The Global Citizen and the Diaspora Jew

In an age when borders are increasingly digital, being a “global citizen” has never felt so tangible and so complex. A text message travels the world in seconds. A Zoom call unites us with peers from overseas. News, culture, and conversation move at the speed of light, blurring geography and time zones. For 2239, WHC’s Young Professionals group, this connectedness came alive in our recent exchanges with our Israeli counterparts in Haifa. Roughly a dozen members of our community met online with members of Or Hadash’s young professionals group for a series of heartfelt and educational opportunities for connection. Each participant left these conversations eager for more opportunities to connect with one another. They started a WhatsApp group, and the next Zoom gathering meets in just a few weeks.

Technology has expanded what it means to belong. We are now part of a shared global network that transcends place, language, and sometimes even culture. Yet for Jews, this notion of connectedness across distance is not new. The Jewish people have been practicing global citizenship long before the term existed, through the lived experience of the diaspora. For millennia, Jews maintained ties of faith, culture, and responsibility across far-flung communities. From Babylon to Barcelona, Vilna to New York, we carried shared texts, rituals, and stories that linked us to one another even when oceans and empires stood between us.

What distinguishes today’s global citizen from the historical diaspora Jew is not the desire to stay connected; it’s the means. Diaspora once required letters carried by ship and travelers bringing news of distant relatives or communities. Today, we click a link. But while the tools have changed, the challenge remains: how to preserve authenticity, empathy, and shared purpose when connection becomes effortless. Arguably, that connection is even more important once it becomes effortless. The ways in which we choose to engage with our own Judaism and the Judaism of the rest of the world will shape the future of our people.

Our dialogues with Rabbi Naama and Israeli young professionals remind us that technology can do more than connect screens; it can connect souls. We discussed everything from career paths, to the nuances of Jewish life in different societies, to who has what flags in their offices (The Israelis were rather stunned so many Americans had Israeli flags). What emerged was a profound recognition: though we live in separate nations, we share a sense of peoplehood that is both ancient and adaptive.

As modern global citizens, we are heirs to a remarkable legacy. The Jewish diaspora taught us that belonging can thrive without borders, but not without effort. In our era, we are called to translate that wisdom into the language of the digital world, to build community not only across space, but across difference.

Our task then, is not simply to connect, but to connect meaningfully. We must use the global reach of our time to deepen, not dilute, our shared identity. When it’s just as easy to turn off a screen as it is to turn one on, we must be intentional about our Judaism. In doing so, we honor both the enduring resilience of the Jewish people and the boundless possibilities of the modern world.

Editor’s Note: We thank Sarah for all her work with 2239 and wish her the best as she moves to a new position with the Navy JAG Corps.

Be sure to join 2239 and the rest of the WHC community for the next Shabbat@WHC featuring Metro Minyan, Friday, November 7, 6:30 pm at Temple.

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