America's Jewish Community Splits Along Generational Lines Ahead of Israel's Election | Israel Politics Post
America's Jewish Community Splits Along Generational Lines Ahead of Israel's Election
Orthodox Jewish Americans largely still back Netanyahu, while younger and more liberal Jews increasingly say his policies have hurt Israel's standing and fueled the antisemitism rising in their own communities.
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By Israel Politics Post Staff·Published
Pro-Israel supporters attend the Republican convention in Dallas · Source: AP Photo/Julio Cortez, via The Times of Israel
American Jewish communities are heading into Israel's October 27 election deeply split along political, religious and generational lines over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, The Times of Israel reported. Orthodox supporters largely continue to see him as the protector of a country central to their identity, while younger and more liberal American Jews increasingly argue his policies have damaged Israel's standing abroad and fueled anger that has spilled over into antisemitism at home.
The divide is especially fraught because antisemitism itself is rising across the United States right now, a reality that cuts across the political debate rather than resolving it. Even some of Netanyahu's sharper critics are careful to separate the two issues; Rabbi Dan Levin of Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida, noted that blame for anti-Jewish violence in the US "can't solely be laid at his feet."
Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in America, has leaned further into this unease, with many of its members voicing concern over the political weight of ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel and over settlement policies they see as conflicting with their own values. Generational data underscores the shift: only about 40 percent of religious Jewish adults under 45 say supporting Israel is central to their Jewish identity, with many instead pointing to things like holiday observance as the stronger connection. At the same time, a majority of American Jewish adults surveyed say they consider antisemitism a serious problem in the US today.
Some within the community believe a change of government in Jerusalem could ease tensions and improve how American Jews view Israel. Few, however, expect antisemitic violence in the US to simply stop with a change in administration, particularly as Palestinian grievances continue to be invoked by extremists to justify violence against Jews broadly, not just against Israeli policy.
