| History - Jewish Agency through the Years |
| | |
| 1897 | First Zionist Congress |
| 1919 | Idea for a "Jewish agency" first suggested by Felix Frankfurter at the Versailles Conference |
| 1922 | League of Nations Mandate provides for a Jewish agency as a "public body under international law" |
| 1929 | Jewish Agency established. Zionists combine with non-Zionist notables |
| 1935 | Election of David Ben-Gurion as chairperson of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization and the Executive of the Jewish Agency |
| 1937 | Enlarged Jewish Agency collapses over statehood issue; United Jewish Appeal established |
| 1948 | Establishment of the state of Israel; State assumes many of the functions of the Jewish Agency |
| 1952 | Law of Status and Covenant signed for Jewish Agency and WZO |
| 1959 | Jewish Agency, Inc., established (until 1966 when it became United Israel Appeal, Inc.) |
| 1965 | Louis Pincus becomes Chairperson of the Jewish Agency Executive |
| 1969 | Conference on Human Needs leads to initiation of reconstitution process |
| 1971 | Jewish Agency reconstituted at initiative of Diaspora community leaders |
| 1979 | Signing of separate WZO and Jewish Agency covenants with government of Israel |
| 1981 | Caesarea Process inaugurated |
| 1983 | Max Fisher retires as Chairperson of the Board of Governors and Jerold Hoffberger succeeds him |
| 1984 | Summary of Report of the Governance Commission adopted |
| 1987 | Election of Mendel Kaplan as Chairman of the Board of Governors, Simcha Dinitz as Chairman of the Executive, and Meir Sheetrit as Treasurer |
| 1990 | Operation "Exodus" Creation of the Joint Authority for Jewish Zionist Education; Operation Solomon |
| 1993 | Partnership 2000 established; Hannan Ben Yehuda elected as Treasurer |
| 1995 | Election of Charles Goodman as Chairman of the Board of Governors, Avraham Burg as Chairman of the Executive |
| 1990 | Operation "Exodus"; Creation of the Joint Authority for Jewish Zionist Education |
| 1991 | Operation Solomon |
| 1993 | Partnership 2000 Established |
| 1995 | Election of Charles Goodman as Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Avraham Burg as Chairperson of the Executive |
| 1996 | Youth Aliyah activity transferred to Israel Ministry of Education |
| 1998 | JAFI Re-structures, eliminating Department Heads, designating four departments Aliyah and Klitah, Renewal and Development becomes Israel Department, FSU Unit becoming a Department, and the WZO and Joint Authority Education functions becoming absorbed into a new Jewish Zionist Education Department |
| 1999 | Election of Alex Grass as Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Sallai Meridor as Chairperson of the Executive, and Chaim Chesler as Treasurer |
| 2000 | Strategic Plan adopted, updating the Agency vision and
mission and repositioning JAFI as the Jewish Agency for
the Jewish People with Israel as its central focus. |
| 2001 | Despite the Intifada, close to 41,000 immigrants came to Israel this year. In addition, more than 8,000 participants came on Solidarity Missions to Israel from all over the world to demonstrate solidarity with Israel. |
