One People, Two Realities: Israeli and American Jews in Tension (285)

March 23, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On a Shabbat in March 2025, as Iranian missiles fell on Israel and nine people were killed in a shelter in Be’er Sheva, a major American Jewish organization announced that Reese’s Pieces were now kosher for Passover. The juxtaposition was not malicious, but for many Israelis, it was jarring. This moment of tone-deafness captures a quiet but painful shift in the relationship between Israeli and American Jews—one that the host of the Orthodox Conundrum podcast, Scott Kahn, set out to explore with two guests: Dr. Laura Shaw Frank, Vice President for Education at the American Jewish Committee, and Rabbi David Fine, an Israeli community leader and founder of the Barkai Center.

The Feeling of Being Overlooked

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What you'll learn

1 (00:58) **Opening Argument: The Perception of Disengagement** - Scott Kahn reads his Substack article "We Want to Be Seen," which articulates an Israeli feeling that American Jewish engagement has dropped off during the current round of fighting with Iran and Hezbollah.
2 (08:09) **Introducing the Guests** - Scott welcomes Rabbi David Fine (from Israel) and Dr. Laura Shaw Frank (from AJC in the U.S.) to widen the conversation about the perceived gap in engagement.
3 (11:01) **Has Something Actually Changed?** - Scott asks the guests if they believe the nature of American Jewish engagement with Israel has shifted.
4 (16:00) **Evidence of the Shift: Fundraising and Tone-Deafness** - Scott and David discuss concrete examples of the perceived disengagement, moving from data to the emotional impact of tone-deaf messaging.
5 (26:01) **The American Jewish Reality: Safety, Family, and Missed Connections** - Laura explains the complex pressures on American Jews that are shaping their current mindset.
6 (31:38) **The Israeli Perspective: Pride, Not Victimhood** - Scott and David clarify the Israeli mindset, emphasizing that they do not want to be seen as victims but do want their struggle to be acknowledged.
7 (37:54) **Living in Different Online Universes** - Laura points out that the perception of disengagement may be amplified by the fact that people's social media feeds show them radically different realities.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Scott Kahn

Show Notes

Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and paid subscribers get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content!

In the wake of war, many Israelis have begun asking a difficult question:

Have American Jews become more distant from Israel, or does it only feel that way?

In this wide-ranging and deeply honest conversation, Rabbi David Fine and Dr. Laura Shaw Frank join me to explore what is really happening beneath the surface. Together, we examine shifting patterns of engagement, the emotional and psychological divide between Israeli and American Jewish experiences, and the uncomfortable reality that what strengthens one community can sometimes strain the other.

From declining fundraising and "compassion fatigue," to rising antisemitism in the United States and divergent beliefs about the advisability of the current war, and the very different ways each community experiences this moment, this episode challenges easy assumptions. It also raises a deeper question: are we witnessing disengagement, or simply living in two very different Jewish realities?

This is not a conversation about blame. It is an invitation to greater understanding, greater sensitivity, and a stronger sense of shared destiny.

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