Jewry in the era of globalization

Two interesting trends are beginning to come to the fore in the world Jewish discourse: One is the tendency to shift from Israel-Diaspora as the main line of thinking in the Jewish discourse - to relating to the Jewish world as a single global unit, in which Israel is ostensibly perceived as one more Jewish community, albeit a major one, of course.

The most significant expression of this trend is displayed by KolDor, a new organization of young Jewish leaders from around the world, including Israel, who have come together with the express purpose of influencing the new Jewish discourse. One of the main clauses in their declaration of principles, publicized about six months ago, states, "The concept of relating to the Jewish people as Israel-Diaspora must be switched to a concept of a global Jewish people."

In this manner they seek to end the exclusivity of the dialogue between Israel and American Jewry and bring other communities into this discourse on an equal footing. A few years ago this new trend had already penetrated such veteran establishment organizations as the Jewish Agency, and accordingly it defines itself foremost as a "global Jewish organization" and only afterward as an organization involved, among other things, with "developing connections and partnerships between Israeli society and Diaspora Jewry."

The second trend is the perceiving of the Jewish people, not as a religion and not even as a nation, but rather as a civilization. Although this definition was coined about 80 years ago by Jewish American philosopher Mordechai Kaplan - an important and fascinating figure who unfortunately is not familiar to the Israeli public - it seems to be suddenly enjoying a resurgence: Venerable sociologist Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt titled his last book "Jewish Civilization," and even a politician such as Uzi Dayan has begun using this expression.

The appearance of these trends specifically now is, of course, not coincidental, and there is also a connection between them. On a certain level, addressing the global Jewish discourse constitutes a reaction to Israeli arrogance toward Diaspora Jewry, that in (justifiably) dismissing the Diaspora, Diaspora Jewry is also dismissed. This reaction is both a recognition that the main challenge facing the Jewish people today is not necessarily the physical existential one, but rather, more importantly, the challenge of preserving and nurturing the Jewish identity. In this matter, Jews in Israel face a test similar to that of Diaspora Jewry, even if the initial figures are better.

At least from the perspective of the young Israelis who are partners to this dialogue, there is an expression of release from the discomfort of the exclusivity of the domestic Israeli discourse in favor of dialogue with the world, with the first natural horizon being the Jewish world. More than anything else, however, both the definition of the Jewish discourse in the global context and of Judaism as a civilization and not a people, are initial expressions of the adaptation of the Jewish discourse to the era of globalization and to what marks the beginning of the post-national era.

In viewing Judaism as a civilization, there is even an exciting challenge: The potential of the Jewish presence in the world in such a context is certainly greater than the presence of a small people of 13 million souls. Care must be taken, however, lest this Jewish civilization supplant the position and centrality of Israel. After all, it must be clear, and not only to Israel with its Zionist outlook, that a society whose official language is the language of the Jewish civilization, and whose holidays are those of the Jewish civilization, and in which Jewish life exists not only in the context of a minority community - cannot be anything but the center of that civilization.

The Israeli arrogance toward Diaspora Jewry does not have to be exchanged for Israeli dismissal. The founders of KolDor, who identified this pitfall, should be credited with including in their declaration of principles an emphasis not only on the global Jewish discourse, but also on the recognition of the centrality of Israel, even in the new global era.