The piece originally appeared in the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Maariv
As a proud Jew, who immigrated to Israel with her family at the age of ten, I have always believed that Israel is a necessary and central part of a strong Jewish identity. The Land of Israel was the place where our ancestors formed a deep connection with their faith thousands of years ago. Many years later, Holocaust survivors who suffered unimaginable atrocities were given the opportunity to rebuild their lives with dignity in their own land - the Land of Israel.
Although the importance of the homeland of our ancestors must be recognized, we must not forget our Jewish brothers and sisters throughout the Diaspora, and we must remember that, as in any worthy and successful relationship, hard work is required to preserve and strengthen our relationship.
My grandparents are the main reason why I am so involved in the life of the Jewish public, and their story and journey are an integral part of my identity as a Jew and as an Israeli. My grandfather on my father's side, Rabbi Menachem Menachem Mendel Getstein, was born in Warsaw, and later went on to become a rabbi and leader of the Jewish community in a small town called Curitiba in Brazil. Unfortunately, I never got to meet my grandfather, because after a few years in Brazil he was murdered just for being Jewish.
My maternal grandparents were also born and raised in Poland, in Lodz, and survived the Holocaust. After the war, they also immigrated to Brazil, and finally, fulfilled their dream of immigrating to Israel in 2008 in their eighties.
During my time in the Navy as a naval instructor, I saw firsthand the power of the IDF melting pot, where Jews from different backgrounds, from the Diaspora and Israel, as well as Druze, Bedouins and other minority communities worked together for a common goal. My experience in the army only emphasized the importance of strengthening such unity within the relationship between the Diaspora and Israel. I felt an immense sense of pride when I recently participated in a delegation of the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem. The delegation, which included more than 120 Jewish leaders from 50 countries from all corners of the world, including our senior leadership, representatives from Jewish communities around the world, and over 75 participants from our leadership development program known as WJC Elevate.
It was inspiring to hear about the efforts of my colleagues and members of the delegation to cultivate and strengthen a strong and rooted sense of Jewish identity. Together, we realized that we must work to ensure that the Jewish heritage remains vibrant and relevant in their countries around the world and on their university campuses. In collaboration with the Reut Institute, we launched an innovative forum - the bridge to Jewish leadership for the future - with the aim of directly addressing our areas of disagreement. This is with the understanding that our common future involves challenges and disagreements, and that's a good thing.
Our hope is that the forum can be a basis for empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders and connect them with each other, so that when difficulties arise between us, we will know how to disagree on our opinions with respect, but never forget the fact that we will always remain brothers and sisters.
President Yitzhak Herzog said it best when he addressed the forum and said: "There is no doubt that there is much to celebrate, for 75 years we have nurtured a thriving center of Jewish and Israeli life, a creative, warm, bold and innovative center. We organized a rich and beautiful human fabric. We flourished in so many fields, harnessing our creative power and entrepreneurial spirit to be a force for good in the world. We bring ourselves to the forefront of solutions for the most urgent needs of our time. The Jewish people around the world, our Jewish diaspora, contributed a lot to the project of building this nation that is Israel.'
This work is the core mission of the World Jewish Congress, which connects more than 100 Jewish communities around the world. After the launch of the forum, the efforts to promote Jewish unity around the world will continue and intensify, through meetings on a more intimate scale, as well as in extensive meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to foster and strengthen a sense of friendship and brotherhood between Jewish communities around the world.
There has never been a more crucial and important time to discuss our challenges and work to build Jewish unity among us all. Many believe that we are expected to distance ourselves from each other due to the differences between us, but we must not forget the fact that we have a huge amount that unites us together and that our enemies are interested in exploiting our internal divisions. We must work together, and especially when we disagree, to ensure a prosperous Jewish future for our children.
