Annual Assessments

2020 Annual Assessment

Tuesday September 15, 2020

Situation and Dynamics of the Jewish People

Annual Assessment

תש”פ | 2020

 

Project Head

Shmuel Rosner

Contributors

Avinoam Bar-Yosef, Dan Feferman, Shlomo Fischer, Avi Gil,
Inbal Hakman, Michael Herzog, Gitit Levy-Paz, Dov Maimon, Steven Popper, Uzi Rebhun, John Ruskay, Adar Schiber, Noah Slepkov, Shalom Salomon Wald

Editors

Barry Geltman
Rami Tal

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2020 Annual Assessment

  • The Jewish world’s decision makers are being required to make decisions with long-term significance at a time of uncertainty that demands flexibility.
  • Signs of change in the world order pose a challenge to the Jewish people: Globalization has been beneficial for the Israeli economy. The prosperity of Western Jewry rests on the values of the liberal-democratic system.
  • The crisis intensifies the need for public trust in government to facilitate maximum cooperation in navigating an exit from it.
  • The health crisis presents an opportunity to encourage Aliyah to Israel.
  • Diaspora communities must ensure that there are adequate resources to maintain Jewish institutions, assist Jews in distress, invest in activities with the potential for future growth, and assist the general community.
  • Jewish communities should prepare for a period of significantly heightened anti-Semitism. This preparation should include, among others, proactive defense, coalitions, lobbying, and tools for times of emergency.
  • Ties between the Haredi leadership and state authorities must be adapted to allow for the rapid identification of crises that demand a suspension of the distrust inherent in relations between Haredi and non-Haredi sectors.
  • After the crisis has passed, communities will need to strike an appropriate balance between the advantages of the tangible-activity space (which produces commitment) and those of the digital-activity space (quick connection).

Click here to download the full pdf of the chapter.

  • The Jewish world’s decision makers are being required to make decisions with long-term significance at a time of uncertainty that demands flexibility.
  • Signs of change in the world order pose a challenge to the Jewish people: Globalization has been beneficial for the Israeli economy. The prosperity of Western Jewry rests on the values of the liberal-democratic system.
  • The crisis intensifies the need for public trust in government to facilitate maximum cooperation in navigating an exit from it.
  • The health crisis presents an opportunity to encourage Aliyah to Israel.
  • Diaspora communities must ensure that there are adequate resources to maintain Jewish institutions, assist Jews in distress, invest in activities with the potential for future growth, and assist the general community.
  • Jewish communities should prepare for a period of significantly heightened anti-Semitism. This preparation should include, among others, proactive defense, coalitions, lobbying, and tools for times of emergency.
  • Ties between the Haredi leadership and state authorities must be adapted to allow for the rapid identification of crises that demand a suspension of the distrust inherent in relations between Haredi and non-Haredi sectors.
  • After the crisis has passed, communities will need to strike an appropriate balance between the advantages of the tangible-activity space (which produces commitment) and those of the digital-activity space (quick connection).

Click here to download the full pdf of the chapter.

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