Polarized takes a deep dive into the causes of the major divides among American Jews prior to, and in the wake of, the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel and the ensuing war. A major theme of this book is that there is a synergy between religion and politics that exacerbates polarization nationally, including among the American Jewish community. It utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach with insights from law, politics, social psychology, history, and religion to analyze why and how American Jewish polarization both reflects and differs from the polarization of our larger society. Polarized also offers a prescriptive model crafted in response to data and interviews with renowned leaders in the Jewish organizational world. This detailed blueprint, steeped in Jewish tradition, illustrates how Jews, and even Americans in general, can develop a much-needed center capable of productive discourse despite areas of disagreement. The book’s analysis and prescriptions are designed to appeal to a wide swath of American Jews, and others, on both sides of the aisle, as well as Jews across the globe.
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