AHC/WI: Massive Jewish Emigration from the United States to Israel

Make FDR anti-Semitic to a noteworthy degree while keeping things otherwise fairly similar. An overwhelming popular president with absurd levels of power overseeing major crises could change the culture to be very hostile towards Jews and law to be moderately hostile to them. That might be enough to cause gradual widespread emigration from the late 40s onwards.
 
What would American anti-Semitism be like if Israel went pro-Soviet?

Probably worse. Maybe much worse.

As it was, Jews were strongly association with Socialism and Communism in the US, forming large contingent and even dominating the urban chapters.

Add to that the sneaking suspicions and accusations following 1948 that Jews were an effective Fifth Column, more loyal to Israel than to their Diaspora home (this happened OTL, especially in government), and it's not a far hop to something very bad, no matter how hard American Jews start to distance themselves from Israel (and, to a lesser extent, Socialism).
 
Probably worse. Maybe much worse.

As it was, Jews were strongly association with Socialism and Communism in the US, forming large contingent and even dominating the urban chapters.

Add to that the sneaking suspicions and accusations following 1948 that Jews were an effective Fifth Column, more loyal to Israel than to their Diaspora home (this happened OTL, especially in government), and it's not a far hop to something very bad, no matter how hard American Jews start to distance themselves from Israel (and, to a lesser extent, Socialism).

What would happen, governmental policy and public reaction wise? Surely the U.S. Government would not pass overtly anti-Semitic legislation, especially as the civil rights struggle is starting up. Unofficial anti-Semitic discrimination will definitely ramp up though.

I dread to think what the KKK et al will think they can get away with here against Jews
 
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It's not clear to me how you can get that, given the relative poverty and unattractiveness of Israel as a destination and the relative strengths of the United States. Despite all of the undeniable anti-Semitism, the United States was arguably the safest country that large Jewish populations (in the range of millions) had ever enjoyed, and certainly was the richest ones.

The only analogue I can think of is the decline of the German Jewish population in the 1930s, which fell by almost half as a consequence of Nazi persecutions. I'm not sure that this analogy is especially useful, not only because this implies a degree of coordinated anti-Semitic violence in the US that I think unlikely, but because the German Jewish population amounted to hundreds of thousands and not millions as in the case of the US.
 
The only analogue I can think of is the decline of the German Jewish population in the 1930s, which fell by almost half as a consequence of Nazi persecutions. I'm not sure that this analogy is especially useful, not only because this implies a degree of coordinated anti-Semitic violence in the US that I think unlikely, but because the German Jewish population amounted to hundreds of thousands and not millions as in the case of the US.
Yeah. The chances of the US becoming as anti-semitic as the Nazis after World War 2 are negligible
 
What would happen, governmental policy and public reaction wise? Surely the U.S. Government would not pass overtly anti-Semitic legislation, especially as the civil rights struggle is starting up. Unofficial anti-Semitic discrimination will definitely ramp up though.

I dread to think what the KKK et al will think they can get away with here against Jews

Certainly no legislation, it would be too easy to overturn as unconstitutional...though you might see vague references to "alien nationals" and the increasing implication that Jews were all de facto Israeli citizens despite being American citizens as well. But it wouldn't be too hard to see Jews turned away from all government jobs, Jews turned away from the military, Jews having trouble running for office. At its worst, Jews might even have trouble with ordinary government bureaucracy. And such policies coming from on-high will encourage those policies down-low. Jews will never "become white" like OTL.

And once the Civil Rights struggle starts...hooee. Jewish involvement was already problematic for a lot of people, this is going to make it worse, and might make the entire project more difficult, even potentially leading to moderate African-American leaders shunning them (though Malcolm X will no doubt be happy to welcome them).

It's not clear to me how you can get that, given the relative poverty and unattractiveness of Israel as a destination and the relative strengths of the United States. Despite all of the undeniable anti-Semitism, the United States was arguably the safest country that large Jewish populations (in the range of millions) had ever enjoyed, and certainly was the richest ones.

The only analogue I can think of is the decline of the German Jewish population in the 1930s, which fell by almost half as a consequence of Nazi persecutions. I'm not sure that this analogy is especially useful, not only because this implies a degree of coordinated anti-Semitic violence in the US that I think unlikely, but because the German Jewish population amounted to hundreds of thousands and not millions as in the case of the US.

One mitigating factor is that as American Jews pour into Israel, Israel will get wealthier and more attractive.

And, right, the US wasn't (and in many ways isn't) perceived as much less antisemitic than contemporaries like the UK, France, Canada, Germany (in the 20s...). Getting American antisemitism to the level experienced today in France, for example, strikes me as very doable. Of course, Israel in 1950 or 1960 isn't Israel in 2015, but once the trickle starts, it might turn into a flood sooner rather than later.

All that said, this thread is asking about a relatively unlikely scenario. Definitely not ASB, but it'll take a little doing.
 
Avoid the Islamic revolution. Perhaps a pro Israel shah turns away from the us, and we get the Israel Iran of David brin.
 
One mitigating factor is that as American Jews pour into Israel, Israel will get wealthier and more attractive.

Eventually. Even now, Israel is only now converging on western European levels of income. Sending millions of Jews from the United States would not accelerate this; if anything, it would create a bigger problem of convergence.

