jewish people organize internationally to build a different future?

On August 30, they adopted the Basel Program, establishing the first formal political platform of the Zionist movement.

The program called for:

• Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel
• Local and international Jewish organization
• Stronger Jewish national identity and consciousness
• Diplomatic support from governments

What followed was not immediate statehood—it was decades of building.

Institutions were created. Land was purchased. Communities, schools, farms, and cities grew. Hebrew experienced a modern revival. Jews around the world participated through congresses, fundraising, education, immigration, and debate.

Days later, Theodor Herzl wrote:

“At Basel I founded the Jewish State.”

Israel would be established 51 years later.

The Basel Program reminds us that history can begin with an idea—but transforming an idea into reality requires organization, institutions, participation, and generations willing to build.

THIS WEEK’S WEEKLY ZIONIST: SURVIVAL IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.Ki Tavo asks us to think about what it means to belong ...
08/28/2026

THIS WEEK’S WEEKLY ZIONIST: SURVIVAL IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.

Ki Tavo asks us to think about what it means to belong to a story larger than ourselves.

The declaration of bikkurim moves between “I” and “we”—from one farmer’s life to the collective story of the Jewish people.

That movement carries an important message for Jewish Peoplehood today:

We can build lives of our own without imagining that our story begins with us.

For Jews in Israel and across the Diaspora, the question is whether our shared Jewish story is simply something we know—or something we still experience as ours.

Survival brought us here. But survival is not the end.

Our responsibility is to remain connected, recognize ourselves within the shared story, and ask:

What will we bring to what comes next?

Read this week’s Weekly Zionist from Z3.

08/28/2026

They tried to kill us. They failed. Let’s eat, right?

Ki Tavo says: not so fast. The Torah doesn’t end on the punchline, it ends with a farmer standing in the land holding fruit he grew himself, saying “we” before he’s allowed to say “I” again.

The real question isn’t whether we survived the joke. It’s whether we still know where we stand in the story once the laughing stops.

Brandeis, bikkurim, and the line between inheriting a story and actually claiming it: full essay at the link in bio.

Save this one, it’s worth rereading.

AUGUST 26 | WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAYAcross generations, Jewish women have shaped history—often at times when the doors to le...
08/26/2026

AUGUST 26 | WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY

Across generations, Jewish women have shaped history—often at times when the doors to leadership were far less open to them.

Henrietta Szold built institutions that transformed healthcare and helped rescue Jewish children from N**i Europe. Golda Meir rose to become Israel’s fourth Prime Minister. Sarah Aaronsohn risked her life through the NILI intelligence network. Hannah Senesh became an enduring symbol of courage and sacrifice. Ruth Bader Ginsburg transformed American law through her fight for gender equality. Alice Shalvi reshaped education and expanded opportunities for women in Israel.

Their contributions crossed government, education, law, humanitarian work, literature, and Jewish communal life.

But their stories share something deeper: leadership is not simply about holding a position. It is about having the courage to create an impact that continues long after you.

On Women’s Equality Day, we honor the Jewish women who helped shape our past—and recognize the responsibility to create opportunities for the women who will shape our future.

AUGUST 25, 2004 | ISRAEL WINS ITS FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD 🇮🇱🥇On this day in 2004, Gal Fridman made Israeli history.After year...
08/25/2026

AUGUST 25, 2004 | ISRAEL WINS ITS FIRST OLYMPIC GOLD 🇮🇱🥇

On this day in 2004, Gal Fridman made Israeli history.

After years of setbacks, injuries, and rebuilding his career, Fridman entered the Athens Olympics as one of the world’s leading windsurfers. In the decisive race, he finished second—securing enough points to become the first Israeli athlete ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

As the Israeli flag was raised and Hatikvah played at an Olympic medal ceremony, the moment became bigger than one athlete or one competition.

It was a breakthrough 52 years in the making.

Fridman’s victory showed what perseverance can make possible. After earning bronze in Atlanta in 1996, he spent eight years fighting his way back to the Olympic stage—and ultimately reached the top of the podium.

For Jews in Israel and across the Diaspora, it became a moment of shared pride and a reminder of the connection we can feel through Israel’s achievements on the world stage.

One athlete. One historic moment. A milestone that changed what Israeli athletes believed was possible.

08/24/2026

Political disagreement cannot become Jewish disconnection.

In this powerful conversation, April Powers challenges the next generation to choose unity—not uniformity.

At a moment when politics, Israel, Zionism, and the aftermath of October 7 have created painful divisions between friends, families, and communities, April reminds us that disagreement cannot be the end of the conversation.

Especially for young Jewish people, we need to become more curious about what others actually mean when they use words like Zionism, occupation, and Israel. Sometimes we discover that we are closer than the labels suggest.

Her challenge is simple: reach out to someone whose political views are different from yours. Sit at the same table. Ask questions. Listen. Find out how they are feeling.

We do not need to agree on everything to remain one people.

If we allow political division to fracture our relationships, we risk losing something far greater than an argument.

The next generation has an opportunity to build a Jewish future strong enough to hold disagreement—and courageous enough to keep talking.

08/22/2026

The hardest time to question yourself is when you know you’re right.

Parashat Ki Tetzei begins with war and immediately places limits on the victor.

Then, in one of the Torah’s strangest laws, Ramban pushes the question further: what happens when a good cause starts making questionable choices easier to justify?

That is not self-doubt. It is self-command.

Weekly Zionist. A Zionist reading of the weekly Torah portion.

Follow for next week’s parsha.

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