American Jews love to create organizations. Regardless of how many already exist, and if a few members of the community feel that their pet project is being neglected, or a specific concern is being ignored, if they possess or can acquire the resources to do so, they search for the like-minded, and together create their own organization. Although I may be exaggerating somewhat, this pattern of behavior remains; I am not necessarily criticizing it.

In 2017, the National Jewish Democratic Council was formed. Last week, the Democratic Majority for Israel was announced. The latter, according to The New York Times, is to “counter the rising skepticism on the left towards the Jewish state by supporting lawmakers and candidates in 2020 who stand unwaveringly with the country.” Will they endorse candidates who are not Democrats? Who defines what is and is not pro-Israel enough to receive support? Can you gain credence if your record on Israel is not 100% towards policies the group favors? Who will make the judgment(s)? As yet, we don’t really have answers to any of these questions. I wish them well, but ask why another organization, similar in goals and membership, such as JStreet, could not fill the perceived void? Again, I do not have answers. I would guess that the purpose of the new group is to deal solely with the Democratic Party, given that some of the the party’s elected officials are already voicing strong criticism of Israel,  which the new group is trying to counter without alienating anyone.

As for the Republicans, they comprise, in part, an “amen corner” for Israel of at least 65 million strong—-the Christian Right. Within this religious contingent are numerous groups that support Israel based more on religious belief than political or strategic issues. In fact, some “supporters” have been accused of anti-Semitism: i.e.  they love Israel because of a mandate from the Lord, but are very uncomfortable around Jews. Nevertheless, the Republicans also maintain and fund mirror image groups on the Right that support Israel in a similar fashion to the Democrats.

So, with all these organizations, has America and Israel moved closer strategically and politically?  Has the American Jewish community embraced their Christian colleagues with new enthusiasm because of their support for Israel? Certainly, regarding the latter, the answer is no. American Jews, especially those under 40, have moved decidedly against many Israeli policies, foremost among them being their attitude towards  the Palestinians and on matters of religious pluralism. As the Israeli government stiffens its behavior in these areas, younger Americans (and in many respects, even those above 40), move decidedly away from support for Israel. Downright opposition is even more evident.

In part, this has much to do with Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister, “Bibi” Netanyahu, two decidedly unpopular figures among a majority of American Jews. Yet, these negative attitudes began to increase when Obama was President, and the Republicans controlled Congress. During the latter stages of the Obama Presidency, Republican leaders invited Bibi to address Congress without informing the White House in advance, a major breach of protocol and tradition. Netanyahu accepted despite warnings from the Democratic party leadership. For the first time in American history, Israel became a partisan issue; that continues to this day.

Countless Jewish organizations lobbying on Israel’s behalf exist. Yet polls indicate that Israel  is worse off  in measures of American public opinion and even within the Jewish community. The American people remain centrist, American Jews are  becoming increasingly liberal, and Israel may be the big loser. Yet rightward leaning Jews continue to praise Donald Trump as Israel’s savior. Maybe we need a new Jewish organization to help extract Israel from this mess, a good deal of which is of Israel’s own making?