Each year, Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) brings together people from across the globe ~ including Jewish communal professionals, lay leaders, and philanthropists ~ for an incredible three-day conference. The General Assembly (GA) focuses on several themes and goals, which include exploring best practices, examining key challenges facing the Jewish community today, and promoting collaboration.
This is one of my absolute favorite conferences to attend. I always return home feeling inspired and ready to put the ideas I learned at the conference into action. This year was no different.
I, along with three of our staff members and three community members, traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the GA, which took place November 16 – 18. Now I have been to a lot of conferences throughout my career. And I can honestly say this year’s GA just might have been the best one yet. Here’s why:
- Imagine the collective energy of over 2,000 people gathered at a conference, who all feel passionate about making the world a more enriched and safer place for Jews in Israel and throughout the Diaspora. I don’t think there are any words to describe that feeling. It was simply awe-inspiring.
- JFNA is known for hosting world-renowned speakers at its conferences. This year was no different. We heard from two U.S. Senators, newly released 10/7 hostages, rabbis, executives, community leaders, and more. Each speaker brought a unique perspective to the issues and challenges currently facing the Jewish community.
- While there was not much downtime at the GA, there were opportunities to connect with people from other communities. Throughout these discussions, we were able to compare notes, share our concerns, and exchange ideas.
- It’s always exciting for me to see how many small Jewish communities, like Dayton, are well-represented at conferences like the GA. I saw so many of my fellow small Federation CEOs and their community members taking advantage of the incredible plenaries and breakout sessions offered at the conference.
- Delicious kosher food. Do I really need to say anymore?
JFNA has already scheduled the 2026 GA for November 8-10 in Washington D.C. If you are interested in attending, please let me know – I would love for you to join us! If you would like to see what this year’s GA was like, I have good news. JFNA recorded and posted many of the plenaries online. You can click here and scroll to the bottom of the page (to Featured Speakers) to view them. You can also visit JFNA’s YouTube page by clicking here to see even more videos from the conference.
