The Schmooze
It’s more urgent than ever to strengthen ties between Israeli and diaspora youth
The World Jewish-Zionist Youth Congress showed we can still build a sense of belonging
January 12, 2026 08:29
2 min read
The World Jewish-Zionist Youth Congress showed we can still build a sense of belonging
January 12, 2026 08:29It has been two difficult years since October 7. Grief, strain and argument have touched every Jewish community, both here in Israel and in the diaspora. In that atmosphere, it’s easy to lower our expectations for the next generation. Then I stood in Herzl’s city and watched 300 teens and 50 educators from Israel and the Diaspora prove otherwise.
The World Jewish-Zionist Youth Congress took place on 29 November 2025. And as we close out the year, especially after the tragedy at Bondi, the need for initiatives like this feels more urgent than ever.
In Budapest, at the World Jewish-Zionist Youth Congress, the teens did more than meet. Over four days they drafted a Global Jewish-Zionist Youth Charter and elected a standing Global Youth Council. They argued, listened, rewrote and voted. The room felt like a small answer to a large question: after everything, can we still build belonging and responsibility? The answer I saw was yes.
The setting mattered. Budapest is Herzl’s birthplace and an echo of the first Zionist congress. That history wasn’t just symbolic but served a purpose. These teens were deciding what they wanted to stand for, in a place that asks you to think in generations, not news cycles.
What actually worked was simple. When young people share language, they relax and hear each other. When they share story, they can disagree without walking away. And when they carry real responsibility - putting their names next to text, electing peers - they grow into the role. At Masa Yisraeli – I Belong Israel we’ve learned for years that when teens travel, learn and serve together, leadership emerges. Budapest applied that lesson at scale.
The congress itself was a state initiative of Israel’s Ministry of Education with national partners, operated with Gesher, Netaim and Masa Yisraeli. That mix allowed us to welcome many teens while keeping the work human and concrete. But the heart of it was the teens. I watched them turn “peoplehood” from a slogan into an actionable item.
Success is not measured only by what happened in Budapest – it will be measured by what happens next. A second stage is already scheduled for 29 November 2026 in Israel, where these teens will present community projects, travel to key sites and continue the learning journey they began together. In parallel, we plan the first “Masa Yisraeli – I Belong Israel” joint journey of Diaspora and Israeli youth - a week from the Negev to Jerusalem that puts the same three ingredients on the ground: shared language, shared story and real responsibility.
Why does this matter now? Because isolation and confusion have been real since October 7. Belonging creates clarity and courage. When teens have tasks that are public, they move from spectators to stakeholders. That shift is the repair our communities need.
I left Budapest with gratitude - and with a short list. Keep creating rooms where teens can do serious work together. Keep the language bridge strong. Give them outcomes that are theirs to own, and dates on the calendar to return to. Then show up again and do the next piece with them.
If you lead a school, movement, synagogue or a JSoc, you don’t need a congress to begin. Start small: bring local teens into regular contact with a partner cohort in Israel. Give them a shared mission. Ask for a public outcome. Help them disagree well. It’s ordinary work that changes people.
Budapest served as a reminder that responsibility is teachable, that unity is not uniformity, and that young Jews are ready to carry more than we sometimes ask of them. The task now is to match their readiness with structure and follow-through.
From Budapest to Israel next year, and from there to communities everywhere, the path is clear. If we keep working this way, we will grow a generation that remembers our past and is ready to write our future.
Masa Yisraeli – I Belong Israel is a six-day identity journey that brings Israeli and Diaspora youth together for a shared experience in Israel, followed by structured follow-on back home so the connection becomes real responsibility and action in local communities.
Uri Cohen is the Founding CEO of Masa Yisraeli – I Belong Israel
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