Strengthening the Bonds Between Israel and the Diaspora in Israeli Jewish Education

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing feeling among Jewish educators in Israel that the gap between Israeli Jews and Diaspora Jews has been widening dramatically. In discussions with young Israeli Jews and their teachers, one senses the feeling that in their hearts and minds there is very little left today that genuinely unites the Jews of Israel with the Jews of the Diaspora, except perhaps the common threat of physical destruction. And on this point, in particular, young Israeli Jews feel that the burden of responsibility for Jewish survival is not fairly shared, since only Israeli Jews are required to put their lives on the line in military service (beginning at the age of 18 for 2 to 3 years, and extending, for men, in reserve duty until the age of 55).