In a ceremony held tonight (Thursday) at the President’s House, the final formula of the “Our Common Purpose” scroll was presented for the first time, defining common values for all Jews in the world. The event was attended by the Minister of Diaspora and the leaders of the initiative from the Genesis Foundation. The completion of the text of the scroll “Our common destiny” is a founding stage in the “Our common destiny” project, which strives to connect Jews, who have different cultural and religious identities to each other and to the Jews living in Israel.
In a referendum distributed to hundreds of Jewish communities around the world, participants were asked to rank from a list of values those most important to them for maintaining the unity of the Jewish people and fulfilling “our common destiny.” Today, a year after it was launched, the results of the largest Jewish referendum in the world are published – these are the three most significant values for the Jews of the Diaspora and Israel:
First place: Preserving the security and well-being of Israel and the Jewish communities around the world
48% of all respondents believed that ensuring the well-being and security of the State of Israel and the Jews of the world, is the most important issue for the Jews of the world. It is worth noting that in relation to Israel and Diaspora Jews outside the United States, only 27% feel that this is the most important value.
In examining the statements related to this value one can discern some interesting trends. More than 50% of respondents to this question in all countries see the fight against anti-Semitism as the main expression of the ability to ensure the security of Israel and the Jewish communities, and therefore our public priorities as a people must be at the forefront and fought everywhere. Another statistic shows that about 63% of the respondents to this question outside of Israel expressed this value in the ability to lead a full Jewish life, which includes the possibility of expressing their Jewish identity, including wearing a kippah everywhere.
Second place: mutual guarantee
41% of the more than 135,000 Jews in Israel and around the world marked the value of mutual guarantee as one of their most important values. Of these, 61% of the respondents agree that every Jew, as far as he is a Jew, is a valued and important part of the Jewish people and over 47% of the respondents believe that this value is reflected in the personal connection that every Jew feels to other Jews he knows or does not know.
53% of Diaspora Jews noted the importance for them that the mutual guarantee would be reflected in the fact that the State of Israel and Jewish communities around the world would regularly support each other in promoting initiatives for mutual respect, dialogue and a wide range of activities for Jews of all ages.
In third place: strengthening Jewish identity
The issue of strengthening Jewish identity among the Jews of the world is actually the third most important among all those surveyed, but second place among Diaspora Jews – 40% of all respondents saw the value of “strengthening Jewish identity” as one of the three most valuable values. To realize this value, more than 57% stated that they want every Jew to have the opportunity to recognize the meaning of their identity as Jews and to have access to Jewish culture and heritage as relevant to their lives.
48% of non-Israel respondents believe that the role of the Israeli government and the Jewish communities in the Diaspora is to provide significant and ongoing support for Jewish education anywhere in the world, including support for programs and frameworks designed to connect Jews of all ages.
Part of the special event screened on the walls of Jerusalem (Photo: Ohad Tsoigenberg)The president, Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin, adopted the scroll after it returned from a journey among hundreds of Jewish communities around the world. About a year after the Megillah was launched at the President’s House, and after its formula received references from more than 130,000 Jews around the world, who participated in the largest Jewish referendum in history, the Megillah presented the set of important values for the Jewish people in Israel and all Diaspora.
President Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin spoke at the event, saying: “The initiators of the ‘Common Purpose Scroll’ seek to present to the Jewish people a convention that will form the basis of discourse, a dialogue with pluralism and multiplicity. We have learned how to agree and disagree. And we need to learn this study now, even today. We have a common denominator whether we are Reform, Orthodox, secular, Conservative, or just Jews. But a common denominator is not enough. We are looking for a common vocation.
On Hanukkah, while heavy darkness surrounds the world, we seek to illuminate the vision and purpose that outline the path of the Jewish people. We present a convention that expresses the values that characterize us as a people, and in light of which we seek to march. Values of guarantee, of preserving the value and intellectual heritage of the Jewish bookcase, of humanity, of innovation of world repair. Like the Chanukah candles, the Declaration of Common Destiny is intended to illuminate the public domain in the Jewish world. I would like to thank the Genesis Foundation, the heads of the foundation, the Minister of Diaspora and the Ministry of Diaspora and all those who took part in this important and founding project, and wish all the partners and all the Jewish communities wherever they are: Happy Hanukkah. “
Diaspora Minister Omar Yankelevich said at the event: “In the past year we have worked hard to turn the ‘Our Common Purpose’ scroll into a global Jewish movement. Dozens of leading organizations from across the spectrum have joined us as partners in this journey. This evening marks the end of the first phase of this journey, and the beginning of the next.
Chairman and founder of the Genesis Foundation, Michael Friedman: “Whoever signs the declaration – today, tomorrow and in the future – signs a contract between him and the Jewish people. This contract must be realized through action – a determined effort to improve our unity, to find new ways to help and contribute to each other, to learn from each other, to listen – to really listen – to each other. New thinking and a forum are needed that will create a real partnership between the Jewish state and the rest of the Jewish world. I hope and believe that the heads of Jewish communities and organizations all over the world will stand by our side shoulder to shoulder. “
Looking ahead to 2021, our mission is to shift the initiative of ‘our common destiny’ from words to deeds. We must continue to build on the solid foundation we have built over the past year and ensure that the fate of the Jewish people remains a priority for every Jewish community around the world. “We must ensure that all Jews, regardless of their place of residence, are encouraged to participate in the agenda of the Jewish people. We must ensure that the Israeli government consults with Diaspora Jewry regarding policy-related decisions that may affect the lives of Jews living outside their homeland.” , Said the co-designation director general, Sandy Cardin at the event.
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