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YaleUniversityprofessorMazinQumsiyeh2 orthat Zionismisaracistmovement...Israelisaracist state,asstatedbyColumbiaUniversityprofessor JosephMassad.3 Theironyoftheracismaccusationisthatyoung Jewsarefirmlycommittedtotheglobalworldin whichtheylive.Theyembraceaworldwithper meableboundariesandmultipleidentitiesthat celebrateandvalidatediversity,asdomostyoung Americans.4 Itshouldcomeasnosurprisethat Jewishstudentsarecommittedtoanexpansive andinclusivevisionoftheworld.Manyareraised inhomesthatreflectthechangingdemographics ofthe21stcentury.
diverserangeashighas20%ofthetotalUnited StatesJewishpopulation5 and,abroad,Jewish communitiesfromtheMiddleEast,India,Africa, AsiaandLatinAmericabeliethenotionofJews assolelyaEuropeanpeople.Unfortunately,this aspectofJewishidentityreceiveslessattention thanitshould,notonlyoutsidetheJewishcom munity,butalsowithin. Asaresult,Jewishstudentsfindthemselvesleft inthelurch.Themosteffectivedefenseagainst chargesofracismistoembraceandcelebrate thefullspectrumofJewishidentity.Moreover, thisisexactlywhatyoungJewswantfromthe Jewishcommunity.Theywanttoreconciletheir globalidentitywithaJewishcommunitythatthey oftenseeasinsular.
TwentypercentofallJewishstudentswereraised infamiliesthatincludeatleastonememberwho isSephardicorMizrahi.Fortypercentgrewupin familieswithatleastonefamilymemberwhois Black,Asian,HispanicorothernonCaucasian. Combined,nearlyhalf(45%)ofJewishcollege studentsarrivedoncampushavingbeenraisedin afamilywithsomelevelofdiversity. Ifthisissurprising,itshouldnotbe.Historically, Jewsareoneofthemostdiverseandglobalpeo pleintheworld.Estimatesofthepercentof AmericanJewswhoareethnicallyandracially
INSTITUTEFORJEWISH&COMMUNITYRESEARCHWWW.JEWISHRESEARCH.ORG
Globalizationandtechnologyexpandtherangeof choicesandwaysofidentifyingforyoungergen erationsofJews.Theyrelatetoamoreinterna tionalvisionoftheJewishpeoplethatcontrasts sharplywiththedepictionofIsraelandthe Jewishpeopleoncampustoday.TheJewishcom munityshouldmakeeveryefforttodemonstrate howfarthisdepictiondeviatesfromreality. Highlightingandcelebratingthemultiplicityof Jewishidentityisessentialnotonlytocountering themisrepresentationofIsraelandJewsoncam pus,butalsotothegoalofensuringtheengage mentofyoungJewsinJewishlife.Thesituationis serendipitous.Twoofthemostpressingconcerns facingtheJewishcommunity,continuityandthe reputationofIsrael,canbemeaningfullyimpact edsimplybyrecognizingandembracingafunda mentalaspectoftheJewishpeople:Itsdiversity.
INSTITUTEFORJEWISH&COMMUNITYRESEARCHWWW.JEWISHRESEARCH.ORG