The Israel lobby is fractured, and so at last is the Jewish community

The historic rebuke to Israel the U.S. government allowed to take place in the UN Security Council on Monday was pushed by progressive activists. Biden fears that supporters of Palestinian human rights won’t turn out in November if he continues to give a green light to genocide. Indeed, the Democratic base is overwhelmingly critical of Israel’s actions. As James Carville says, the starvation and slaughter are not just a problem for college kids.

But in breaking with the Israeli government, Biden took on the Israel lobby, the most powerful force in setting U.S. policy for the Middle East.

Biden would not have done so if he did not feel he had support inside the Jewish community. He got that from Chuck Schumer, who speaking as the “guardian” of Israel and the most powerful Jew in U.S. political history, rose in the Senate last week to say Israel was killing too many civilians, and it might be time for the U.S. to leverage aid to Israel to stop the onslaught.

Schumer was promptly attacked by the leading Jewish organizations for criticizing Israel in the midst of a war. In a phone call with those groups, Schumer hedged his remarks. But Schumerites have largely taken over the Democratic Party. Liberal Zionists flocked to Schumer’s side, including J Street and Americans for Peace Now. Many Dems are now campaigning for cutoffs of aid to Israel, notably Senators Van Hollen, Coons, and Murphy, while mainstream media are airing criticisms of Israel’s murderous conduct, including the Washington Post and NPR.

The schism in the Jewish community gives Biden confidence that he can take baby steps to defy Israel and not alienate voters and (more importantly) donors in his reelection campaign.

There are now three camps inside the Jewish community: The traditional pro-Israel lobby, The Schumerites, including the liberal Zionist lobby, and the anti-Zionists.

This is a great development. Till recently only the first camp mattered. They made sure that there would be no daylight between the Israeli government and the U.S. government. They were the guardians, and Schumer was a stalwart.

Schumer’s defection, combined with the groundswell of opposition to aid to Israel among Democrats and the obvious influence of anti-Zionists, represents a crisis for the traditional lobby.

The rightwing lobby has fought back by saying Schumer has betrayed Israel. Ted Deutch of the American Jewish Committee said Schumer is “dividing the Jewish people.”

‘AJC’s statement on the recent speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear our strong opposition to dividing the Jewish people while Israel is at war.”

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations also issued a condemnation. Schumer must not divide the Jewish people when unity is “desperately needed.” He must not air criticisms of Israel.

“We believe that at a time when Israel is fighting an existential war, on the embers of the 1200 innocents massacred on October 7^th, it is not a time for public criticisms that serve only to empower the detractors of Israel, and which foster greater divisiveness, when unity is so desperately needed.

The U.S.-Israel relationship has weathered many disagreements through close and confidential discussion of its leadership, which continues to be the appropriate forum for such conversations.”

The lobby has always been a “night flower” that does not like sunlight (a principle approved by David Brooks on PBS News Hour, who said he agreed with everything Schumer said about Netanyahu but said it shouldn’t have been said out loud).

The five leading Jewish organizations — the Conference, the AJC, the ADL, AIPAC, and the Jewish Federations– are all taking their marching orders from Israel. They are in line with Israel’s foreign minister, who commands American Jews in religious terms to stick by Israel. Jews must not allow our enemies to “weaken us as a nation,” but combat the “vilification” of Israel that is taking place around the world, says Israel Katz:

It’s the strength found in our solidarity that will guide us through this storm. As we forge ahead, let us be guided by the enduring wisdom of our sages: “כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה” — “All of Israel are responsible for one another.”

The Schumerites say they represent the silent majority of American Jews. But silence is not a political force; and in fact, the Schumerites are being driven by the left. Young Jews who openly oppose apartheid and genocide have taken over the moral leadership of the Jewish community. Every day I go to IfNotNow to see inspiring actions by young Jews. Like this disruption of a Hakeem Jeffries appearance this week in which demonstrators said that AIPAC contributions are fostering the genocide.

An interfaith coalition disrupted Minority Leader @RepJeffries during his fundraiser for @RepMcGovern in Worcester, MA — calling him out for taking over $300K from AIPAC.

Liberal Zionists have been silent because, since October 7, they’ve had to balance their duties as Israel supporters with their disquiet over Israeli actions. They have never been able to say the words apartheid and genocide– and they took way too long to say ceasefire. So in the end, a rightwing Zionist, Chuck Schumer, got ahead of J Street– in a speech that J Street promptly embraced. A speech that enabled J Street to finally come out for cutting aid to Israel over war crimes.

IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace have not been hesitant. For years inside the Jewish community, they have been outspoken on the aid issue — an issue that enrages the rightwing lobby. JVP long ago endorsed BDS, making Israel pay an economic price for war crimes. And was smeared as antisemitic for doing so.

The Jewish community will only continue to divide. In recent days, Mitchell Plitnick and Peter Beinart have written important essays about the Jewish crackup over nationalism. Yesterday, Lara Friedman, who has walked the path from liberal Zionist to critic of Zionist policies, said that the peace process amounted to a “dehumanization” of Palestinians, because it was always framed in Israel’s interests.

The Palestinian genocide is providing a moment of reckoning for the Jewish community. Tragically, many Jews are going along with it. Sarah Schulman, long an anti-Zionist leader, addressed them recently with prophetic force.

You are not being persecuted. What is happening is that you are supporting a genocide and history will understand this as a genocide, and your selfish, shallow refusal to see yourself realistically, – these crimes will follow you for the rest of your life. And history will ask you about what you have said and done today. So, look in the mirror and see the pain you have created and justified and you will see yourself

The community failed to condemn the genocide. But lonely moral voices now have many allies.