1000 JEWISH LEADERS AT JEWISH ASSEMBLY - CENTRAL SOLIDARITY EVENT OF JEWISH WORLD ALEX GRASS TO WELCOME SHARON AT OPENING FOUNDING CHAIRMAN OF JAFI BOARD OF GOVERNORS, MAX FISHER TO ATTEND AMONG TOPICS AT ASSEMBLY OPENING SATURDAY NIGHT IN JERUSALEM - CENTRALITY OF ISRAEL IN JEWISH WORLD AND STRENGTHENING JEWISH IDENTITY. NO CANCELLATIONS AMONG OVERSEAS PARTICIPANTS. Members of the United Israel Appeal / Keren Hayesod Solidarity Mission from Australia who will participate in the Jewish Agency Assembly attended the inauguration of the "Rotem Sharvit Lookout Point" in Jerusalem's Gilo suburb in memory of Rotem Sharvit z"l who was killed four years ago in Lebanon. From left to right: Albert Dadon from Australia who raised funds to construct the 'Lookout Point', Shimon Einy (grandfather) and David Sharvit, father of Rotem z"l (photo: Joe Malcolm) The Jewish world's key solidarity event will open on Saturday night, June 23rd in Jerusalem. 1000 Jewish leaders and heads of communities from 27 countries confirmed their participation in the 30th Jewish Agency Assembly. This will be the solidarity event with the largest number of overseas participants this year (5761), who will be coming to Israel despite the security situation. Introduced by Alex Grass, Chairman of the JAFI Board of Governors, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will open the assembly with a political speech, outlining his stand to be conveyed to President Bush. Sharon will be flying to the US for talks with Bush immediately after his address. Other speakers at the assembly will be Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Minister of Defense Binyamin Ben Eliezer, Education Minister Limor Livnat, former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and opposition leader MK Yossi Sarid. The assembly will last three days and will discuss existential aspects of Jews all over the world, emphasizing the centrality of Israel and its importance. The discussions will focus on Jews and communities under fire, global cooperation centering on Israel, ways of enhancing Jewish identity, the strategy of the struggle against anti-Semitism, new forms of Jewish philanthropy, the Israeli dimension of Jewish education in the West, challenges facing Jewish democracy. A special Bet Midrash will study Jewish texts based on different religious approaches in the Jewish world in interactive discussions. The main topic of the Jewish Agency Assembly is the centrality of Israel. For the first time since the Jewish Agency was reconstituted in 1971, the Assembly will also be attended by 400 participants with no official organizational affiliation; from the FSU, Israel, Latin America and Europe. This step is an effort to implement the Board of Governors decision to open the Assembly's discussions to Jews from all over the world. This is an organizational and leadership revolution which was laid down in the Jewish Agency's strategic plan of June 2000. The youngest participant in the assembly is 20-year old Roger Lang from the Habonim Dror Zionist youth movement in Argentina and the oldest is the founding Chairman of the Board of Governors, Max Fisher from the Detroit. Half the participants are women. The Jewish Agency Assembly meets annually in Jerusalem. Its members are representatives of the World Zionist Organization, the United Jewish Communities in North America and Keren Hayesod. The Assembly determines the full range of activities of the Jewish Agency, which is based on partnerships with donors and fundraisers.

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