I’m used to Israeli society being in the media spotlight. Lately, it’s reflected in the issue of what lessons we’re drawing from the deadly firebombing in the village of Duma, and the fatal stabbing at Jerusalem’s gay pride parade. How does a democratic, Jewish society relate to extremists? It’s a fair question for journalists to ask on behalf of their readers in the West.
But it’s time to turn the tables.
American Jewry is now the news, and I’d like to get a better handle of what’s going on.
What I’m seeing from Israel is an increasingly polarized US public discourse on the Iran deal. American Jews, it seems, are struggling to juggle two values that don’t normally cause friction: loyalty to the US, and solidarity with Israel.
As an American ex-pat, it’s painful and a bit bewildering to see widely cited surveys of American Jewish views debunked, and to see the public discourse bitterly degenerate into “dog whistles” and disingenuous questions of loyalty.
So where do US Jews really stand on the Iran deal?
Here are the two elements of what a thoughtful article would include.
1. Credible data
Survey data is necessary. That means transparency. As news consumers, whenever Big Media cites a survey, here are some questions we should ask ourselves:
Who commissioned the survey? Who carried it out, and how? What questions were asked? How many people were questioned, and how were they chosen? Are the conclusions drawn from the survey logical, or are there other plausible explanations? What’s the margin of error?
Are the respondents reflective of the community we want to learn about? Since we’re talking about American Jewry, the pool of respondents must account for a lot of nuances: socio-economic status, geography, political leanings, religious views, and how affiliated they are with the Jewish community and Israel.
How knowledgeable of the Iran deal are American Jews? Do they support it, oppose it, or remain indifferent? And why?
Do they feel US-Israeli relations are politicized? If yes, do they lay the blame with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Obama, both, or none of the above?
2. Why it matters
One point of contention is which American Jewish advocacy groups reflect Israeli public opinion. But who — if anyone — can be said to speak for American Jewry on this specific issue? Is there a gap between the grassroots and communal leaders?
And if this is what the American Jewish rupture looks like now, will the community face irreparable harm if the Iran deal becomes a protracted political fight?
When the battle over the accord is over, will American Jews feel weakened and divided, stronger and united, or somewhere in between?
If the deal passes, will American Jews have the stomach to press elected leaders to hold Iran accountable to terms of the accord? If the deal fails, will they bear the brunt of a possible anti-Semitic backlash?
How much responsibility can (and should) American Jews take for lobbying Washington on Israel’s behalf? Is the polarization politicizing US Jewry’s support for Israel? What do American Jews want, need, or expect from Israel? Can the partisanship be dialed down?
I don’t have answers, and I won’t speculate from a keyboard in Jerusalem.
Will any journalists reading this post follow up on these questions?
Featured image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting; Capitol CC BY flickr/David Ohmer
