How to Support Israel During Election Year 2026: American Jews' Most Common Mistakes

The 2026 Israeli election season—officially set for October 27—has crystallized a hard truth American Jews are getting wrong about supporting Israel. Israel is still waiting for Benjamin Netanyahu to decide on a date for this year's parliamentary election, the first since the October 7, 2023, attack and the subsequent Gaza—and Lebanese and Iranian—wars. Many American Jews assume that "supporting Israel" during an election year means exporting American Jewish values: religious pluralism, Palestinian rights, centrist politics, or pressure on the Netanyahu government. But that framework is backwards. Real diaspora-Israel solidarity starts with understanding what Israelis actually prioritize—and accepting that it may not align with diaspora preferences.

Mistake #1: Assuming American Jewish Values Reflect Israeli Voter Priorities

The clusters of issues most relevant to the Israel-Diaspora relationship that will be impacted by the new government coalition are Jewish religious pluralism and the peace process. Public opinion surveys have shown that important segments of American Jews and Israelis do not see eye-to-eye on these issues, and that the differences often are amplified unhelpfully by leaders. This gap is not a bug in the relationship—it is structural. Israeli voters face immediate security constraints that American Jews simply do not experience.

The data is stark. While 73% of American Jews favor providing a space near the Western Wall for mixed-gender prayer, only 42% of Israeli Jews do. This is not evidence that Israelis are less religious or liberal; it reflects that Israeli voters must manage ultra-Orthodox coalition politics in ways that diaspora communities never face. A American Jewish effort to pressure Israel's government on religious pluralism during an election cycle signals to Israeli voters that diaspora Jews do not understand their actual constraints.

The same logic applies to Palestinian policy. Moav described attending a policy forum with center-left Israelis and Americans together, and being struck by the gap: Americans could speak easily and naturally about a two-state solution. For the Israelis in the room, the term bore no relationship to their lived reality after Oct. 7. Supporting Israel's election process means respecting that Israeli voters—including those opposed to Netanyahu—are making decisions based on daily security realities, not abstract principles.

Mistake #2: Overestimating American Jewish Political Influence on Israeli Elections

Many American Jewish leaders still operate from the 1980s-2000s model in which diaspora Jewry wielded significant soft power in Israeli politics. That world is largely over. The model guiding Israel-Diaspora relations over the years has Israel as the plucky younger brother, trying to make his way in the world with the help of his older, richer and more powerful sibling in America. This framing is now outdated for election cycles.

Israeli voters—facing security crises, inflation, and housing costs—do not vote based on diaspora preferences or approval. Campaigns focused on American Jewish satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with Israeli policy are campaigns wasted on Israeli voters. Meanwhile, American Jews send the signal that they believe the election is about them, which deepens Israeli resentment toward diaspora interference. The healthier approach: understand that Israeli voters are making intelligent, constrained choices in their own interest. American Jews can support those voters without endorsing every policy.

What Real Support Actually Looks Like in Election Year 2026

Effective diaspora-Israel solidarity during an election cycle has three pillars: education, presence, and humility.

Should American Jews participate in Israeli election advocacy or stay silent?

Most American Jews mistakenly believe they must choose between full support for one Israeli party/leader and public criticism. Neither is necessary. Strong support for Israel does not preclude thoughtful criticism of its government or policies. American Jewish voters draw a clear distinction between the country and its leadership—and they expect that nuance to be understood. Israeli voters expect the same distinction. American Jews can affirm Israel's right to democratic choice—including choices Americans disagree with—without endorsing every policy outcome.

How should American Jews talk about Israeli election results with diaspora communities?

A change of government in the fall would matter. It would not, on its own, resolve the structural divergence between Israeli and Diaspora Jewish society that has been building for decades. If Americans expect a new Israeli government to suddenly align with diaspora preferences on religious pluralism, Palestinian rights, or military strategy, they will be disappointed—and they will blame Israel for "moving right" or "ignoring diaspora concerns." Frame election season as an opportunity to understand Israeli voters' actual priorities, not as a referendum on American Jewish approval.

What role should American Jewish organizations play in Israel's election?

American Jewish advocacy groups are deeply divided on this question. A narrow 39% plurality agreed that it "was more important than ever" for pro-Israel groups to play a leading role in speaking out against candidates who oppose a close U.S.-Israel alliance, while 37% of respondents feared that such advocacy risks making things worse. The split largely was along partisan lines: While two-thirds of Jewish Republicans and 59% of Jewish independents backed strong pro-Israel political advocacy, just 28% of Democrats shared the same view. This fragmentation itself is the signal. American Jewish organizations should be transparent about what they are doing and why—but they should recognize that diaspora electoral campaigns carry reputational risk for Israel and may undermine the legitimacy of Israeli democracy itself in American Jewish eyes.

