Israel's Herzog vows to bridge Jewish divide in AP interview
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JERUSALEM -- Three years after he narrowly missed out on becoming prime minister of Israel, Isaac Herzog says he looks forward to becoming the "prime minister of the Jewish people" in his new role as chairman of the Jewish Agency.
The longtime Cabinet minister and outgoing opposition leader may be done with politics for now. But at a time of unprecedented strain between Israel and the more liberal Jewish Diaspora, the 57-year-old Herzog tells The Associated Press Monday he sees an even higher calling in heading the non-governmental organization devoted to bridging that gap.
Most American Jews belong to the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams and feel alienated by Israel's ultra-Orthodox authorities, who maintain a strict monopoly over daily Jewish life in the Holy Land and question their faith and practices.
