The Israel Hayom Summit returns to New York. On Nov. 11, the city will host Israel Hayom’s second summit, under the title “The Alliance Tested.” One year after the inaugural event, and at a time of major changes in Israel, the US and the Middle East, the conference will examine the future of relations between the two countries and Israel’s partnership with American Jewry.
Since the previous summit, the US-Israel alliance has faced a year of pivotal tests. The joint campaign against Iran demonstrated the depth of the security partnership and the willingness of both countries to act together in confronting the Iranian threat.
At the same time, the war in Gaza and the debate over Israeli policy have deepened divisions in the US political front, placing support for Israel at the center of the debate ahead of the midterm elections. Between cooperation on the battlefield and the struggle for public opinion, the past year has sharpened the question that will run through the summit: How can the strength of the alliance be preserved and its future secured amid a changing political and regional reality?
Hillary Clinton at the Israel Hayom Summit | Photo: Nir Arieli
Economy takes center stage
The summit will be held a week after the US midterm elections and shortly after Israel’s elections, providing an opportunity to assess the results and their implications for Israel. Discussions will examine the new balance of political power in Washington, Israel’s place on the US agenda and the ability to maintain broad support for the alliance between the two countries.
Economics and innovation will take a central place in this year’s program. Israeli companies traded on Wall Street, entrepreneurs building their operations in the US and investments linking the two countries will be at the heart of discussions on growth, fundraising and expansion in the US market.
The summit will also address Israel’s defense industry, artificial intelligence and cyber, fields where Israeli expertise, American capital and the needs of both countries converge.
Another major section will focus on American Jewry and its relationship with Israel. Alongside the fight against antisemitism, discussions will explore questions of identity and belonging, as well as the role of the younger generation in shaping the partnership. New York’s Jewish community, its leaders and emerging voices will be part of a broader conversation about the future of Jewish life in the US and ties with Israel in the years ahead.
“In a year when Israel and the US fought together against Iran, while at the same time support for Israel became an issue dividing American politics, the question of what the alliance will look like a decade from now has become an intensely practical one,” Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Omer Lachmanovitch said. “A week after the midterm elections, we will meet in New York to ask how we can broaden the consensus around support for Israel, expand the partnership through economics and technology, and bring into it a younger generation of American Jews for whom the connection to Israel can no longer be taken for granted.”