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For many years, Israel has invested efforts into public diplomacy, yet its image remains poor, to say the least. Around the world, young people grow up with the perception that Israel is a bad country. In a few years, they will fill leadership positions, and Israel’s problem will become much more serious. Indeed, this calls for a revolution in Israel’s public diplomacy strategy.
If we start from the bottom line, only Israel can halt the world’s descent toward collapse. Also, only Israel can advance the human species to its next evolutionary stage, one where we shift to a united humanity above the divisive drives that tear away at us. This must become the new message, first to ourselves, and then to all of humanity. It is in our hands to bring about the world’s correction (Tikkun Olam), and we must choose to accept this mission.
Now, back to the beginning. From one generation to the next, we have been a thorn in the side of the world. We were hated on religious grounds, and also without any connection to religion. We were hated in the East and in the West. Even among peoples who barely encountered Jews, there exists a special attitude toward them. Even today, in the age of political correctness, with all the science, education, progress, and universalism, deep down, people feel that Jews are something different. This is an undeniable phenomenon of nature. Where does it come from?
Mesopotamia, the cradle of human civilization, about 4,000 years ago. A surge of ego at a high level led to misunderstanding, hatred, and struggles for control. “Half the world fell by the sword,” says the Midrash.
A wise thinker named Abraham stood apart and proposed a different path of development. He explained that just as all of nature is unified, so too should human beings live. The human ego, i.e., the desire to enjoy for self-benefit at the expense of others, awakens within us not so that we dominate one another, but so that we learn to rise to a more advanced connection, one that is above the ego, in unity, kindness, and peace. If we learn the method for doing this, ever-expanding realities will open before us. We will become an integral part of nature, consciously, and increasingly discover the single force that exists within it.
Most people rejected Abraham’s idea. Those few who sensed truth in his words became his students, and from them the people of Israel eventually emerged. At this ideological point of divergence—between humanity as a whole and Abraham’s group—lies the root of the feeling that Jews are different.
“All of Israel are responsible for one another,” and “love your neighbor as yourself,” this was their unique direction of development. Jewish laws and writings aimed at an integral approach to family, others, society, and the environment. However, at a certain stage, their internal connection was shattered. The ego grew to a level they could not overcome, unfounded hatred took hold, and the people went into a 2,000-year exile.
In the diaspora, traces of the original values remained, which are expressed in mutual responsibility, support, and care. The surrounding nations perceived the Jews as a separate, closed, and different community. Over time, religions further intensified the hostility.
When one delves into the inner teachings of the Torah, a broad universal worldview emerges. Ultimately, as Abraham originally proposed, humanity will have no choice but to advance toward complete unity:
“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares… nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)
The path will involve difficult scrutinies, but the goal is universal love. This vision sustained the Jewish people even in their most difficult times and gave them hope.
Today, in our interconnected and interdependent world, we are reaching a state similar to the story of the Tower of Babel. The ego has reached its peak development; no one wants to understand anyone else, and collapse is evident in all relationships, from the personal level to the social and international arenas. At any moment, a global nuclear war could erupt. Egoistic attitudes toward everything are also expressed in the destruction of the environment.
At this point, when we are all in the same boat and it approaches sinking, salvation depends on a fundamental change in perception. Israeli public diplomacy must focus precisely on this point.
We are not here merely to defend or justify ourselves, or to showcase how much we have contributed to the world, whether in science, high-tech, medicine, agriculture, or humanitarian aid. That is all important, but it is not what humanity truly needs.
What the world needs is an example of unity above the divisive ego. Upon this depends the entire future and all human happiness. We ourselves do not yet fully know how to implement this method, but it is embedded within us. Until we provide it to the world, there is no hope for successful public diplomacy. Attitudes toward Israel will continue to deteriorate, and hatred will reach unprecedented levels, until eventually it will become clear that what the world truly wants is the wisdom that Abraham discovered: the wisdom of unity and mutual complementarity. This is because nature is a single unifying force of love and bestowal.
Based on “New Life 133 – Israel in the World Media, Part 1” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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