Voices of Israel – Together for Israel

Kela Shlomo was renamed Concert in 2018 and later, Voices of Israel in 2021. 'Voices of Israel has a joint venture agreement with the State of Israel led by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combat Antisemitism.'https://web.archive.org/web/20241003105324/https://voicesofisrael.org/en/who-we-are/<ref>
==About==
Voices of Israel describe themselves as a non-partisan, apolitical organisation that funds and partners with a broad range of Israeli and international NGOs, with the common goal of strengthening the positive perception of the state of Israel and combating hare speech and incitement around the world. Voices of Israel has stated that their activities are part of a joint venture with the State of Israel, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs<ref> Voices of Israel. Mission "Voices of Israel". Accessed on 7 October 2022. . This project was previously called Concert - Together for Israel which operated in conjunction with the now closed Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy. Haaretz Editorial. A Concert of Shame. "Haaretz". Accessed on 5 October 2022.
In August 2022, The Jerusalem Post reported that Concert - Together for Israel (originally called Solomon's Sling) legally moved from the Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy and is now operating under the name Voices for Israel under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Minister Idan Roll. Zvika Klein, , Israel's Foreign Ministry quietly launches re-branded hasbara org, archived on 3 October 2022 . According to The Jerusalem Post Voices of Israel will operate with a four year budget of NIS 100 million with the hope that this will be matched by private donors. Concert - Together for Israel had an annual budget of NIS 100 million.
Voices of Israel's new CEO Lior Weintraub is a former diplomat in India and Washington, and served as vice-president of The Israel Project as well as a lecturer on diplomacy and communications at Reichman University. According to Voices of Israel, its mission is "“recognizing that the State of Israel’s international legitimacy is a national security issue of the highest order,” According to an official document. “VOI’s long-term mission is to strengthen Israel’s legitimacy and to minimize the impact among key audiences of the delegitimization campaign against it." According to internal documents Voices of Israel will focus on data and polling, advancing the Abraham Accords, boosting influencer visits to Israel, social media and collaboration on media strategy in 2022.
According to the Chair of Voices of Israel, Micah Avni the goal of the project "has been to establish a platform that can empower the pro-Israel world in strengthening its messaging, its voices, [and] its ability to communicate Israel’s narratives to the world.”. According to Idan Roll, “Concert was a good idea with a problematic execution,” Roll told the Post. “After a year of hard work to correct deficiencies and strategic change, I am proud to relaunch this company under its new name: [[Voices of Israel], Cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and civilian organizations is a force multiplier in strengthening Israel in the international arena".
According to a report by Lee Fang and Jack Poulson:
:Last November, just weeks into the war in Gaza, Amichai Chikli, a brash, 42-year-old Likud minister in the Israeli government, was called into the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to brief lawmakers on what could be done about rising anti-war protests from young people across the United States, especially at elite universities.
:“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now, that I think we should, especially in the United States, be on the offensive,” argued Chikli.
:Chikli has since led a targeted push to counter critics of Israel. The Guardian has uncovered evidence showing how Israel has relaunched a controversial entity as part of a broader public relations campaign to target US college campuses and redefine antisemitism in US law.
:Seconds after a smoke alarm subsided during the hearing, Chikli assured the lawmakers that there was new money in the budget for a pushback campaign, which was separate from more traditional public relations and paid advertising content produced by the government. It included 80 programs already under way for advocacy efforts “to be done in the ‘Concert’ way”, he said.https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/israel-fund-us-university-protest-gaza-antisemitism
==Activities==
*April 26, 2022 Ministry of Foreign Affairs joint event with Voices of Israel project in "the old city of Jerusalem and around Temple Mount: Seeing with our own eyes the efforts of @israel to maintain freedom of worship for all." Ido Daniel. With members of DigiTell Network, Israel’s Influencers Dream Team and Voices of Israel project. "Twitter". Accessed on 1 October 2022.
==Staff==
*Lior Weintraub - CEO Voices of Israel. Our People. "Voices of Israel". Accessed on 7 October 2022.
*Micah Avni - Chair
*Smadar Haviv - Finance Director
*Sharon Banyon - Vice President (June 2022 - Present) Sharon Banyan. Experience. "LinkedIn". Accessed 20 October 2022.
*Navah Edelstein - Vice President (July 2021 - May 2022) Navah Edelstein. Experience. "LinkedIn". Accessed 21 October 2022. 
*Faran Raz Faran Raz. Experience. "LinkedIn". Accessed 3 October 2022. 
==Projects==
Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy | National Black Empowerment Council | CyberWell (formerly Global ARC or Global Antisemitism Research Centerhttps://web.archive.org/web/20221003134157/https://cyberwell.org/post/a-new-year-a-new-global-arc/)https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/israel-fund-us-university-protest-gaza-antisemitism
*Keshet David, which is Hebrew for “David’s Bow.” AKA Israel Cyber Shield/Innovative Collaboration Strategies/Keshet David Research and Information Ltd. Also linked by personnel to Argyle Consulting Group.
===Selected projects===
Leaders of Tomorrow | Hasbara Fellowships | Conexion Israel | Heroes for Life| ELNET | ISRAEL-ishttps://web.archive.org/web/20240912175337/https://voicesofisrael.org/en/portfolio/
==Resources==
*https://www.leefang.com/p/pro-israel-group-censoring-social
==Notes==