What are the biggest challenges facing the Jewish people today?
That question launched the Voice of the People initiative just over a year ago, and it continues to guide the work of our global council. From day one, we set out to ask not only our council members, but Jewish people everywhere: What are you feeling? What are you seeing? What is missing? What needs to change?
That’s what our global survey set out to capture, and the result is now available in the Jewish Landscape Data Report.
Recently, Tikun Talks hosted a public webinar titled “Data and Diversity for Jewish Innovation” to unpack the report and share the process behind it. The event featured council member Deborah Apeloig, founder of Tikun Talks and member of Team 8 (Jewish & Non-Jewish Relations), alongside VOP’s Chief Marketing and Product Officer Neta Danciger and Chief Financial Officer Tanya Harati.
Together, they explored what happens when 10,000 voices across 80+ countries are listened to at scale — and how those voices shape the way we build toward a more united, diverse, and action-driven future.
We wanted to ask people all over the world: What are the real-life issues you’re dealing with? Where does it hurt? What matters to you?
From the beginning, the open-ended questions were meant to offer an outlet as much as a data point. Respondents poured their thoughts into the text boxes, sharing stories of pain, disconnection, hope, and perseverance in the wake of October 7 and in the face of everyday Jewish life around the world. These responses became what Neta called “data gold” — and formed the heart of the qualitative analysis.
Using AI-powered tools, the VOP team scanned for patterns by generation, region, and theme. They found that younger generations focused heavily on social media and academia when discussing antisemitism, while older generations emphasized safety and physical violence. Across the board, the issue emerged as one of the top concerns, even among those who initially felt reluctant to name it.
Prior to October 7, antisemitism was like a taboo topic. No one wanted to get into it. Now, it’s one of the highest priorities.
Other themes echoed with striking consistency. The top five challenges identified in the report — antisemitism, Israel-global Jewry relations, polarization, Jewish and non-Jewish relations, and Jewish identity/culture/heritage — became the five focal areas for the council itself, with two working groups assigned to each one. As Tanya noted, this choice reflected a deliberate shift toward depth and diversity:
Some of these topics are so large, they could each have 10 working groups on their own.
Deborah, representing one of the teams working on Jewish & Non-Jewish Relations, offered insight into how that plays out in practice:
Even within our own group, there's a wide spectrum — from the most Orthodox to the most secular. We’re developing two ideas now: one focused on Israel-India relations, the other on a joint Arab-Israeli business incubator.
One of the most powerful takeaways from the webinar was how much hope the participants found in the process itself. For those living in Israel, the council offers a rare chance to look toward the horizon. For those in the diaspora, it provides a direct line of connection and collaboration.
“Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that things can be better when you’re inside something so hard. But Voice of the People is a way to imagine something better.” —Neta
“There are so many people that care. We’re not just talking about the issues. We’re doing the work, and I think that gives me a lot of hope.” —Tanya
More data, more voices, and more stories will continue to shape future cohorts and working groups. But for now, this report stands as a powerful testament to what happens when we ask our people what they need, and then act on what we hear.
🖥️ Watch the full webinar
📄 Download the full Jewish Landscape Data Report
🌍 Learn more about the next cohort
