Israeli Elections-American Jews

Jewish Americans feel they have a lot at stake in the upcoming elections in Israel as three years of Mideast conflicts rile up emotions across the United States, from street protests to the midterm races. But they are sharply divided along political, religious and often generational lines on the preferred outcome in a vote that’s perceived as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His supporters, especially among Orthodox Jews, believe he’s protecting a country they love as central to their identity. Many liberal and younger Jewish Americans believe his policies have harmed Israel’s global standing, engendering widespread anger that threatens them in the US, too. The moment is particularly fraught as antisemitism and antisemitic violence grow.