21 Reflections on Israel and Jerusalem as the Centers of World Jewry

Abstract

One of the main questions facing all diasporans in their hostlands, their kin in their homelands, and observers of diasporic phenomenon, is where the actual centers of ethno-national-religious diasporas and transnational entities are; this chapter focuses on Jewish Diaspora. As a case-study concerning the question of where the diasporas' centers are, the chapter discusses the Jewish Diaspora's current attitudes toward Israel and Jerusalem. The author's main argument is that both the common views and different perceptions and positions of individuals and communities reflect the Jewish diasporans' identity, their emotional and cognitive positions concerning main issues facing them, their individual and communal interests, their connections with Jewish nation and Israel, and their specific feelings and attitudes vis-a-vis the centrality of Israel and Jerusalem. The chapter concludes with some conclusions on question of where the centers of diasporas are, whether it is the homeland and its capital, or hostland and its capital. Keywords: hostland; Israel; Jerusalem; Jewish Diaspora; transnational entities; world Jewry