The author argues that Mordecai Kaplan's notion of Jewish peoplehood is central to Judaism. However, she sees this notion as needing to be revisited and restructured; a reframing of the idea in order to give it more power and meaning in the 21st Century. For her, the term is not only about belonging or for…
The author argues that the new era of Israel-Diaspora relations isn’t a rejection of classical Zionism, but rather, it is the acceptance of the classical Zionist model propounded by the “cultural Zionist,” Ahad Ha’Am. He argues that Ha'Am's notion is uniquely suited for the today’s generation of college-age Jews, the Millennials, who are the focus…
The author argues that Zionist and Israel education are in tension with Jewish Peoplehood education. The former stresses the significance of place, the latter, the virtues of space. One narrows yet focuses options for identification; the other broadens yet dilutes options for belonging. In making sense of the the complexity of Israel and peoplehood education,…
At the ninth annual Herzliya Conference in February 2009, the concept of "Jewish peoplehood" emerged as an important concept, and the author discusses some of the proposed definitions of the concept and arguments raised by Jewish scholars and thinkers in previous volumes of the Peoplehood Papers. While many questions about the concept still remain, the…
The author examines the concept of Jewish peoplehood, focusing on why a renewal of this concept must take place within the boundaries of the State of Israel. She argues that the answer is an inexorable pull many Jews feel toward tribal experiences and arrives at this conclusion through two personal anecdotes about Jews and tribes. [Taken…
The author argues that the Jewish community is facing an evident paradigm shift that stems from a need voiced by younger people through the Jewish world to create a different and more appropriate paradigm that meets the external challenges facing our global society, the existing trends within North American Jewry, and the desire among Israeli…
Just as Jewish prayers ask that that the Jewish community be mindful of the people in the State of Israel, the author argues that the Jewish community must continue to be mindful of the challenges and opportunities it faces in trying to strengthen and bind the relationship between the People of Israel and the State…
The author argues that the Jewish community must set higher sights than most of the demographers, sociologists,community planners and philanthropists and become advocates for a new vision of Jewish peoplehood in the 21st century. He looks to the past as he briefly details the history of Jewish peoplehood, how the Jewish community arrived where it…
Despite frequent dismal reports that young people today identify less and less with Israel, the author explains that those who do come and spend time in the country are affected by their stay. Based on this information, the author argues that the State of Israel can continue to play a powerful role because it is…
The author discusses the question of Israel's centrality within the Jewish people through the lens of recent business management literature on globalization and innovation within globalized organizations and firms. She argues that these concepts reflect new paradigms that characterize the reality of the 21st century, those which do not allow for "centrality," and which she…
The author examines Israel's essential position as the center for the Jewish people but argues that there needs to be a joint, ongoing and institutionalized forum for North American Diaspora and Israeli Jews that addresses the issues important to both communities. He also discusses the primary issues for leaders of the Jewish people as well…
The author argues that as the Jewish people work towards conceptualizing the term "Jewish peoplehood," they will need to determine the role of Jerusalem as a metaphor for Jewish unity and diversity. Just like Izhak Ben-Zvi gathers Jews from all corners of the world to solidify the message of Israeli Jewish unity, Ezrachi argues that…
In this (the 3rd) edition of the Peoplehood Papers we asked our contributors to examine Israel through the lens of Jewish Peoplehood by addressing some difficult questions: • What does it mean to be the State of the Jewish People in 2008? • Is a new paradigm required to frame the relationship between the People…
