How do Young American Jews Feel About Israel?
It has become clear in recent years that many young American Jews, defined as those of approximately 18-29 years of age in 2021, hold significantly different views on the Israel-Palestine conflict than their parents’ and grandparents’ generations. For instance, according to Cohen and Kelman (2007), “younger American Jews reveal less disagreement than do older Jews with the belief that Israel owns land belonging to others,” and according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center between November 2019 and June 2020, only 24% of young American Jews “say the Israeli government is making a sincere effort towards peace” (Pew Research Center 2019-2020). Young American Jews have also been found to be "more critical of Israeli government policies and feel more sympathetic towards the Palestinians than older American Jews" (Waxman 177).
However, while Jewish-American opinion on Israel and the Israel-Palestine conflict has certainly shifted, 48% of 18-29 year-old U.S. Jews still “feel very/somewhat attached to Israel,” and 35% “say caring about Israel is essential to what being Jewish means to them” (Pew Research Center 2019-2020). Many young Jewish Americans also “often...understand Palestinian resistance as a disruption of Israel’s legitimate power” (Schneider 1). It is clear from the robust amount of literature on this topic that while young Jewish Americans are more critical of Israel’s actions than previous generations of American Jews, they still identify strongly with the state, care about its welfare, and believe its existence to be justified and legitimate.
I hypothesize that that much of young American Jews' support is derived from the pro-Israel education provided in Hebrew Schools.
Jewish History of Persecution and Oppression
It is important to note that the Jewish people have a long history of persecution, and as a result, the state of Israel is often viewed as a necessary solution to thousands of years of oppression. “Israel has physically provided and emotionally symbolized a haven of safety and protection for the Jews wherever they reside. This refuge represented salvation for Jewish relatives and nonrelatives displaced and traumatized by the anti-Semitic practices (eg, Nazism, Communism) of foreign governments” (Kanofsky and Wood 416).
In fact, this role of Israel as a symbol of refuge and safety for the Jewish people has allowed the state to take on a sort of “parental function for Jews throughout the world on conscious as well as unconscious levels” (Kanofsky and Wood 416). More specifically, “when one’s reference group or family is threatened, everyone within that group feels threatened. Indeed, given their dependence on parents for physical and emotional safety, children realize that if their parents are in danger they are also threatened” (Kanofsky and Wood 416). Understanding this can help to put “the denial, minimization, or even glorification” by some American Jews “regarding oppressive actions of the Israeli government and military” in context (Kanofsky and Wood 417).
This desire for safety and protection stems from a background of discrimination and oppression, and the fear from this history is exacerbated by current threats to Israel’s safety and existence (regardless of whether or not those threats are justified). “With feelings of fear, vulnerability and loyalty toward Israel and its citizens competing with feelings of compassion toward Palestinians for their suffering…Palestinians and criticism of Israel are likely to become either consciously suppressed or unconsciously repressed” (Kanofsky and Wood 419). This be understood as a reason (although not necessarily a justification) for American Jewish support of and identification with Israel.
Fear of Speaking Out
Many diaspora Jews do have critical opinions towards Israel and its government, however, they are afraid to speak up for fear of accusations of betrayal of their community and Jewish self-hatred (Kanofsky and Wood). As a result, they project outward support for Israel to avoid these potential allegations.
"...Many Jews who are disturbed, even appalled, by Israel’s actions in the West Bank...want to voice their concerns. Yet they want to be fair. They fear that if they speak only about Israel, their words will be unbalanced, unjust, and unheard."
-Ira Chernus, "I Criticize Israel Because I am Jewish"
"...Because the conflict has so often been boiled down to a binary — you either support Israel or you support its destruction — for many of us it felt like a betrayal to even consider the other side. Even now with strength in numbers, there is still a genuine fear of using words and phrases like apartheid and ethnic cleansing, even if they’re applicable. There is an instinct to retreat."
-Marisa Kabas, "Young American Jews Have Reached a Tipping Point With Israel"
Trips to Israel
While there is not significant literature focusing on the role of Hebrew Schools in Jewish American opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict, there has been research done on the impact of similar programs on Jewish American views on this situation. Birthright Israel, for instance, is a free, ten-day trip to Israel offered to American Jews between the ages of 18-32, which “aims to strengthen Jewish identity, Jewish communities, and connection with Israel and its people” (Birthright Israel 2). While this trip is for an older set of participants than Hebrew School, which caters to elementary, middle, and (less frequently) high school students, the programs are similar in that they act as a space for young Jews to explore their religion more deeply.
American Jews who participate in Birthright Israel tend to gain more exposure to the Israel-Palestine conflict during their trip, and when they return, are more likely than they were before the trip to endorse “the Jewish root narrative on the Israeli– Palestinian conflict (Jewish people want to live in peace but must defend themselves), [disavow] the Palestinian narrative and understanding of the conflict, [gain] a sense of collective victimhood, and [understand] of the conflict as a zero-sum game” (Hagai 1). Even on alternative trips, which aim to be a direct contrast to trips like Birthright and bring American Jews “to sites in Israel/Palestine that challenge dominant Zionist narratives...orientalist tropes still seep into participants’ interpretations of Palestinian sites and narratives. As a result, even participants with newfound sympathy toward Palestinians will often continue to understand Palestinian resistance as a disruption of Israel’s legitimate power” (Schneider 1). Although trips such as Birthright are clear instigators of strong support for Israel and Zionism, the fact that these ideas are even present in programs with the opposite aims makes it clear that Zionism stems from other areas of Jewish life that are not necessarily discussed in the available research
*This is not an exhaustive list of reasons that American Jews support Israel.