For Zehava Tesfay, the journey to Voice of the People (VOP) is rooted in a lifelong commitment to Jewish communities and social impact. With over 20 years of experience in migration, social welfare, and global Jewish engagement, Zehava has worked with leading organizations like the Jewish Agency, JDC, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Her passion lies in finding creative solutions to complex challenges—whether through policy, education, or direct community work.
At VOP, she’s taken on a pivotal role as a Project Manager in the Content Team, overseeing key initiatives that shape the council’s operations and ensure its long-term success. Her experience in cross-border collaboration and minority empowerment has uniquely positioned her to help build a framework where diverse Jewish voices can come together to address pressing challenges.
A Personal Connection to Global Jewish Impact
Zehava’s dedication to the Jewish people is deeply personal. Her parents were among the first Ethiopian Jews to make Aliyah, even before major immigration operations began. Growing up, she constantly heard about the role of North American Jewry in making her family’s journey to Israel possible, though it wasn’t until she got older that she fully grasped the depth of that global support. This realization fueled her passion for strengthening the connection between Jewish communities worldwide.
Her career has since spanned numerous initiatives that focus on both the Jewish world and marginalized communities in Israel. Whether training Jewish emissaries for North American communities or developing social programs for underserved populations, her work has always been about building bridges between people, cultures, and ideas.
Joining Voice of the People
After leading the Israeli delegation of the Jewish Agency and UJA-Federation of New York, Zehava returned to Israel knowing she wanted to continue working at the intersection of Jewish global engagement and social change. The opportunity to join VOP felt like a natural next step—an initiative unlike any other, bringing together a diverse council to address the most pressing challenges facing the Jewish people today.
“What drew me in was the chance to build something from the ground up—something that’s never been done before,” Zehava shares. “It’s challenging, but it’s also exciting to create a model that allows different perspectives to truly shape solutions.”
Her role focuses on strategic project management, ensuring that the 150 council members, 10 fellows, and 10 facilitators are equipped with the tools, training, and support they need to work effectively. She also oversees the VOP Fellowship Program, which identifies and nurtures young Jewish leaders, providing them with opportunities to engage in research, policy work, and hands-on collaboration with the council.
The Fellows: A New Generation of Jewish Leaders
One of Zehava’s biggest projects has been launching the VOP Fellowship Program—a highly selective initiative designed to train the next generation of Jewish leaders. Within just two weeks of opening applications, they received over 100 applicants from all over the world, showcasing the enthusiasm and commitment of young Jewish changemakers.
“The diversity of applicants was incredible,” she recalls. “It was inspiring to see young Jews from different backgrounds, experiences, and professional fields step up and say, ‘I want to be part of this.’”
The fellows play a crucial role in supporting the council’s work, from research and policy development to ensuring smooth communication between members. Beyond their formal responsibilities, the fellowship is designed to be a transformative experience—exposing them to high-level discussions, providing mentorship opportunities, and giving them the tools to drive change within their own communities.
“This program isn’t just about supporting the council—it’s about shaping the future,” Zehava emphasizes. “Some of these fellows may even go on to apply and be council members themselves, while others will take what they’ve learned and apply it in their professional and communal leadership.”
Trusting the Process, Embracing the Unknown
One of the most unique aspects of VOP, according to Zehava, is its open-ended approach. Unlike traditional organizations that set rigid goals from the outset, VOP embraces a process-driven model—allowing solutions to emerge organically through dialogue, research, and collaboration.
“We’re bringing together some of the brightest and busiest minds from across the Jewish world, but instead of handing them a blueprint, we’re asking them to trust the process—to challenge their assumptions, to sit in discomfort of the unknown, and to explore solutions that may not yet exist,” she explains.
This open-ended structure is both exciting and challenging. “For many council members, this is a new way of working,” she says. “They’re used to solving problems quickly. Here, we’re asking them to pause, reflect, and engage in a long-term process of discovery.”
But Zehava believes this is exactly what makes VOP so important. “We don’t know yet what will come out of this initiative—but that’s the beauty of it. We’re not just solving problems; we’re creating a new way of tackling them.”
What’s Next?
As VOP moves forward, Zehava is eager to see the initiative take shape. “In the coming months, I hope to see concrete progress from our first cohort—that the fellows will be deeply engaged, the council will have established its working rhythm, and that we’ll start seeing the seeds we planted begin to take root.”
More than anything, she hopes VOP will continue to grow into a space where open conversations—no matter how difficult—are embraced rather than avoided. “Too often, we shy away from tough discussions because we’re afraid of discomfort,” she says. “But the Jewish people have always thrived on debate and dialogue. If we want to solve the challenges ahead of us, we need to lean into that tradition and trust that through conversation, we can find a way forward.”
