A newly released AP-NORC poll finds a growing generational divide among American Jews when it comes to their connection to Israel. According to the survey, support for Israel plays a central role in the religious identity of many Jewish adults aged 45 and older — with about half saying that backing Israel is very important to who they are. Among younger Jewish adults, however, that figure drops to roughly 40 percent. Older generations tend to view Israel as a vital safe haven, particularly given the historical memory of the Holocaust and the threat of future persecution.
On the abortion front, some advocacy organizations are pushing for state laws that go beyond what Roe v. Wade established — seeking to eliminate all restrictions on abortion, including up to the moment of birth. The National Abortion Federation, which represents abortion providers, has stated its opposition to what it calls “rigid legal cutoffs that ban or restrict abortion care at viability or arbitrary gestational lines.” While the organization does not fund political campaigns, its stance may reflect the thinking of other groups in the movement. In 2024, national abortion organizations worked to defeat a South Dakota ballot measure that would have banned abortions in the third trimester and permitted some restrictions in the second. Voters ultimately rejected that measure in a referendum.
In Israel, the country’s parliament has passed two significant pieces of legislation that effectively block ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from being drafted into the military. During a lengthy legislative session this week, lawmakers voted to stop the arrests of ultra-Orthodox men who had avoided the draft, and also to formally recognize Jewish religious study as a foundational value of the state. Both measures are seen as major concessions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to ultra-Orthodox political allies who have long sought to officially exempt their community from military service — a requirement that applies to most Jewish men and women in Israel. The moves have drawn considerable opposition from many Israeli citizens.
