Israel knows how to intercept a missile. It knows how to destroy a weapons depot, penetrate an enemy’s intelligence network and send its pilots thousands of kilometers from home. It has built one of the most capable defense systems in the world.

But there is one threat for which Iron Dome offers no protection: a generation that is slowly forgetting why Israel needs defending in the first place.

Recent polling among American Jews should concern everyone who cares about Israel. An AP NORC survey found a significant generational divide in the place Israel occupies within Jewish identity. Among religiously affiliated Jewish Americans, roughly half of those aged 45 and older said supporting Israel was extremely or very important to their Jewish identity. Among younger adults, that fell to about four in ten. Even more disturbing, around three in ten religiously affiliated Jewish adults under 45 said they believed Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Another recent survey found that some young Jewish adults are withdrawing from Jewish spaces partly because of arguments surrounding Israel and the Palestinians. At the same time, three quarters still regularly participate in some form of Jewish life.

That distinction matters enormously.

This is not a generation that has necessarily abandoned Judaism. It is a generation whose relationship with Israel is changing.

For those of us who have spent years advocating for Israel, the easiest reaction would be anger. I believe that would be a mistake. Instead, we should ask ourselves an uncomfortable question: How did we allow this to........

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