And, right, the US wasn't (and in many ways isn't) perceived as much less antisemitic than contemporaries like the UK, France, Canada, Germany (in the 20s...). Getting American antisemitism to the level experienced today in France, for example, strikes me as very doable.

But even that is't on the scales being discussed.
 
Comparing the theoretical antisemitism to drive Jews out of the USA in the 1950s to that in France today is a bad comparison. In France, the government is trying hard to combat the antisemitism and enforce the idea that all French citizens are equally citizens of the Republic. The worst of the violent antisemitism, which in fact is coming from certain elements of the Muslim community, is in no way being winked at. Elements of the French right are, as always, antisemitic to some degree but they are not the ones attacking Jewish schools etc. The French government is actually working hard, although I'm not sure how effectively, to dissuade French Jews from leaving. The scenario being posited has the US government at a minimum is winking at virulent antisemitism, at a maximum supporting it and passing laws and policies to oppress Jews. Not the same.
 
Eventually. Even now, Israel is only now converging on western European levels of income. Sending millions of Jews from the United States would not accelerate this; if anything, it would create a bigger problem of convergence.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. If we look at, say the massive influx of FSU Jews in the 90s, who were largely educated professionals, they brought a great deal of prosperity in their wake. There would be food shortages in the short term (especially before the Green Revolution), but considering that kibbutzim with large American contingents tend to be pretty successful, it seems likely that they'd do well at farming as well.

But even that is't on the scales being discussed.

Comparing the theoretical antisemitism to drive Jews out of the USA in the 1950s to that in France today is a bad comparison. In France, the government is trying hard to combat the antisemitism and enforce the idea that all French citizens are equally citizens of the Republic. The worst of the violent antisemitism, which in fact is coming from certain elements of the Muslim community, is in no way being winked at. Elements of the French right are, as always, antisemitic to some degree but they are not the ones attacking Jewish schools etc. The French government is actually working hard, although I'm not sure how effectively, to dissuade French Jews from leaving. The scenario being posited has the US government at a minimum is winking at virulent antisemitism, at a maximum supporting it and passing laws and policies to oppress Jews. Not the same.

10% of French Jews left France for Israel between 2000 and today. That's quite a bit, though not quite "most or all". But it gives a nice benchmark between "everything's doing well" and "literally Nazis"
 

elkarlo

Banned
I think that you'd have to have something propelling them out of the US, because otherwise I can't imagine what could attract that kind of mass emigration to Israel.
What's happening in Europe will do it. Have migrants come in who are anti semitic . Have there be a lot of violence against Jews and I suspect they'll pack up and leave like they are in Europe. Iirc that is
 

Deleted member 9338

First do not allow the DPs to enter the US after the war. Use quotas for a start.

Second paint Jews as war profiteers during the war. In 46 paint them as pinks and reds.

Third have media and news papers cover and expose the Czech/Communist connection with Israel and how American Jews who were not really Americans were supporting the war in Palestine. Maybe the FBI does a better job of catching the arms merchants selling to Israel.

This will make the US a place where Jews feel unwelcome.
 
First do not allow the DPs to enter the US after the war.

They didn't. Well, at least not Jewish ones - the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 waited until the formation of the State of Israel (which it was presumed would take most of the Jewish DPs) and the wording of the provisions of the law, which only covered countries under Allied occupation, was alleged to have been written specifically to exclude Jews, the vast majority of which were of Polish or Soviet origin.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by this. If we look at, say the massive influx of FSU Jews in the 90s, who were largely educated professionals, they brought a great deal of prosperity in their wake.

Because they were supported by abundant investment, in the context of a United States that was a patron providing geopolitical support as well as money.

If the United States is going to be pushing out millions of Jews--millions of its own citizens, I would add--because of a generalized violent anti-Semitism that at best evokes the shakier elements of Weimar Germany, I don't see Israel getting much of this sort of support.

This Israel will be a poor country.

10% of French Jews left France for Israel between 2000 and today. That's quite a bit, though not quite "most or all". But it gives a nice benchmark between "everything's doing well" and "literally Nazis"

Sure. In the particular case of France, for instance, one element motivating this movement was the unfinished and unsettled aftermath of the French decolonization of North Africa, with conflict between Arabs and Jews continuing in the metropole. Another factor enabling migration was the relatively recent settlement of many of these Jews from North Africa in France, and the close relationship of these Jews with relatives who had chosen to go to Israel.

What will be analogous events, or trends, making American Jews follow this? What big political issue, extended from the American Jews' ancestral homelands, will undermine the integration of American Jews? What other country will American Jews be closely related to, as closely as French Sephardim were to their Israeli co-ethnics?
 
I agree with sloreck that the POD would have to be before 1948. I don't think it would have been too hard. Have Father Coughlin be a little more popular or the German Bund more powerful. As for FDR, recent revelations of his setting up a department to disperse the Jews so that they would not concentrate anywhere, demonstrate that he was no friend of Jews no matter how they voted.
The impact on Israel might be a longer period of rationing as there are more mouths to feed. Mix them in the with Mizrachi refugees from Arab countries and we might see less of an Ashkenazi/ Sephardi cultural split. Its a bit of a toss up as to wether these disallusioned Americans will be more Soviet/ socialist as they were rejected by America or they follow the Revisionists as the Labour party reminds them of FDR. Expect to see a much more paranoid mindset with regard to the UN, NATO , US and Europe. Perhaps closer relations with communist china will be seen.
 
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