Global Jewry seeks to bridge internal divides within the Jewish people and external challenges from those who wish to do us harm.

History tells us that internecine disputes and factionalism of the Jewish people in 70 A.D. became so intense that they caused the destruction of the Second Temple and the start of the exile that did not end until the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Much more recently, serious differences among the Jews of the world have arisen, and it is vital we do not let them escalate to the point of fracturing the unity of Jewish people once again.

Externally, ever since the barbarous attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Jewish people are confronting antisemitism all over the world at a breadth and depth unseen since the Holocaust.

We will also address the emotional needs of Jewish individuals seeking a sense of belonging as well as an environment where they can engage with others looking for the same thing. We seek to dissolve feelings of uncertainty and division and we are committed to strategizing and implementing methods that transform concepts into tangible actions, providing both support and expertise.

The time to connect and unite with one another has never been more important.

Global Jewry is focused on the Jewish people (individually and collectively), their families, and their loved ones.

Sadly, it is now, and it is everywhere. The recent surge in antisemitism is a worldwide phenomenon, as are attacks on the legitimacy of Israel’s very existence.

Internally, the huge demonstrations in Israel prior to the heinous and barbaric Hamas attack on October 7th were manifestations of deep schisms within Israeli society. Relations between many Israeli and Diaspora Jews have also been strained for years, politically and religiously; many Diaspora Jews are feeling less connected and even alienated by policies and events emanating from Israel, and many Israeli Jews have a limited, if any, understanding of Jewish life in the Diaspora.

Additionally, many younger Jews living in the Diaspora — and especially in the United States — are growing increasingly disconnected from Israel and lacking a sense of belonging to the Jewish people.

There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and at least as many reasons to strengthen the bonds that keep the Jewish people connected. Some of us care about the Jewish future because we consider the Jewish people to be our extended family, and we want the same for all of us: good health, meaning, fulfillment, love, happiness, freedom, and more.

Some cherish the values, the religion, the traditions, the history, and the culture we share.

Still, more appreciate the contributions our people have made to the world in virtually every field – spiritual, philosophical, educational, scientific, and material — and want us to continue improving and repairing the world for millennia to come.

And some of us want to see the Jewish people flourish for all the above — and even more reasons too many to enumerate.

There is no one answer to that question since giving millions of people a sense of belonging and a feeling of connection is a complex challenge demanding a wide variety of approaches. That said, Global Jewry is hardly working in a vacuum.

All over the world, there are incredible Jewish communities, remarkable Jewish institutions, and outstanding Jewish leaders doing the hard work of engaging our people one valuable person at a time. The key to success for Global Jewry is finding a way to knit all that activity together in a way that ensures the whole is greater than the sum of its impressive parts.

Our first step — one we have already begun — will be recruiting an executive committee and global advisory board as broad, diverse, and influential as possible. These people comprise the foundation on which Global Jewry will be constructed.

Simultaneously, we are going to forge organizational partnerships and empower individual leaders in an effort both to increase the awareness of their offerings and to encourage many more people in their target audiences to participate in their activities. There is already so much great Jewish programming taking place and so much fantastic Jewish content available online that there is no need for Global Jewry to act on its own. Indeed, the whole concept behind Global Jewry is working with as many partners as possible to motivate the Jewish people to connect with one another and take advantage of what already exists.

One way to achieve that goal is through the effective use of social media, including a robust website that can serve as a portal to the websites of every Jewish organization and program willing to connect with us. We seek to redefine the essence of Jewish community and Jewish engagement on and in the digital realm, ensuring a deep sense of connection and belonging for every individual, regardless of their location. We want our website to be a place people can explore and discover all things Jewish, whether with the help of our partners or on their own. We also plan to like and share postings of all our partners, and we hope many of them will help spread the word about Global Jewry by co-branding their events with us.

Another way is to help create and promote new collaborations among our organizational partners. Many groups have neither the time nor the ability to forge new, collective approaches, and it is our hope that Global Jewry will be able to boast in the future of having helped make many international shidduchim between organizations that previously had little or no global reach.

We also intend to spend time and resources developing ways to engage emerging generations of Jews. We realize no single message we develop will resonate with the vastly different audiences that comprise world Jewry. We will work with leaders of all ages and nationalities to ensure we reach as many young Jews as possible with our core messages of connection, belonging, and togetherness.

And we do not plan to reach out to people only in English. We know we must make our offerings accessible in many other languages, especially Hebrew.

Finally, we appreciate the degree to which we must pursue our agenda in a completely apolitical, nonpartisan, religiously respectful, and otherwise sensitive manner. Global Jewry is all about that which unites us, not that which divides us, and we intend to keep our messaging and content consistent with those values.

That does not mean we may shy away entirely from the serious issues on which there is significant disagreement in our community. It only means any discussion of those issues within Global Jewry will be conducted openly, honestly, respectfully, and with good intentions demonstrated by all involved.

We are humbled by the enormity of the responsibility we bear to all the individuals, organizations, and communities we seek to engage, and we will pursue our mission in accordance with the following guiding principles and values. The failure to abide by these values by any partner organization or member of our executive committee, advisory board or Chaverim will result in an immediate disaffiliation by us.

1. We are committed to treating everyone with courtesy and respect, embracing and celebrating the diversity of the Jewish world, and elevating the voices of those previously unheard
2. We are committed to working with Jewish organizations regardless of their ideological, religious, or political beliefs, as long as their purpose is to uplift and contribute positively to the global Jewish community. They must also be respectful of those who do not share their convictions, refrain from disparaging or acting inappropriately towards others, have a demonstrated commitment to partnering and collaborating with a wide range of Jewish organizations and seek to avoid polarizing the Jewish community.
3. We are committed to operating as an apolitical and nondenominational organization, focused exclusively on the entirety of the Jewish world, and we will not sanction incivility.
4. We are committed to collaborating only with those who accept the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders, and will not engage with those whose intent is to delegitimize, demonize or apply a double standard to Israel.
5. We are committed to ensuring that our involvement with any organization is recognized only as an endorsement of its shared commitment to our mission, not any other part of its philanthropic, denominational, political or advocacy agenda.