First World Congress of Noahides held in Jerusalem
November 13, 2026
About a hundred representatives of the communities of the sons of Noah from 22 countries of six continents gathered in Jerusalem for the first International Congress of the Movement. The participants are non-Jews who recognize the seven commandments of Noah's descendants, formulated in the Jewish tradition, and strive to live in accordance with them, without accepting Judaism. The congress was held from November 2 to 6 at the Seven Arches Hotel on the Mount of Olives. This is reported by "The Algemeiner".
The meeting was organized by the international center "Brit Olam" ("World Union of the Sons of Noah"), founded by Rabbi Uri Sherki. The center, located in Jerusalem, disseminates knowledge about the seven commandments, provides spiritual guidance to non-Jewish communities and helps to create their organizational structures.
The seven commandments of Noah's descendants, according to Jewish tradition, are obligatory for all mankind. They include prohibitions of idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, prohibited sexual intercourse and eating meat cut off from a live animal, as well as the obligation to create a fair judicial system. Unlike the 613 commandments of the Torah imposed on the Jewish people, these seven are considered as the universal basis of the moral structure of human society.
One of the central events of the congress was the signing of the founding scroll of the movement - "Megilat Bnei Noah" ("Coll of the Noah's Sons Covenant"). The ceremony took place in the presence of Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lyon and Rabbi Sherka. The scroll, drawn up in Hebrew, is opened with the words of the prophet Zechariah: "In those days ten men from all the languages of the peoples will grab the floor of the Jew's clothes, saying: we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah, 8:23).
Community representatives also signed the charter of the international movement, recognising Jerusalem as its spiritual center and providing for the establishment of six regional councils on the continental principle. At the same time, an international beit-din, a rabbinical court, was established to become the highest spiritual and legal authority of the movement. Rabbi Uri Sherki was appointed its chairman.
According to the organizers, the idea of holding a world congress arose about eight years ago, but the implementation of the plans was prevented by the coronavirus pandemic and the war. Direct preparation of the meeting took about a year. The Congress received the blessing of the chief rabbis of Israel.
"Zionism ensured the material liberation of the Jewish people. Now we have to ask ourselves: what's next?" Rabbi Sherki said, addressing the participants. According to him, one of the answers should be to establish healthy relations with the outside world. "For two thousand years, the prophetic vision of the peoples turning to Jerusalem remained a promise on the pages of books. This congress is the moment when the page opens."
Congress participants visited biblical places, including ancient Shilo in Samaria, where the Tabernacle was located in the era of the Judges, and were received by the President of Israel, Yitzhak Herzog, at his residence.
"I think it is especially appropriate that you have gathered here in Jerusalem, a city whose history has spiritual significance and has affected the lives of billions of people around the world," the Duke said. He recalled the prophecy of Yeshaihah about the Temple as a "house of prayer for all nations" and called it a truly revolutionary vision: a city rooted in the heritage of the Jewish people carries a message of faith addressed to all mankind.
The General Director of Brit Olam Chaim Goldberg stressed that the movement unites people who see the revival of the Jewish state as the implementation of biblical prophecies. "The sons of Noah see how the people of Israel, the people of the Bible, return to life in the modern era. They see the point in it and want to support Israel," he said.
Rabbi Sherky believes that Israel has reached a stage where it can offer the world not only the protection of its own national interests, but also a universal spiritual concept. According to him, in the context of the crisis of liberal ideology and the weakening of the international order that has developed under the leadership of the United States, the Jewish state gets the opportunity to formulate its own idea of the future of humanity.
Rabbi Yehuda a-Kohen, head of the English-language program "Brit Olam", emphasized the fundamental difference between Noah's sons and traditional Western supporters of Israel. According to him, Western conservatives often perceive Israel as part of Western civilization, and Christian Zionists support it based on their own theological ideas. The sons of Noah, on the contrary, recognize the independence of Jewish civilization and believe that it is able to offer humanity a special spiritual message.
Against the background of the congress, "The Algemeiner" drew attention to the controversy surrounding the movement of Noah's sons in American conservative circles. Recently, the famous political commentator Tucker Carlson criticized Ben Shapiro after he explained the meaning of the seven commandments to a Christian student. Carlson suggested that their introduction as binding laws could lead to the criminal prosecution of Christianity and even the execution of Christians. Shapiro categorically rejected these statements.
Rabbi Tovia Singer, a well-known researcher of Christian missionary activity and founder of Outreach Judaism, called such accusations conspiracy fantasies. According to him, the seven commandments go back to the book of Bereshit, and their moral principles are reflected in the New Testament.
"The real reason for objections is much more revealing: the movement of the sons of Noah proclaims that a non-Jew can worship the God of Israel, lead a righteous life and deserve a share in the world to come without recognizing Jesus as God or the Messiah," Singer said. This is what, in his opinion, causes rejection among some Christian fundamentalists.
He stressed that the movement has never persecuted Christians and does not seek to force anyone to change their religion. His task is to spread the idea of God as the Creator of all mankind and the universal moral responsibilities of man.
Shannon Nusen, a former Christian missionary who later adopted Orthodox Judaism and founded the anti-missionary organization Beyneynu, called the congress an important stage in relations between Jews and non-Jews. Her father, a former evangelical pastor, became a follower of the Noah's sons movement.
"At a time when anti-Semitism reaches a frightening scale, when wearing a kip or a magendavid can make a person a target, we see something amazing: non-Jews from all over the world turn to the Jewish people, not turn away from them," Nussen said.
According to her, the participants of the movement do not seek to replace the Jewish people, claim their land or become Jews themselves. They want to be close to him, preserving their own religious identity and recognizing the special role of Israel in the biblical idea of the destiny of mankind.