If you were in Joseph Steinberg’s shoes, you also may have questioned the initial messages that came in.

Steinberg, a resident of the Teaneck Jewish community, is a busy cybersecurity professional. As he describes himself on his professional website, he serves as an expert witness on cybersecurity related matters (https://JosephSteinberg.com) and as a cybersecurity adviser to both businesses and governments around the world. He has been a regular columnist for Forbes, Inc., and Newsweek magazines, and his cybersecurity innovations are cited in well over 550 U.S. patent filings. He serves as a lecturer on cybersecurity at Columbia University, as a senior policy analyst at the Global Foundation for Cyber Studies and Research, and a member of the Computer Crime and Digital Evidence Committee of The International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Given his background and hectic schedule, you can understand why Steinberg was skeptical at first when he received multiple messages online, inviting him to serve on a major new initiative under the auspices of Isaac Herzog, president of the State of Israel. At first, Steinberg shrugged off the messages but when the invitations kept coming, he decided to look into the matter.

Steinberg learned that the initiative was not a scam but rather, an ambitious global project entitled Voice of the People, formally announced by Herzog in late January. Voice of the People is not just an initiative; according to its website, it is a “call to action,” which is “committed to building a stronger, resilient Jewish community that will inspire and impact future generations.” Steinberg told The Jewish Link that once he responded to the invitation, he was interviewed for a possible role in this initiative.

The Voice of the People project is informed by a global survey, conducted in fall 2024, that drew over 10,000 responses. The project encompasses the formation of a 150-person council—composed of 50 members from Israel, 50 from North America, and 50 from other countries—whose members are charged with studying, and then offering new ideas to address the challenges that the Jewish people face in five areas: antisemitism, polarization within, Israel and global Jewry, Jews and non-Jews, and identity and heritage.

The Voice of the People is a joint project of the President’s Office, the World Zionist Organization, and the Jewish Agency. The project has received support from the Azrieli Foundation, the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation and the Wilf Family Foundation.

Steinberg was honored to be appointed to the Voice of the People Council, whose two-year term launched in March at a conference in Haifa. The conference itinerary included a formal presentation by Voice of the People leadership on the results of the global survey, a visit to the Nova Music Festival site, an “Inspiration Day” at the Madatech in Haifa, and a gala that featured an interview with Herzog and Jerusalem Post Editor in Chief Tamika Klein, as well as artistic performances and more.

Steinberg was selected to serve on the team looking at polarization within, facilitated by Nasya Miller, the U.S.-based founder of Wide Open Spaces and a skilled facilitator, coach and community builder.

One aspect of the formation of the Voice of the People Council that Steinberg found fascinating was the use of a sophisticated computer program that assessed over 100 personal characteristics to select the 150 members of the group. As described in a news story in the San Diego Jewish World on January 23: “The rigorous selection process employed a custom-built algorithm evaluating factors such as age, gender, geographic location, and religious affiliation. The approach, complemented by interviews, referrals, and in-depth background checks, ensured a balanced and representative council ready to lead with vision and purpose, with an emphasis on inclusion of leaders from the younger generation.”

The resulting roster of 150 council members includes CEOs, authors, a Jewish studies scholar, entrepreneurs, social media influencers, policy analysts, Gen Z activists, writers, NGO leaders, nonprofit leaders, educators, storytellers, rabbis, venture capitalists, psychologists, researchers, a video game creator, startup founders, an aerospace engineer, a neuroscientist, undergraduate students, a legal scholar, filmmakers and Orthodox community leaders.

Writing on his Instagram page about the Voice of the People Council, shortly after the Convening Conference concluded, Herzog said: “We brought together Jews from all around the world—representing different communities, affiliations, ages, and backgrounds—to explore and address the challenges facing the Jewish people and to forge new ways to strengthen Jewish identity, foster dialogue, and build collective resilience. At the heart of this initiative is a deep commitment to Israel as the central pillar of Jewish life and peoplehood. In the wake of the October 7 atrocities and the surge in antisemitic attacks worldwide, this effort has become more urgent and vital.”

Steinberg described his experience at the conference in a post on his own Instagram page, on March 17: “I am in awe of so many of the super-accomplished, brilliant, passionate, and wonderful people I now get to call friends and colleagues—and I still find it hard to believe that I get to work with people of their caliber to brainstorm, strategize, and plan for a better tomorrow.

“Voice of the People is expected to transform the knowledge, experiences, thoughts, and desires of 150 diverse individuals into the single, unified voice—the voice of an ancient people seeking to secure and enhance both its future prosperity and its ability to continue contributing to society at large.”

For more information about the Voice of the People project, please see:

www.voiceofthepeople.network/about/

Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes reader feedback. When he’s really lucky, he gets to cover one of the notable people in the Jewish communities in Bergen County.