Conclusion: Diaspora and Dissent

The conclusion returns to Don Peretz to connect him with American Jewish activists today, putting the stories in the rest of the book in dialogue with contemporary advocacy for the Palestinians. Despite Peretz’s distinctiveness within his own generation, his story is recalled as an archetype for the trajectories of many American Jews who came after him. Drawn to Israel/Palestine by his Jewishness and deep connection to the land, Peretz encountered Palestinians as real human beings. He and others highlighted in the book felt inspired by their contacts with peace-seeking Israelis and Palestinians yet felt frustrated by their inability to influence mainstream Jewish opinion on these crucial issues. Israeli officials and American Zionists sometimes worked to undermine these voices. Yet as the Palestinian question marches forward unaddressed, the circle of American Jews critiquing Israeli policies has grown larger and larger. Rather than being a countercurrent in American Jewish politics, Palestinian rights advocacy has become a realm of Jewish politics in and of itself, and despite enduring uproars over it, it will only define the transnational relationship between Jews even more so as time goes on.