Sorry young lady but most American Jews, yourself included, know nothing about Israel or about Judaism. Get yourself educated!

The author is an idiot

Can American Jewry influence Israeli politics? http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Can-American-Jewry-influence-Israeli-politics-515598

If you are counting reform and conservative as people you need to concern yourselves with, then you either don't understand America, or you have an agenda and are ignoring reality
Being a Jew in America is about identity: do you send your kids to Jewish schools, do you live in Jewish neighborhoods.who do you associate with in a daily basis. Israelis don't get this.
90% of the identified Jews in the US are orthodox (see report on Jewish day schools)

Being Jewish in America is a outback identity.
Do you send your kids to Jewish schools?
Please follow the link below which is a survey of Jewish schools in America.

Please look at chart on page 10 and see how many kids are enrolled in Solomon schechter (conservative) or reform vs chassidic yeshivish or modern orthodox.

http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/a-census-of-jewish-day-schools-in-the-united-states-2013-14-2014/

truth)
They donate, yes, it's nice of them, but it's not what sustains us a as free nation.

Shira Ruderman, have you ever met a US military officer? Your "ignorance and unfamiliarity" with the US military is stunning. You say that the "US has an army of hired soldiers, which naturally attracts weaker populations that benefit from their service financially, rather than the Jews who are considered an elite." It is a select few Americans that gets accepted to the elite US military academies (West Point, Anapolis and US Air Force Academy). These great men and women not only lead US forces, but when they retire, many go on to lead the country in business and government.

This is an extremely well written article that is fair and objective and expresses the right opinions.

I am an American living in Tel Aviv for many years so I am familiar with both sides of this conversation.

I know Israelis hate it when an American comes to spend a few weeks here and already can solve all of Israel's problems. I know how much I hate it when an Israeli goes to Los Angeles for vacation and comes back with negative images of all Americans.

Deputy FM Hotovely spent a little bit of time in I believe Atlanta and may have been a tourist elsewhere, but this does not give her any education or experience to expound on the life of American jews. Just like after 10 years here I should not be commenting on Israelis since I live in Tel Aviv, and rarely see life beyond Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv. My view would be very narrow. I do not know what it is like living on a Kibbutz, I do not know what life is like deep in Jaffa and I do not know what life is living close to the border.

Now lets start looking at life in the US, of course it is easier today for Jews as we lived through the years of prejudice and hate which seems to be making a cycle back. I remember being the only Jew in my school or having friends who didn't understand why I was Jewish or employers who did not understand why I wanted off for Passover.

After Hotovely's comments I went to the Virtual Jewish Library and checked on the number of civilians killed in terrorist acts as well as the number of soldiers killed in war or terror over the last few years. Keeping in mind that life is sacred and a single death is not acceptable, the fact is that the number is lower than one would think. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/total-casualties-arab-israeli-conflict

A mothers worry about sending her child to the military is no more or less if the child is american, russian, japanese, or Israeli. How many US soldiers are in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Libya and other hot spots around the globe.Oh yea didn't a few US soldiers die in Africa a week or so ago. I guess those US mothers had a comfortable life. Oh yea.. thats right its only Jewish mothers.

Now the point of this article is understanding each other better. The fact is the Ultra Orthodox are the biggest problem in the views of many of American's- their control in the government, their lack of community, their lack of support for Israel and their cultist behavior. The lack of government intervention in their education and their ability to make choices as Adults and their control in the current government. Their drain on Israeli finances and their overall lack of respect for others.Their denial of civil rights and equal rights.Their lack of common decency as they look down their nose at other jews and their lack of military service believing that they should be exempt.

I taught American Jewish history at Tel-Aviv University from 1971 to 2008. I retired in 2008. I taught over 5,000 students. When I retired, the university did no replace me. Now, no one teaches full-time about American Jewry. This was terribly short-sided, and I complained in print and publicly. But to no avail. This situation still exists.

Your "facts" and justifications about the role of Jews in the US are spotty and strange...

"Pres Geo W Bush proclaimed May 2006 as American Jewish Heritage month"...? I'm guessing that about 99.999% of Americans - including Jews - are unaware of this event.... Surely you can come up with something more substantive...

"Six out of 9 of current Supreme Ct Justices are Jewish"...? Are you sure? Ginsburg, Kagan, and Souter are; Roberts, C. Thomas, Sotomayor, Kennedy, Alito and the new Trump appointee Gorsuch are NOT. Hmm... that sounds like 3 out of 9.

Finally your summary of Jewish participation in the US armed forces is extremely shallow and spotty. An unnamed Jewish general in the USAF? That's all you cqn come up with??

This advocacy article needs a major a re-do !

85% of American “Jews” are not Jews according to jewish law.
Real Jews will always be united by the Torah and the Halakhah and Jewish commun goals and values.
Most of the American “self acalles” Jews do not belong to Israel or understand what means to be a real Jew.
When I my self see all the insanity and nonsense of the American pseudo Jewish sects it’s somethung so odd and nothing to do with us.

We know american jews eeehhh .Seinfeld, eeehhhh , Harvey Winestain eeehhh , Lena Dunham eeehhh . American jews think a Sefer Torah is a new brand of clothing.......

Israelis ,especially secular israelis, inconsciously ( without realising or knowing it ) are living far more jewish lives , true jewish lives than american jews can conceive. Working and defending the land of Israel, participating in jewish festivals and holidays ,even resting on the sabbath and eating kosher . American jews ,sadly , imagine that watching SEINFELD once a month is what makes one jewish.

How can ' eastern " israelis and " western " americans realistically expect to truly understand each other?

The very fact that the majority of US Jews voted for and continued to vote for Obama and the Democrats is a clear indication of the disconnect that they have with the reality of Israel's continual battle against the so called liberal lefts desire to emasculate Israel by its support for BDS/the bizarre belief that there could be a 2 state solution with the Arabs ( there are no Palestinians, a fabrication by Arafat).
The generosity of some US Jews toward Israel is admitted but upon examination they come from committed Zionist sympathisers and generally right of the political spectrum.
And to be cynical I would suggest that many US Jews with regard to any help that they may give to Israel is viewed by many as an insurance policy should their acceptance within the US goes T*Ts up.

There are six Jewish Supreme Court justices serving in the US today?????

Not Roberts, Alito, Sottemayor, Kennedy, Thomas or Gorsuch...., SInce there are only 9 justices...how do you get to 6 Jews?

" United we stand divided we fall " Just give a thought adnbe Co-operative. Indifferences are good and healthy.Never jump to conclusions with rash decisions.

Israelis know that american jews are all a little bit spoilt and very wealthy and enjoy the good life.....eeeehhhh

Its not American Jewry its American so called progressives which are anti-liberal values, anti-democracy, anti-free speech, anti-Zionist, anti-white, anti-Western Values.

Israelis are closer to Western Values than the left is these days and the same freedoms in US constitution are usually a given in Israel without any constitution.

Here is a woman who insults, slander, American Jews and basically calls them unpatriotic cowards on 2 fronts. Trump insulted the Native Americans with that Pocohantis sh-t and Hotovely with this, these people are inwardly racist and hateful of mankind but it comes out of them. Just think of what the Jesus of then said and what the Christ of know judges,,, "It is not what goes into man that corrupts him but what comes out of him". This woman should be fired plain and simple.

There are three Jewish Supreme Court Justices....Ruth Bader GInsburg, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer, NOT six. Roberts, Alito, Kennedy, Sotamayer, Thomas, and Gorsuch are not Jewish.

obama allowed the genocidal shia terror regime of iran to keep its nuclear
weapons program. obama also gifted rogue iran hundreds of billions
of dollars in sanctions relief.
obama's policies inflamed the entire middle east.
today, iran's irgc forces and its terror proxies are sitting in syria,
endangering the jewish state.
russia has become a major player in syria and lebanon, replacing
the united states.

american jews are progressive americans whose synagogues
are essentially social clubs, not religious institutions.
the money that american jews contribute is nothing compared
to what they have as a group.
there are large numbers of multi-billionaires and multi-millionaires
who sit on their pile of money with contributions of a few percents.
indeed, the super wealthy in america, be they jewish or not, are
getting richer by the year without lifting a finger.

there has always been a small minority of american jews who
contributed with their lives and who were committed zionists.
the author of this article is not one of them.

The Ruderman family of Boston has
More than proven their devotion to the State of Israel
While at the same time being part of the problem
They were among ghe Jews that broke and ran away from Traditional Judaism
In the city of zmakden Ma among the founders
Of the Reform or Conservative Trmples there
Both of whom are now closed disbanded defunct
Only the Orthodox synagogue there remains ditto
The story of American Jewry they ran not
Walked away from Trade Judaism and nowhere
More so than the now almost totally assimilated
Boston Temple after Temple closing only the Chabad picking up the
Pieces yet the Ruderman Foundation continues
To espouse American Leftwing causes the Rudermans with all do respect need to look in the mirror

One has only to visit the Boston Jewish Community or whats left of
it to see the ravages of chosen assimilation by American Jews
"Temple" after" Temple" are closing those that don't are rarely
attended and made up at least of half non Jews with no Jewish history of
birth and culture they are really a new strange and totally foreign species of
"Judaism" they really should call themselves by a new name
much more fitting "UOR" "The Union of Reformers" a Liberal Social Agenda Organization (omit Judaism from their name its so embarrassing ,Israel you know )
or simply unite with Unitarian Universalists or the Ethical Culture Movement for there is little difference between all three of them. Only ego power and money would probably prevent them doing so ..when ego power and $ are involved so much for their "progressive world agenda", Sadly many ancient
and not so ancient Jewish Communities disappeared ( Germany 60% Assimilated )The Torah speaks of the "faithful remnant" I guess that's the bottom line . Whats even worse for American Jews they are loved by
very few of their fellow non Jewish Americans they have forced
their extreme "liberal" views down the throats of too many add to
this that those they support African Americans Hispanics the
new and bourgening Moslem American Community not to mention the high preponderance of Self Hating American Jews in Academia these communities have the highest rates of Anti Semitism and are the majority of those involved in physical and verbal Anti Semitic violence . White American Christians the foremost supporters of Israel they have demonized so the future doesn't look to bright for American "Jews"

Do you not mean KNOW it alls ?

The author's ignorance is breathtaking. Aside from the Orthodox, former Israelis living in US and a few aging wealthy there is no support for Israel among American Jews. Not to worry. Secular American Jews have the lowest birthrate of any American ethnic or religious group. In a few decades they will have disappeared as a force in American life.

about Jews in the United States, nor do they need to know about Jews in Canada or Russia or anyplace outside of Israel. It can also be said that Israeli Jews know more about the world as it is the Israeli Jews who are in the army at the age of 18 protecting the Jews in the diaspora. It is the Israeli Jew who education is halted until army service is over. while Jews in America/Europe enjoy the freedom. It is the Israeli Jew and other ethnic groups such as the Druze who protect Israel, while the ultra orthodox refuse to join the IDF which goes against Torah.

While there are american jews who travel to Israel to join the IDF they understand the importance of Israel. The Lone Soilder who knows his/her place in Jewish history.

The money donated to Israel by Jews in America doesn't compare to the lives of Jews who defend Israel. However, it is money that buys the weapons Israel needs.

Jews in Israel and outside Israel do the best they can. What is also true there are many Jews who hate Israel and many Jews who love Israel.

Jews who do Aliyah to Israel expect to live the same life they left behind. It unrealistic. Why should your live in Israel be made easier than the Israeli Jews. The French Jews also complain. Be thankful you have a country.

Jews world over are known to be the most inventive, creative people on earth. It is the Jewish mind that surpasses all ethnic groups. Even the gentiles are aware of this.

It seems lately the Jews are becoming too westernized and eventually will deny themselves and the next generation of what Israel truly is.

What will the Jews do when Big War comes to Israel. They probably will put them in labour camps. They did it to the Japanese and they will do it to the Jews too. Trump won't save you, Hillary and Obama want to destroy Israel.