Israel In Diaspora Jewish Identity

by Danny Ben-Moshe (Editor), Zohar Segev (Editor)

What is the significance, the contribution, and the role played by the State of Israel, ideologically and practically, in the identity of Diaspora Jews? Contributed chapters explore the impact of Israel's role through a range of issues including: anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, Jewish continuity and Israel visits, the peace process, pro-Israel lobbying, philanthropy, and Israeli language, literature and culture. The place of Israel in the identity of specific sectors of the Diaspora -- such as different religious streams of Judaism, Sephardi Jewry, and the Jewish left -- are assessed with dedicated chapters. And the different role of Israel in the identity of different Diasporas -- including America, Australia, Canada, Russia and CIS, Latin America, France, Britain, and Small European communities -- are discussed. In order to generate and reflect debate, the Voices of Israel and the Diaspora are juxtaposed in a unique editorial format: chapters written by academics, commentators and Jewish professionals from both Israel and the Diaspora are followed by 'viewpoint' analyses on the respective topics by leading Israeli and Diaspora commentators. Diaspora in Zionist thought, and concludes with commentary of the future direction of Israel in Diaspora Jewish identity.

360 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006