2022 Jewish Leadership Conference

Jews, Israel, and the Future of the West

 

Sign Up Now to Get the 2022 Jewish Leadership Conference Videos

Stay tuned for information on future conferences!

On Sunday, June 12, some of the most important thinkers and leaders from America and Israel gathered for a day of high-level conversation and ideas: Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and Ruth Wisse on the meaning of Jewish greatness and the heroism of Jewish fathers; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Elliott Abrams, Dan Senor, and Amb. Ron Dermer on the strategic challenges facing America, Israel, and the West; Yoram Hazony and Matthew Continetti on the spirit of modern conservatism; Bari Weiss, John Podhoretz, Rebecca Sugar, and Liel Leibovitz on how proud Jews can answer the cultural challenge of “wokeness”; Amiad Cohen and MK Simcha Rothman on the birth of a new Israeli conservatism; and Gov. Ron DeSantis on how good public policy strengthens the American way of life for Jews and for all citizens.

We also had the opportunity to honor our former chairman Roger Hertog with the Herzl Prize for Jewish Leadership and to announce the creation of the Roger and Susan Hertog Scholarship Fund, launched with a $1-million challenge grant from the Hertogs themselves.

The discussions at JLC 2022 are reshaping the Jewish, American, and Israeli debate. Don’t miss out.

The Jewish Leadership Conference aims to develop a new political and cultural vision for American Jewry, and to bring together Jews who believe that better ideas can help strengthen the Jewish people, the Jewish nation, and the American civic future.

We believe in Jewish exceptionalism. We honor the heroes who built modern Israel. And, as Jews, we celebrate America as the land of hope and a force for good in the world.

We also believe that now is the time for American Jews to articulate and advance a new agenda: in defense of religious freedom, in favor of school choice, allied with Israel in a dangerous world, and tough-minded in the global fight against anti-Semitism.

Do you believe in these principles? Help us educate the rising generation of Jewish leaders.

Tikvah’s most important work is to educate high school and college students in the core ideas of Jewish, Zionist, and American civilization.

By making an optional donation, your gift will be doubled as part of the Hertog Scholarship Fund matching campaign. By contributing to Tikvah and the JLC, your gift helps us inculcate these values in the next generation of Jewish leaders. And for a limited time, if you make a donation of $250 or more we will send you a complimentary signed book from one of our conference speakers. Choose from of Matthew Continetti’s The Right, Bari Weiss’ How to Fight Anti-Semitism, Elliott Abrams’ Realism and Democracy, Dan Senor’s Start-Up Nation, Ruth Wisse’s Free as a Jew, or Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land, edited by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.

To start watching the 2022 JLC videos right away—and to make a voluntary donation if you’re inspired to do so—just click here. After you register, we will send you an email with a link to a private web page with every conference session. Summaries of the videos and the sign up form can be found below.

GET THE JLC VIDEOS


1. Welcome and Introduction to JLC 2022

Eric Cohen

What are the ideas that animate the Jewish Leadership Conference? Tikvah’s chief executive officer Eric Cohen elaborates how our principles—the belief in Jewish exceptionalism, the belief that conservative ideas are good for the Jews, the belief that Jewish ideas are good for America, and the belief that Israel is essential for the West and for the world— together point toward a new vision for American Jewry.

 

2. On Jewish Greatness

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

Jewish greatness can be seen in the heroic deeds and lives of the most significant leaders of Jewish history. But what are the essential qualities of mind and spirit that elevate such leaders? What makes a leader truly great, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik argues, has to do with their answer to three key question: Who are we? Where are we going? And how can we traverse the many challenges that stand in our way to arrive at our destination?

 

3. What is Conservatism? A Conversation

Yoram Hazony and Matthew Continetti, moderated by Jonathan Silver

How do Yoram Hazony and Matthew Continetti—two of the Right’s most fascinating writers and thinkers—understand conservatism? They have each just published a new book, and on the basis of Hazony’s Conservatism: A Rediscovery, and Continetti’s The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism, they discuss fundamental questions about the role of the state, the relation of public affairs to religion and philosophy, the tensions between tradition and a vibrant market economy, American exceptionalism, and national security.

 

4. Who is the American Jewish Hero?

Ruth Wisse

Prof. Ruth Wisse, learning from the great writers of Jewish modernity, diagnoses a social disorder in the American Jewish family. In the middle of the 20th century, American Jewish sons stopped being able to imagine themselves as Jewish fathers, threatening the ability for American Jewry to perpetuate itself with integrity. Who is the American Jewish hero? These days, fathers who transmit the Jewish heritage by resisting the forces of assimilation need our acclimation and deserve our gratitude.

