Avi meeting His Majesty the King of Bhutan — a rare chance to exchange ideas about happiness, heritage, and the friendship between our peoples
The past six weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind.
I left Washington, D.C., just before war broke out, en route to Israel for the Israel Economic Forum's Global Summit. The journey itself felt like a parable: an emergency landing in Halifax, unplanned layovers in Newark, Athens, Dubai, and Cairo, and even a pause at the foot of Mount Sinai. After 72 hours of travel and chaos in the skies, I finally arrived in Jerusalem—exhausted, but energized by purpose.
What followed was historic.
Roughly 75 members of our delegation joined us in Israel—down from the 130 who had planned to attend—but those who came experienced something unforgettable. We were joined by some of the most brilliant minds in Israel, including the President himself. And we didn't just meet behind closed doors—we lived history in real time.
We heard rockets overhead. We took shelter underground. And while the ground shook, we sat with decision-makers as they shared their thinking in the moment, in the eye of the storm.
This is the Israel Economic Forum (IEF) at its best—bringing members face-to-face with the people shaping our future, in the places where history is being made.
After the summit, my path took another unexpected turn. I crossed into Jordan with a small group of members via the northern border—another surreal moment in this multilayered conflict. From there, I traveled to Southeast Asia, where I spent time in both Bhutan* and India.
In Bhutan, I had the extraordinary privilege of a 2.5-hour private audience with His Majesty the King.
What I witnessed was staggering: a leader with not only a bold vision for his country but also a profound understanding of the forces shaping our world. The King sees Israel as a kindred spirit—a nation that punches far above its weight. He's not seeking capital; he's seeking collaboration. Expertise. Wisdom.
He spoke of artificial intelligence and spiritual resilience in the same breath. He draws lines between Mecca, Jerusalem, and the emerging Global Mindfulness Center (GMC) he's building in Bhutan. We are now actively exploring the possibility of an IEF retreat in Bhutan in the coming year—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something meaningful in one of the world's most unique and inspiring settings.
In India, I met with senior policymakers and took part in a high-level roundtable hosted in collaboration with the Israeli Embassy and the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
India is rising—with purpose and with power. The potential for deep, trilateral cooperation between India, the United States, and Israel is immense. We are now laying the groundwork for a major IEF Summit in India in Q1 of 2027 that will bring our members into direct dialogue with those shaping the Indo-Abrahamic century.
So yes—these past six weeks have been a whirlwind. But they have also been a window into the kind of future we are building together.
The road ahead will bring light and shadow. Triumphs and tests.
But let's pause and remember:
We are an eternal people. We do not fear the long road.
We are bound together—past, present, and future.
And we are never, ever alone.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Avi Jorisch is the CEO and co-Founder of the Israel Economic Forum (IEF), an elite membership organization of deeply committed pro-Israel CEOs, business executives, and world leaders who leverage their success and influence to ensure the future of the Jewish people and State of Israel (www.IEF.network). He is a seasoned entrepreneur and the author of six books.
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*Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas' eastern edge, known for its monasteries, fortresses and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys. In the High Himalayas, peaks such as 7,326m Jomolhari are popular trekking destinations.