Project leader: Yaakov Katz
The Israel-Hamas War and the surge of antisemitic incidents around the world, deepened the sense that Israeli and Diaspora Jews share a common fate. However, it was negatively affected by sociopolitical polarization in Israel, which remained very high. Against the backdrop of October 7 and the war that followed – which initially united and mobilized Israelis – and transformed, at least temporarily, the ideological and social rifts into an actual struggle. However, the disputes over the management of the war and the country went into emergency mode that made the willingness to compromise difficult.
Hard data shows that the sense of identification with Israel among Jews worldwide intensified, and the sense of identification with Diaspora Jewry among Israeli Jews deepened significantly (eight in ten Israeli Jews agree with the statement “All Jews, in Israel and the Diaspora, have a common future” – a steep rise compared with earlier years). At the same time, Israelis express deep concern about the prevailing social tensions (82% are concerned or very concerned about the state of Israeli “social cohesion”), and many of them feel that the state is in the throes of the worst crisis in its history.
Other factors that affected the cohesion of the Jewish people this year: anti-Israel demonstrations with anti-Jewish undertones reinforced the tendency of Jews worldwide to acknowledge that anti-Israel rhetoric is often a cover for antisemitic sentiment; election cycles in several countries where the issue of Israel and attitudes toward Jews played a role, raised the level of concern among Jews regarding their future in those countries; an internal Israeli social conflict over drafting yeshiva students into the IDF, which polarized ultra-Orthodox and other Israelis and aggravated relations between those who are not politically allied with the ultra-Orthodox parties and those who support a coalition that relies on ultra-Orthodox support; tense relations between the Israeli government and its prime minister and the current U.S. administration (which most American Jews support). The U.S. presidential elections will continue to affect cohesion next year as well, given Israelis’ open preference for a presidential candidate perhaps most American Jews do not support.
As a result of the above analysis, the Cohesion Gauge (previously referred to as the “Community Bonds” Gauge) needle was moved in a slightly positive direction this year.
Trends and Recommendations
Elections should be held in Israel, to be followed by the formation of a coalition that will strengthen trends of convergence on points of broad social consensus.
Explanation: The Jewish People Policy Institute usually avoids making recommendations of a political nature, but the social tensions in Israel – in light of a war whose outcomes could affect Israel’s ability to exist in security for generations to come – entails emergency measures to strengthen intra-Israeli cohesion, ease tensions, cool the communal atmosphere, and consolidate security, political, and social plans that reflect broad consensus. At this time, intra-Israeli cohesion is difficult to achieve because on the whole Israeli public has little confidence in the current government. This is a fact supported by numerous surveys, not a judgmental determination. Elections, therefore, are required – despite the difficulty of holding elections in wartime – whose winner would, by definition, enjoy the public’s confidence. We recommend that the winner of the next elections strive to form a coalition that includes the centrist political forces in Israeli society – a move that would strengthen internal cohesion and allow the elected government to address the enormous challenges that lie ahead. Indeed, a broad coalition of this kind would be possible because there is wide agreement among Israel’s mamlachti (statehood first) majority on an extensive array of issues that could be advanced on a basis of broad consensus (not full consensus, as groups not belonging to this majority would likely oppose change). Under the geopolitical circumstances that have emerged, the existence of a widely accepted leadership that would enjoy the trust of most of the Israeli public is not a luxury but rather an existential necessity.
The opportunity created by the recognition among Jews of their covenant of fate should be utilized to expand global-Jewish cooperation on pro-Israel efforts and combating antisemitism.
Explanation: The convergence of the anti-Israel arena (the Hamas attack and Israel-hatred among Western subgroups) with the antisemitic arena (continued displays of antisemitism, the rise of antisemitic forces, the slide from critical discourse on Israel into antisemitic discourse, and more) has led to a broad recognition among Jews that the status and fate of Israeli Jews cannot be detached from that of Diaspora Jewry. The struggle against “Israel-hatred” in its broader Jewish sense – not the concrete political one concerning the State of Israel – is the struggle of the entire Jewish people. The need to rise to the occasion, through a variety of means, has penetrated the consciousness of Jews around the world. Under these circumstances, however difficult they may be, an opportunity exists to strengthen pan-Jewish cohesion. The effort to facilitate such cohesion would entail continuous contact between Jewish leaders around the world, and the broadest possible cooperation (though without expecting full consensus) in identifying the forces hostile to Israel and the Jewish people, and formulating the correct strategy for fighting them.