August 2025
In a summer month marked by travel, holidays, and delayed responses, the Council didn’t stall out, it recalibrated. The August checkpoint offered a quieter beat in the broader Council rhythm, but beneath the surface, key moments of clarity and progress emerged.
For Team 4, tackling polarization, Fellow Ben Wolkowicz reported that while each subgroup was moving at its own pace, both were locked in on the November finish line. One team is carefully tracking their next steps, aligning closely with the VoP roadmap. The other is working more independently, energized by internal momentum. Despite different approaches, both groups are gearing up for final pitches and hoping to hold dry runs by October. Ben raised a Council-wide truth with his team: sustaining momentum in a long-term process remains a challenge, especially during busier seasons.
Despite different approaches, both groups are gearing up for final pitches and hoping to hold dry runs by October.
Team 6, exploring Israel–Global Jewry relations, leaned into testing and comparison. They’ve moved from research and interviews into a structured decision-making phase. Fellow Daniel Mautner outlined their next steps: three ideas will be presented and evaluated in the next meeting using a shared framework. “Some team members have expressed frustrations with lack of clarity,” Daniel said, “but this was resolved in the last meeting and we have a clearer way forward.” He and Yotam plan to reconvene soon to regain momentum after a quieter few weeks.
Over in Team 9, which is exploring Jewish identity, Fellow Aharon Bekley shared that four subgroups are now advancing in parallel. Two are in the stakeholder-mapping phase, one is refining its concept, and one remains at an abstract stage. “We’ve understood the formula for meetings,” he said. “Give them a lot of time to work and share, while setting boundaries in terms of time and deliverables.” He’s also experimenting with regular, strategic outreach between meetings, sharing content or nudges to boost participation. “Seeing the CMs make progress in between meetings and hearing their fleshed-out ideas was a highlight,” he said.
Seeing the council members make progress in between meetings and hearing their fleshed-out ideas was a highlight this month.
For Team 2 on antisemitism, Fellow Ariel Grosman described strong core engagement The team has a defined initiative and is now weighing whether to present a pilot or stick to pitching the idea in November. “There’s very positive synergy within the core group.” He also raised a structural consideration: their initiative might need to be scaled down to ensure realistic implementation.
Meanwhile, Team 8 continued building momentum across two subgroups, one focused on India–Israel partnerships and another on Arab–Israeli business incubation. Fellow Orah Yokhanan noted strong participation and collaboration. “People have been open to backing good ideas even when they weren’t their own,” she said. Her team also welcomed a guest speaker, Indian journalist Pradeep, whose talk sparked rich dialogue on Hindu–Jewish alliances, interfaith narratives, and countering extremism. “What stood out,” Orah shared, “was how engaged the Arab–Israeli group was, even though the topic wasn’t their direct focus.”
Council members have been open to backing good ideas even when they weren’t their own
And in Team 3, also addressing polarization, fellow Gali Polichuk reflected on growing clarity. “We’re starting to build the specifics of our idea,” she said. Like many other groups, Team 3 faces the familiar challenge of drop-off between meetings: solid energy on Zoom, but slower follow-through in the weeks between.
August brought fewer fireworks, but plenty of groundwork. The Council’s middle phase is full of moments like these: refining, adjusting, negotiating pace and priorities. As November draws closer, that quiet persistence might be the most meaningful progress of all.
