I’m Not Losing Hope in Our Jewish Future

As I return to civilian life after an extended period of reserved IDF service on Israel’s northern border, I find myself re-entering the professional world I’ve been part of for over a decade — the ever-evolving and deeply meaningful relationship between Israeli and American Jews.

In recent weeks, through social media posts, articles, and quiet conversations with colleagues from both Israel and the U.S., I’ve begun talking about several points of friction between our communities in light of the ongoing war in Gaza-a war with no clear end in sight.

As an educator, my goal isn’t to paint a bleak picture of the future. Rather, I want to honestly engage with a growing segment of American Jewish teens and young adults who are now expressing troubling statements based on both pain and images presented on social media. “Israel is no longer a source of Jewish pride for me, but a source of shame”, I hear them say. “The Israel I see on social media does not represent me anymore”, “As a young American Jew on campus – Israel put me at risk”, and “The Israel I see on TikTok makes me ashamed to be Jewish.”

What can we, as educators and bridge-builders, say to those who feel that Israel has become a burden on their lives rather than a source of inspiration? What are our answers to those who are feeling they cannot align themself any longer with the brand of Israel?

From here in Tel Aviv, it still feels as though these are the voices of a minority. Yet I fear this minority is rapidly growing – and that we Israelis are failing to grasp the true scale of these troubling sentiments.

This is what occupies my mind these days as I take off my uniform and slip back into my blue jeans and black t-shirt.

I take an imaginary step forward, envisioning future friction points that this new reality might bring with it. I imagine, for example, an American Jewish summer camp where longtime staff members – those who shape the camp’s core values – refuse to allow the director to employ Israeli emissaries (Shlichim) who served in Gaza. Could such a situation really arise? How would the director respond? What about the other Israeli counselors who are hired to work at camp – how would they react? And what would Zionist-American parents say about such a decision?

I imagine another camp where, alongside the traditional “Israel Day,” counselors request to hold a parallel day dedicated to the “Palestinian national struggle.” Would Israeli staff members be comfortable with that? Would all campers choose to participate?

I imagine declining enrollment in programs like Masa or Taglit-Birthright-not only because young American Jews would prefer to distance themselves from the brand of Israel but also because they resist programs that seem to offer a one-sided narrative. I imagine some participants saying: “I’ll go, but only if we also engage with the Palestinian perspective.”

I imagine a Jewish Federation searching for a senior Israeli emissary (Shaliach) in partnership with the Jewish Agency-only this time, they declare they won’t accept a candidate who served in a combat role or fought in Gaza. Would the Jewish Agency agree to such a condition?

I’m thinking about synagogues – not only those from the pluralistic streams – that may find themselves in a heated community debate over whether to keep the Israeli flag beside the American flag near the Bimah. Could such a debate threaten to tear a community apart?

I’m also thinking about Jewish communities in the United States facing a values-driven, principled discussion: should they continue to define themselves as organizations that openly embrace the word Zionism, or should their boards vote to remove the word from their core programs altogether?

Are these scenarios realistic? Am I overreacting? Have I spent too many months in the IDF reserves this past year-long enough to lose touch with the evolving dynamics of this field I care so deeply about? Or are these examples already beginning to take shape quietly, without public attention?

These are the questions I find myself grappling with as I transition from the military service back into the world of Jewish Education and Jewish Peoplehood.

Contrary to what some readers might expect, I remain an optimistic, realistic, and pragmatic person. That is why I want to suggest seven concrete steps that could reduce the intensity of our current challenges and help shape a better future for the unique relationship between Jews in Israel and North America – with Canadian Jewry very much in mind as well. I believe these steps can move the relationship to a healthier and more constructive place.

1 – Early exposure to complexity – We must ensure that North American Jewish youth – even as early as ages 11 or 12 – encounter nuanced, multi-layered information about Israel. From a young age, they should be introduced to challenging and complex realities, including the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the events of October 7th, the experiences of minorities in Israeli society, internal polarization of Israel, and more. We must avoid the scenario in which a young American college student arrives on campus and faces these issues for the first time, unprepared.

2 – Doubling the quantity and quality of encounters with each other – We need to both increase the number and enhance the quality of interactions between Israeli and Jewish American youth. Ideally, these encounters should happen in person – in Israel, in the U.S., or even in neutral spaces, such as joint trips to explore European Jewry (as envisioned by RootOne). Virtual exchanges, such as the One2One project of ‘Enter’, also offer tremendous value and potential for building lasting connections. In these Mifgashim – the young Israelis become the embodiment of Israel for those young North Americans. Israel is no longer what I see on TikTok, it is Nadav I met in camp, it is Noa I met in five Zoom sessions online. For the Israelis taking part in these encounters, North American Jewry becomes tangible and real – a community with faces and names, not merely a marginal headline on an Israeli news site on the rare days when the Israeli media chooses to report on Jewish life outside Israel.

 3 – Integrating Israeli peers into visiting groups – We should ensure that every group visiting Israel from the U.S. (ages 12 to 40) is joined by Israeli peers of the same age for at least a full day. This will create opportunities for genuine, high-quality encounters that go beyond a touristic experience.

4 – Expanding “reverse Taglit” programs – We need to increase the number of “reverse Taglit-Birthright” programs that send Israeli delegations on journeys to better understand the lives of American Jewry. These programs must go beyond simply “arriving, seeing, and visiting.” They should include substantial, structured opportunities for Israeli participants to spend extended time in meaningful, eye-level dialogue with their peers in the host community.

5 – Leveraging the Israeli-American community – As the number of Jewish delegations from North America to Israel declines, we should harness the unique demographic of Israeli-Americans by creating partnerships with organizations such as the IAC. This would allow young Americans to engage in guided conversations about Israel with young Israelis currently living in the U.S. The Israeli-American community can serve as a vital resource in shaping American Jewish public opinion and perspectives on Israel.

6 – Preparing Israelis for meaningful encounters – We must better prepare Israelis – especially Shlichim and Israeli youth in Israeli delegations – for encounters with American Jews, ensuring they understand the depth of the current rift. For example, when a group of Israeli youth meets American peers and someone casually says, “Yes, we need to flatten all of Gaza,” they may not realize the irreversible damage such a statement can cause in this setting. This is not about silencing voices, but about fostering awareness on the Israeli side that our words carry immense weight in shaping Jewish public opinion in the U.S., especially at this moment in time.

7 – Equipping American parents with better educational tools – We need to develop new tools – and enhance existing ones – to help American Jewish parents talk with their children about Israel in a way that reflects its complexity. These resources should present an Israel that is challenging and imperfect, yet also resilient and inspiring. I encourage parents to draw on the approach taught by Robbie Gringras, which emphasizes the importance of “hugging and wrestling with Israel” – a method that nurtures independent, critical thinking by engaging with both the strengths and the flaws of Israeli society and of Israel as a whole.

I believe that if large organizations, federations, communities, and synagogues adopt these ideas, we can strengthen the bond between our two communities and inspire greater hope and optimism as we envision the future that lies beyond the Jewish horizon, even in the shadow of the ongoing conflict and war.