Jewish Federations of North America Ends Ties With Consultant Who Advised Avoiding ‘Zionism’ at Minneapolis, Minnesota, Youth Retreat

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) held its annual youth leadership retreat in Minneapolis on August 4, 2026. According to a JNS report, Matthew Berger, executive director of the Project Halo communications initiative, advised attendees to “avoid ‘Zionism'” in messaging about Israel. The recommendation appeared on a slide in a presentation focused on effective messages about Israel.

An attendee described the event as a “cabinet retreat” for the Federation’s National Young Leadership Cabinet and asked where avoiding the term would end. JNS later reported the advice in an exclusive story, describing Berger as the executive director of JFNA’s Project Halo and saying he had told conference attendees to avoid the term in their messaging about Israel during a presentation at the JFNA National Young Leadership Cabinet Retreat.

JFNA then announced that it had ended its professional relationship with a communications consultant following that report. JFNA’s associate vice president for external communications, Niv Elis, said the presentation was developed by a Project Halo consultant rather than by JFNA itself, and that it does not reflect the organization’s stance on Zionism.

A report in the Jewish Press gave a somewhat different account of the consultant’s status. It said JFNA had concluded its collaboration with Berger, a communications consultant, and that the organization ended its relationship with Berger and his firm, Mashber Strategies, after the presentation. That report said JFNA did not officially endorse the presentation. The Jewish Press report and the JNS reports both place the dismissal after the presentation, though the Jewish Press report names Berger’s firm, which the other accounts do not mention.

The Times of Israel described the decision as JFNA dismissing Berger for suggesting a strategic approach to the term “Zionism.” Its report was framed around whether Diaspora Jews who support Israel should avoid the word, a question the sources raise but do not settle. Careful testing of competing accounts reflects the value of truth and fairness (Proverbs 18:17).