Israel’s diaspora policy: the changing relations between the state and the diaspora

Abstract

This study aims at exploring the patterns of development of Israeli state-Diaspora relations, as well as the role of Diaspora organizations in fostering those relations. The essay proposes the argument that the Jewish identity in the Diaspora is experiencing a decline. Furthermore, the study shows that because of the increasing number of inter-marriages in the Diaspora, the decreasing interest in Israel, Jewish history and the Holocaust, the once perceived strong ties between the Homeland and the Diaspora has significantly weakened. The first part of the essay discusses different phases of the Israeli state-Diaspora relations throughout history by first conceptualizing the meaning of the term “diaspora” in general and its meaning for the Jews in particular. The second part is dedicated to exploring the major Jewish Diaspora organizations and their role in fostering Israeli state-Diaspora relations.