The new normal that is developing around the world in response to coronavirus is also creating new challenges in the relationship between Diaspora Jews and Israel, and their connection to Jewish tradition.
For years, the various organizations would carry out activities on campuses, in synagogues, and other Jewish institutions to connect Jews in the United States and around the world to their roots – but Covid-19 has put hit the breaks on such activities.
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Recent days have seen op-eds published criticizing Israel's activities in the Diaspora at this time as insufficient, and that the support that Diaspora Jews have given to Israel in recent decades should now be reciprocated by Israel towards Jews around the world.
"There is a feeling among some in the world, and in Israel, that the Diaspora has supported us a lot, and we could demonstrate a bit more solidarity with them at the moment. Perhaps we could be doing more, but we are doing a lot of things behind the scenes and helping quite a bit," says Benji Levy, CEO of Mosaic United, which operates on behalf of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, in response to the criticism. He also revealed how activities are continuing online by thinking outside of the box, in spite of the geographic distance and the fact that trips overseas are not currently possible.
The organization is currently working with the partners from its Campus Pillar project, Hillel International, Chabad on Campus International and Olami, to support them at this time and to build a new paradigm to increase involvement and Jewish education in a time of physical distancing.
Hillel recently launched its Hillel@Home project which enables its various branches across the United States to hold virtual meet-ups and online gatherings including on art, meditation, Jewish text study workshops and more, alongside talks by senior figures including former UK Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Barack Obama's former speechwriter, a senior executive at Comedy Central, NBA players, and others. Chabad on Campus have also adapted their student activities to the virtual world, offering lessons and workshops at Kansas University, for example, on everything from cooking to what Judaism can teach us about coronavirus.
"Campuses around the world have been shut down and students forced to quickly adapt their daily routine, including their educational framework, and understand how to stay in touch and strengthen the communities and themselves," says Yael Zegelstein, director of Mosaic United's Campus Pillar. "Hillel, Chabad and Olami are at the forefront of efforts to meet these challenges, and we are working with them to find the best and most efficient ways to continue to support and invest in Jewish students around the world."
The students themselves say they have had very positive experiences with the virtual activities and note that in some cases, for example Chabad activities, these have been the only activities they've done during this time. Others spoke of the considerable social benefit to the virtual connections to their cohorts around the world.
"It was really important for me to spend time getting to know students from around the state. It's particularly important at this time to connect students, and the Chabad team is working in an incredible way to find technological solutions to help us meet online and suggest activities that are suitable for this situation," said one.
"At the end of the activity, we meditated – something I had never done before," said a student from Florida. "It was really interesting for me! I am dealing with anxiety and the activity helped me understand that even when we have no control whatsoever over the current situation, there are things that are still in our control and we can help ourselves to feel better."
A student from New York said: "I liked that the team managed to answer the students' questions from a medical and spiritual point of view. Personally I have had enough of endless discussions about coronavirus, and to hear discussions that are different, and include a Jewish perspective on the situation, was definitely something that I needed." This chimes with what another student, this one from Chicago, said: "Learning about the balance between safety and worry was very important for me because this impacts our daily relationships with ourselves and the world around us."
Mosaic United is currently supporting organizations around the world to enable them to continue with the challenging work of connecting young people to their Jewish identity and to Israel. "We see ourselves as a type of umbrella organization that has an overview of the issues and can serve as a sounding board to help our friends around the world," Levy explains. "Yesterday I spoke to someone at a pretty well-known organization who said that his wife was sitting shiva for the second time in a month for the second brother who had died of coronavirus. We hear a lot about loneliness. When we talk about loneliness, we usually think about an individual person, but there is also a lot of organizational loneliness – and we are helping them get through this."
Levy notes that the virtual activities have helped open up doors that were closed beforehand. "We're helping organizations get in touch with artists that they never thought that they would be able to get to. Rabbi Sacks, Miriam Peretz, David Broza, and others. They would not have flown specially to a certain place, and suddenly – thousands of people are watching them, from Israel and around the world. We've launched channels for guides in Israel who are leading people from abroad at Masada without even leaving the house. Of course, it's not the same – but you can reach many more people overseas and bring them to Israel – virtually.
"We are opening new doors, whole new worlds," he continues. "Because now if someone lives in New York – what difference does it make to him if you live ten minutes away from him or in Israel? Who cares if you live five minutes from someone or twenty hours? Everything is online. We are making the most of the opportunity digitally to open windows and to demonstrate that indeed 'all Jewish people are responsible for one another'. The post-coronavirus world will look different because there are things that have open up our eyes."
Among its various efforts, the organization is looking at creating virtual summer camps after the popular camps where many children learn about Judaism were canceled because of coronavirus. "Our organization was built for online working, so we are actually thriving now."
