Leaders from the North American Jewish community took over the halls of the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC on Monday and Tuesday for the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Over 2,000 Jewish communal leaders and philanthropists from all over the U.S. and Canada were present in addition to a handful of guests from around the globe.
Yet as the crowd gathered, a notable absence cast a shadow: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was nowhere to be seen, nor was any one of his 37 cabinet ministers.
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William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, 7 May 2019
(Photo: Daroff/Creative Commons)
The Israeli daily Haaretz claims that Netanyahu was not been invited to this year’s General Assembly for the first time in his many years as prime minister. A JFNA spokesperson refuted the report, however, saying that the prime minister was indeed invited. Given Israel’s seven-front war and logistical challenges, he chose to deliver a video address, as he has done many times before, according to the spokesperson. The address was to be played during a plenary on Tuesday morning in Washington DC. The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment.
There may have been a strategic choice by JFNA to focus on unity rather than Israeli politics, General Assembly participants suggested.
JFNA’s intent to focus on unity may be a response to the ongoing war on Israel's southern and northern borders and the surge of antisemitism affecting both American college campuses and the Jewish community at large. On the eve of the unity rally that launched the assembly, the only kosher restaurant in the nation’s capital was vandalized, with two of its windows smashed. The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington called the incident “deeply disturbing” in a Sunday morning statement and urged a full investigation.
William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said that many Israeli ministers chose to stay in Israel given the ongoing war. He also noted that the event is more focused on connections between Jewish communities than on connections between the Israeli and American governments.
“I know that a number of Israeli ministers want to stay close to home given the war,” Daroff said.
“The focus [of the GA] is on the people of Israel and not the government,” he added. “We are more than just government-to-government; it is people-to-people. At the end of the day, this [event] is about the American Jewish community connecting with the Israeli Jewish community.”
“The government, political piece can be divisive,” Daroff concluded. “If the focus here is not politics and government but rather how people can be unified – must be unified – then the content should follow.”
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A plenary session is held at the JFNA GA on Nov. 11, 2024
(Photo: Sagy Bar, Cyber Education Center via the JFNA GA application)
The relationship between American Jewry and the Israeli government has been strained since the current Israeli administration took office in December 2022.
The October 7 massacre boosted Jewish unity, and JFNA raised substantial funds to support Israel in the wake of the attacks. JFNA said in August that it had raised $854 million for Israel since October 7, 2023, much of which was allocated directly to local nonprofits. Around $75 million of the funds were dedicated to northern Israel, where constant rocket fire from Hezbollah has displaced over 60,000 people from their homes.
Increased solidarity with Israel following October 7 notwithstanding, many American Jews have voiced opposition to the current Israeli government. American Jews tend to be left-leaning and supportive of figures like Vice President Kamala Harris, who received nearly 80% of the Jewish vote.
Survey data released last week by the left-leaning Zionist organization J Street showed that 66% of American Jews favor sanctioning far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for allegedly supporting violent settler attacks on Palestinians.
The survey also highlighted a sharp decline in Netanyahu’s popularity among American Jews, with just 32% viewing him favorably and 63% viewing him unfavorably.
Data from an October survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) reveal further strain in the relationship between U.S. Jews and Israel. Politically conservative Jews feel nearly as connected to Israel as they did when the war began, the JPPI study found, but left-leaning Jews are increasingly disconnected. About 38% of “strong liberals” reported feeling more distant from Israel due to the war, up from 29% of the same group in July.
The JPPI study also noted decreasing support for the Israeli military among the most liberal respondents. 69% of the most liberal group said in October that Israel’s actions were excessively aggressive; in January, only 51% of the group said the same.
A different JPPI study, released a week before the election, showed that 95% of the Jewish Americans supporting Donald Trump cited Israel as a key factor in casting their vote. In contrast, Israel was cited as a key factor for only 31% of strong Harris supporters.
Despite the tensions between American Jews and the Israeli government, participants at the JFNA GA generally refrained from openly criticizing the Israeli government. Few voiced disappointment at the lack of Israeli government officials physically present.
Jess Dolgin, CEO of J Media Global, said it was not the first time Netanyahu sent a video instead of attending personally, “but it’s the first time Israel is facing seven fronts, and his time is probably better spent managing that,” he said.
Meredith Jacobs, CEO of Jewish Women International, pointed out that representatives from the Israeli Embassy in Washington spoke at the event, as did several Israeli speakers, including hostage family members and nonprofit leaders.
“Israel has enough work to do right now, and I am happy if they are in Israel doing their work,” JWI Chief Program Officer Deborah Rosenbloom said of Israeli government officials. “The GA is about the leadership of the American Jewish community. It just feels like there are other opportunities [to host Israeli ministers]. I don’t feel like it’s missed.”
President Isaac Herzog attended the event and spoke Monday afternoon, praising attendees for mobilizing for Israel “like a family.” He noted that American Jews had traveled to Israel to volunteer and to comfort mourners.
“You chose to demonstrate solidarity, to bear witness, to fight,” he told the crowd. “You chose to show up for us when we needed you the most. The warmth and the affection expressed by world Jewry gave Israelis a lifeline and motivation to persevere. This was our finest hour – and your finest hour.”
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