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<\/a><\/p>\nB’Yachad party heads Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid speak during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Sept. 11, 2026. (Miriam Alster\/Flash90)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Under the plan, the party seeks to elevate the importance of Diaspora Jewry by transferring responsibility for relations from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n
The plan also envisions the election by Diaspora Jewry of a non-voting observer to the Knesset, Israel\u2019s parliament.<\/p>\n
The party will also work to ensure that all streams of Judaism are treated with respect in Israel, particularly at the sacred Western Wall, a particular issue of contention between Israel\u2019s Orthodox rabbinical establishment and non-Orthodox movements in the Diaspora.<\/p>\n
The plan is being promoted as Israelis are preparing to vote for a new prime minister and parliament on Oct. 27. B\u2019Yachad is one of the factions in the opposition or \u201cchange\u201d bloc that is hoping to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud-led bloc. B\u2019Yachad has been highly disparaging of Netanyahu\u2019s record on relations with Jewish communities abroad. <\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael\u2019s relationship with world Jewry isn\u2019t merely of critical strategic importance; they are our family. It\u2019s a moral imperative,\u201d Lapid told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenges of the last few years have shown that we share a fate as a people and a responsibility for our people\u2019s future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lapid said the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs needed to be shuttered \u201cnot because Israel doesn\u2019t value world Jewry \u2013 but because we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relationship with Diaspora Jewry is too important to be thrown around as an appointment for a politician who needs a job,\u201d he said, referring to how the ministry is often used as a bargaining chip in coalition agreements. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese ties need to be handled professionally, at the highest level, through the Foreign Ministry,\u201d Lapid added. <\/p>\n
On the Western Wall, or Kotel, the party states in its material that the site \u201cis a sacred and unifying place, and it should be a place of Shalom Bayit [peace among ourselves], not civil strife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will work to preserve it as a place to which every Jewish man and woman, from Israel and around the world, can feel a sense of belonging and connection, while respecting the existing prayer arrangements at the Western Wall Plaza,\u201d the party states in its platform.<\/p>\n
The plan\u2019s finer print specifies that the southern end of the Western Wall, otherwise known as Robinson\u2019s Arch, will remain a space for \u201cprayer and gatherings in diverse ways\u201d but will not \u201cdisrupt Orthodox prayer arrangements at the Western Wall Plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such a plan stands in contrast with the outgoing government\u2019s trajectory, which has advanced legislation criminalizing all non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the site. The legislation has already received preliminary approval. If it ultimately becomes law, it could severely strain relations between Israel and the Reform movement, the largest stream of Judaism in the United States.<\/p>\n
The proposals come amid signs of growing disaffection among Diaspora Jews with Israel and its Netanyahu-led government. Recent polls suggest that support for Israel among Diaspora Jews, especially in response to its policies in Gaza and on matters of democracy, is slipping.<\/p>\n
A February survey of American Jews by the Jewish Federations of North America found that only one-third of American Jews aged 18-34 identify as Zionist, even as nearly nine in 10 say they support Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.<\/p>\n
A separate Pew poll examining American views of Israel found that Jewish attitudes have shifted since 2024. The survey found that 83% of Jews now view the Israeli people favorably, down from 89% in2024, while 47% of Jews view the Israeli government favorably, compared with 54% in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe welcome Bennett and Lapid\u2019s recognition of the importance of preserving the Western Wall as a place that belongs to the entire Jewish people, and their commitment to allowing different forms of prayer there,\u201d Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism, told JTA.<\/p>\n
However, she said that she would like to see even more steps to ensure the area was accessible to all streams of Jewish prayer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Western Wall does not belong to any one stream of Judaism. Ensuring equality at the Wall is an obligation of the State of Israel to the entire Jewish people,\u201d Kislanski said. <\/p>\n
Yochi Rappaport, CEO of Women of the Wall, an activist group that advocates for women-led prayer and Torah readings to be allowed at the holy site, also welcomed B\u2019Yachad\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe various attempts made in recent years by the Israeli government and other entities were all designed to exclude and undermine the prayer rights of liberal Jews, women, and the millions of Jews in the Diaspora who wish to pray at the holiest site in Judaism,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Nachman Shai, dean of Hebrew Union College and a former minister of Diaspora Affairs under Bennett and Lapid\u2019s government from 2021 to 2022, said that during the tenure of the current government \u201cthe lives of Jews in the Diaspora have been severely disrupted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been physical attacks on Jews worldwide, alongside antisemitic and anti-Israel activities, that have impacted Jewish life in every corner of the globe; the very least the Israeli government could do is to embrace the non-Orthodox movements,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthe State of Israel must offer every Jew the opportunity to hold ceremonies at the Western Wall plaza in a dignified and egalitarian manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel-Diaspora relations are not at the forefront of the Oct. 27 election campaign, nor are they a central theme of Israel\u2019s foreign policydebate. B\u2019Yachad is one of the few political parties in the running that has explicitly addressed the issue in its policy platform. It is also among the few to have published dedicated material in English, with the goal of reaching segments of world Jewry who also have a vested interest in the outcome of the vote.<\/p>\n
According to the plan, which was developed by B\u2019Yachad parliamentarian Michal Slawny Cababia, the party will establish a Diaspora Jewry Council, which will elect a permanent observer-level representative to the Knesset. The representative will join certain parliamentary committees dealing with Diaspora Jewry.<\/p>\n
Diaspora representation in the Knesset has long been a source of controversy. A 2020 legislative proposal to require consultation with Diaspora leaders on issues salient to the international Jewish community went nowhere.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019Yachad plan also includes an educational program to teach Israelis about Diaspora Jewish communities, the establishment of a National Authority for Combating Antisemitism, and an initiative to make the Hebrew language accessible to Jews around the world.<\/p>\n
Lapid said that the plan was \u201cabout giving world Jewry a voice at decision-making tables in Israel on issues that impact them and focusing on the fundamentals: showing basic respect to every stream, Hebrew education, programs to bring together young Israelis and Jews from around the world, and a task force to combat antisemitism professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the nation-state of the Jewish people and the capital of the Jewish world, Israel and its government have to lead on maintaining and strengthening these ties. In the new government, I want to take direct and personal responsibility for rebuilding the relationship,\u201d Lapid told JTA.<\/p>\n
A request for a response by JTA to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism regarding B\u2019Yachad\u2019s plan was not immediately answered. <\/p>\n