In a prerecorded video address broadcast to attendees at the 10th annual Jerusalem Post Conference, Dr. Mikhael Mirilashvili, president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, discussed the joint role that the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora can play in benefiting people around the world.
Even before the founding of the state, said Mirilashvili, while early Zionist leaders envisaged the central role that the Jewish state would play in the Jewish world, they also realized that not every Jew would decide to make aliyah.
They recognized that the relationship between Jews in the Diaspora and Jews living in Israel would be a central issue.
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“One of the models of these relations was to build a politically and economically strong state, advanced in the fields of science and culture that would serve as an inspiration for the entire Jewish world,” Mirilashvili stated.
These dreams have largely been realized, he noted, adding that Israel is today perceived as a country “that brings light to the nations and in social fields, technologies and innovations; thinking outside the box in terms of solving the most complex modern issues.”
Mirilashvili said that while Israel had to fight for its existence 70 years ago and had to rely on help from the Diaspora, today the situation has changed, and Israel must revise its role in its relations with Jews outside Israel.
While Israel has a significant impact on the world, the Jewish community in the Diaspora has also grown and is stronger than ever.
“We have to use this strength and impact wisely,” said Mirilashvili, “not only for the sake of our people but for the sake of humanity.”