American Jewry stands with Israel - opinion

“American Jews Are Abandoning Israel,” reads one headline. “Jewish Groups Mass on Grand Central Station to Denounce the Gaza War,” blares another. Since the vicious Hamas attack of October 7 and the resulting conflict, an erroneous narrative is taking hold in the mainstream press: support among American Jews for Israel is plummeting, particularly among young people. 

Yet nothing could be further from the truth, as shown in both polls and my own experience as a Jewish communal leader whose institution, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, represents the full spectrum of interests and opinions among Jews in the United States.

Polling data delivers a stinging rebuke to these headlines. According to a survey conducted in December by Schoen Cooperman Research, fully 81% of American Jews support Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip. Despite the sensationalism about Gen Z’s supposed disenchantment from the Jewish state, the same poll shows that 60% of that age demographic support the war effort as well. A mere 26% of Gen Z respondents want an immediate ceasefire. 

Add to that one huge, if anecdotal, data point: nearly 300,000 Jews – quite a lot of them young people – flooded the National Mall in Washington last November to voice their solidarity with Israel and the hostages held in Gaza.

Despite these statistics, the antics of several organizations, notably If Not Now (INN) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), garner outsized media attention that incorrectly spotlights these groups as spokespersons for American Jewry. Both groups outrageously accuse Israel of committing genocide and endorse South Africa’s spurious case at the International Court of Justice.

Neither seems to evince much concern for the fate of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, with INN going as far as comparing Palestinian security prisoners to the Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip. JVP even sponsored demonstrations with rabid antisemites and defended those who accuse “Zionist” doctors of harming Arab and African-American patients, a terrible and dangerous antisemitic trope. 

Religiously connected Jews struggle watching Jewish critics of Israel

It is also frustrating for religiously connected Jews to watch INN and JVP demonstrators incorrectly engage in religious acts, claiming to speak on behalf of Jews but clearly having no familiarity with Jewish customs. Demonstrators have worn tallit prayer shawls upside down, blown into the wrong end of a ceremonial shofar, and stumbled through common Jewish prayers – all seemingly for the sake of a photo opportunity for the mainstream media, who may not know the difference either.

Some of these activists even appear on anti-Israel networks such as Al Jazeera to denounce Israel. Let us be clear about what their function in the discourse is: these are fringe outliers who Jew-wash some of the most vicious forms and manifestations of antisemitism.

AMERICAN JEWS have a range of opinions on Israel; some can indeed be very critical of particular governments or policies while remaining in the communal fold. Because modern Jews are broadly liberal and pluralistic in orientation, our community gives rise to immense internal debate and dissension. This is something to celebrate. 

But it is important to recognize that the vast majority of Jews agree on Israel’s right to defend itself against the threat that Hamas poses and the importance of bringing the hostages home. They also acknowledge that demonizing Israel as genocidal and excusing antisemitic violence must remain beyond the pale.

The idea of herem (excommunication) has not existed in Jewish life since the early modern period – and good riddance to a device that expelled great spirits like Baruch Spinoza in the name of religious conformity. 

Many Jews, however, justifiably feel a profound aversion toward co-religionists whose Judaism seems to exist merely to be wielded against other Jews. Even more frustrating is the media’s insistence on spotlighting these groups as representative of the Jewish people, when we in fact have never been more united and vocal in our fundamental support of the Jewish state. Elements devoted to bashing fellow Jews and those who elevate them might want to familiarize themselves with another concept central to Jewish identity: ahavat Yisrael, or love of the Jewish people.

American Jews, notwithstanding our reputation for fractiousness and heated debate, remain firm in our stance behind Israel as it prosecutes this just war against the Hamas terrorist army. Media narratives that obfuscate this fact do not reflect reality in the American Jewish community, and we – the overwhelming majority, the mainstream – will continue to make our voices heard.

The writer is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP), the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 diverse national Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern. Follow him on X at @daroff.