In later years, we have seen a growing generational divide among Jewish Americans, and that has become very obvious after 7 October last year. On that date, Hamas attacked a number of communities in southern Israel, and the Israeli response came as a massive military invasion and enormous devastation in the Gaza Strip.
Established Jewish organisations like AIPAC came up with almost unlimited support for the Israeli war effort, while many from the younger generation joined the protest movement. That, of course, made waves in the current situation, not least in the debate on American university campuses, but actually, it is part of a phenomenon that has existed for quite some time. Young American Jews are no longer willing to subscribe to their parents’ unrelenting support of Israel and, in particular, the occupation.
Mutual understanding
A new documentary, that will have its Europe premiere at CPH:DOX on 21 March, has a very interesting take on this important and rising awakening in the Jewish community. The film’s protagonist, Simone Zimmerman, tells about a pretty normal Jewish upbringing. Jewish day school, Jewish youth group, Jewish camp. She has family in Israel and lived there on a youth exchange program. «Israel was just treated as a core part of being a Jew. You did prayers, and you did Israel,» she says.
The opening shots of the film are from a Birthright mega-event in Jerusalem. Birthright is a program that has given thousands of young Jews a free tour of Israel, and the whole idea is to create good Zionists and make the participants enlist in the IDF – the Israeli army. While nationalistic music is blaring and flags are waving, we hear a voice at the event say that everyone knows someone who is a soldier. They are hot, they are awesome, they are strong. They are everything we would want to be.
Simone Zimmerman broke away from all that. She describes how she did not have any perception of what it means to be a Palestinian, except a person who wants to kill Jews. In other words, she traveled there to see for herself what is so horrifying that they did not let her see it during her upbringing. Her experience was mind boggling.
The film takes us to a wide range of strong personalities that helped her get another picture of the occupation. Sami Awad from Holy Land Trust in the West Bank city of Bethlehem describes a childhood under occupation. He stands out as a sympathetic voice seeking mutual understanding despite it all. He went to Auschwitz to understand. He says that Jews were always attacked, and they live with a deep trauma. We have to understand each other, and that is where the healing work begins.
Young American Jews are no longer willing to subscribe to their parents’ unrelenting support of Israel and, in particular, the occupation.
An important film
The grand old man of hardcore pro-Israel activism, Abe Foxman, formerly director of the Anti-Defamation League, makes his point as well. In many ways, he represents the traditional Jewish American attitude when he considers Israel as an insurance policy. According to his worldview, Jews were persecuted for thousands of years, and Israel is a place where you can go and be safe. Miriam Adelson, whose now deceased husband, the casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, sponsored Birthright heavily, adds that it is up to the young generation to «be our soldiers abroad.» But it comes with their model that the only way Jews can feel safe is by making Palestinians feel that they are not. Out of 450,000 settlers in the West Bank, 60,000 are Americans.
This is a very well-made film offering a plethora of different views on this complicated issue. Noam Chomsky remarks that human will and commitment can change things, which seems a bit too obvious and rather bland, but others show a sharp analytical approach. And Simone Zimmerman, who used to work as Bernie Sanders’ Jewish community liaison during his presidential campaign, is just so sympathetic and well-spoken.
Abe Foxman claims that this awakening among young Jewish Americans is a rather small camp, and he is probably right. But he should be worried that his home base of wealthy organisations with enormous clout in Washington is dwindling. A lot of Jewish Americans are distancing themselves from this issue altogether, taking no clear stand. For this reason, young people like Simone Zimmerman have a very obvious possibility of changing things for the real. In other words, this is not only a matter concerning the Jewish community in America but something that has a real chance to influence American policy vis-à-vis Israel, and this is one of the reasons that this is an important film.
