President Herzog Convenes the ‘President’s Conference for a Shared Israeli Future’ in Jerusalem

On May 13, 2026, President Isaac Herzog convened the President’s Conference for a Shared Israeli Future at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. The conference featured speakers, panels, and dialogue forums that addressed President Herzog’s vision for rebuilding Israeli society and moving from crisis to repair ahead of Israel’s 80th anniversary.

The conference opened with an address by President Herzog, followed by remarks from Becky Caspi, Director-General of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel office, a partner of the conference. The program also featured a special conversation between the First Lady Michal Herzog and the actress Gal Gadot.

During the conference, President Herzog addressed the issue of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pardon request:

“It is important for me to explain why I am calling for dialogue toward an agreement and why I am calling for discussions toward a settlement. I truly believe that on these weighty issues, which tear the heart of Israeli society and divide it, the right path is to reach understandings and agreements wherever possible. I believe in understandings and agreements. And in this case too, it is difficult for everyone. Certainly for the parties involved, it is enormously difficult. But once one side has said it is willing to come to the room, I also expect the other side to come to the room too.”

Addressing the rise of antisemitism faced by Jewish communities around the world, President Herzog said:

“We must also remember that we have brothers and sisters across the ocean, the Jewish people, who are going through a hell of unimaginable antisemitism, who look to us with worry and anxiety and want us to be an anchor of stability and responsibility. They want to hear us, and they want to know they have our backing.”

President Herzog also addressed the broader need to lower tensions within Israeli society and strengthen internal dialogue:

“When there are fuel fumes in the air and we are entering elections, the answer is here in this tremendous movement of ‘Time to Talk.’ A movement that comes and says: I am coming to talk to you. I want to hear your pain. I want to understand that there is a tremendous social evolution in Israeli society.”

In her address to the conference, Becky Caspi, Director General of the JFNA Israel Office said:

“Israel’s shared future will not only be built in Jerusalem, Sderot, or Kiryat Shmona, but alongside Jewish communities in New York, Toronto, Miami, and Los Angeles. The partnership between Israel and North American Jewry is a strategic asset that goes far beyond economic support. It is a relationship that bolsters our resilience, our common values, and our shared future. In the coming years, Jewish Federations will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel — in recovery, in growth, and in strengthening the bonds with Jewish communities in the United States and Canada.”

In conversation with the First Lady Michal Herzog, Gal Gadot said:

“It’s become very complicated to be an Israeli in the world today. Especially after everything we’ve been through since the war, and because of the media and social networks, which are a problem in their own right. I feel anger, sometimes I feel fear, and there’s also great frustration at seeing how quickly people judge and form opinions. I wish they would amplify the voices in this room and this conference to the world, so they could see what Israel really is.”