It’s time for Jews to stand up and reshape Israel’s global image - opinion

Effective brand strategy means taking control of our narrative and determining how we are seen by others. Branding experts refer to this as “controlling the narrative,” a known principle at the heart of identity building.

In 2016, as the first brand strategist on a national presidential campaign, I advised my candidate that if he didn’t define himself early, his opponents would – and he might not like the identity they imposed on him.

For four decades, I have taught politicians, corporations, and organizations the critical importance of establishing a clear and authentic brand identity before someone else does it for them.

Yet, my own people – the Jewish people – have failed in this endeavor.

We have allowed others to define us, and the identity they’ve constructed is not only inaccurate but damaging. 

It distorts our understanding of ourselves and sows division within our community.

If we are to be truly seen, respected, and proud, the Jewish people must reclaim our identity as a united people with a shared nation, people, and religion. This unique combination distinguishes us: No other group claims an exclusive identity that binds them through shared nationality, lineage, and faith.

We are one people, yet the world insists on dividing us – into Israeli Jews and Diaspora Jews, Zionist Jews and anti-Zionist Jews, religious and secular Jews, good Jews and bad Jews.

And we’ve allowed them to succeed.

THE VERY term “Diaspora Jewry” fragments us, as though Jews living outside Israel are separate from the nation of Israel. 

Labeling a Jew in France or the United States as “Diaspora” denies their deep emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual responsibility to Israel. 

A Jew living in Paris or Chicago is as much a part of the Jewish nation as one living in Jerusalem. We are all of one tribe.

This is not about politics. Only the citizens and residents of the State of Israel have the right to vote and determine its policies.

But every Jew, regardless of where they live, belongs to the global Jewish people.

Our brand story begins with peoplehood. When we left Egypt, we were the Children of Israel – bound by a common lineage. 

Our religious identity developed later, during 40 years in the desert, when we adopted a revolutionary system of law and ritual. 

We emerged as a nation ready to inhabit our ancestral homeland – the Land of Israel.

Even when our homeland was repeatedly conquered and we were scattered all over the world, we remained the people of Israel.

In our hearts, in our prayers, in our very souls, we yearned for home. And when the opportunity came, we returned without hesitation, reconnecting to the land that has always been our destiny, giving us strength and pride.

The idea that Jews are part of the nation of Israel no matter where they live might have been contested before October 7, 2023. But on that fateful day, the unity of the Jewish people became unmistakable once again.

THE SHOCK and horror of the October 7 attacks inspired young Jews around the world to re-connect with their heritage and their true brand identity. 

More than four-in-10 American Jews sought deeper engagement with Jewish life in the year following the Hamas massacres, ac-cording to a survey of 6,000 people conducted by the Jewish Federations of North America. 

Participation in Jewish campus life through Hillel International rose 17%, charitable contributions to Jewish National Fund-USA increased by 66%, and interest and engagement with other Jewish causes and organizations grew at a similar pace.

“Am Yisrael Chai” resurfaced as our anthem. Jews in every country asked how they could support one another. 

We were bound not only by shared pain but also by a common threat because our enemies do not distinguish between Jews in Israel and Jews elsewhere; they target us all.

Ironically, these enemies are the ones who recognize our true identity. They see that being Jewish is more than a matter of faith. 

To them, we are one people, tied to one land, and they aim to destroy us as a whole.

The Nazi regime did not persecute Jews for our religious beliefs; it sought to eliminate us as a race apart from the Aryan ideal. Today, Hamas and its Iranian patrons care little about how or whether we pray.

 Their goal is to erase the nation of Israel and exterminate Jews worldwide.

For too long, we’ve operated under a survival strategy instead of a branding strategy. We’ve allowed others to define us as long as we could live in peace. We have kept our heads down. 

We walked softly and made contributions to every society that hosted us. But true brand strategy demands that we lift our heads and reclaim our identity, no matter where we reside.

It is time for the Jewish people to restore our collective identity. We would be smart to em-brace our God-given image: one nation, one people, one faith.

We must return to our core essence and ensure the world sees us as we see ourselves: as one indivisible people, the nation of Israel.

The writer is a brand strategist who worked on national political campaigns including presidential campaigns. She is a leader in the Jewish community who lends her expertise to corporate and nonprofit boards. She resides in Leawood, Kansas and Freeport, Maine.