Ilya Shapiro’s recent piece in Sapir on the evolution (or perhaps devolution) of the concept of diversity in American political thought is both insightful and provocative. He traces how America’s original experiment — allowing various religious groups to coexist in a shared space without state favoritism — has morphed into a framework that often prioritizes race-based preferences in education and employment as compensation for historical injustices.

Reading his analysis sparked my own reflections on the meaning of diversity and unity within the Jewish People, particularly as I assume the leadership of Anu – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. These questions are not theoretical for us. They shape our very identity as a people and the way we present the Jewish story to the world.

For thousands of years, the Jewish People have been remarkably heterogeneous. We’ve seen our heterogeneity as an asset and leveraged it in a trademark of the beit midrash, the Jewish house of learning: the debate. 

Debate is not just something we tolerate as Jews. It is woven into the very fabric of how we learn, understand and explore the world. We have long embraced argument and discussion as an essential educational tool, sharpening perspectives, strengthening minds and opening hearts to different ways of thinking. In Jewish education, we do not merely teach conclusions; rather, we teach the debates themselves — the back-and-forth, the reasoning, the process — because the value lies not just in the answers but in engaging with multiple perspectives. This tradition of discourse has allowed us to thrive as a diverse yet united people, constantly evolving while remaining rooted in shared values.

We have spoken different languages, practiced different traditions and lived in vastly different cultural and political realities. Yet despite this diversity, we have remained a singular people. What, then, unites us? What makes an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic scholar from North Africa part of the same people as a secular Russian-speaking physician or an Ethiopian-born singer?

At Anu, we grapple with this question daily. Over the past decade, the museum has been reimagined and rebuilt: evolving from Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, which documented Jewish history outside the Land of Israel, into a dynamic educational institution that tells the full Jewish story —one of resilience, creativity, struggle, and survival. Our exhibitions, seminars and programs highlight both what divides us and what binds us together — our history, values, traditions, even our cuisines.

Like America’s founding ideals, our unity is not rooted in uniformity but in a shared set of values. One of those values is machloket l’shem shamayim, disagreement for the sake of Heaven. We are a people who debate, who argue passionately about everything from halacha to politics. At the same time, this cherished tradition of dispute must be conducted with respect and with an eye toward strengthening, not fracturing, our people.

The Codex Sassoon — the world’s oldest, most complete Hebrew Bible, which we are privileged to exhibit at Anu — is a profound symbol of this unity. Across generations and continents, this text has been our common inheritance, a thread binding us across time and place. Our Koret International School harnesses Jewish history and diversity to teach and strengthen Jewish peoplehood. Our core and special exhibits provide Jews with the tools to recognize themselves in one another, across differences.

Today, as anti-Jewish sentiment rises worldwide, it is more important than ever to understand and uphold the values that have kept us together. The strength of the Jewish People has never come from sameness but from our ability to transform diversity into a source of resilience. Our differences are not a burden — they are our greatest asset. They do not weaken our unity; they define it.

At Anu, we celebrate Jewish diversity because we know it is the key to our survival. A Jew who understands and appreciates the story of a Jew from another part of the world is richer, stronger and more connected. And at the end of the day, that is what makes us Am Yisrael, one people.

Oded Revivi is the CEO of Anu – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv