Will another Netanyahu government push Diaspora Jews past their breaking point?

On Oct. 27, Israeli voters cast their ballots in the highest-turnout election in decades and gave their judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government. On the ballot was how Netanyahu has handled some of the most tumultuous years in the country’s history, from attempts to overhaul the Israeli judicial system to the largest mass-casualty event in the country’s history on Oct. 7, 2023, as well as the ensuing hostage crisis and wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. While much is still unknown about the messy electoral results, one thing is clear: a plurality of Israeli voters gave a stamp of approval to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Likud party’s vision for the future. But what that means for Israel’s advocates in the Diaspora, and indeed Jews around the world, remains an open question. Earlier this month, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)—an Israeli national security think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University—published *No Longer on the Sidelines: How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Impacts Diaspora Jews*. Drawn from conversations with 20 senior leaders from 15 major Jewish communal organizations in the United States, Canada, Britain, France and South America, the report argues that Israeli policies are taking a mounting toll on Jewish life abroad: dividing communities, accelerating antisemitism and increasingly isolating Israel and its advocates on the world stage. It seems that while Israelis can accept Netanyahu’s status quo, Jews in the Diaspora are living in a different reality. Just days before the election, Ronald Lauder, the chief of the World Jewish Congress and longtime confidant of Netanyahu, broke years of silence to urge Israelis not to re-elect the prime minister, saying that the country risks losing U.S. and Diaspora support. “If Bibi is elected, Israel stands to lose badly,” he said. This week on *Not in Heaven*, our rabbinic podcasters discuss whether different Israeli leadership would affect Jewish life around the world, or whether the convulsions in Jewish Diaspora life would remain largely the same regardless. **Credits** - **Hosts:** Avi Finegold, Yedida Eisenstat, Matthew Leibl - **Production team:** Zachary Judah Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director) - **Music:** Socalled **Support The CJN** - Subscribe to The CJN newsletter - Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt)https://pnc.st/s/not-in-heaven