Tsai made his comments at an event in Basel, Switzerland, organized by the World Zionist Organization, to mark the 125th anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, where Zionist leader Theodor Herzl laid the groundwork for the formation of the state of Israel 51 years later. “Here 125 years ago, Herzl walked the streets of Basel and articulated his vision. He reached out to leaders and influential Jews around the world to build support for a task that seemed impossible—the creation of a state for the Jewish people. Without the Jews of the Diaspora, the state of Israel probably would not have been established,” Shai said. “Today, 125 years after that pivotal conference, the paradigm has changed. The State of Israel is thriving and leading in many areas – and now is the time to ask what Israel can do to ensure the destiny of the Jewish people and Jewish resilience around the world,” he said. Appropriating a quote from former US President John F. Kennedy, the Diaspora Affairs Minister urged Israel to “Ask not what the Diaspora can do for Israel – ask what Israel can do for the Diaspora.” Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms In the speech, Shai also addressed the long-running debate over the role Jews outside of Israel play in the country’s policies. Although foreign Jews played a key role in the formation of the state and its continued existence, they do not have the right to vote in Israel and thus have no official voice in the country’s decision-making processes. American Jewish leader Jacob Blaustein, left, speaks with then-Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, in an undated photo. (Ben Gurion Archive) The Diaspora minister spoke specifically of an agreement between Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion and American Jewish leader Jacob Blaustein, which struck a “delicate balance between involvement and non-interference.” This largely meant that American Jews were encouraged to engage with the nascent state from a certain distance, and Israel in turn would not seek too strongly to entice them to immigrate. Shai called for Israel and Diaspora Jews to create a new “Blaustein-Ben-Gurion” agreement to encourage greater participation and engagement between the two communities. “Instead of staying on the sidelines, we need an engaging relationship,” Shai said. “It is our duty, as a state and as a government, to find ways to incorporate the voices of world Jewry into the decision-making process within the State of Israel. Many of the decisions we make in Jerusalem affect not only the citizens of Israel, but also Jewish communities around the world,” he said. Sai was referring specifically to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Western Wall compromise, a long-stalled deal that would have given non-Orthodox streams of Judaism official representation in the administration of the holy site. With the Reform and Conservative movements representing the majority of American Jews, this issue remains an obstacle to improving ties between American Jews and Israel, as was seen this summer after Israeli police allowed Orthodox extremists to disrupt a number of Jewish mitzvah ceremonies in bars and bats at the even section of the Western Wall, known in Hebrew as the Kotel. “The Kotel issue is a bleeding wound that we, as a society, must repair. I say this not as a politician, but as an Israeli and a Jew. Under no circumstances should such a rift happen,” Shai said. Ultra-Orthodox youths disrupt a bar mitzvah ceremony at the equality section of the Western Wall on June 30, 2022. (Laura Ben-David) The World Zionist Organization event began on Sunday and was scheduled to continue through Tuesday. About 1,400 guests were expected at the gathering, according to organizers. Speakers will include President Isaac Herzog. Miriam Adelson; Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who now heads SoftBank’s operations in Israel. The chairman of the Jewish Agency Doron Almog. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. and Baroness Ariane De Rothschild, chairman of the board of the Edmond de Rothschild Group, among others. The conference marks 125 years since the three-day First Zionist Congress of 1897, at which Theodor Herzl addressed more than 200 delegates from around the world. After the conference, Herzl wrote that “In Basle, [he] founded the Jewish state,” a claim that would come true 51 years later. “Many of us were born into the reality of the State of Israel existing as a sovereign, strong, Jewish and value-based entity,” WZO President Yaakov Hagoel said in a press statement. “But just five generations ago, it was a distant dream. In a meeting room in Basel, the hearts of the delegates of the First Zionist Congress were stirred, paving the way for the establishment of the Jewish state.’ You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. 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