For Heaven’s Sake – “Vance” ([December 24, 2025] by the Shalom Hartman Institute)

Main Theme

In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi tackle growing anxieties around the US-Israel relationship, focusing specifically on the implications of a possible future Republican administration led by J.D. Vance. Departing from a typical analysis of American domestic politics, the hosts reflect on what changes in political rhetoric and red lines within the US—especially from the right—mean for Israel, the broader Jewish community, and the Diaspora, with a view toward sustaining the “special relationship” that has defined Israel-US ties since the Six Day War.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Changing Nature of the US-Israel Relationship

• Historical Stability: Since the Six Day War, the US-Israel relationship has been defined by predictability, common values, and strategic alliance—regardless of party in power ([01:07]).
• Democratic vs. Republican Dynamics: Under President Biden, Israel counted on a “self-professed Zionist.” Even when disagreements arose, the relationship was never at risk of “divorce.” Trump, self-identified as “the most pro-Israel president,” sustained similar comfort.
• Emerging Instability from the Right: Disturbance is now coming not from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but from the Republican side, which has historically been Israel’s bastion of support ([02:20]).

“Now we’re beginning to have a sense that there might be a new world...emerging precisely from where we felt most comfortable in recent decades—and that's from the Republican Party...”
— Donniel Hartman ([02:58])

2. Analyzing J.D. Vance’s Public Statements

Donniel outlines three Vance statements troubling the Israeli community ([04:11]):

• Dismissing Antisemitism: Vance claimed that antisemitism is “almost nonexistent, especially in the Republican Party.” This rhetorical move is perceived as setting the stage for silencing concerns about Israel or Jews.
• Judaism and Christianity: Vance addressed a question suggesting Judaism supports persecution of Christianity, but conceded “shared interests,” notably Christian access to holy sites in Israel—implying, bizarrely, that Israel withholds them.
• Red Lines and the MAGA Movement: Vance posits that supporting “Make America Great Again” trumps all other criteria—including stances on Israel or even tolerance for antisemitic voices.

“In his camp, there is profound room for an anti-Israel and maybe even borderline anti-Semitic...we’re not going to be excluding anybody who agrees with make America great again.”
— Donniel Hartman ([06:57])

Yossi quips:

“I love the statistics that he just invented.”
— Yossi Klein Halevi ([04:39])

3. The Nature of Political Enabling

• Comparative Framework: Yossi compares Vance to Nixon (pro-Israel despite antisemitism) and Eisenhower (philo-Semitic but cold to Israel), but labels Vance “a hybrid between the worst aspects of each,” as an enabler rather than direct antisemite ([07:57]).
• Enabling Antisemitism: The worry is not about Vance’s personal views per se—but who he empowers and the door he opens for figures like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes ([07:57–11:42]).

“What worries me about Vance is not that he personally is anti-Semitic. It’s irrelevant. ... The question is, what do you enable? What comes through the door that you open?”
— Yossi Klein Halevi ([10:41])

4. What Should Israel Do?

• Start Preparing Now: Both urge Israel to begin “long-term planning” for a world where the US “special relationship” may be eroding ([12:00]).
• Reconsidering US Aid: Donniel suggests Israel should wean itself off American foreign aid—especially since it is now an emotional rather than rational target of America First politics.

“We have to say, America, we are your ally...but the aid issue...I don’t think we can win on that one. Not in this make America great again universe.”
— Donniel Hartman ([13:46])

• Security Relationship and Strategic Interests: Instead of centering the relationship purely on aid, Israel should focus on shared strategic benefits and seek to minimize aid as a source of vulnerability ([18:13], [19:55]).
• Nationalism vs. Ultrantionalism: There’s a danger in Vance’s framing where ultranationalist “purity tests” render previous boundaries—based on moral or shared values—obsolete ([14:46]).

5. Rethinking Policy and Image

• Not Just About PR: There’s a recognition that simply adjusting public relations can't solve deeper policy conflicts. “You see Goliath; you see killing; you see a tank. That imagery...we didn’t have to worry about when it came to America...If that image is now hurting us in America, too, we have to start asking ourselves not just questions of economic aid, but...what policies we pursue” ([22:28]).

6. Data on Attitudes in the US

• Citing Eli Lake, Yossi highlights generational shifts:
  • 25% of Republicans under age 50 reportedly harbor antisemitic views, versus 4% over 50.
• Both Republican and Democratic bases are moving away from automatic support for Israel ([25:26]).

7. The Diaspora and American Jews

• Yossi emphasizes the dilemma for American Jews, whose identity and comfort have been deeply tied to the US-Israel relationship and intertwined symbolism (two flags on synagogue bimas, etc.) ([29:11]).
• Urges Israel to consider the impact of its actions—militarily and diplomatically—on Diaspora communities ([30:59]).

“What has become so clear since October 7th is that decisions that we make here impact on the Diaspora...can actually have life and death implications.”
— Yossi Klein Halevi ([30:28])

8. Maintaining Non-Partisan Perspective

• Both caution against partisan myopia:
  • It’s not just the Left that poses dangers for Jews/Israel, nor is only the Right to blame ([31:50]).
  • The challenge is systemic, not partisan.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Donniel on statistics:
  “87.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.” ([04:43])

• Yossi on MAGA enabling:
  “Vance becomes the patron, either directly or indirectly, of some of the most dangerous elements for Jews in American society.” ([11:18])

• Donniel on Diaspora anxiety:
  “We’re too small to strut. We’re too small to be mediocre. We have to plan; we have to think.” ([31:27])

• Yossi, closing reflection:
  “It is an unstable time…the intertwining of Israel and Judaism and the relationship between the two and how America is changing and how it will impact on us is something that we have to talk about.” ([31:59])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–01:07] — Show introduction; defining the episode’s purpose
• [01:07–02:58] — Overview of US-Israel relationship post-Six Day War
• [04:11–06:57] — Examining three public Vance statements
• [07:57–11:42] — Yossi’s deep dive: Nixon, Eisenhower, and the risk of enabling
• [12:00–17:36] — Israeli preparedness for changing US attitudes; aid debate
• [18:06–21:27] — Rethinking aid; boundaries of Israel’s policy autonomy
• [22:28–25:26] — The problem of image and policy; generational shifts
• [29:11–31:59] — The implications for American Jewry and the Diaspora
• [31:59–32:44] — Closing thoughts: plea for non-partisan analysis

Final Thoughts

The episode doesn’t sound an alarm of imminent catastrophe, but it does argue—with urgency—that Israel and Jewish communities must shed complacency, prepare for a shifting landscape in US support, and consider the far-reaching impacts of Israeli policy and America’s political drift on Jewish life everywhere.

“The rules are changing—and whether Israel could be nimble enough...how the Jewish community, in the midst of all of this instability…It’s very, very frightening. It’s not anti-Semitic in that sense. It’s not existential danger. But…the intertwining of Israel and Judaism and the relationship between the two and how America is changing and how it will impact on us is something that we have to talk about.”
— Donniel Hartman ([31:59])