Elazar Stern is the most likely Herzog successor at the Jewish Agency
Elazar Stern, who is orthodox but liberal, is viewed favorably by the Reform and Conservative movements, who have influence in choosing who gets the post.
By GIL HOFFMANMK Elazar Stern(photo credit: COURTESY/OFFICE OF MK ELAZAR STERN)President-elect Isaac Herzog will vacate the lucrative post of chairman of the Jewish Agency when he replaces Reuven Rivlin on July 9.A 10-member selection committee will soon be chosen by the Agency’s Board of Governors. 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.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 would also be two representatives of Keren Hayesod and three from the Jewish Federations of North America, including Board of Governors chairman Michael Siegal.Siegal will be coming to Israel later this month to oversee the process.“We at the Jewish Agency are all very proud and excited to witness our chairman of the executive being elected President of the State of Israel,” Siegal said. “His years of service have prepared him well for the next opportunity to serve Israel and the Jewish people. We will soon begin a process to elect the next chairman under the guidance of the bylaws of the Jewish Agency. There are many outstanding candidates and we will explore them all, as we elected Isaac Herzog, I expect we will find the best replacement.”Possible candidates whose names have been raised by members of the board of governors include Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, former New York Consul-General Dani Dayan, former ambassadors to the United Nations Ron Prosor and Danny Danon, former MKs Nachman Shai and Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahum, and Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, who retired from his post as executive director of the Institute for National Security Studies on May 1.Political experience is considered essential for a successor to Herzog, because of the need to partner with the government in funding key projects. Whoever will be prime minister and alternate prime minister will not have an influence on the selection of the new Agency chairman, just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not involved in any way in Herzog’s selection.But having strong connections to the new government would be seen as an asset, giving a boost to the candidacy of Stern, who maintains good relations across the political spectrum and has been an MK since 2013. Stern attained the rank of major-general in the IDF and has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Tel Aviv University and Northwestern University.Stern, who is orthodox but liberal, is viewed favorably by the Reform and Conservative movements, who will have a lot of influence in choosing who gets the post.Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has not left many cabinet posts for members of his own party in coalition talks. Stern’s departure could help aid the logjam of ministerial hopefuls inside Yesh Atid.
Whoever becomes chairman of the Jewish Agency will work closely with whoever becomes minister of Diaspora Affairs. The coalition agreement the Labor Party signed with Yesh Atid gives Labor the post.Labor leader Merav Michaeli has declined to say who she would choose for the post. Candidates include former MK Nachman Shai, whose name has also been raised for the Agency post, and current MKs Emilie Moatti and Rabbi Gilad Kariv.
