For many US Jews, October 7 brought a stronger sense of identity and a deeper bond with Israel; now, that bond is clouded by growing embarrassment
“What can be done to help young American Jews who identify as Zionists support Israel’s right to exist, and these days risk social exclusion or even losing their livelihood? Young people in the fields of art and humanities, for example, who encounter closed doors if they refuse to renounce Israel?”
This uneasy question was recently raised to me by a Jewish American mother who has supported Israel for many years, financially and publicly. A worried mother. Since the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip has worsened and the harsh criticism of Israel grew around the world this past summer, as Israel slowly becomes an international pariah, one can detect a new reaction in conversations with Jews who support Israel and want its success — embarrassment.
Embarrassment at the ongoing war, embarrassment at the absence of a horizon for a deal to return the hostages (a cause to which American Jewry is still astonishingly devoted), embarrassment at their inability to explain outwardly to their surroundings (sometimes hostile) what Israel’s strategy is, when inwardly, they themselves do not understand it.
To remove any doubt, this is not a progressive audience suffering from “Wokeism” and identifying with campus protests, but rather the circles most devoted to Israel after October 7 — Jews who contribute money, time and public support to Israel. They did not hesitate to stand with us even in the face of the wave of anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism that has intensified over the past two years, and has deeply affected their lives and the lives of their children. They did not shirk responsibility; on the contrary, the “Jews of October 8” have discovered that their Jewish identity had strengthened. And for many of them, the connection to Israel became deeper.
The futility of the current situation regarding the war, the government’s inability to present to Israelis — and to the world — a long-term strategy and clear objectives, is leading the Jewish community in the U.S. into a growing crisis. Some 92% of American Jews believe that recent developments in the war increase the sense of insecurity of Jews in various countries, and harm the internal unity of the Jewish communities themselves. Three-quarters of them are concerned that Israel could become a pariah in Western countries (according to the Voice of the Jewish People index of the Jewish People Policy Institute, JPPI).
Should Israel navigate its military actions based on their impact on Diaspora Jewry? The Israeli government is, first and foremost, expected to be devoted to the security and welfare of its own citizens. However, when the Cabinet sits down to decide on the next steps of the war, it is expected to conduct a thorough, serious and wide-ranging discussion of all consequences; the impact of the war on Jews in America, or Europe, must be part of this complex puzzle. Not just symbolically, but substantively.
The more Israel’s name is tarnished internationally, the more it becomes a pariah state on the global stage – in a way that endangers its future and security – the worse the situation becomes for Diaspora Jews, especially those who maintain a bond with Israel.
Even those who do not believe that the Diaspora should be considered when making substantive decisions in the Gaza war must at the very least take into account the dangerous impact of extreme, irresponsible (or immoral) statements made by members of the Knesset and coalition ministers – which are quoted around the world; statements that further worsen the situation and security of Jews in the Diaspora. These statements have no connection to the management of the war or its success — likely the opposite.
Jewish communities that have supported Israel during one of the most difficult periods in its history deserve greater attention from the State of Israel — a state they still see as a second home.