Is the Diaspora Good for the Jews?

An audio recording of a Brookings Institution panel discussion with Yehuda Kurtzer, William Galston, and Alan Wolfe

November 19, 2014

November 19, 2014

Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer is the President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and a leading thinker and author on the major challenges facing the Jewish people. He is the author of Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past, the co-editor of The New Jewish Canon, and the host of the Identity/Crisis podcast. Under his leadership, the Shalom Hartman Institute has grown significantly as a leading think tank and educational center for the North American Jewish community,

View more details on Brookings.edu

In his new book, At Home in Exile: Why Diaspora Is Good for the Jews, Alan Wolfe, professor and director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College, asks a controversial and important question: is the Diaspora a blessing in disguise for the Jewish people? For the first time in history, Wolfe argues, Jews can lead successful, meaningful, secure and culturally rich lives in states in which they are a minority. Living outside Israel affords Jews the opportunity to contribute to global diversity, spread pluralism, and deepen Jews’ commitment to fighting prejudice, Wolfe asserts. This book examines those Jews who lead secure and productive lives outside of Israel, which accounts for nearly half of the world’s Jewry.

On November 18, Governance Studies at Brookings Institution hosted a discussion addressing this question and other important issues related to the Diaspora. This event was part of the long-running Governing Ideas book series, which is hosted by William A. Galston, featuring Alan Wolfe and Yehuda Kurtzer .

Is the Diaspora Good for the Jews?

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