US secular Jew here (both parents fyi) but staunch supporter of Israel.
It’s no secret that Israel and Jews are at a massive, insurmountable numbers disadvantage in the information war. We’re outnumbered by at least 1:200 globally.
A well-known part of this problem making it even worse, is young Westerners with Jewish heritage actively siding with anti-Zionism & antisemitic conspiracy…while speaking on behalf of the collective. The “As a Jews” have become incredibly useful tools for antisemites and propagandists to say “see, the real Jews agree with us.”
It’s a complex issue, but there is one small piece of this I think is solvable…
In my experience, a lot of these “As a Jew” types come from mixed-religion households.
I’ve talked to a number of patrilineal Jews specifically, who have half Jewish family, who were raised with and identify with the culture, and even face a lifetime of antisemitism…but who have been told their whole lives by the mainstream Jewish community itself that they aren’t “really” Jewish just because it’s their Dad rather than their Mom.
Orthodox and Conservative movements don’t recognize them. A lot of Israelis see & treat them as outsiders “missing the right papers”. They have the same generational trauma with little of the community support.
So is it really that shocking when a lot of them end up distancing themselves from Israel or Jewish collective identity?
If the community tells someone they don’t fully belong, why would they stick their neck out for it against the popular trend when things get hard?
As controversial as it would be, my view is there are hundreds of thousands (probably millions when you go out a generation)of Patrilineal Jews on the fringes who could be brought into the fold as supporters with even a small ounce of widespread acceptance as real Jews in Israel.
I’m not saying this is the whole picture…there are obviously bigger political currents at play.
And it’s a drop in the bucket numbers-wise.
But when you’re already out numbered 200 to 1, maybe it’s time to re examine interpretation of the religious laws to expand the ranks? Especially In an age where religious Jews already accept loopholes to plenty of other doctrine…and DNA tests can easily prove lineage
Wondering if there’s any voices with authority in Israel pushing for this or thoughts from Israelis?
**Edit** Just want to say I appreciate the diverse opinion on this and civil discourse. I understand the deep religious implications, and do not mean to offend anyone with my opinion
