ByDAVID BEN-BASAT

JUNE 5, 2026 23:56

For many years the partnership between Israel and American Jewry stood as a foundation of the country diplomatic, security and strategic position.

Jews in America supplied not only monetary and political backing but also genuine collaboration in a common path, serving as a key influence on American attitudes and an essential link between Israel and the leading global power.

Yet in recent times and especially following the events of October 7 the matter has grown more pressing: does this long standing partnership now confront a serious challenge?

The conflict that began after the Hamas attack revealed not only security dangers for Israel but also the extent of shifts occurring across wide areas of American life.

At several leading universities in the United States, places once regarded as emblems of open expression, diversity and acceptance, backing for Israel has at moments turned into an unpopular stance.

Jewish students describe sensations of isolation, pressure and in certain instances mistreatment tied to their Jewish background or their backing of Israel.

Protests against Israel, appeals for sanctions and the circulation of unbalanced accounts have grown frequent.

Too often the boundary between fair critique of official policy and rejection of Israel existence as the nation state of the Jewish people has been overstepped.

Numerous Jews in the United States sense they must defend and account for their own identity, a situation that seemed impossible only a short time earlier.

A primary cause of this change rests in the widening distance between Israel and younger American Jews.

The cohort that lived through the Holocaust, the War of Independence and the Six Day War regarded Israel as a sign of Jewish renewal and collective safety.

In contrast many younger Jews today have matured within a progressive and universal outlook where identity questions, minority protections and fairness occupy a major place. In that setting Israel is at times depicted as a powerful and forceful actor while Palestinians appear as the vulnerable party requiring aid.

The difficulty extends beyond ideas. It also arises from the reach of online platforms, schooling systems and segments of Western coverage that frequently offer an incomplete and occasionally skewed image of Middle East conditions.

In numerous instances external resources and sway have entered universities, civic groups and centers of public sway, generating an unfriendly atmosphere toward Israel.

The political aspects of an expanding split

Within this setting reports and oversight findings have surfaced in recent years in the United States that raise serious concerns about how American taxpayer resources reached entities acting against the Israeli government.

According to claims presented in congressional sessions and review processes federal bodies including the US Agency for International Development and the State Department directed resources during the Biden-Harris period that arrived directly or indirectly at political and ideological groups tied to extremism and opposed to Israeli positions.

Additional claims suggest that certain organizations holding nonprofit standing in the United States may have backed radical factions and anti-Israel efforts in ways that clash with the intent of American statutes.

Should these assertions hold they would mark a grave lapse in public supervision and a strike against American confidence in its institutions.

This movement is also entering the political arena. In recent years progressive figures taking a critical and at moments openly adverse stance toward Israel have grown more influential.

For many in the Jewish community one clear marker of this pattern is the ascent of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who is associated with strongly critical positions on Israel.

The public discussion around him has grown sharper still due to statements from his wife Rama who often voices strong opinions against Israel and makes no effort to conceal her pointed critique of its actions.

What troubles many observers further is that portions of New York Jewish community have decided to extend political backing to figures of this nature.

For numerous Israelis and for several Jews inside the United States this represents a troubling development. Some interpret it as evidence of an emerging identity struggle in which adherence to particular political principles overshadows Jewish unity and support for Israel.

In the view of many Israelis backing candidates viewed as unfriendly to Israel harms one of the Jewish people most vital strategic resources.

Some even label it a departure from the mutual obligation that defined ties between Israel and American Jewry across decades.

Backers of those candidates counter that this constitutes a valid display of political variety and that commitment to liberal principles does not automatically conflict with support for Israel.

In any case the mere existence of such a discussion exposes the scale of the transformation.

Previously backing for Israel formed near consensus across most mainstream branches of American Jewry. Today it has turned into a partisan matter and at times even a point of tension inside families and local groups.

Even so the larger view must not be overlooked. Right after October 7 notable expressions of unity from American Jews also appeared.

Numerous communities rallied in support of Israel contributed substantial funds arranged demonstrations of solidarity and applied their public and political weight to aid the security of the state.

Many renewed a feeling of connection to the Jewish people and grasped that the destiny of Jews worldwide and the destiny of Israel remain linked.

The increase in antisemitism globally does not separate a Jew residing in Jerusalem from one residing in Manhattan.

Those who harbor hatred toward Jews on account of their identity do not inquire whether they favor the Right or the Left whether they are observant or nonobservant Israeli or American. This situation recalls a fundamental fact: despite differences we remain one people sharing a common fate.

To keep the divide from widening action is needed from both directions. Israel must devote greater resources to reinforcing ties with the younger generation of Jews abroad hear their worries and pursue open and respectful conversation with them.

At the same time leaders of Jewish communities in the United States must reinforce Jewish and Zionist instruction and increase awareness of Israel security and historical context.

The partnership between Israel and American Jewry has never depended solely on political calculations. It was constructed on a feeling of common fate historical recollection and reciprocal duty.

The central question facing both sides today is not whether differences exist between them but whether they still regard themselves as part of the same historical account.

If the answer is affirmative the partnership will endure the present strain.

If not a separation could develop that would prove very hard to mend.

Exactly in a period of growing antisemitism political division and worldwide dangers Israel and American Jewry require each other more than ever, not as a political option but as a historical national and ethical imperative.

The author is the CEO of Radio 100FM an honorary consul and vice dean of the Consular Diplomatic Corps president of the Israel Amateur Radio Club and a former Israel Defense Forces Radio monitor and NBC News television correspondent.