Jewish Agency Chairman Yitzhak Herzog told the Jewish Federation of North America's General Assembly in Tel Aviv, Tuesday, “The central challenge facing Israel is how to ensure its long-term existence as a Jewish-democratic state. This challenge has three dimensions: the first is to reach peace with our neighbors based on two state solution. The second is to address the internal strife that has driven the one people of Israel into the famous four tribes. And the third is to define a new and enlightened Zionist identity, that will endow us with both the spirit and the ethos of a thriving open democracy, together with an open, robust, and meaningful Judaism.
Saying,“Our first act should be to find a common language," Herzog added, "We must enable every young Jewish person in the world to learn Hebrew. Hence, I hereby call upon the State of Israel to honor its commitment and pledge to take care of the Jewish people in the diaspora by allocating a substantial share of its annual budget to a national enterprise of spreading and teaching Hebrew all over the Jewish world." He concluded, "Our beautiful language can serve as a tool for unity.”