Jewish Democratic Council of America

This week’s email is also an op-ed published on JDCA’s Substack, which we hope you’ll subscribe to here and share.

We also hope you’ll join JDCA as a member to access our next members event on Wednesday, June 25: “Israel at War and the Role of the United States” with former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. If you are already a member, you have received an invitation in your inbox. If not, please join us as a JDCA member in 2025, which helps us expand our community and impact.

Shabbat Shalom,

Halie Soifer

CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America

The Multi-Front War Facing American Jews

The past few months have been harrowing for American Jews. We have witnessed the rise of antisemitic violence in our cities and streets, and now Israel is at war with Iran. While Israel has made significant progress in degrading Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities over the past week, Iran has continued to launch missiles and drones at Israeli civilians, which has led to death and destruction in Israel. There’s now a small window to negotiate a resolution that eliminates Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities, but diplomacy is likely to be accompanied by a credible military threat, which may ultimately lead to direct U.S. military involvement in the war.

It’s exhausting to be a pro-Israel American Jew in 2025, and in many ways, it feels like we’re facing a multi-front war. In Israel, our family and friends are sheltering due to the barrage of Iranian missiles, some of which have penetrated Israel’s defenses, killing 24 and injuring thousands in just a week. At home, our democracy is under persistent attack, fundamental checks and balances on the president no longer exist, and the rise of antisemitism is being exploited by the president to justify his authoritarianism. Amid these multiple “wars,” some American Jews have turned on each other, presenting a false choice about whether one can be simultaneously opposed to Donald Trump and supportive of Israel.

At the heart of this conundrum is the patently false narrative – perpetuated by Republicans but adopted by others – that Donald Trump is “good” for Jews or Israel. Those who believe this narrative tend to grade Trump on a very low curve, ignoring his deeply troubling records on antisemitism and Israel. Even worse, some have adopted Trump’s own narrative: that if you’re an American Jew opposed to him, you don’t support Israel. This isn’t true for the vast majority of Democrats, and it isn’t true for the vast majority of American Jews.

According to a poll conducted before the Israel-Iran war, 69% of American Jews have an emotional connection with Israel, and 74% oppose Donald Trump, proving that many American Jews hold both views. Donald Trump has demonstrated time and again that his top priority is advancing his own political agenda and self-interest, even as it comes at the expense of so many others. He has enacted numerous policies that are antithetical to core Jewish interests and values, including attacking our democracy, emboldening extremism and hate, deporting immigrants without due process, targeting academia and research, and now banning foreigners. This is why the vast majority of American Jews oppose Trump while also standing with Israel.

As Israel’s war with Iran has unfolded, Trump’s incompetence has become even more painfully clear. He is woefully lacking the experience necessary to serve as an effective Commander in Chief and has an incredibly weak and shrinking national security team. Since this war began, he has publicly and privately vacillated on Iran and failed to clearly articulate ongoing support for Israel’s right to self-defense. He’s treated his policy and decision-making like a reality television show, making bewildering statements like “maybe I will, maybe I won’t [bomb Iran],” candidly revealing that “nobody knows” what he’ll do in this war, including himself.

Now that Trump has given Iran a two-week window for diplomacy to work, his policy on the war, including U.S. support of Israel’s defense, must be clearly established and executed. I want Trump to be successful when it comes to national security, and I believe giving Iran “two weeks’ notice” was a good decision. But I also believe Trump should be judged by the highest standards of leadership, and thus far, he’s failed. We must stop grading Trump on a curve and start judging him using the same standards we have for all other elected officials, including past presidents. If any Democratic president had treated decisions related to Israel’s security as erratically and recklessly as Trump, they would have been overwhelmingly criticized by Jewish legacy organizations and the majority of American Jews.

We can support Israel and disagree with the policies of its current government, which is the case for the vast majority of American Jews, just as we can support Israel and disagree with the policies of our own current government. This is an essential part of the democracy we’re fighting for.

Even if we don’t agree on every aspect of domestic politics, we as American Jews have a deep connection to the Israeli people, which has led to a shared sense of anguish and terror as Iranian missiles rain down on Israel. Many of us have reached out to our family, friends, and fellow Americans in Israel to offer support, and our concern for and connection to Israel is personal and emotional, especially after October 7 and now amid a new war.

Last Friday, I reached out to a close friend of decades in Tel Aviv and caught a glimpse of her bomb shelter. The cement room was sparsely furnished with a few white plastic chairs and a television. It was crowded, hot, and uncomfortable. I’ve continued to think about my friend, her son, her parents, and her entire apartment building in that room each day – and many sleepless nights – since. Every Iranian attack on Israel brings a sense of dread about missiles landing in population centers.

The constant state of terror isn’t sustainable, and this war must end with Israel in a more secure position than before. This will take time, a successful Israeli military strategy, an end to Iran’s nuclear program, and clear American leadership, which is currently lacking in the Trump White House.