A journalist from Manchester has been selected to serve on Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s “Voice of the People” council, a monthly meeting of Jewish people from around the world to address issues important to global Jewry.
Josh Aronson, 38, is one of 150 Jewish individuals selected for the initiative, which aims to strengthen ties and forge new connections between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.
The council, which will convene online once a month, will also seek to develop practical solutions to some of the diaspora’s chief concerns, from antisemitism and countering misinformation in the digital age to showcasing all the good Israel has to offer the world.
The topics of discussion will be based on the findings of surveys distributed to the entire Jewish diaspora, while the ideas developed within will be advanced with the support of research assistants, ultimately reaching the desk of Herzog himself as creator of the initiative.
The first meeting will take place on February 9, with Herzog attending, while the second will be in person in Haifa. The “immensely excited” Aronson hopes that through his two-year appointment to the council he will be able to assist in projects that will both “showcase Israel’s beauty and my commitment to Zionism.
“Like Herzl, I also envision an egalitarian and inclusive world. I hope that within the framework of this project, I can contribute to the realisation of this vision.”
Born into a large Charedi family in Sunderland, Aronson, who is on the autism spectrum, is the seventh of 14 siblings. He is a diaspora correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, does lots of volunteer work and holds a position on the board of directors for the Zionist Federation of Great Britain. He says he has always felt a “deep connection” to the Jewish State and a “desire to serve” it.
“Through my appointment to the council I hope to bring back that pride in Zionism, particularly in the younger generation.
"At the moment, young people have lost the essence of Zionism, and I want to bring that back, igniting in them the same love and passion I have for Israel,” he said.
Josh Aronson (Credit: Eli Itkin)
Aronson’s relationship with the Israeli president goes back several years, having first been introduced to him through his work at UJIA.
In the years since, Herzog has invited Aronson to visit him on multiple occasions while in the country, and even called him on the day of Aronson’s wedding three years ago to wish him mazel tov.
Selection to the council was application-based and decided by the President’s Residence, with many hundreds if not thousands of applicants.
In a statement announcing the successful applicants, Herzog said he was “confident that the Voice of the People initiative will initiate a transformative process that will lay a solid foundation not only for the present but also for the future of the entire Jewish people.
“Precisely at this time, when the challenges facing our people are greater than ever before, we must come together, think, listen, discuss, and act – together.”
The initiative, established in April 2023 amid “growing polarisation between and within” Jewish communities, represents a collaboration between the President’s Residence, the World Zionist Organisation, and the Jewish Agency.
