A New Multimedia Series

Jewish Peoplehood

Bridging the Israel-Diaspora Divide​

About the Series

The awareness and identification of individual Jews to the collective Jewish people has always been central to what it means to be a Jew. Whether through historical memories, values, culture or language. This mutual sense of caring and peoplehood endured ideological disputes that span from Tamudic times through the ages.

When the State of Israel was established in 1948, an entirely new dimension was added to the ethos of Jewish peoplehood. The emergence of a new generation of Jews, sovereigns in their own nation, propelled the Jewish world into uncharted territory. Recent events have indicated that the connection between the two largest centers of world Jewry, Israel and the United States, is deteriorating, chipping away at the foundation of this peoplehood.

A survey by the AJC1 found that American and Israeli Jews know little about one another nor attribute great importance to connecting as integral to their Jewish identity. Among the Americans surveyed, 40% replied connecting to Israel was not too important or not at all important to their Jewish identity. And 62% of the Israelis surveyed did not agree with the statement that they have a lot in common with American Jews.

The groundbreaking Jewish Peoplehood series will explore what happened, and is happening, behind the numbers. First, by considering different interpretations of what Jewish peoplehood means, by exploring what united Jews for so long in the past, the series will enable honest examination of how the events of the last 30 years fueled this divide.

The Jewish Peoplehood series has an ambitious goal: to offer solutions that will reunite the global Jewish community. By demonstrating why Jewish peoplehood is critical to a Jewish future, the series will expose what’s at stake for world Jewry if we don’t invest in the Israel-Diaspora relationship today.

The series of four YouTube videos will be accompanied by articles, social media and educational curricula, embodying our ‘surround sound’ approach so audiences engage with the Jewish Peoplehood content on the platforms and media that best work for them.

“A first step to healing the breach, the two communities must acknowledge and discuss their profoundly different purposes and moral commitments. Only then can they forge a path forward, together.”

From the introduction to We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel, Dr. Daniel Gordis, 2019

Partnership

A Z3 Project - OpenDor Media Partnership

The series will be co-produced in partnership with the Z3 Project, a leading voice reimagining Diaspora-Israel relations. The Z3 Project will distribute the series to maximize reach and impact. OpenDor Media collaborated with the Z3 Project to create the Big Jewish Ideas video series in 2020/2021, with over 119,430 views to date, and which continues to impact the global Jewish community.

About the Z3 Project

The Z3 Project is an initiative of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, CA dedicated to promoting a stronger relationship between Diaspora Jewry and Israel. The Z3 Project offers a wide variety of programs to communities across the U.S. by facilitating speakers, seminars, and community workshops. The annual Z3 Experience brings together leading voices from across the political spectrum for an annual debate and conversation on creating a new model of Jewish engagement in the 21st century.

Reaching Today’s Generation

Videos will be available to audiences globally

Unpacked YouTube

85,000+ subscribers

Unpacked for Educators

100,000+ annual site visits

Unpacked Social Media

500,000+ annual engagements

Unpacked Website

Top 50 Jewish website

Driving Impact

Within 12 months we aim to reach the following goals:

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