(Courtesy of World Mizrachi) World Mizrachi, the umbrella movement for global religious Zionism, kicked off its annual Israel360 program recently by sending 70 world-renowned Torah scholars and religious Zionist thought leaders to 100 communities in the United States.
Now in its fifth year, Mizrachi has sent hundreds of speakers—rabbis, educators, innovators and journalists—out to communities across the Jewish Diaspora through Israel360 during the month of Iyar. While visiting these host communities, these lecturers provide thought-provoking and inspiring sessions with the goal of further strengthening an already powerful relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
Israel360 was incorporated this year into Mizrachi’s new Chodesh Iyar initiative, which capitalizes on Israel’s national holidays—Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim—as well as New York’s Israel Day Parade, to bring Jews across the world together in celebration of the Jewish state. Other events taking place include delegations from Mizrachi’s Dream Team—students and young professional youth leaders from Israel—traversing shuls and schools across European and North American communities, a massive Mizrachi Orthodox Israel Coalition showing at the Israel Day Parade in New York and a yeshiva and seminary mass fundraising mega campaign to help fund scholarships for gap-year students to learn in Israel.
“Our sages teach us that from Zion will come Torah, and as we look at our calendar, both at the period between Pesach and Shavuot in general but also at the month of Iyar in specific, it only highlights Israel’s role as the center of the collective Jewish soul,” said World Mizrachi Chairman Rav Doron Perez. “As a result, we’ve taken the month of Iyar as an opportunity to further promote our common love for Israel and Torah through our Israel360 program. We hope that it will continue to grow and further provide opportunities to connect Jews around the world.”
“Mizrachi’s Israel360 program is the most experiential way we can bring the flavor and excitement of Torat Eretz Yisrael to our religious Zionist communities around the United States during this season,” said Religious Zionists of America Executive Vice President Rabbi Ari Rockoff. “We are thrilled to be welcoming our speakers to our various host communities and are looking forward to seeing the impact this initiative will actually have on the ground.”
Mizrachi is the global Religious Zionist movement, spreading Torat Eretz Yisrael across the world and strengthening the bond between the international Jewish community and the state of Israel. Mizrachi has represented the Torah voice and the Orthodox movement in the World Zionist Organization for almost 120 years. Based in Jerusalem and with branches across the globe, Mizrachi – an acronym for merkaz ruchani (spiritual center)—was founded in 1902. For more information visit www.mizrachi.org.
