''Golah'' refers to the
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora ( he, תְּפוּצָה, təfūṣā) or exile (Hebrew: ; Yiddish: ) is the dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancient ancestral homeland (the Land of Israel) and their subsequent settlement in other parts of t ...
community. While sharing the same Hebrew letters as the term ''
galut
The Jewish diaspora ( he, תְּפוּצָה, təfūṣā) or exile (Hebrew: ; Yiddish: ) is the dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancient ancestral homeland (the Land of Israel) and their subsequent settlement in other parts of th ...
'', the terms are not interchangeable: while ''golah'' refers to the diaspora itself (and thus, to those who do reside in such a state), the term ''galut'' refers to the process of residing in diaspora (that is, to be extricated, or to make voluntary
yerida
Yerida ( he, ירידה ''yerida'', "descent") is emigration by Jews from the State of Israel (or in religious texts, Land of Israel). Yerida is the opposite of aliyah (, lit. "ascent"), which is immigration by Jews to Israel. Zionists are genera ...
, from the region of Israel), and is mostly synonymous with the English word ''
exile
Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...
''.
The terms ''golah'' and ''galut'', however, are the object of controversy within Jewish literature and Jewish politics, as they have become most prominently used since the 20th century within
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...
in its ideological promotion of the
negation of the Diaspora
The negation of the Diaspora ( he, שלילת הגלות, ''shlilat ha' galut'', or he, שלילת הגולה, ''shlilat ha'golah'') is a central assumption in many currents of Zionism. The concept encourages the dedication to Zionism and it is u ...
.
''"Arab Chains" and "The Good Things of Sepharad": Aspects of Jewish Exile''
by Marc Saperstein and Nancy E. Berg
See also
*Babylonian captivity
The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, following their defeat ...
References
{{Judaism-stub
Jewish diaspora