The Great Divide: American Jews and Israel Today | Bret Stephens and Jeremy Ben-Ami in Conversation with Abigail Pogrebin

For more than half a century, Israel has been a beloved member of the American Jewish family. We’ve kvelled at its extraordinary accomplishments, applauded its vibrant culture and poured in more than $35 billion in contributions to hospitals and universities, housing, water solutions, parks and historic preservation.

A 2010 survey of the community revealed that 75 percent of Jewish Americans, religious or not, considered support for Israel a major part of Jewish American identity. And 82 percent believed that American support for Israel was either about right or not great enough.

But after the Gaza war reshaped global opinion and fractured long-standing certainties, deep cracks have emerged. While three-quarters of America’s Jews still consider Israel’s existence vital to the future of the Jewish people, 40 percent accuse Israel of genocide against the Palestinians and only 36 percent of young Jews claim any emotional attachment at all to Israel.

What does this mean for the future relationship between American Jewry and Israel?