Through a qualitative analysis and broad historical contextualization of personal interviews, The New Zionists shows how American Jewish "Millennials" who are not religiously orthodox approach Israel and Zionism as galvanizing solutions to the thinning of American Jewish identity, and (re)root themselves through "Israeliness"-an unselfconscious and largely secular expression of national kinship and solidarity, as well as of personal and communal purpose, that American Judaism scarcely provides.
David L. Graizbord is associate professor of Judaic studies at the University of Arizona.
Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Why This Book? Chapter 2: The Interviewees: A Preliminary Sketch Chapter 3: The Personal Narratives: General Findings Chapter 4: Ethnicity and Religion Among Zionists of Generation Y: A Few Paradigmatic Cases Chapter 5: Living Zionist Responsibility Chapter 6: Non-Zionist and Anti-Zionist Alternatives Conclusions Bibliography About the Author
The New Zionists is a dense and rewarding read. It is a pioneering work that will have an extensive follow-up, first bu academics like Graizbord and then by educators and leaders in the field. This book is recommended reading for anyone with professional responsibilities in or concerning the American Jewish community, or simply for those interested in an example of excellent listening, reporting and analysis. * Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs * The breadth of Graizbord's findings, it must be mentioned in closing, is far more extensive than captured by this brief review. And his description and analysis of those findings, of course, is far more nuanced than captured by the review. Suffice it to say here that Graizbord's study of the attitudes of non-Orthodox Jewish millennials towards Zionism and Israel is sure to become a core work on this subject. It should be eagerly consulted by anyone who is concerned about the relationship between the American Jewish community and the Jewish state. * Israel Affairs * Graizbord has produced a magisterial work that will change the conversation about Israel and Jewish identity in America. With the rigor and erudition of the master scholar, Graizbord explores "secular" Zionism in America and its inextricable connection to Jewish identity, in the process bringing to life the unheard voices of young American Jews whose connection to Israel is as profound as their religious and ethnic commitment to Judaism. This is sure to become a central work in the field of Jewish studies for many years to come. -- David Hazony, executive director, The Israel Innovation Fund The New Zionists: Young American Jews, Jewish National Identity, and Israel by David L. Graizbord is a rich, thought-provoking look at the deep Identity Zionism of the Zionists of Generation Y. Zeroing on the American Jewish bridge-builders who love the Jewish State, Graizbord shows how many of them integrate their spiritual and national identities in their love of the Jewish state. The result is not only a fascinating portrait of American Jewish youth-but of also many aspects of American youth more generally. -- Gil Troy, author, The Zionist Ideas and Moynihan's Moment: America's Fight against Zionism as Racism Graizbord's study of American Jews' postures toward Israel and Jewish peoplehood in the early twenty-first century challenges assumptions about their alleged disengagement or the much-discussed "greying" of the pro-Israel cohort. Based on interviews with 18-to-30-something mainly secular young adults, The New Zionists asks why the Zionist idea remains salient for those seeking "something greater than themselves": an identity that is neither privatized nor essentially faith-based. Going beyond the culture wars and the survey data, Graizbord's provocative reconsideration of the inner worlds of committed young Jews is a robust response to critics of collectivist ideologies. -- Eli Lederhendler, author of American Jewry: A New History
