The Waning of the American Jewish Love Affair With Israel. As the title of his book implies, however, the American Jewish community's consensus on Israel has disintegrated. Israel, to a certain extent, disappointed them. At the same time, Rosenthal explains, the American Jewish community has shifted its attention to its internal concerns. In many ways, the initial, rallying goals for the founding and fortification of Israel have been fulfilled, whereas rising intermarriage and declining religious devotion continue to fracture Jewish life in America.
Priorities seem to have changed.
Even now, when many American Jews agree that Yasser Arafat is to blame for the end of the peace process, American Jews' support for Israel hardly compares with their unequivocal championing in the decades following Israel's establishment. Rosenthal cites a poll that finds that one-third of American Jews are prepared to give up Jerusalem for peace in the Middle East, a position they do not share with the Ariel Sharon government. The Waning of the American Jewish Love Affair With Israel By Steven T. Rosenthal Brandeis University Press 231 pages Nonfiction Buy it Print story E-mail story Rosenthal's book is full of such surprising statistics and ideas. The rationale had always been that Jews do not wash their dirty laundry in public and that doing so could only benefit those who wish Israel ill. Politically, the unity of the Jewish community had always been its greatest strength.