NEW YORK (AP) - Jewish Americans see high stakes in Israel's elections this month, with three years of regional conflicts stirring strong feelings across the United States through street demonstrations and midterm political contests.

Yet sharp divisions run along political, religious and generational lines over the vote's outcome, viewed as a judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and set against the lasting impact of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war.

Netanyahu's backers, particularly Orthodox Jews, see him as safeguarding a nation they hold dear as core to their sense of self. Many progressive and younger Jewish Americans argue his decisions have weakened Israel's standing abroad, fueling anger that also endangers them at home.

The situation grows tense as antisemitism and related violence rise. Even strong critics of Netanyahu's Gaza policies or settler actions in the West Bank insist that responsibility for attacks on Jews cannot rest only with him.

"A lot of American Jews are really torn. They want to shout from the rooftops, 'Stop the pogroms in the West Bank,' but also yell at everybody, 'Stop with allegations of genocide and double standards against Israel,'" said Rabbi Dan Levin of Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, Florida.

Israel remains central to Jewish American identity

Levin's large Reform synagogue joins others nationwide in offering educational sessions this fall, as members feel deeply tied emotionally to the Israeli elections despite lacking the right to vote as non-citizens.

Israel's multiparty system makes the Oct. 27 outcome hard to predict. Surveys point to a close contest between a Netanyahu-led group and a rival coalition seeking government control.

Many Jewish Americans maintain ties to Israeli relatives and friends. Broader support for Israel forms a major part of religious identity for U.S. Jewish adults ages 45 and older, especially those who see themselves as religiously Jewish, per a recent AP-NORC survey.

The largest Jewish group in the United States is Reform, focused on progressive ideals. Many Reform Jews find no conflict between their liberalism and Zionism, defined as the Jewish aspiration to live freely in their land, noted Rabbi Josh Weinberg of the Union for Reform Judaism, which covers more than 800 Reform synagogues across North America.

Still, they express concern over rising ultra-Orthodox influence in Israel's politics and religion, along with settlement expansion and Palestinian treatment in the West Bank that clash with their principles, Weinberg said.

"If Netanyahu wins, I worry very much about the young generation of American Jews who may continue to be, I'll put it nicely, disenchanted, and who might just say 'OK, that's it. I'm giving up on Israel,'" he said.

Only about 4 in 10 religious Jewish adults under 45 in the United States call support for Israel extremely or very important to their identity, placing higher value on other ties such as holiday observances, according to the AP-NORC poll.

Antisemitism emerges as major worry

In the same poll, most Jewish adults described prejudice against Jews as an extremely or very serious issue in the United States today.

With Israeli elections nearing, communities fear impacts on antisemitism levels.

"Some American Jews believe a different style of prime minister, one more similar to earlier ones who constantly talked about the desire for peace, will change the way American Jews themselves are viewed," said Jonathan Sarna, professor emeritus of American Jewish History at Brandeis University.

Even Netanyahu critics doubt antisemitic incidents would cease under a new government, particularly when anger at his administration's Palestinian policies fuels violence against all Jews irrespective of nationality or views.

"'There is only one solution, intifada revolution' - we hear that as a call to rise up and use violence against Jews," Weinberg said of a common protest chant referencing past Palestinian uprisings. "So when someone says that in Ramallah, that's one thing. When someone says that in Minneapolis, what exactly are they calling for? That seems pretty clearly to us antisemitic."

Some believe altered Israeli policies could ease tensions.

"Somebody who decides that they're going to drive a car into a synagogue or attack Jews on the street, that is their responsibility. You can't blame that on Israel's actions," said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T'ruah, a rabbinic human rights group. "But I think that it's going to be a very scary time for Jews around the world if there's another Netanyahu government and if it continues on its policy of expanding occupation, ethnic cleansing, and forever war."

Stanley Weinstein, an Orthodox Jew from Florida, dismisses much criticism of Israeli military and policy decisions, citing threats from groups like Hamas in Gaza and ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and with Iran.

Weinstein views Israel's security as vital amid rising anti-Israel and antisemitic language from both left- and right-wing U.S. figures, observed even in Miami Beach's active Jewish community.

"I am appalled as an American. I am appalled as a Jew. And I say, thank God there is an Israel," he said.

Netanyahu, Trump and tight races with unity in balance

For Jewish Americans, Israel also factors into U.S. midterms deciding congressional control for the next two years. The Nov. 3 elections follow a week after Israel's vote.

From New York City to Michigan and elsewhere, backing for Palestinians and cuts to U.S. aid for Israel gain traction among Democratic voters.

Both elections could shape the long-standing U.S.-Israel alliance, especially close under Trump and Netanyahu despite strains over Iran policy.

Despite controversies around some Israeli policies in the United States, American Jews retain broad support for Israel, said Jason Isaacson, chief policy officer for the American Jewish Committee.

"There is strong support for the continuation of the U.S.-Israel relationship and for the necessity of Israel's survival," he said.

Across faiths and politics, some Jewish Americans worry most about deeper divisions from Israel's elections.

"This may be the most consequential election in modern Israeli history, because the nature of the current administration is so fraught with division that it's ripping the people apart," said Levin, the Reform rabbi in Boca Raton.

Weinstein, the Orthodox member in Miami Beach, praises Netanyahu's performance yet shares concern for the future.

"The biggest issue in Israel today, which doesn't exist, is unity. To me, that is what is at stake," he said. "Is there a way to unify the country, unify the people?"