The Challenge for American Jews
Progressive alliances are weakening, political identities are shifting, and emotional ties to Israel are being strained. What now?
TL;DR
- American Jews have achieved significant safety and success but are historically aware of abrupt ends to periods of security.
- The US constitutional order provides strong safeguards against state persecution, unlike historical contexts in Europe.
- The establishment of Israel, while a response to Nazi atrocities, created moral and political tensions regarding displaced Palestinians.
- Antisemitism is increasing, manifesting on both the political right and segments of the left, leading to a fraying of traditional progressive alliances.
- The October 7th attacks intensified antisemitism and created a sense of betrayal for many American Jews, who felt blamed or morally inverted.
- There's a growing distance between many American Jews and Israel's current government, particularly regarding the blocking of a Palestinian state.
- Younger Jews feel less attachment to Israel, partly due to growing up in a historically safe period for Jews in the Diaspora and perceiving Israel as an aggressor.
- Strengthening democratic institutions in the US and supporting a pluralistic, democratic Israel are presented as crucial for Jewish survival and dignity.
- Engaging in pluralistic coalitions and confronting antisemitism without ideological exception is vital, rather than retreating into sectarian isolation.
- Jewish history warns against choosing strongmen over institutions and highlights the fragility of minority safety when constitutional orders weaken.