Our Story
Diaspora Discovery was born of a realization that Am Yisrael - The Jewish People - increasingly finds itself concentrated in Israel and North America without enjoying the full benefits from the vast and diverse Jewish Diaspora.
While there are strong ties between these two major communities, significant differences exist. Moreover, neither North American nor Israeli Jews enjoy substantial ties to the myriad, diverse Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora. Diaspora Discovery recognizes that North American Jews have much to learn from the Israeli Jewish experience; Israeli Jews have much to learn from how North American Jews express their Judaism; and both communities have much to gain from the diversity of the Jewish Diaspora. Each community is strengthened by Building Bonds of Global Judaism, which requires the active participation and involvement of the next generation.
Diaspora Discovery joins together Israeli, North American, and Diaspora youth to discover and experience the myriad expressions of Am Yisrael - The Jewish People. By Building Bonds of Global Judaism between and within our Diaspora communities, Diaspora Discovery seeks to forge a diverse and dynamic 21st Century Global Judaism that empowers each participant to understand their past, present, and future as part of this community.
Each community within Am Yisrael is unique, with unique challenges and unique qualities. By participating in Diaspora Discovery and Building Bonds of Global Judaism, participants identify and draw upon the strengths each community possesses to build a more confident, empowered sense of their own place within Am Yisrael, the role they can play in Building Bonds of Global Judaism, and the world-wide community and support that exists for and of Jews everywhere.
