The boundaries of communal life — particularly as it relates to Israel and Zionism — have always been a topic of fraught debate in the Jewish world. But in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, that debate has taken on increased urgency, often splitting families. What manner of criticism of Israel is acceptable? How and where can those critiques be expressed? Is anti-Zionism acceptable? What about non-Zionism? 

These questions are also not just relevant for communities and organizations but for families as well, with a growing body of anecdotal evidence indicating sometimes insurmountable rifts on these issues along generational lines. 

In a sign of their growing significance in communal discourse, two studies have recently been published — one quantitative, one qualitative — seeking to shed light on the issues. Last week, the Jewish Federations of North America released survey findings indicating that a minority of American Jews — 37% — actively identify as Zionists, compared to 8% who identify as non-Zionists and 7% who say they are anti-Zionists. At the same time, significant majorities of respondents said that they believe that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish, democratic state (88%); that they feel emotionally attached to Israel (71%); and that Israel makes them proud to be Jewish (60%). These findings have given rise to fresh debate about the significance of nomenclature and terminology as opposed to ideology and belief. More on this below.

Today, the Israel-based nonprofit For the Sake of Argument (FSA), which encourages and facilitates open debate, has released a new study, “The Journeys and Destinations of Young Jewish Anti-Zionists,” examining the beliefs and backgrounds of anti-Zionists and offering recommendations to Israel educators about what to do with this group. 

Abi Dauber Sterne, one of the co-founders of FSA, told eJewishPhilanthropy that the study came out of repeated questions and requests for help from parents about their anti-Zionist children. “I cannot tell you how many people have said to me, in a sort of embarrassed and pained way, ‘I have an anti-Zionist child.’ So many people. And they sort of look at [FSA co-founder Robbie Gringras] and me and say… ’You’re experts in dialogue. Do you have any way of helping us?’” Dauber Sterne said.

She and Gringras realized that they couldn’t offer recommendations without first better understanding anti-Zionists, but found that — as two avowed Zionists living in Israel — it was not easy to reach them. “It turns out that anti-Zionists don’t come to Zionist spaces if not explicitly invited,” Dauber Sterne said.

The tension, they found, was mutual. “There are several people studying anti-Zionists at the moment, from what I understand. Several are afraid to release what they’ve learned,” she said, explaining that those researchers fear that they will “get hell for it” from their community or organization or be “ostracized” because they engaged with anti-Zionists.

She added: “I’m afraid that people are gonna look at me and say, ‘Why is she talking to anti-Zionists and being their mouthpiece?’ I’m not their mouthpiece, but I think it’s important to talk to everybody.”

By working through intermediaries, they eventually reached some 30 anti-Zionist Jews from across the United States, most of whom were under 40, and conducted a “listening tour.” They asked all of the participants the same five questions and did not “challenge” them on their answers but accepted them as is. The questions were: Name, age, location; What were three milestones that brought you to where you stand on Israel/Zionism today?; Would you say that Israel/Zionism was a good idea that has gone off the rails, or would you say that Israel/Zionism was a bad idea in the first place?; How would you say your relationship with the American Jewish community has been affected by your stance on Israel-Palestine?; and Are dialogues with Zionists of value? Possible? And if so, how?

According to FSA, their responses challenged several of the assumptions that many in the Jewish world hold about anti-Zionist Jews. For instance, some held ideological opposition to Zionism and the State of Israel because of a rejection of all nationalism. Most, however, “recounted a journey of growing alienation from Israelis and Zionist Jews” because of “Israeli misconduct,” primarily in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, coupled with disappointment with how American Jews respond to those issues, according to the report.

They found that contrary to the belief that their anti-Zionism stems from ignorance, most of the respondents “were extremely knowledgeable about Jewish practice, Jewish history, Zionism and Israel.” Most of them also recognized that the realities in Israel are “far more complex than the post-modern post-colonial credo makes it out to be,” and many also acknowledged that there is a problem of antisemitism in progressive non-Jewish spaces, and they therefore did not believe that they were “looking to ‘make nice with the goyim.’”

FSA also found that these anti-Zionist Jews believe that they do care about the Jewish People but have arrived at the conclusion that instead of helping Jewish around the world, “Israel’s ongoing existence and militarism makes Jews less safe.”

The survey also offers recommendations and considerations for Israel educators and Jewish communal leaders and calls for further research to better understand the prevalence of anti-Zionism in the Jewish community. Regarding the original impetus of the study — intergenerational disputes — Dauber Sterne said that FSA was still working on developing tools for families based on the findings.

In general, Dauber Sterne said that FSA is not looking to propose a solution to the rift between Zionism and anti-Zionism in the Jewish community but to shed further light on the problem and to encourage organizations and families to acknowledge that some of the actions that they take are alienating anti-Zionist Jews. Having an Israeli flag on the bima in a synagogue, holding fundraisers for organizations that support the Israeli military and teaching children about Zionism in Hebrew schools will result in anti-Zionist Jews leaving those communal spaces. 

She stressed that acknowledging this fact is not the same as opposing those actions. There is nothing wrong with a congregational Hebrew school striving to educate its students to be Zionists, even if that means anti-Zionist parents will not send their child there, but it does mean that anti-Zionist parents will not send their child there. “If that’s what communities want, it’s fine. They’re allowed to say, ‘[Anti-Zionist Jews] are not welcome,’ without actually saying it,” Dauber Sterne said. “I just think it’s a fallacy to pretend they’re welcome when they are not.”

According to FSA, the path forward is far from clear, with clear merits to the desires both to refrain from excluding people from the Jewish community and to “reject jettisoning Israel from the Jewish community for the sake of inclusion.” Until a viable third option arrives, the group recommends “holding” the community together despite the frictions — and to “keep arguing with each other” in the meantime.