American Jewry and the Oslo Years

The Oslo Process of September 1993 to January 2001 ultimately brought about a permanent break in American Judaism's traditional wall-to-wall support for any Israeli government. Drawing on extensive new sources, Rubin analyzes what this meant for the American and Israeli Jewish communities—critical constituencies in past and future negotiations.

"Neil Rubin tackles two complex subjects at once Israel and the Middle East conflict as well as American Jewish political life with great skill. Moving back and forth between these two deeply interrelated narratives, he presents a compelling and cogent narrative about the period beginning with the Oslo Accords. The most interesting and important subjects are all here, including changes in levels of Jewish support for Israel, the non-Orthodox/Orthodox divide, and Jewish political activism, among many others. Rubin's study yields rich insights into both internal developments within the Jewish community and relations between Jews and non-Jews, such as government leaders, American political parties, and Christian groups."

Adam Gregerman, Scholar-in-Residence, Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies

"Neil Rubin presents a comprehensive view of the dynamics of the US Jewish community in the 1990s, a view which is not found anywhere else in the existing literature. He raises issues that continue to be of great importance to the American Jewish community. A timely book, indeed."

Robert O. Freedman, Johns Hopkins University

"If one seeks to better understand the role American Jews play in the formulation of US foreign policy toward the Middle East, then Neil Rubin's book is a must-read."

Arthur C. Abramson, PhD, executive director, Baltimore Jewish Council

Neil Rubin is an associate editor at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.