Why Fewer Young American Jews Share Their Parents' View of Israel

[bemildred]

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What I didn't hear much about was the lives of Palestinians. It was only after I went to college, met Muslim friends, and enrolled in a Middle Eastern history and politics course that I was challenged to reconcile my liberal, humanist worldview with the fact that the Jewish state of which I was so proud was occupying the land of 4.4 million stateless Palestinians, many of them refugees displaced by Israel's creation. (See TIME's photoessay on growing up Arab in Israel.)

Like many young American Jews, during my senior year of college I took the free trip to Israel offered by the Taglit-Birthright program. The bliss I felt floating in the Dead Sea, sampling succulent fruits grown by Jewish farmers, and roaming the medieval city of Safed, historic center of Kabbalah mysticism, was tempered by other experiences: Watching the construction of the imposing "security fence," which not only tamped down on terrorist attacks, but also separated Palestinian villagers from their lands and water supplies. I spent hours in hushed conversation with a young Israeli soldier who was horrified by what he said was the routinely rough and contemptuous treatment of Palestinian civilians at Israeli military checkpoints.

That trip deepened my conviction that as an American Jew, I could no longer in good conscience offer Israel unquestioning support. I'm not alone. Polling of young American Jews shows that with the exception of the Orthodox, many of us feel less attached to Israel than do our Baby Boomer parents, who came of age during the era of the 1967 and 1973 wars, when Israel was less of an aggressor and more a victim. A 2007 poll by Steven Cohen of Hebrew Union College and Ari Kelman of UC Davis found that although the majority of American Jews of all ages continue to identify as "Pro-Israel," those under 35 are less likely to identify as "Zionist." Over 40 percent of American Jews under 35 believe that "Israel occupies land belonging to someone else," and over 30 percent report sometimes feeling "ashamed" of Israel's actions.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2095505,00.html

[hlthe2b]

1. A bit of good news ....

I hope they will be a moderating influence on our Middle Eastern policies. Surely we need a counter-balance to the crazy RW "Armageddophiles"...

[leveymg]

2. It's not just the under-35s. If you aren't appalled, you haven't been paying attention, or

else you enjoy it. I don't know which is worse.

[azurnoir]

5. your right it's not I was over 35 when my attitude started changing

the first came during the early '90's during the Oslo era then about 8 years ago my daughter started dating a young man from southern Lebanon who grew up under Israeli occupation the things he told me were an eye opener to say the least and he had the physical scars to prove what he was saying the final touches came here on this forum and what I have learned in the 5 years I've been here there are no illusions left

[King_David]

6. Strange Reaction to this forum.

My cousin is a 19yr old guy , was not really a Zionist,but went to Jewish day school,Jewish Camps etc.

A few months ago decided to go to the IDF ,Jews from abroad ,program.

Why?


Because he was reading this forum ,and it was not from reading the posters who are friendly to Israel.

So you guys really do do good work for the Suchnut :)


;)


(I was the one who got him to start reading all these forums as young Jews are very ignorant as to the very real hostility out there )

[azurnoir]

7. Different people absorb information in different ways

however being hostile to Israel is also a matter of definition and what about Israel one is hostile to but it is nice to see he went Israel after reading this forum perhaps he could post here a bit

[King_David]

9. I do not think he is able to post

Unfiltered.

Most people do not need definitions of hostility, homophobia, antisemitism etc .

They just know it when they see it on 100's of forums on the internet.

[azurnoir]

14. ah I see but it works best when one is being directed especially by say a slightly older relative

but I do find your selection of topic interesting my particular thing would be the use of propaganda and cynical use of 'hot button' issues in the guise of human rights when in reality the purpose is politically motivated for what some could call rightist purposes

[King_David]

23. Explain that to me,I do not follow nt

[leveymg]

8. If he were Muslim, the assumption by some would be he's been recruited for terrorism

and has become hostile to America because of the turn in sentiment against his adopted 2nd country, Netanyahu's Israeli.

You need to step into the shoes of your perceived enemies in order to understand them and what you believe to be hostility in third countries, like the U.S., better. What you see as hostility toward Israel at DU is mostly immense frustration at the apparent injustices and feelings of helplessness about the biases of officially expressed policy in DC.

[King_David]

10. I believe it is the same program Rham Emmanuel went to

Maybe the Mayor of Chicago is a terrorist ?


( who said he is from the US ? There is a big world out there,doncha know? )

Most Jewish people I know (and being a community leader,I know many)

see such hostility on 1000`s of forums on the internet and it does not seem to be pointed at DC.

[leveymg]

11. Some have said worse things about Rahm.

Much of what you may perceive as hostility toward Israel among progressives is actually distaste for Likud, outrage at what many Americans think are unjust and ruinous ME/South Asia wars, a suspicion that Israel has had a role in engineering them, and frustration with the seeming lack of balance in US policy toward the players in the region.

As for service by Americans in the IDF, and dual citizenship, that is now grounds for not gaining a security clearance by a career DoD official or contractor. It's not just the Left who believe that US and Israeli interests at some point diverge in extremis.

[King_David]

12. Progressives huh ?

Progressives that support extreme right wing regimes and positions?

LOL

[leveymg]

13. You have to be explicit about whom and what you're referring to. Otherwise, it just

comes across as bluster and dislike for progressives on this forum.

[King_David]

16. I do not dislike Progressives on this forum

I do believe though,that a lot of people here are not as progressive as they believe they are.

[leveymg]

19. We agree about that much.

The are a lot of positions that are not well thought out, on all sides. A well-informed debate is an education. We need more of them.

[King_David]

18. Supporting right wing regimes

Or suppression of LGBT rights are not very progressive ideals.

[leveymg]

20. Again, we agree. But, I think there are fewer actual "supporters" of RW regimes

than you seem to imply. Most of it here is just well-earned criticism of the Israeli RW.

[King_David]

15. ' a suspicion that Israel has had a role in engineering them'

That is nothing new.

If anything bad happens anywhere Jews are blamed throughout history.

A huge percentage of people in Islamic countries not only

still believe the Jews were pre-warned on 9/11 but

they actually were responsible for the attacks.

[leveymg]

17. There's good grounds for that suspicion, particularly about the '03 invasion of Iraq.

If you don't know that, you need to start doing some independent research.

I'm not talking about "Blood Libel" accusations and the PoTEoZ.

[King_David]

21. Ha ha

Now that is just nonsense and not up for discussion in sane society.

[leveymg]

22. Okay.

Have a good afternoon. Talk to you again.

[oberliner]

3. Dana is a Philip Weiss protege

Of Mondoweiss fame.

Just as an FYI.

[King_David]

4. Thanks it puts the whole article in perspective

And very different from my own personal ,in-community,in that age, experience.