Israel Grapples With Eroding Support Among Young American Jews

Israeli leadership across the political spectrum is expressing alarm over diminishing ties with younger Jewish Americans, who increasingly view support for Israel as peripheral to their Jewish identity compared with their elders. An Associated Press poll underscores this generational gap, revealing a significant drop-off in how crucial younger diaspora Jews regard their connection to the Jewish state.

Itai Nixon, who oversees Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, described the relationship as “extremely important,” emphasizing that Israel functions as “the state of the Jewish people, not just Israelis.” Lesley Sachs, chair of the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism and a vocal critic of the current Israeli government, similarly characterizes strong diaspora bonds as a “strategic asset” for both Israel and global Jewry.

Growing antisemitism has intensified these concerns, particularly as younger progressive Jews struggle to reconcile pro-Israel positions with their political values. Sachs noted that post-Holocaust generations understood Israel’s significance as a refuge, but that historical awareness has faded among younger Americans who encounter the country primarily through its controversial politics.

An AP-NORC survey of 1,022 Jewish adults found that roughly four in ten religious Jews under 45 consider Israel support “extremely” or “very” important to their identity, compared with approximately half of older religious Jews. Support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza drops further, with only half of religious adults viewing the campaign as justified and just one in five unaffiliated Jewish adults agreeing.

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people, followed by Israel’s Gaza war that has resulted in more than 73,000 deaths according to the Gaza Health Ministry, sparked massive protests across American college campuses and deepened the generational rift. Many young progressive Jews view supporting Israel as incompatible with their worldview centered on social justice and human rights.

To rebuild connections, Israeli officials and Jewish organizations are expanding cultural exchange initiatives. Taglit-Birthright Israel has sponsored over one million young diaspora Jews on free ten-day trips since 2000, though participation has declined since 2023 amid multiple regional conflicts. The organization’s CEO emphasized the need to help participants understand what they might be abandoning by rejecting Israel.

These outreach efforts increasingly target secular and Reform Jews, who represent the largest Jewish movement in North America and emphasize progressive values. Alma Edry, an 18-year-old Israeli, is spending two months as a counselor at a progressive Jewish camp in Ontario, where she discovered that Israel remains “such a big deal for people outside the country,” despite most campers’ peers holding anti-Israel views.

Meanwhile, trust in America’s commitment to Israeli security has wavered. Belief among Jewish Israelis that President Donald Trump prioritizes Israel’s security dropped from 64 percent in March to 26 percent in June, according to the Israel Democracy Institute’s research center, amid disagreements over ceasefire terms in the Iran conflict.