to October 7th,” showing in New York City from Sept. 12 to 26, 2024. Photo credit: Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz via JN
By Betsy Berns Korn
As we mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Jews worldwide face a crisis not just of security but of identity. Soaring global antisemitism demands more than vigilance; it calls for a bold redefinition of Jewish peoplehood.
For too long, Jews have let others define who we are and what it means to be Jewish.
Now is the time to reclaim our global identity and elevate the concept of Jewish peoplehood.
This is not a slogan, nor is it an exclusionary doctrine. Across continents and denominations, Jews are united by three enduring and interconnected pillars: a spiritual inheritance of ethical beliefs and traditions (faith), an ancestral connection to a central homeland (land), and a profound sense of kinship across borders and generations (people).
Together, these elements form the backbone of Jewish continuity.
Faith has animated Jewish life from its earliest beginnings. While Jews observe and interpret traditions in diverse ways, we remain bound by the same spiritual framework, shared texts, and rhythms of ritual and celebration.
Our tie to the land of Israel is equally deep, reaching back thousands of years-long before the modern state was born.
Throughout exile and separation, the yearning and pull to the land has never waned. Our common bond as a people has endured: a small nation scattered around the world with an unbreakable bond to one another, whose contributions to humanity far outstrip our numbers and whose unity remains the key to our future.
The connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel is woven deeply into the fabric of Jewish history and consciousness.
For thousands of years, Jews in the Levant have survived expulsions, persecution and state violence while maintaining a continuous presence in what is now Israel. The Jews’ banishment from Jerusalem by the Romans in 135 C.E. was combined with an effort to erase Jewish ties to the region by renaming the province from Judea to Syria Palaestina (or simply “Palestine”). Despite all these efforts, Jews have remained in modern-day Israel all along.
Similarly, Jews around the world have been subject to atrocities too numerous to list here, although have managed to survive as a people, often against all odds. Across centuries and continents, we find a similar pattern of important Jewish contributions.
From medical advances like the polio vaccine and antibiotics, to physics and science, to literature and civic leadership (such as the American civil-rights movement), to philanthropy, Jews have shaped national destinies far beyond their small numbers.
Since the Jewish legacy is bound together by faith, land and peoplehood, the cornerstone of our shared foundation is today’s modern-day State of Israel.
This remarkable country (to which I’ve traveled 14 times since Oct. 7, 2023), with all its complexities and diversity, represents not only a homeland but our North Star.
At the same time, slightly more than half of the world’s Jews are scattered all over the world, carrying our identity with them while integrating into local cultures. This duality is not a contradiction but a strength — a testament to adaptability, resilience and communal memory.
The physical and rhetorical attacks against Jews that are taking place across the globe must not cause Jews to retreat into isolation or defeatism. History teaches us that silence breeds misunderstanding; defensiveness concedes ground.
Instead, the Jewish community — and our allies — should frame the conversation on our own terms. That means highlighting the connectivity and diverse contributions of the Jewish people.
Societies thrive when their Jewish communities are secure and engaged. Where Jews have been free to live openly and contribute fully, the results have been stronger economies, richer cultures and more resilient civic institutions.
Conversely, history shows that nations which turned against their Jewish populations not only inflicted suffering on Jews but also weakened themselves politically, economically, and morally.
The lesson is clear: Jewish strength and continuity are inseparable from the strength and continuity of the societies we help build, and by affirming that truth we reinforce the case for a safer, more secure future for all.
Reclaiming Jewish peoplehood demands action from our Jewish institutions, which should invest in education that connects young people to the essential elements of our shared identity, our history and one another.
We should deepen interfaith and intergroup alliances, not just as a defense mechanism but as a celebration of pluralism. Elected officials and media leaders should not caricature either Jewish identity or the State of Israel, but must seek understanding of the principles of Jewish peoplehood.
To speak of Jewish peoplehood, then, is to embrace a living covenant that binds faith, land and people into a single story. Each pillar strengthens the others. Our spiritual tradition shapes our moral vision; our connection to the Land anchors our history and hope; our sense of peoplehood ensures continuity across generations and continents.
Reclaiming this integrated identity is not merely an act of remembrance but a commitment to the future. By drawing strength from all three, we can sustain a Jewish community that is resilient, unified and positioned to contribute meaningfully to the world.
Now is the time to reclaim Jewish peoplehood and help contribute to a better, stronger, safer global society.
Betsy Berns Korn is chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
