The chairman of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, Michael Siegal, arrived in Israel on Thursday to begin the process of replacing Isaac Herzog as the Agency chairman
Herzog will be sworn in as president on July 7. The technical process of replacing him is expected to take time and may not be completed until the board of governors convenes in October.
A 10-member selection committee that will choose Herzog’s successor has not yet been appointed. The support of nine of the 10 members would be needed for approval of a new chairman, followed by the confirmation of the full board.
Siegal will be meeting multiple candidates to replace Herzog, including Intelligence Services Minister Elazar Stern and Israel’s former consul-general in New York, Dani Dayan. He will also be meeting with Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Lapid supports Stern to receive the post and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has spoken to Lapid about the matter, would not oppose the appointment. But Herzog was chosen regardless of then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition, and the selection committee can pick any candidate who receives enough support.
The Agency’s executive board will be convened on Monday. But it is unclear how much the board will get into the issue.
The selection committee will be led by World Zionist Organization chairman Yaakov Hagoel and will include four more WZO members, among them representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements. There will also be two representatives of Keren Hayesod and three from the Jewish Federations of North America, including Siegal. Hagoel, who plays a powerful role, is said to be pushing the candidacy of former ambassador to the United Nation Danny Danon, a close political ally.
Dayan, who will be meeting with Siegal on Friday, said he sees the Agency as a mission for the Jewish people and he cares deeply about the Diaspora.
“I hope I will be able to serve in the position to deepen the bond between Israel and the Jewish people,” he said. “I hear a lot of news about political deals. I am not part of political deals. I am here to serve, and if I will be chosen, I’ll be glad. If not, I’m sure I’ll find an avenue to serve the causes that I believe in.”
Dayan was referring to a report on Channel 12 that the Likud is pushing for Danon to get the job and to give former Blue and White minister Omer Yankelevich the chairmanship of Keren Hayesod, the fundraising arm for Israel around the world, excluding the US.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz wants Yankelevich to receive the post, which was allocated to Blue and White in the World Zionist Organization coalition agreement. But Keren Hayesod trustees want to keep their current chairman Sam Grundwerd, and they have gone to court to try to keep him in the post.
A source close to Yankelevich said she has not presented herself as a candidate and she is not working on it.
Danon’s office said he is well acquainted with the significance of the Jewish Agency due to his many roles, from being an emissary of the agency to the United States and a member of the board of governors to his activities at the UN, to his current position as chairman of the World Likud.
“During the years in which he represented Israel in these positions, Danon was exposed to the significant role of the agency as a bridge and connector between Jews from all around the world,” his office said.