Bennett, Lapid pledge to strengthen Israel-Diaspora ties if they’re part of next government

JTA — Israel-Diaspora relations will be made a top priority for former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid if their B’Yachad party joins the next Israeli government, according to a working plan shared with JTA. Under the plan, the party seeks to elevate the importance of Diaspora Jewry by transferring responsibility for relations from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The plan also envisions the election by Diaspora Jewry of a non-voting observer to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. The party will also work to ensure that all streams of Judaism are treated with respect in Israel, particularly at the sacred Western Wall, a particular issue of contention between Israel’s Orthodox rabbinical establishment and non-Orthodox movements in the Diaspora. The plan is being promoted as Israelis prepare to vote for a new prime minister and parliament on October 27. B’Yachad is one of the factions in the opposition or “change” bloc that is hoping to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud-led bloc. B’Yachad has been highly disparaging of Netanyahu’s record on relations with Jewish communities abroad. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms “Israel’s relationship with world Jewry isn’t merely of critical strategic importance; they are our family. It’s a moral imperative,” Lapid told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday. “The challenges of the last few years have shown that we share a fate as a people and a responsibility for our people’s future,” he said. Lapid said the Diaspora Affairs Ministry needed to be shuttered “not because Israel doesn’t value world Jewry – but because we do.” Advertisement “The relationship with Diaspora Jewry is too important to be thrown around as an appointment for a politician who needs a job,” he said, referring to how the ministry is often used as a bargaining chip in coalition agreements. “These ties need to be handled professionally, at the highest level, through the Foreign Ministry,” Lapid added. On the Western Wall, or Kotel, the party states in its material that the site “is a sacred and unifying place, and it should be a place of Shalom Bayit [peace among ourselves], not civil strife.” “We will work to preserve it as a place to which every Jewish man and woman, from Israel and around the world, can feel a sense of belonging and connection, while respecting the existing prayer arrangements at the Western Wall Plaza,” the party states in its platform. Illustrative: Conservative Jews pray at the section prepared for prayer for the Women of the Wall at Robinson’s Arch in Jerusalem’s Old City on July 30, 2014. (Robert Swift/Flash90) The plan’s finer print specifies that the southern end of the Western Wall, otherwise known as Robinson’s Arch, will remain a space for “prayer and gatherings in diverse ways” but will not “disrupt Orthodox prayer arrangements at the Western Wall Plaza.” Such a plan stands in contrast with the outgoing government’s trajectory, which has advanced legislation criminalizing all non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the site. The legislation has already received preliminary approval. If it ultimately becomes law, it could severely strain relations between Israel and the Reform movement, the largest stream of Judaism in the United States. Advertisement The proposals come amid signs of growing disaffection among Diaspora Jews with Israel and its Netanyahu-led government. Recent polls suggest that support for Israel among Diaspora Jews, especially in response to its policies in Gaza and on matters of democracy, is slipping. A February survey of American Jews by the Jewish Federations of North America found that only one-third of American Jews aged 18-34 identify as Zionist, even as nearly nine in 10 say they support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. A separate Pew poll examining American views of Israel found that Jewish attitudes have shifted since 2024. The survey found that 83% of Jews now view the Israeli people favorably, down from 89% in 2024, while 47% of Jews view the Israeli government favorably, compared with 54% in 2024. “We welcome Bennett and Lapid’s recognition of the importance of preserving the Western Wall as a place that belongs to the entire Jewish people, and their commitment to allowing different forms of prayer there,” Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism, told JTA. However, she said that she would like to see even more steps to ensure the area was accessible to all streams of Jewish prayer. “The Western Wall does not belong to any one stream of Judaism. Ensuring equality at the Wall is an obligation of the State of Israel to the entire Jewish people,” Kislanski said. Yochi Rappaport, CEO of Women of the Wall, an activist group that advocates for women-led prayer and Torah readings to be allowed at the holy site, also welcomed B’Yachad’s efforts. “The various attempts made in recent years by the Israeli government and other entities were all designed to exclude and undermine the prayer rights of liberal Jews, women, and the millions of Jews in the Diaspora who wish to pray at the holiest site in Judaism,” she said. Advertisement Nachman Shai, dean of Hebrew Union College and a former minister of Diaspora Affairs under Bennett and Lapid’s government from 2021 to 2022, said that during the tenure of the current government “the lives of Jews in the Diaspora have been severely disrupted.” “There have been physical attacks on Jews worldwide, alongside antisemitic and anti-Israel activities, that have impacted Jewish life in every corner of the globe; the very least the Israeli government could do is to embrace the non-Orthodox movements,” he said, adding that “the State of Israel must offer every Jew the opportunity to hold ceremonies at the Western Wall plaza in a dignified and egalitarian manner.” Then Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai attends the Jewish People’s Lobby, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on November 15, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Israel-Diaspora relations are not at the forefront of the October 27 election campaign, nor are they a central theme of Israel’s foreign policy debate. B’Yachad is one of the few political parties in the running that has explicitly addressed the issue in its policy platform. It is also among the few to have published dedicated material in English, with the goal of reaching segments of world Jewry who also have a vested interest in the outcome of the vote. According to the plan, which was developed by B’Yachad parliamentarian Michal Slawny Cababia, the party will establish a Diaspora Jewry Council, which will elect a permanent observer-level representative to the Knesset. The representative will join certain parliamentary committees dealing with Diaspora Jewry. Diaspora representation in the Knesset has long been a source of controversy. A 2020 legislative proposal to require consultation with Diaspora leaders on issues salient to the international Jewish community went nowhere. The B’Yachad plan also includes an educational program to teach Israelis about Diaspora Jewish communities, the establishment of a National Authority for Combating Antisemitism, and an initiative to make the Hebrew language accessible to Jews around the world. Lapid said that the plan was “about giving world Jewry a voice at decision-making tables in Israel on issues that impact them and focusing on the fundamentals: showing basic respect to every stream, Hebrew education, programs to bring together young Israelis and Jews from around the world, and a task force to combat antisemitism professionally.” “As the nation-state of the Jewish people and the capital of the Jewish world, Israel and its government have to lead on maintaining and strengthening these ties. In the new government, I want to take direct and personal responsibility for rebuilding the relationship,” Lapid told JTA. A request for a response by JTA to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism regarding B’Yachad’s plan was not immediately answered. Advertisement Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. 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