Rabbi Perry: Two Democracies, One Jewish Conversation

Dear Friends,

As I write this letter, it is September 1, Election Day here in Massachusetts—a day on which I find myself feeling a great deal of gratitude.

I am grateful to live in a state where the voting process runs so smoothly. I am grateful that I am able to vote early by mail. I am grateful for the poll workers and volunteers who believe in the sanctity of elections. And I am thankful that, as a woman and as a member of a religious minority, I am able to participate fully in the electoral process—something that has not been true throughout history and is still not true everywhere in the world.

I am also grateful that, as an American citizen, I would be able to vote in a federal election even if I were living or traveling overseas. Many democracies provide ways for their citizens abroad to vote, whether by mail, at an embassy or consulate, or through other means. Great Britain, Sweden, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and many others have provisions for overseas voting.

Israel is different.

On Saturday night, I was having dinner with a dear friend who is a citizen of both Israel and the United States. Tamar has lived in the United States for almost 40 years, but her entire family still lives in Israel, and she remains deeply connected to the country. She told me how much she wants to travel back to Israel to vote in the upcoming election, but the cost of doing so is prohibitive.

Unlike Americans, most Israeli citizens living abroad cannot vote by mail or simply cast a ballot at an Israeli embassy or consulate. There are limited exceptions for Israelis serving abroad in certain official capacities, but for most Israeli citizens, voting means physically returning to Israel.

Hearing Tamar’s story made me grateful for the voting rights I have as an American—and saddened by how difficult it can be for Israelis living abroad to participate in an election that may matter deeply to them.

Estimates of the number of Israelis living abroad vary considerably but estimates range between 750,000 to one million people. With Israel’s population at approximately 10 million, this means a significant number of Israeli citizens living overseas may be unable to participate unless they have the time, resources, and the ability to return to Israel to vote.

Whatever our political positions, we know that elections can have profound consequences. Israelis feel that the stakes in their upcoming election are particularly high. In one February poll, 73% described the upcoming election as exceptionally important, and about one-third called it the most important election of their lives. Why does this election feel so consequential?

Why Israel’s 2026 Election Matters

• It is Israel’s first national election since October 7, 2023, giving Israelis their first opportunity to vote on the country’s leadership since the attacks and the wars that followed.
• Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership is at stake. Israelis will be weighing his long tenure as prime minister, his handling of October 7 and its aftermath, his ongoing corruption trial, and competing visions for Israel’s future.  
• The future of Israeli democracy is a central issue, including the independence and authority of the judiciary and the balance of power among the courts, Knesset, and government.
• Religion and state remain deeply contested. This includes the exemption of many ultra-Orthodox men from military service at a time when the burden on soldiers and reservists has been enormous, as well as broader questions of religious pluralism—including marriage, conversion, the role of the Orthodox rabbinate, and recognition of Reform and Conservative Judaism.
• The election could shape Israel’s approach to Gaza, the Palestinians, and regional security, as well as its relationships with the United States and the international community, for years to come.
• The election does not end when the votes are counted. Israel’s proportional system requires a coalition commanding at least 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. Which parties are able—or willing—to govern together will ultimately determine Israel’s next government, and the ability to form a stable coalition is far from assured.

Perhaps you are wondering why, on our Election Day, I have chosen to write about an election in another sovereign nation—one in which we do not have a vote.

I believe it is important for American Jews to be curious and knowledgeable about this election because what happens in Israel inevitably becomes part of the complicated and evolving relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. Questions of democracy and Jewish values, religious pluralism, security, Israel’s relationship with the Palestinians, and its relationships with the United States and its Middle Eastern neighbors are all in play.

We also live with a complicated reality: Israel occupies a unique place in Jewish history, identity, and peoplehood, while American Jews are not responsible for the decisions of the Israeli government. Rightly or wrongly, Jews throughout the world are often associated with Israel and sometimes even held accountable for its actions. Criticism of Israeli policies is not inherently antisemitic, but holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of Israel crosses an important line.

So what stake should we, as American Jews, have in Israel’s future? How do we remain connected while making room for disagreement, concern, criticism, and hope? And how is the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry changing?

These are questions worth exploring together.

This fall, I invite you to join us for an adult education series at Congregation Shalom offering different perspectives and opportunities to learn about the Israeli election and the evolving relationship between Israel and American Jewry. Some programs will be sponsored by Congregation Shalom, while others will connect us with learning opportunities offered by the broader Jewish community.

I hope you will join the conversation.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Shoshana M. Perry