What is Jewish solidarity in 2024? This question cannot be considered without acknowledging two sides of the coin that make up the modern Jewish identity – Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. Diller Teen Fellows – run in partnership with the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) –are experts in understanding and uniting these two groups. The 1897 first Zionist congress was centred around the idea of every Jew moving to a newly established homeland in the area of modern Israel.
However, soon after Israel’s establishment, the importance of the Diaspora – as a source for political support, representation and fundraising – was realised. Fast forward to today, and not much has changed – the Diaspora and Israel are still co-dependent on the other’s survival and flourishing. No longer are we just funding Israel, and no longer is Israel just providing us with a backup plan (and an additional element to our cultural sense of self) but through globalisation and the rise of social media and accessible instant news, we’ve seen a strong interconnectedness emerge.
Without strong advocacy in the Diaspora, Israel directly feels the impact, politically, economically and socially. At the same time, we’ve seen Israel’s actions directly affect Diaspora Jews’ perceived safety, security and emotional wellbeing. So how do we as a community create a supportive Diaspora community and ensure our Israeli counterparts know that we can offer more than just blue boxes? I recently had t.