How can American Jews support Israeli voters without projecting diaspora values?

Considering how to work with the new coalition government once it is fully formed, just as we figure out how to collaborate with the US president and members of Congress after our own elections, is essential. Full engagement of American Jewish organizations is critical to not only sustaining, but importantly, to strengthening the bilateral US-Israel relationship and the kinship between the world's two largest Jewish communities. This means waiting for election results before pivoting to coalition-building. It means treating Israeli elected officials with the same respect American Jews expect for U.S. leaders, regardless of ideology.

The Aliyah Alternative: Where Real Diaspora Engagement Happens

While American Jewish political activism in Israeli elections often misses the mark, there is one form of diaspora engagement that Israeli voters actually value: immigration. The organization reported that 4,150 Jews from the United States and Canada made aliyah in 2025, the highest annual figure in four years and a 12 percent increase from 2024. This trend is accelerating. According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, approximately 2,300 new immigrants from North America are expected to arrive in Israel between June and September 2026.

Israeli voters understand what American voters sometimes forget: demographic commitment. American Jews choosing to build lives in Israel—accepting the economic trade-offs, security risks, and government they actually receive—sends a far louder message than press releases or criticism from New York. Yet one theme surfaced repeatedly: alongside their lifelong connection to Israel, something had changed in recent years in the way they experience Jewish life in the United States. With many participants describing the feeling that this has become the right moment to turn a long-standing dream into reality. Despite Israel's ongoing security challenges and the complex reality since the outbreak of war, interest among North American Jews seeking to begin a new chapter in Israel remains strong.

For American Jews concerned about Israel's direction, aliyah is the most authentic form of support. It says: "I trust Israel enough to live there, even under uncertainty." It also means accepting that once you become an Israeli, you are subject to Israel's electoral logic—not the other way around.

A Practical Comparison: American Jewish Diaspora Engagement Approaches

Mistake #3: Confusing U.S. Political Interest with Israeli Election Engagement

With pivotal elections approaching in both countries, leading U.S. and Israeli journalists come together on the AJC Global Forum stage to unpack what shifting political dynamics could mean for the U.S.-Israel relationship, global stability, and the fight against antisemitism. This is the critical distinction American Jews must grasp. The U.S. election in 2026 is an appropriate arena for American Jewish political engagement. The Israeli election is not—or only marginally so.

American Jews should invest political energy in ensuring that U.S. candidates understand Israel's security needs, the antisemitism crisis on college campuses, and the complexity of Middle Eastern geopolitics. This is legitimate diaspora interest in U.S. foreign policy. But importing that same energy into Israeli electoral politics—as if American Jewish Democrats or Republicans know better what Israelis need—misses the fundamental difference between diaspora advocacy (appropriate) and diaspora interference (corrosive).

Practical Next Steps for 2026

For American Jews concerned about Israel's direction: Instead of organizing pressure campaigns on the Israeli government, organize educational forums. Invite Israeli speakers from across the political spectrum—not to persuade you which way they should vote, but to explain their actual constraints. Learn why Israeli voters who oppose Netanyahu still prioritize security, why religious pluralism ranks lower for Israeli Jews, why Palestinian policy feels different from American soil.

For American Jewish organizations: Be explicit about whether you are engaging in U.S. political advocacy (which strengthens Israel's interests by affecting U.S. policy) or Israeli electoral advocacy (which carries reputational risk). The first is crucial; the second should be transparent about its limits.

For American Jews considering aliyah: The October 2026 election is not a reason to delay. The data shows that since the start of 2026, 201 new immigrants have already arrived in Jerusalem, with the organization projecting some 1,200 olim by the end of this year. Israeli democracy has survived dozens of elections. Prospective olim who move to Israel express the deepest form of support: they accept the government that Israeli voters choose and build from there.

Real support for Israel during the 2026 election cycle means respecting that Israelis are making intelligent decisions about their own future under constraints Americans do not face. It means engaging in U.S. politics to strengthen the bilateral relationship. And it means recognizing that the most powerful diaspora contribution is not criticism or pressure—it is presence. Being willing to move to Israel, to raise families there, to contribute to its future even when American Jews disagree with its current government. That is the language Israeli voters actually understand.