The discussion surrounding judicial reform is also expanding to encompass the occupation and Palestinian rights for many liberal American Jews.
There has been a significant shift in the Jewish American discussion about Israel.
The connection has been complicated and dissimilar for many years. But many in the community are now rethinking their relationship with the state in light of the election of the most right-wing administration in Israeli history and its proposed judicial changes that would limit the Supreme Court’s authority.
Similar to Israel, where protests and opposition forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to temporarily halt the reforms, the far-right turn in American politics has sparked an unprecedented mobilization among Jewish Americans, including some who are typically adamantly opposed to public criticism of Israel.
For instance, in February, about 150 law professors in the US signed a letter warning that the reforms would give the ruling coalition “absolute power. ”
Protests
The Jewish Federations of North America sent nearly 30 leaders to Israel in March to lobby against the plan.
Even the openly pro-Israel lawyer and Trump supporter Alan Dershowitz publicly stated that the decision would make it “a lot harder” for him to defend Israel in human rights cases, the court of public opinion, and on college campuses. ”
The proposed modifications to the judicial system have also prompted some pro-Israel lobby groups to express cautious concern.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) stated that if the proposals were approved, Israel would still be a democracy, “but a democracy with fewer protections than exist now.”
During a March visit to Tel Aviv by senior officials, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which protesters in Israel had urged to “no longer remain silent,” stated that there was a “vigorous debate under way in Israel… which is reflective of the Jewish state’s robust democracy.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “encouraged all sides in Israel and the diaspora to stay focused on sensible split the difference and productive talk.”
“We look forward to Israel moving through this crisis and to a healthy and vibrant future for the country and for all the Jewish people,” the ADL added. “In its 75th year, we look forward to Israel moving through this crisis.”
According to the Forward, a call for disinvestment from Israel and a boycott of Jewish organizations that continue to offer uncritical support for Israel was accompanied by the discomfort that the proposed judicial reform caused within the larger Jewish American public.
“In the past few weeks, I’ve received calls from people saying, I would rather not provide for [the] alliance since no doubt about it’,” said Lonnie Nasatir, leader of the Jewish Joined Asset, the Chicago organization.
On one hand, the degree of strife between Jewish American foundation associations and Netanyahu’s extreme right alliance denotes a remarkable takeoff from these associations’ customarily ardent and careless help for past states of Israel.
“A ton of those individuals who’ve consistently said ‘guarding Israel is my work regardless of what’ have become basic interestingly,” Hadar Susskind, leader of Americans for Harmony Currently, told journalists.
