Since October 7th, the world has felt different for many American Jews, and antisemitism has been on the rise. More recently, two people were shot dead outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., and a man with a flamethrower in Colorado attacked Israeli hostage advocates.

At the same time, Israel, a Jewish-majority country, has continued its attacks against Hamas in Gaza. On Sunday, 13 Palestinians were killed and over 150 injured after Israeli troops and American contractors opened fire on crowds waiting for food near two aid distribution sites. Israel’s months-long blockade of food aid has left one in five Palestinians on the brink of starvation.

Since October 7, 2023, an estimated 57,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks. So where does this leave American Jews? What does it mean to hold a range of difficult, sometimes opposing, views on an issue that remains a lightning rod in American discourse?

This tension has long shaped American Jewish identity. Today on The Metro, we explore the evolving challenges faced by American Jews—focusing on the rise in antisemitism and the often-misunderstood distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. While Zionism refers to Jewish nationalism, antisemitism is rooted in prejudice against Jews.

The 1967 Six-Day War marked a major turning point, deepening loyalty to Israel for some American Jews while prompting resistance from others—particularly those influenced by anti-colonial movements during the Vietnam War era. Over time, Israel’s role in American Jewish identity has become increasingly divisive.

Julian Levinson, professor of American Jewish studies at the University of Michigan, works with students—many of them young Jews—to hold space for multiple perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of engaging with the complexity, rather than flattening it.

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