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The 2025 conference comes at a particularly turbulent moment for the Israeli public: a war fought on multiple fronts, nights spent in bomb shelters, soldiers in active combat zones, displaced families, wounded individuals undergoing rehabilitation and hostages who have yet to return — a collective national trauma that has left a deep imprint.
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Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth's People of Israel Conference
Alongside the grief and pain, the past year also has revealed remarkable strength: widespread civilian mobilization, rare mutual responsibility, and acts of heroism and recovery that have showcased the power of solidarity. The conference takes place just days before Israel’s 77th Independence Day, and this year it centers on hope — as a vision, a core value, and a way forward.
The event is hosted by journalists Alexandra Lukash and Sharon Kidon, and opened with a performance by singer Boaz Sharabi. Immediately afterward, Israeli President Isaac Herzog took the stage for a special interview with Yedioth Ahronoth journalist Chen Artzi Sror.
Later in the day, the main stage is welcoming public figures who played a central role in Israel’s national conversation over the past year: Oren Smadja, Israel’s national judo coach who lost his son Omer in the war; Premier League referee Sapir Berman; renowned photojournalist Ziv Koren; and Yonatan Shamiraz, brother of Alon z”l who was killed in Hamas captivity and founder of the initiative "Kumu" (Rise).
Among the many participants at the conference are: Yifat Ovadia Luski, Chair of the KKL-JNF Board of Directors; Haim Bibas, mayor of Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut and chairman of Israel’s Federation of Local Authorities; Yaffa Ben-David, Secretary-General of the Teachers’ Union; Professor Zion Hagay, chairman of the Israeli Medical Association; Shevi Shamir, head of the Retail Division at Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank; Ido Sharir, CEO of Reut Rehabilitation Hospital; Brig. Gen. (res.) Nissim Peretz, CEO of Netivei Israel; Yaron Ohayon, director of KKL-JNF’s Land Development Division; Lt. Col. (res.) Yaron Buskila, CEO of “The Securityists”; Tomer Zeltzer, deputy head of the Retail Division at Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank; Shar-Shalom Jerbi, head of Education and Community at KKL-JNF; Karen Lev, CEO of the Amal Educational Network; Noa Tal, head of Planning Division at KKL-JNF’s Education Department; and Liat Shochat, mayor of Or Yehuda.