NEW YORK – A profound shift is underway in American Jewish life, one that challenges the foundational assumptions that have shaped Jewish communal institutions for generations. In a wide-ranging interview with Haaretz, Arielle Angel, editor of the left-wing Jewish Currents magazine, argued that a “critical mass” of US Jews is now “disgusted with Israel” and no longer sees Zionism as central to Jewish identity.
Angel, who identifies as anti-Zionist, described the transformation as a fundamental political and moral rupture—one that extends far beyond disagreements over Israeli government policy. She characterized the emerging constituency as Jews who view Israel as an apartheid state, believe it is committing genocide, and are actively turning away from the institutions that have long made loyalty to Israel the organizing principle of Jewish communal life.
“The numbers are high, and these people don’t have anywhere to go,” Angel said, emphasizing that there is “no institutional base for this growing population” as more Jews break with Zionism and search for a different political and spiritual home.
A Rupture Decades in the Making
The tensions between American Jews and Israel have deepened significantly in recent years, but Angel suggested that the current rupture represents a qualitative shift rather than a cyclical disagreement. The Israeli government’s conduct of the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced nearly the entire population of the enclave, has been a catalyst, but Angel framed the break as reflecting deeper currents within American Jewish life.
She described a growing constituency of Jews who see Israel’s actions as incompatible with Jewish ethical traditions and who are repudiating the Zionist framework that has dominated American Jewish institutions since the establishment of the state in 1948. For this group, Angel said, the attachment to Israel is “waning, if not evaporated.”
Angel framed the rupture in stark terms, arguing that “Zionism itself is the thing that emptied Judaism of meaning.” In its place, she said many Jews are now seeking what she called a “justice-centered Judaism”—rooted not in the Israeli state but in solidarity, moral responsibility, and communal life beyond nationalism.
The ‘Catastrophic Failure of Zionist Judaism’
Angel did not mince words in assessing the current crisis. She described the “catastrophic failure of Zionist Judaism” and asked whether this moment could become an opening for anti-Zionist Jews “to step into greater influence” and “make our case for something new.”
The shift, she argued, has been sharpened by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and by the role of mainstream Jewish organizations in defending it. For many American Jews who have grown increasingly uncomfortable with Israeli policies, the response of major Jewish institutions has been alienating, pushing them further away rather than holding them within the communal tent.
Angel said the break with Israel is forcing many anti-Zionist Jews to confront exclusion from mainstream Jewish institutions. She sees Jewish Currents as one of the few spaces where such Jews can begin to imagine an alternative identity, particularly as they are pushed out of synagogues and communal life because of their opposition to Zionism.
Endangering World Jewry
Among her sharpest remarks, Angel warned that Israel’s actions, and the insistence of establishment Jewish organizations on equating Judaism with Israel, are placing Jews at risk globally. “Israel’s actions—and support for them among the global Jewish institutions—are endangering world Jewry,” she said.
The warning reflects a growing concern among some Jewish thinkers that the conflation of Jewish identity with Israeli state policy makes Jews around the world targets for those who oppose Israel’s actions. Angel’s framing, however, places responsibility for this danger not on antisemites but on Israel itself and on the Jewish institutions that have reflexively defended it.
The Search for a New Jewish Identity
For the growing number of American Jews who are breaking with Zionism, the question of where to turn is urgent. Angel described a population that has been alienated from mainstream synagogues, Jewish community centers, and federations that have historically made support for Israel a litmus test for inclusion.
She pointed to Jewish Currents as one of the few spaces where anti-Zionist Jews can begin to imagine an alternative identity, but acknowledged that the magazine’s reach is limited. The broader institutional vacuum, she suggested, is both a challenge and an opportunity—a chance to build something new in place of the Zionist framework that she argues has failed.
Context: A Changing American Jewish Landscape
Angel’s analysis reflects trends that have been documented in surveys of American Jewish attitudes over the past decade. Younger Jews, in particular, have shown declining attachment to Israel and increasing willingness to criticize its policies. The war in Gaza has accelerated these trends, with some polls showing significant majorities of Jews under 40 expressing negative views of Israel’s conduct.
At the same time, Angel’s framing goes beyond the data. By claiming that a “critical mass” of American Jews has moved toward anti-Zionism, she is asserting that the shift is not merely a matter of policy disagreement but a fundamental reorientation of Jewish identity itself.
Whether that assertion is accurate remains a matter of debate. Mainstream Jewish organizations continue to command significant resources and represent the views of many American Jews. But Angel’s argument that there is “no institutional base” for the growing number of Jews who are breaking with Zionism points to a real gap in American Jewish life—one that, if left unfilled, could have lasting implications for Jewish communal cohesion.
Analysis: A Defining Moment for American Judaism
Arielle Angel’s interview with Haaretz captures a moment of profound uncertainty and transformation in American Jewish life—one that could reshape the landscape of Jewish identity for generations to come.
The “critical mass” she describes, whether or not it has yet reached a tipping point, represents a constituency that can no longer be ignored. These are not simply Jews who disagree with Israeli government policy; they are Jews who have rejected the Zionist framework that has defined American Jewish institutions for more than seventy years. Their search for a new political and spiritual home is not an abstract intellectual exercise but a pressing practical question.
For mainstream Jewish organizations, Angel’s analysis poses a challenge. If her assessment is accurate—that a growing number of Jews see Israel as an apartheid state and believe it is committing genocide—then the strategy of doubling down on unconditional support for Israel may be accelerating the very exodus it seeks to prevent. The question of whether there is room within the mainstream for Jews who hold these views will shape the future of American Jewish communal life.
For anti-Zionist Jews, Angel’s vision of a “justice-centered Judaism” offers a roadmap for building alternative institutions. But the scale of the challenge is immense. Creating new synagogues, schools, community centers, and philanthropic networks to rival the existing structures is a generational project, not a short-term endeavor.
The stakes extend beyond the Jewish community. American Jews have long been a politically influential constituency, and a significant shift in their relationship to Israel would have implications for US foreign policy. If a growing number of American Jews no longer see Israel as central to their identity, the political calculus that has shaped Washington’s approach to the Middle East for decades could begin to change.
For now, Angel’s interview serves as both a diagnosis and a provocation. Whether her vision of a post-Zionist American Judaism will gain traction remains to be seen. But her argument that the current moment represents a “catastrophic failure of Zionist Judaism” is a claim that will be debated in Jewish communities across the United States—and beyond—for years to come.
