Three decades after it began sending Israeli educators to Jewish communities worldwide, Torah MiTzion marked its 30th anniversary this past week with a celebration in Jerusalem attended by hundreds of former emissaries, community leaders, immigrants, and supporters.
The gathering at the International Convention Center on Tuesday brought together generations of Israelis who served in Jewish communities abroad through the religious-Zionist organization, founded in 1996 to strengthen Jewish identity, Torah education, and ties between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
Over the past 30 years, Torah MiTzion has established a network of religious study centers and community programs in more than 20 countries.
According to the organization, approximately 1,700 emissaries have participated in its overseas activities, including married Torah scholars, yeshiva students, and young women undertaking national service.
Reflecting on careers dedicated to the Jewish diaspora
The anniversary celebration, held under the theme “Past, Present, and Future,” gave former emissaries a chance to reconnect and reflect on their experiences living and working in Jewish communities overseas.
“Over three decades, we have succeeded in building a living, human, and enduring bridge between us and Jewish communities in the Diaspora,” said Torah MiTzion founder and executive director Ze’ev Schwartz.
Schwartz credited the organization’s achievements to cooperation among Jewish communities, donors, educational institutions, and the emissaries themselves.
“The Jerusalem Prize and this 30-year milestone reflect an extraordinary collective effort by community leaders, philanthropists, educational institutions, and above all, our remarkable emissaries, who answered the call and worked with tremendous dedication for our brothers and sisters overseas,” he said.
Remembering a fallen emissary
Among the participants was Rachel Goldberg, whose husband, Rabbi Avi Goldberg, was killed while serving as an IDF reserve officer in southern Lebanon in October 2024.
The couple had previously served as Torah MiTzion emissaries in Memphis, Tennessee. Rabbi Goldberg later became a teacher at Jerusalem’s Himmelfarb High School, where he taught Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered in Hamas captivity in Gaza.
The anniversary program included Rachel Goldberg’s participation and a tribute featuring a recording of her late husband speaking about the meaning of serving Jewish communities abroad, as well as musical performances by members of the Goldberg family.
The tribute connected the organization’s history of educational work overseas with the personal losses experienced by its extended community during Israel’s wars.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion also attended the event and praised the organization’s contribution to strengthening connections between Israel and Jews worldwide.
“For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem,” Lion said, quoting the biblical verse from which the organization takes its name.
From Jewish education to public service
Government Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, a former Torah MiTzion emissary, reflected on how his overseas experience shaped his later career.
“I would never have reached my current mission as cabinet secretary without the mission I undertook with Torah MiTzion,” Fuchs said. “It simply changes the course of your life.”
Fuchs, who previously served as an emissary in Memphis, said the experience helped him develop a broader sense of responsibility toward the Jewish people.
“Instead of focusing on building your own home and life, you suddenly realize that you need to act on behalf of the people, the nation, the Jewish people in the Diaspora and in Israel,” he said. “And that has stayed with me to this day.”
Journalist Sarah Beck, a former Torah MiTzion emissary, hosted the evening, which included accounts from participants about their experiences abroad and the relationships they maintained with Jewish communities long after returning to Israel.
The organization’s leadership also presented plans to expand its network of emissaries and establish new partnerships with Jewish communities worldwide.
The celebration concluded with participants gathering for a group photograph commemorating the organization’s three decades of activity, bringing together emissaries and alumni from different generations.
Torah MiTzion received the Jerusalem Prize in 2016 for its efforts to strengthen Jewish identity and connections with Israel.
Its leadership said the anniversary would serve as an opportunity to expand its educational work in the coming years.