Once Every Four Years, We Gather

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Day 1 | Monday, November 16 — Building Bridges

 

• Pre-conference retreat: JCC Global "From Good to Great" participants arrive

• Welcome evening and dinner: An off-site cultural experience at Feel Beit- a unique cultural center that builds human bridges, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. The evening will feature a Jewish scholar/chef that will highlight Jewish values and food.

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Day 2 | Tuesday, November 17 — Jerusalem as Classroom

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• Morning workshops: “The Road We Travelled” - Analyzing Our Partnership Journey and final preparations for the JCC Global Partnership Gallery (see separate document on this program segment.)

• Lunch

• Thematic tours: Immersive experiences across Jerusalem's civic, cultural, and community initiatives, in partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem Region of the Israel Association of Community Centers

• Transition to World Conference

• JCC Global Partnership Gallery (see separate document)

• Festive opening: The 11th World Conference officially begins with opening ceremonies and dinner, celebrating 50 years of JCC Global, with a keynote speaker

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Day 3 | Wednesday, November 18 — Global Dialogue & Connection

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• Opening plenary: “Stories of JCC Resilience” from around the world with Mishy Harman of the Israel Story.

• Small group work: "For Everything There is a Season" Ecclesiastes (Kohelet). Using a current lens we will explore the third chapter of this ancient text of contrasts, through contemporary artistic interpretations, through text study, discussion, and a hands-on art activity with Kol Haot

• Lunch

• Presentation and workshop: "Peoplehood in Practice: Building the Jewish Public Square". For many communities, Israel is a foundation for bringing up the next generations. But for some it can still be a challenging and confusing topic in Jewish life. Join Zack Bodner, President and CEO of the Oshman Family JCC, as he challenges that instinct. Drawing on deeply-rooted Jewish values, we’ll explore how to reimagine Diaspora-Israel relations and how the Z3 framework might serve as a powerful tool for building connected, future-oriented Jewish communities. Together, we’ll examine how anchoring our conversations in three shared values can strengthen peoplehood, deepen relationships, and recommit us to a vision of a shared Jewish future.

• Cultural closing evening: An off-site evening event celebrating Israeli culture as a bridge across communities, including a keynote speaker.

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Day 4 | Thursday, November 19 — From Here to There

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• Conference-wide thematic tours, in partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem Region of the Israel Association of Community Centers

• Closing – “Rooted Here. Transforming There. Starting Now.”

• Departures