1897     First Zionist Congress. WZO established.

 

1901     Jewish National Fund established.

 

1919    Idea for a "Jewish Agency" first suggested by Felix Frankfurter at the Versailles Conference.

 

1920     Keren Hayesod established.

 

1922   League of Nations Mandate provides for a Jewish Agency as a "public body under international law".

 

1929    Jewish Agency established.

 

1935  Election of David Ben Gurion as Chairperson of the Jewish Agency Executive and Chairperson of WZO Executive.

 

1937     United Jewish Appeal established.

 

1948 Establishment of the State of Israel; many of Jewish Agency functions transferred to the Israeli Government.

 

 

1952   Status Law is legislated and Covenant signed for Jewish Agency and WZO with the Government of Israel.

 

1959 Jewish Agency, Inc., established in the USA (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 JAFI Reconstitution process.

 

1971   Jewish Agency reconstituted as separate organization from WZO at the initiative of Diaspora community leaders; Board of Governors established with Max Fisher as Founding Chair.

 

1978  Project Renewal established by Prime Minister Begin and Max Fisher.

 

1979  Signing of separate WZO and Jewish Agency covenants with the Government of Israel.

 

1981    Caesarea JAFI reorganization Process inaugurated.

 

1983 Max Fisher retires as Chairperson of the Board of Governors and Jerold Hoffberger succeeds him.

 

1984    Operation "Moses".

 

1987 Election of Mendel Kaplan as Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Simcha Dinitz as Chairperson of the Executive.

 

1990 Operation "Exodus"; Creation of the Joint Authority for Jewish Zionist Education.

 

1991 Operation “Solomon”.

 

1994 Partnership 2000 established; “Naaleh” program established. Within the program youth from the FSU are brought to Israel without their families in order to encourage their parents to follow their footsteps

 

1995 Election of Charles Goodman as Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Avraham Burg as Chairperson of the Executive.

 

1996 Most  Youth Aliyah activity transferred to Israel Ministry of Education.

 

1998 Jewish Agency re-structures, eliminating Department Heads, designating four departments: Aliyah and Klitah, Renewal and Development becomes Israel Department, FSU Unit becoming a Department, and Joint Authority Education functions becoming absorbed into a new Jewish Zionist Education Department. All employees report to professional Director General.

 

1999   Election of Alex Grass as Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Sallai Meridor as Chairperson of the Executive. United Jewish Communities established in the United States.

 

2000 Strategic Plan adopted, updating the Agency vision and mission and repositioning Jewish Agency as the Jewish Agency for the Jewish People with Israel at its centre.

 

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 ; Launching of Israel Emergency Campaign that raised $360 Million for Israel through UJC and Keren Hayesod.

 

2002 Jewish Agency Board of Governors undergoes a major transformation with representatives of Israeli society and American leadership federations joining the Board; Fund for Victims of Terror established by the Agency, UJC and KH. The fund assists over 700 families with more then $20 million in special assistance.

 

2003  Election of Carole Solomon as Chairperson of the Board of Governors; some 25,000 immigrants come to Israel; Jewish People Policy Planning Institute established to deal with professional planning and strategic thought of issues that concern the Jewish people and Israel for the short and long terms.

 

2004 In October 2004, after extensive work, research and planning, the Board of Governors approved a comprehensive new Strategic Plan for an overall organizational change that includes focusing its work; upgrading its performance; and increasing financial resources to support its vital work.

 

2005 Election of Zeev Bielski as the Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency; Launching of "Youth Futures" and  MASA, a new and innovative partnership between the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency; Launching of UJC's Operation Promise, an initiative to raise $160 million to help poor elderly Jews and build Jewish identity in the former Soviet Union, and to bring the Falashmura to Israel and help them assimilate into Israeli society.

 

2006     The Agency launched special activities as a response to the 2nd Lebanon War such as moving the Children to Safety, moving olim from absorption centres to safer areas, protection and improvement of conditions; Special Emergency Campaign was launched by UJC and KH in order to assist the North. Some $346M were raised; The Jewish Agency launched "The Day After" plan.

 

2007 Election of Richie Pearlstone as Chairperson of the Board of Governors; some 20,000 immigrants came to Israel; The Jewish Agency formulates a service covenant that defines the service values the organization is committed for.

 

2008 Jewish Agency Awarded Prestigious Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement for a special contribution for the Israeli society and the State of Israel, at the State's 60th anniversary.

 

2009 Natan Sharansky, a former prisoner of Zion and  a Senior Israeli Government Minister, who became the symbol of the movement to free Soviet Jewry, elected as Chairperson of the Jewish Agency Executive; the Jewish Agency marks 80 years of achievements; the Jewish Agency Assembly and Board of Governors approved historic and far-reaching changes in Governance that guarantee financial and organizational independence for the WZO, and important changes in JAFI Governance.