As the new Israeli government was taking shape, an open letter titled, "A Call to Action," began to circulate among American Jewish conservative and reform communities. The signatories, some of whom are prominent figures in American Jewry, pledged "to not invite any members of the Religious Zionist Party … to speak at our congregations and organizations. We will speak out against their participation in other fora [forums] across our communities. We will encourage the boards of our congregations and organizations to join us in this protest as a demonstration of our commitment to our Jewish and democratic values."
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This letter is worth mentioning only because it is a good reminder for Israelis of what American Jewry – a majority of which belongs to non-Orthodox streams – thinks of Israel.
Lucky for Israel, it is not in any way dependent on American Jewry. The money they donate will not be missed if it stops flowing; Israel is strong enough without it. The lobbying they do for Israel has also not been there for us for many years, and Israel's strength lies elsewhere today. Therefore, I do not think that Israel should mind at all what Jewish congregations in America think about Israel.
The interests that shape Israel's position in the world are far more comprehensive than our relationship with this or that denomination in American Jewry. Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and Iran all take part in the map of interests, and Israel is much more powerful than it used to be, both on the military and economic ends.
I believe that if the US would stop providing military and economic aid to Israel for some reason, it would not hurt Israel's position or harm it economically or otherwise. I do not see such a scenario unfolding, but just to give some perspective as to how independent Israel has become, it is good to remember that we are standing on our own two feet today.
The new government that has just been sworn in is rife with experienced people who know what they want and how to achieve it, and despite some newspapers' attempts to portray the new government as a disaster in the making, the majority of the people in Israel feel more confident now than under the previous government.
I understand why American Jewry needs to speak out. First of all, if they keep quiet, it is as if they do not exist, so they need to make some noise. Second, by and large, American Jewry has one goal in mind: to make its stay in the US as safe and serene as possible. Since the world sees Jews as connected all over the world, American Jewry finds itself having to explain the position of the State of Israel, and it makes them feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Above and beyond all the political arguments, the main problem that severs American Jewry from Israel is the simple truth that there is hatred between us.
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