以色列政界和宗教领导人正面临一个日益令人担忧的趋势：年轻美国犹太人对支持以色列的重视程度正在下降。根据民调数据，约40%的美国45岁以下宗教犹太成年人认为支持以色列对其犹太身份"极其"或"非常"重要，相比之下年长宗教犹太成年人中这一比例约为50%[1]。这种代际间的态度差异已引起以色列官方和宗教组织的关注，促使他们通过多种举措试图强化与北美散居犹太人的纽带，特别是面向世俗派和改革派犹太人群体[1]。
民调还显示出更广泛的认同分化。仅约50%的宗教成年人认为以色列在加沙的军事行动是合理的，而在无宗教信仰的犹太成年人中，这一比例降至十分之二[1]。与此同时，约60%的犹太成年人表示对犹太人的偏见是美国"极其"或"非常"严重的问题[1]。为了增进年轻一代与以色列的联系，Taglit-Birthright Israel自2000年以来已为来自美国等地的百万名犹太青年提供了免费10天的以色列"发现之旅"[1]。
以色列与美国在伊朗问题上的立场分歧也对两国关系产生了影响。以色列犹太人对特朗普优先考虑以色列安全的信心从3月的64%下降至6月的26%[1]。这些挑战的背景包括2023年10月7日哈马斯对以色列的攻击造成1200人死亡和251人被绑架，随后以色列对加沙的战争已造成超过73000人死亡[1]。
Israeli government and religious leaders are concerned about a declining connection between Israel and younger Jewish Americans, according to polling data.[1] An AP survey found that younger Jewish adults place less importance on supporting Israel as part of their Jewish identity compared with their older counterparts.[1] Approximately 40 percent of American Jewish adults under 45 years old view support for Israel as "extremely" or "very" important to their identity, compared with roughly 50 percent of older Jewish adults.[1]
The divide extends beyond identity to views on Israel's military operations.[1] Only about half of Jewish adults believe Israel's military actions in Gaza are justified, a figure that drops to one in five among Jewish adults without religious affiliation.[1] Additionally, roughly 60 percent of Jewish adults surveyed consider antisemitism in the United States to be an "extremely" or "very" serious problem.[1]
To strengthen engagement with younger diaspora Jews, particularly secular and Reform Jewish communities in North America, Israeli government and religious organizations have expanded educational and cultural programs.[1] Since 2000, the Taglit-Birthright Israel program has provided over one million young Jewish people from the United States and other countries with free 10-day trips to Israel.[1] The broader context includes the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 kidnappings, followed by Israel's military campaign in Gaza that has caused over 73,000 deaths.[1]