Israelis, American Jews and the general American society

The age-old charge of dual loyalties has always lingered in the background. But now it has been supplemented by a much more current angst emerging from aspects of the woke culture. Ignoring the facts, Israel has been criticized mercilessly in many public arenas, especially, though not exclusivity, at American universities. This is especially threatening to Jewish families as the great majority of Jewish parents in America want their children to succeed. They do not want them to be blocked or hindered. However, suddenly it seems that support for Israel may be an obstacle in this American Jewish project.

This trend has been especially true in parts of the social sciences, humanities, language departments and law schools, which previously have represented a dominant point of entrance of American Jewry into the general American community (which despite all the posturing critiques, still does exist). This has been less true in medical school and fields pertaining to the hard sciences and engineering.

Rather than being a source of pride and a vehicle of acceptance, Israel seems to have plunged back into a pariah status among the very groups to which American Jews have always tried to assimilate -the liberal, seemingly progressive American society emblematic of part of the Democratic Party of the past. This has been exemplified by the over-the -top rejection of so many portions of the liberal American community towards Donald Trump, seemingly the most pro-Israel president in American history. Yet so many Jews not only did not support him, but demonized him, as his very being was consciously or unconsciously seen by them an impediment into their gaining full acceptance into American society And what was Trump’s original sin? He recognized Jews as a people rather than simply as a religion. This was illustrated by an executive order signed on December 11, 2019, to combat antisemitism in schools and on university and college campuses. In this order, US president Donald Trump employed Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq., which specifically prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance to discrimination against Jews.

For Israelis, the attitudes of most American Jews are unrealistic and thus incomprehensible. And often Israeli Americans form their own subculture quite independent of that of American Jewry which some Israelis in America have little or no interest in, other than through religious rites of passage, or perhaps some commercial ventures.

Israelis themselves seem far less oriented to the humanities, and more to the technological advances and creativity associated with what has been called the “Start-Up” culture. Generally, Israel increasingly finds its greatest support for social, cultural, technological and religious reasons in the Republican Party.

Thus, aspects of American Jewry and Israel, because of each’s distinct need to gain support of the general American society have increasingly found themselves incomprehensible to the other and often in bitter opposition. The very segments of American society so positively valanced for American Jewry are the most anathema to Israel. These are the so-called progressive movements manifested throughout the American society.

Those areas of the general American society most favorable to Israel, (e.g., the military and evangelical Christian movements) tend to be the most threatening to the American Jewish communities, to some degree because of a lack of understanding of them and an understandable historical distrust.

In short, American Jews, Israel and the general American culture (which itself is quite fragmented today) are in a triangular relationship. With some exceptions, American Jews and Israelis have separate and sometimes conflicting relations with different segments of the American society. And thus, these two groups are largely incomprehensible and sometimes, but not always, antagonistic to each other. Critical to Israelis is American support for Israel while the Jewish community in America often does not list this as the most central part of its agenda.

An interesting manifestation of this difference can be seen in a typical response given to a query regarding one’s country of origin. Israelis will respond “Israel” while American Jews will offer responses such as “Russia,” “Poland,” “Galicia,” and even “Austria” or “Germany.” Most of these latter locales were of course countries in which Jews did not have citizenship or if so, that citizenship did not protect hem in times of antisemitic assaults.

I will never forget the explanation of the late historian, Yosef Yerushalmi as to how his family received the last name Yerushalmi while living in Russia. He explained that when Jews were given Europeanized last names by the Russians, the names were typically taken from the towns or cities in which they lived (for example, Minsky, Pinsker, Moscovitz) or by occupation.

When Yerushalmi’s ancestor was approached by the census takers, his response was that though he had been exiled through history to the town in Russia in which he was living, he always regarded himself as being from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). Thus, he received the name Yerushalmi.

How freeing it would be if Jews in America saw themselves as immigrants from Judea rather than the ghettos and charnels of Christian Europe and the Moslem world. This would do wonders for the relationship of Jews and Israelis in America and American Jewish attitudes toward Israel.