Eric Alterman: A civil war is tearing apart Western Jewry

The mainstream North American Jewish Diaspora is at a crossroads. Down one path lies U.S. President Donald Trump, American Evangelicals and legacy Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and American Israel Public Affairs Committee, staunchly defending Israel to the general public; down the other, small-L liberal Jews find themselves awkwardly situated between arguing for Israel's right to exist while not endorsing the government's actions, and lacking significant fundraising capabilities to plea their case more broadly. In some ways, this schism is reminiscent of the early days of Zionism itself, where politics and money influence public opinion and government action—and each sends followers toward starkly different outcomes. Steering the dialogue are campus protesters, like those at Columbia University, and President Trump, who uses antisemitism as a veil for deportations and crackdowns against liberal higher-education. This divide threatens to reshape the political identity of the United States, undermining its long-held commitment to liberal democracy. That's the takeaway of a recent article, "The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump", published in The New Republic by Eric Alterman, a distinguished professor of English and journalism at the City University of New York. Alterman joins Phoebe Maltz Bovy on The Jewish Angle to discuss this pivotal political moment and what comes next. Credits Host: Phoebe Maltz Bovy Producer and editor: Michael Fraiman Music: "Gypsy Waltz" by Frank Freeman, licensed from the Independent Music Licensing Collective Support our show Subscribe to The CJN newsletter Donate to The CJN (+ get a charitable tax receipt) Subscribe to The Jewish Angle