Beyond Achdut: Why the Jewish People Need a Vision

We love to talk about “Achdut”, but too often, it stops at the familiar — our friends, our shul, our city. True unity, the kind that sustains a people through centuries, requires more. It requires vision.

Judaism is designed to connect every Jew to the broader Jewish family, Am Yisrael. Regardless of observance, geography, or background, we see this from the very beginning of our story. Avraham is promised that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him (Bereishit 12:3), signalling that the mission of the Jewish people extends far beyond the individual. Yaakov, too, is told that his descendants shall be like the dust of the earth and spread (Bereishit 28:14). The Torah frames Am Yisrael not as a collection of tribes in isolation, but as a family with a shared destiny — one whose reach stretches across the entire world. And yet, in practise, our communities too often operate in isolation. We celebrate unity locally, but rarely ask: what is our shared purpose as a people? How do we cultivate Achdut that stretches across continents, generations, and Jewish worlds?

Yes, we do see flashes of this broader connection. Gap Year programmes in Israel, for example, provide thousands of young Jews with a deeper encounter with Torah, the land of Israel, and the Jewish people. These experiences inspire a sense of shared destiny and sometimes lead to aliyah. And yet, even here, the vision is usually limited to a circle of people who already share common values or backgrounds. It is still not Am Yisrael in its entirety.

History reminds us of the cost of missing vision. The destruction of the Second Temple was not only a military catastrophe – it reflected a fractured people, lacking a unifying framework. Today, our schools, youth movements, summer programmes and communities provide unprecedented levels of education and engagement. And yet, the gaps remain. Are we truly taking action as a community, rooting for the same goal? We may differ in observance, belief, culture or practise, but are we working together to shape a unified Jewish future? It is common for one’s neighbourhood to to dictate one’s entire Jewish path — suggesting that our collective identity remains fragile.

Chabad provides one striking model: reaching Jews everywhere, across divides of observance and culture. They see Am Yisrael as a family, not just a collection of local communities. This is the challenge before us: how do we move from local Achdut to global Achdut? How do we embrace not only “Malkeinu” — our structures, rules and responsibilities — but also Avinu?

The phrase Avinu Malkeinu — something we have chanted many times over the last few weeks holds the key. “Malkeinu” reminds us of God as King, the source of structure, halakha, and communal frameworks. Much of Jewish life is built around this: our shuls, schools and communal obligations. But “Avinu” reminds us of God as our Father — that we are one family. A father doesn’t love his children only when they are alike, or only when they meet certain standards. He loves them all. The Jewish people cannot live only as subjects of the King; we must also live as the siblings of the same Father. That means seeing each other as family, even when we differ in background, belief or practise.

Leadership and education are essential, but they cannot replace personal engagement. Every Jew must take responsibility for internalising Torah, for asking questions, and for connecting to the broader Jewish family. Institutions provide tools — but vision and purpose must come from each individual as well as collective.

And what about the moments when tragedy shakes us? Just this week, on October 2nd 2025, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, Jews in Manchester suffered a horrific attack. Two years earlier, on October 7th 2023, the Jewish people faced an unthinkable pogrom in Israel that shook the entire nation. And in our history, the Holocaust remains the most searing example of Jewish suffering and fragmentation. Each time, our first instinct is to ask “Why?” Rav Soloveitchik insisted that this is the wrong question. He says that we cannot ask why something happens, but rather, what are we going to do about it?

Our answer should be: Achdut with vision. Unity that is not simply emotional or symbolic, but practical, purposeful, and transformative. Rav Soloveitchik also taught that holiness is created by humans. It is our responsibility to create holiness in this world — and one of the greatest forms of holiness we can build is the Achdut of our nation. When Jews stand together, support each other, and root themselves in a common vision, we not only respond to tragedy, we also create lives of deeper meaning, purpose, and hope.

This is more than reflection — it’s a call to action:

1. Engage Beyond Your Bubble: Seek conversations, friendships, and experiences outside your familiar community. Learn from Jews of different backgrounds, movements, and observance levels.
2. Invest in Jewish Literacy: Ensure that every Jew has access to a basic understanding of Judaism. Promote programmes that teach shared texts, traditions, and values across communities.

3. Create Platforms for Global Dialogue: Bring together Jews from different towns, cities, and countries. Talk not just about local concerns, but about the future of the people as a whole.

4. Cultivate Personal Responsibility: Encourage each Jew to take ownership of their learning and connection to Am Yisrael. Real unity is built by informed, engaged individuals.

Achdut without vision is fragile. A unified Jewish future requires us to think bigger, act boldly, and embrace every member of our community globally. The Jewish people are bigger than our comfort zones. Our vision must be too.

But here is the hope: we are already living in a generation with tools our ancestors could only dream of. We have unprecedented access to Torah learning. We have Jewish schools, youth movements, and institutions flourishing around the world. We have a sovereign State of Israel that unites Jews in pride and destiny. And we have each other.

The question is not whether we can create a vision for Am Yisrael — the question is whether we will choose to. The moment is here. The responsibility is ours. And if we rise to it, we can build a future in which every Jew knows they belong to something larger than themselves: a people bound together not only by history, but by hope.