Moderator: Amb. Daniel B. Shapir
Ms. Jane Eisner | Mr. Jonathan Greenblatt | Ms. Shira Ruderman
All agreed that relations between Israel and the American Jewish community are indeed an element of Israel’s national security.
Shira Ruderman:
Relations between Israel and American Jews are not at a crisis level, and this is not the first time that American Jewry and Israel are in a dissonant relationship. That said, this is a challenging time. Relations have evolved over the years: Israel is no longer a country in crisis; it is a sustainable state. As such, it is not a community.
The American Jewish community and Israel are on two parallel paths. They are not one – and should not be one. Each element needs to unite and see how it feels about the other. In trying to formulate solutions to our difficulties, it is important to build from the bottom up, look at our common goals, and find a common framework. There must be responsible leaderships and perspectives on both sides.
This is very much a national security issue. If we lose each other, it will be very heard to recover. American Jewry must look more carefully at itself, even critically, but be less divisive, and foster more cooperation. The Ruderman Family Foundation is working to foster joint initiatives between Israel and the American Jewish community, by bringing Knesset members to the United States, and the program in American Jewish Studies at Haifa University. We have to put our ego aside, and understand that peoplehood is beyond the moment.
Jane Eisner:
The relations are not in a crisis, but there is a deep gap in understanding one another. The United States community must decide what its role is vis-à-vis Israel.
Pittsburgh was a turning point: it brought all different types of Jews out, coming together. American Jews are very attuned to issues of social justice; they are wary of Trump and oppose the occupation. We must work together to strengthen communication. Israelis need to be ware of becoming a partisan issue in the United States. American Jews don’t want to have to choose between being American and being Jewish. This tension has become more pronounced. Israel must gain a better understanding of how American Jews interact with America at large.
There is so much that each community can learn about and from the other. We must identify social and cultural ties, and learn from each other.
Jonathan Greenblatt:
Relations are not in state of crisis – it is more a challenge, where 2 different communities, on parallel tracks, perceive the world very differently. The most important objective is to listen to one another. Mutual lecturing is not helpful.
Pittsburgh was indeed a watershed. Among other things, we saw that the younger generation is not lost, although they might express their Jewishness differently and in not traditional halachic fashion. I have faith in American Jews. Support for anti-Semitism seems to have dropped, but extremists feel emboldened. They do no speak for the entire community.
Neither Israel nor America has a monopoly on morality. What can Israel do? Don’t lecture, but listen. Understand the diversity and pluralism among American Jews. Don’t appear only for a funeral or for an AIPAC conference – but engage American Jews for whom they are. We must understand mutual identity.