GET THE JLC VIDEOS

5. Global Orders and Disorders: Does America Have a Strategy?

The Hon. Michael R. Pompeo, interviewed by Elliott Abrams

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with the Kremlin’s alliance with an evermore aggressive and powerful China, suggest the outlines of a new age of global competition. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in conversation with Tikvah chairman and former senior national security official Elliott Abrams, assesses the hazards and strategic opportunities for Israel, America, and the West.

 

6. The 2022 Herzl Prize for Jewish Leadership

Awarded to Roger Hertog, presented by Eric Cohen

Why did Roger Hertog devote 20 years of his life to Tikvah? Because he believed that Tikvah could educate the rising generation of Jewish and Zionist leaders in the ideals that matter most. That was Roger’s mission; this is Tikvah’s purpose. Mr. Hertog embodies everything we cherish: a passionate commitment to Judaism and the Jewish people, a fierce devotion to Israel, a patriotic love of America, and the spirit of a Jewish leader. It is our great honor to honor him.

 

7. Why Tikvah Matters

Elliott Abrams

What is Tikvah’s purpose, and how does it go about its work? Tikvah’s new chairman, Elliott Abrams, explains that Tikvah is dedicated to preserving (i) the vitality of our community when it is challenged by progressive ideology as well as Jewish uninterest, ignorance, and disaffiliation; (ii) the health of the American society in which the American Jews reside; (iii) America’s role as the leader of the free world; and (iv) the bond of American Jews with Israel.

 

8. Israel, America, and the New Middle East

Amb. Ron Dermer, interviewed by Dan Senor

Over the last two years, the growing multilateral partnerships between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and Oman—together known as the Abraham Accords—have started to remake the Middle East. In this conversation with Start Up Nation author Dan Senor, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, one of key architects of these historic agreements, helps us unpack the security, commercial, and political promise of the new Middle East.

GET THE JLC VIDEOS

9. Israeli Conservatism and Israeli Democracy

Amiad Cohen and MK Simcha Rothman

In these two brief addresses from two rising leaders in the Israeli public arena, the leader of Tikvah’s work in Israel, Amiad Cohen, and Tikvah alumnus and Knesset member Simcha Rothman, speak about the state of Israeli public affairs. Cohen tells the story of a rising Israeli conservative generation, and Rothman, who, in his work to strengthen Israel’s democratically elected parliament as a necessary check on its unelected judiciary, exemplifies Cohen’s vision.

 

10. How to Fight Back Against “Wokeness”: A Jewish View

Bari Weiss and John Podhoretz, moderated by Jonathan Silver

How should we deal with the problem of “wokeness” in the elite institutions—schools, media, colleges, corporations? What is our positive Jewish vision and strategy to preserve and advance our core values? We’ll look at these questions from the editor’s desk: asking how Bari Weiss, founder of Common Sense and John Podhoretz of Commentary think about this Jewish moment in American culture.

 

11. The Future of Jewish Education

Rabbi Mitchell Rocklin, Rebecca Sugar, and Liel Leibovitz

In these three short addresses, we hear from three leaders concerned with the education of American Jews: Rabbi Mitchell Rocklin explains the elevating power of a classical education for Jewish daughters and sons; Rebecca Sugar lays out why she and some of her fellow parents launched the Jewish Parents Forum; And Liel Leibovitz assesses the social situation of Jews in American culture, recommending books and ideas that can help inspire spiritual and intellectual courage.

 

12. The Florida Model—And Why It’s Good for Religious Americans

The Hon. Gov. Ron DeSantis

In April, Tikvah’s magazine of ideas, Mosaic, published an in-depth essay about the Jewish renaissance taking place in Florida, which has become one of the world’s most dynamic Jewish centers outside of Israel. The leadership of Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, seems to have played a significant role in Florida’s vitality—especially the promotion of education tax credits and school choice. So we invited him to explain the “The Florida Model,” and why it’s good for religious Americans.

 


Sign Up to Access the 2022 JLC Videos

  • After filling out the brief registration form below, you will be immediately emailed a link to watch all the JLC 2022 videos. For more information or to ask a question, please contact us at info@tikvahfund.org.
  • We kindly suggest a donation of $100 to support Tikvah’s important educational programming on Jewish and Zionist ideas. Every donation will be matched as part of the Hertog Scholarship Fund. The Tikvah Fund is a 501(c)(3) charity classified as a private operating foundation.
  • If you make a donation of $250 or more, we will send you a complimentary signed copy of your choice of Matthew Continetti’s The Right, Bari Weiss’ How to Fight Anti-Semitism, Elliott Abrams’ Realism and Democracy, Dan Senor’s Start-Up Nation, Ruth Wisse’s Free as a Jew, or Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land, edited by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik.


This form may not work if you are using older versions of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge as your web browser. If you are able, please switch to Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Opera. If you continue to have difficulty, please contact us at info@tikvahfund.org.

If you would prefer to make a gift by check, please make it payable to “The Tikvah Fund” and mail it to: The Tikvah Fund, 165 East 56th Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10022.