A polarized diaspora: the changing relationship between American Jews and Israel after October 7th
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Abstract
How has the relationship between Jewish American identity and Israel shifted since
October 7th? Deemed ‘the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust’ by President Biden, the
Hamas-led terrorist attacks on October 7th, 2023, marked a pivotal change in Jewish American
support for Israel. Jewish American organizations sent nearly a billion dollars in donations to
Israel after the attack during a growing movement of solidarity among Jews in support for Israel.
However, the retaliatory Israeli policy and military responses after October 7th has prompted a
political and generational divide between Jews in the US. Such a divide can not be generalized
among individuals, however, three political movements shape the discourse: one that vies for
consistent support of Zionism; one that argues for a new, progressive Zionism; and one that
rejects Zionism in favor of an identity without. Within these three streams is a widening
polarization between Jewish Americans that support Israel and Zionism, and those that do not.
The policy and programming changes in Jewish American organizations are indicative of this,
and organizations must grapple with which camp they position themselves in and the broader
implications attached. For analysis, I will be looking at multiple Jewish American organizations
that fall on a spectrum along these three movements: Taglit-Birthright Israel (Birthright), the
American Council for Judaism (ACJ), and Jewish V oice for Peace (JVP). I will use these
analyses to comprehend how Jewish American organizing can foster novel understandings of the
relationship between Jewish Americans and Israel.