Before anything can be rebuilt, American Jews need to understand the reason for this historic snub: They just aren’t as powerful as they think. A PM doing his job will build relations based on power calculus, not guilt. https://twitter.com/haaretzcom/status/1361598448961789952

American Jews need to concede their vulnerability and need for help, instead of constantly telling Israelis what to be and do and waving their donations around as justification. It’s far too easy to blame Bibi. If it hadn’t been him, it would’ve been another PM.

I think American Jews have a legitimate claim when it comes to Israeli policies that directly affect them, like recognition of non-Orthodox movements. But the compulsion to intervene in security policy, diplomacy, settlements and so on need to stop—both on Left and Right.

The reason they do this has to do with what has happened to Jewish identity in America, how it has become wrapped up in Israeli policies. But this is twisted. Jewish identity should never be tied to the policies of a foreign government.

And Israel should not have to deal with the burden of making life-or-death decisions to protect its own citizens with the added constraint of whether those decisions make American Jews feel more comfortable in their own identity. It’s not healthy and not sustainable.

I remember after Sharon declared withdrawal from Gaza, there were rabbis in Gush Katif who stopped saying the prayer for Israel on the grounds that the state was no longer the “beginning of the redemption.” I thought: How shallow is a Judaism that depends on government policy?

But American Jews are doing exactly the same thing when their self-confidence and Jewish commitment can be threatened by issues of war, peace, occupation, and settlements.

Evangelicals at least have this going for them: Their support for Israel isn’t bothered by the fact that Israel supports LGBT rights and even has *actual sharia law* governing its Muslim communities. Their identity as Christians isn’t threatened by Israeli policies.

So yes, the relationship between Israel and American Jewry needs to be rebuilt on new grounds. But the first step is admitting that both sides have some rethinking to do. As long as it’s all about Bibi, nothing will change.