Sonia Bloomfield (former Sonia Bloomfield Ramagem), Professor of Cultural Anthropology at University of Maryland. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the 50s. I am a Geographer, and I hold a M.A. in Cultural Anthropology (studying the first Brazilian community who deemed itself “anussim” and decided to be Jews), and a Ph.D. in the same area, with research about the first Latin American kibbutz.

In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?

“Israel’s existence is absolutely fundamental to all Jews, all over the world, both on an spiritual and on a physical security level.”

Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?

“Absolutely! In fact, I am very active in Brazilian sites and media, writing and speaking whenever possible about Israel.”

Do you affiliate yourself with a specific confessional division in Judaism? What is your view regarding the dominance of the Orthodox division in Israel religious establishment?

“Emotionally and intellectually, I lean towards Hassidism (Chabad) , but I do not live as an extremely Orthodox Jew. With all due respect to all confessional divisions, I believe that Orthodoxy is the way to guarantee the existence of the Jewish people in the long run. However, I think Orthodoxy should be more open to deal with Galut situations, such as intermarriage (they happen), conversions, etc. I also believe that young Orthodox men should serve the IDF in some capacity.”

Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?

“No. I feel that as a galut Jew I should support Israel in most circumstances. Since I am not living in Israel, I have no say on what a democratically elected government does.”

In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?

“Jews who live outside Israel, either by choice or by circumstances, are usually not well seen by Israelis. This is a problem because Israel needs international support and it needs specific help from the galut communities at local levels. Another thing that called my attention last time I was in Israel (September to December 2015) was how fast is the urbanization process/population growth. If all Jews move to Israel, there will be a real overcrowding/environmental problem.”

How would you describe Israel’s policy (formally and in practice) regarding its relationship with the Diaspora?

“As galut Jews are not very well regarded by Israelis, this phenomenon is reflected on the lack of Israel’s interest in public diplomacy. Jewish communities outside Israel should receive training (especially young people) in dealing with the negative propaganda from BDS and other anti-Semitic groups.

I’ve worked for the Israeli Embassy in Brazil in different periods and it has always been understaffed (very few diplomats), and the local employees always received very low pays and (with one or two exceptions) had not been trained to understand and deal with issues on the Israeli history, culture, etc. (in fact, very few Jews have worked as local employees).”

In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?

“It depends on the need: (1) If it is a question of physical survival, I believe Israel should do as much as possible to help people make aliyah; (2) If the need is economic, usually the Jewish community in the US tries to help; and (3) if the need is cultural/social, Israel can help by sending highly motivated shelihim, providing training, helping to build sites in the local languages, etc.”

Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impression from the Israeli reality?

“I’ve been over 30 times in Israel. I have lived in a kibbutz as a volunteer while I researched for my Ph.D., I have lived in a small hotel in Ramat Efal (Yad Tabenkin), I have lived in a kibbutz with a chaver, and I have visited for shorter periods of time. The Israeli reality is always changing so it is difficult to talk about “a” reality.

“What I feel very deep, from years and years of close contact, is that there is a strong need to counteract the post-Zionist influence among the Israelis, so they will be more proud of their country and what their forefathers have accomplished. The erosion of the of the Zionist ideology is very clear to me, and on a very negative sense. OK, I know that Zionism is a debated ideology, but it should be a reason for pride, not for self-hatred.”

Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown? Is it organized? Are there community activities?

“I live in-between worlds, Brazil and the USA. In Brazil, my community is in Brasília, though I am connected to other communities through my membership at B’Nai B’Rith and my writings. Brasília is the capital of Brazil and, though it hosts the Israeli Embassy, the local community has no good infrastructure to host events, to invite the media, to have speeches to the outside world. Both the sort-of-Reform community and the Chabad one are housed in very tight building/housing.

“When I lived there, I was a professor of University of Brasilia and I have invited a few Israeli professors and researchers to visit and give conferences there, but I had to host them in my own home and sometimes I even paid for their tickets from Rio or São Paulo to Brasília. There is a strong need to have a proper Jewish representation in the capital of the country, i.e. a place with a good conference room and a good library. What exists there is very precarious.”

Anything you would like to add??

“I think that people who work for the Israeli missions throughout the world should also be heard, even if they are not Jews. These are the people dealing with the local population directly, for long periods of time, and they can provide very good insights into what is needed for a better public diplomacy campaign. This does not exclude the local Jewish leaderships from participating, but the perspectives would be different.

“Another very serious issue is that of the so-called “anussim.” The Knesset held a meeting last September on the subject, and the Netanya Academic College has created an Institute for Anoussim and Sephardic Studies. I am always amazed by the number of people who call themselves B’Nei Anussim and who want to ‘return’. I believe that, even if they do not ‘return’, they are a huge source of support in their countries (in Brazil alone it is estimated that there are some 30 million descendants of Jews).”