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US rabbi blames Netanyahu’s ‘right wing messianism’ for the end of ‘Jewish Golden Age’
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, a leading US Reform rabbi, says a period he calls the “Golden Age of American Jewry” has ended, citing rising opposition to Israel and growing hostility towards Jews. He argues that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious-nationalist politics and lawlessness by settlers in the occupied West Bank have helped fuel that shift.
Hirsch pointed to criticism of Israel among some incoming US politicians and public figures, as well as disputes over comments following an attempted attack on a synagogue and preschool. Netanyahu’s coalition includes far-right figures, and his public visit to tunnels near Jerusalem’s holy sites has added to tensions. UN figures cited in the article record more than 2,060 settler attacks causing Palestinian casualties or property damage across about 300 West Bank communities between the start of 2026 and 12 October.
In short
- Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says American Jewry’s “Golden Age” has ended.
- He links growing anti-Israel sentiment to Netanyahu’s policies and settler violence.
- UN figures cite over 2,060 settler attacks in the West Bank in 2026.