JERUSALEM, Israel | Voice of the People, the global Jewish leadership initiative founded by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, opened applications Tuesday for its second cohort, launching a worldwide search for 150 participants to work together on challenges facing Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.
Applications are open to Jewish candidates aged 21 and older who demonstrate leadership potential, have working proficiency in English, and are committed to the future of the Jewish people and Israel. The application deadline is Oct. 12, 2026.
The second cohort will follow the global structure established by the inaugural program. It will include 50 participants from Israel, 50 from the United States and Canada, and 50 from other Jewish communities worldwide.
The initiative is designed to bring together Jews from different countries, denominations, professions, generations and perspectives to build relationships, strengthen trust and develop practical responses to issues affecting Jewish communities.
President Herzog said the program reflects the importance of maintaining connections among Jewish communities despite differences in geography, tradition and outlook.
“The strength of the Jewish people has always come from our ability to remain connected across differences of geography, tradition and perspective,” Herzog said.
“As we open applications for the second Voice of the People cohort, I invite Jews from around the world to bring their voices, experiences and ideas to this growing global network, and to help shape our shared future together.”
The first cohort brought together 150 Jews from a broad range of countries, communities and professional backgrounds.
According to Voice of the People, more than 20 initiatives developed with support from the organization and its partners have since reached the proof-of-concept stage.
Organizers said relationships established through regular meetings and discussions during the inaugural cohort have also continued through new partnerships, initiatives and an active alumni network.
Amanda Miller, a member of the inaugural cohort, said the program gave her an opportunity to establish relationships with Jews internationally at a particularly challenging time for Israel and Diaspora communities.
“Voice of the People has given me meaningful connections with Jewish people globally,” Miller said. “At a time of immense challenges for both Israel and the Diaspora, being able to navigate them together, sharing our different perspectives and experiences, has been incredibly powerful.”
Noam Meirov, another member of the inaugural cohort, described the initiative as “an extraordinary platform for connecting with Jewish leadership worldwide and building relationships that can shape the future of our people.”
Search Focuses on Diverse Jewish Voices
Organizers say recruitment for the second cohort will place particular emphasis on diversity of perspective, experience and background.
Voice of the People is seeking applicants across professions, generations, denominations and communities. The initiative said it is looking not only for people who already hold formal leadership positions, but also candidates with community knowledge, expertise, creativity and lived experience who may not traditionally consider themselves Jewish leaders.
Shirel Dagan-Levy, CEO of Voice of the People, said lessons from the inaugural cohort demonstrated the potential for sustained relationships across different Jewish communities to generate broader collaboration.
“Our first cohort showed that when Jews with very different experiences and perspectives build trust and real relationships over time, those relationships can generate ideas, collaborations and opportunities that continue well beyond the cohort itself,” Dagan-Levy said.
“As we build the next cohort, we are looking beyond titles and traditional definitions of leadership. We want people with local knowledge, lived experience, expertise, creativity and a willingness to work with others, including people who may never previously have thought of themselves as Jewish leaders.”
She said the network draws strength from those differences and from participants’ willingness to bring them into “serious collaboration.”
AI Will Help Select 150 Participants
For the second time, Voice of the People plans to use a specially developed artificial intelligence algorithm as part of its candidate selection process.
According to the organization, the system will evaluate predetermined criteria intended to help create a diverse and representative cohort. Factors considered will include gender, religious affiliation, ethnicity, and community ties.
Selected participants will serve for 16 months.
The program will begin with participants sharing personal experiences and identifying challenges facing Jewish communities worldwide. Members will then form working groups around selected issues and use their professional knowledge and personal experience to develop proposals.
Those proposals will subsequently move into an accelerator phase intended to turn ideas into initiatives and practical action.
The final stage will evaluate the cohort’s work, identify lessons from the process and determine what can be carried forward into the broader Voice of the People network.
After completing the 16-month program, participants will join the organization’s permanent alumni network, allowing relationships and projects developed during the cohort to continue.
Applications for the second cohort are available through the Voice of the People application portal
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