There was a time when support for Israel in America felt almost unquestioned. Today, especially among younger Americans, that support is clearly eroding, and many people are searching for simple explanations. Some blame Benjamin Netanyahu. Others point to Israeli military policy or political rhetoric. But I believe the deeper issue has far less to do with any one Israeli leader or decision, and far more to do with a broader cultural shift taking place throughout American society.

For years, many of our institutions—from universities to media to entertainment—have embraced ideological frameworks that divide the world into categories of victim and oppressor. In that environment, Israel is increasingly judged not by its actions, but by assumptions people already hold about power, nationalism, and the West itself. In many ways, Israel has become the symbolic target in a much larger cultural struggle unfolding throughout Western society. That helps explain why acts of terror against Israelis are often rationalized, while Israel’s right to defend its citizens is questioned in ways no other democracy would tolerate.

American Jews should resist the temptation to believe that hostility toward Israel would disappear if only Israel changed governments, softened its policies, or communicated more effectively. The challenge we are facing is deeper than public relations. It is a struggle over values, truth, and moral clarity. This is not the time for Jewish self-doubt. It is the time to stand proudly with Israel, reject the false narratives being spread about the Jewish people, and strengthen the principles that have long connected faith, freedom, and Western civilization.