5 things leaders need to know about mainstream Jewish voters

As the politics around Israel grow ever more polarized and toxic inside and out of the Jewish community, the notion that there’s a ‘mainstream consensus’ of Jewish opinion on Israel may seem far-fetched.

But between the banging drums of anti-Zionists on the far-left and the enraged bluster of the “Israel can do no wrong” crowd on the right lies an extremely large mainstream majority of Jewish Americans holding a nuanced, balanced opinion of the issue.

This mainstream consensus – found at what I call the 50-yard line of American Jewish opinion – is found in poll after poll showing a healthy majority of Jews who care about Israel, oppose Netanyahu, support Palestinian self-determination and want the US to exercise balanced, pro-peace leadership.

With 7-8 million Jewish Americans, few of whom shirk from sharing their opinion, it’s no easy task, but here are five things that form a basis around which ‘mainstream’ Jewish opinion can coalesce.

1. Jewish Americans care about Israel.

A significant majority of Jewish Americans feel a real and significant connection to Israel according to such surveys as the Pew Research Center’s “Jewish Americans in 2020.” The research shows that “caring about Israel” is a meaningful aspect of Jewish identity for over 80 percent of Jewish Americans and that six in ten personally feel an emotional attachment to Israel.

This isn’t abstract for many of us. We’ve visited Israel. We have family and friends there. We may have studied and lived there – I myself lived there through some horrific days leading up to the second intifada. So when horrific attacks like October 7 happen, they hit us personally.

A small minority of Jewish Americans may consider themselves anti- or post-Zionist, but those voices remain outliers.

2. Jewish Americans understand that one can be pro-Israel and disagree with and criticize the policies of Israel’s government – particularly this one.

The Jewish Electoral Institute found in November 2023 that 91 percent of Jewish Americans agree that “someone can be critical of Israeli government policies and still be ‘pro-Israel.’”

It’s very “mainstream” for Jewish Americans to both connect meaningfully with Israel and seriously disagree with its government – particularly with Bibi Netanyahu as prime minister, whose favorability is only 31 percent according to that same poll.

In the past year, thousands of Israelis have protested the Netanyahu government’s efforts to undercut Israel’s democracy. In recent months they’ve been on the streets calling for a ceasefire hostage release deal, calling out Bibi’s delays.

And yet, there are some on the right who attack critics of Netanyahu or his government’s policies as “anti-Israel” or, worse, “antisemitic”, “disloyal” or “self-hating Jews.” But it’s they who are out of touch with the American Jewish mainstream.

3. Jewish Americans support Palestinian rights, freedoms and self-determination.

There is strong support among Jewish Americans for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict grounded in the recognition that, for strategic, legal and moral reasons, Israel ultimately must resolve its conflict with the Palestinians politically and not through the use of force.

Similarly, Jewish Americans don’t see annexation or permanent Jewish control over all the land as the answer. J Street polling has consistently found nearly three-quarters of American Jews oppose unlimited settlement expansion on the West Bank.

Even to the right of our community, there’s widespread disgust with racist, pro-settlement ministers in the Israeli government who continue to spew vile inhumane, anti-Palestinian rhetoric.

Aligning with these far-right forces and echoing their anti-Palestinian hate isn’t the same thing as being “pro-Israel” and it won’t earn our support.

4. The median Jewish American is a liberal Democrat.

Particularly as the Republican Party becomes more and more dominated by MAGA extremism, Jews – by 70 percent and more – support the Democratic Party.

The mainstream of the American Jewish community is terrified at the prospect of another term in the White House for Trump. Republican gamesmanship around Israel isn’t going to change that.

This is in part because we’ve seen the danger of MAGA’s racist, antisemitic conspiracy theories and their alignment with the “very fine people” in the “blood and soil” “Jews will not replace us” white nationalist movement.

In part, it’s because our community cares passionately about our Jewish, democratic values – including concern for our democratic freedoms, reproductive rights, access to healthcare and education, and action on climate change.

5. Jewish Americans are not single-issue voters.

As mentioned, Jewish Americans care deeply about a range of liberal democratic priorities.

Organizations purporting to represent the Jewish community politically, but that help elect candidates with views diametrically opposed to Jewish voters, are the ones disconnected from the Jewish mainstream.

Fitting some right-wing definition of being “good on Israel” is no excuse for supporting candidates who threaten our democratic future – and 72% of Jewish Americans agree.

What does this mean for Trump and Harris?

While Donald Trump and his party rage at Jewish voters for being “disloyal” and call for them to “have their heads examined” – Kamala Harris is charting a clear course that reflects the values of the overwhelming majority of Democrats and Jewish voters who hold these mainstream views.

She has led White House efforts to tackle antisemitism, met with hostage families and has raised awareness of sexual violence on October 7. She has also been one of the loudest voices in the administration calling out the horrific situation facing families in Gaza.

Harris and her running-mate have urged respect for protesters and those deeply concerned about Palestinian rights, but have made clear that there can be no common cause with those spewing hate and antisemitism.

And she reportedly left Netanyahu bristling after their recent meeting, making clear their differences over the urgency of a lasting ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Harris will win the mainstream if she continues to stake out this ground. The administration must continue to pursue robust diplomacy to fight for the safety of both peoples and move us as fast as possible to a ceasefire, hostage release and surge in aid to Gaza.

Come November, I have no doubt that, once again, the mainstream will overwhelmingly support Kamala Harris and candidates up and down the ballot seats who take this pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy approach.