Millions of Jews do not vote in Israel – but pay the price for its decisions
More than 23,000 antisemitic incidents were documented in 2025 in the world's largest Jewish communities, and the connection to Israel is becoming increasingly acute. It is time for the election campaign to also address the question of what Israel's responsibility is toward the millions of Jews living outside its borders.
The election campaign in Israel has begun. Parties and candidates are dealing with security, the economy, the cost of living, conscription, religion and state, and the judicial system. These are important issues, and some of them will determine the election.
However, one issue is almost absent from the discourse: Israel's relations with the millions of Jews living outside its borders. They are not registered in the voter registry, and they will not stand behind the voting screen. Apparently, the elections in Israel are not their business – but reality teaches otherwise.
Data published recently should serve as a wake-up call: more than 23,000 antisemitic incidents were documented in 2025 in the seven countries where the largest Jewish communities outside Israel are located. The number of incidents is 136% higher compared to 2022, and the number of violent events rose by 97%. 20 people were murdered in antisemitic events.
This was the deadliest year for Diaspora Jews in more than three decades. Behind the data are synagogues in need of security, children hiding Jewish symbols, students afraid to express their identity, and frightened communities.
Since October 7, the connection between the attitude toward Israel and the situation of Diaspora Jews is more tangible. Jews in London, Paris, New York, Toronto, and Sydney are required to explain policies they did not set, and sometimes deal with hostility due to their identification with Israel. They are not partners in the decisions made in Jerusalem, but sometimes they are required to pay the price for them.
From this arises a question that the election campaign barely deals with: what is the responsibility of the State of Israel toward Jews who are not its citizens, but who are affected by its actions and its status in the world?
This does not mean that Israel should make security decisions according to reactions on the streets in European countries or on campuses in the USA – a government's first responsibility is to the security of its citizens. But Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and therefore its relations with Diaspora Jewry are not limited to ceremonies and calls for Aliyah.
The connection with Diaspora Jewry was one of the foundations of the Zionist idea, and it remains part of the state's mission. The Israeli public also understands this: a survey by the Institute for National Security Studies found that 56% of respondents believe that antisemitism in the Diaspora should be taken into account in decision-making processes in Israel.
Therefore, it is appropriate to ask the candidates: what is your policy toward Diaspora Jewry? How will you act to strengthen Jewish communities and fight antisemitism? How will you restore the connection with young Jews who are distancing themselves from Israel? And mainly – will Diaspora Jewry be part of the next government's worldview, or will it be remembered only after the next antisemitic event? These are not just foreign policy questions – they touch on the meaning of Israel being the state of the Jewish people.
The election campaign will determine who will lead Israel, but its influence will not stop at the country's borders. The candidates seek the trust of Israel's citizens, but their decisions will also affect millions of Jews who have no voice in the Israeli ballot box.
If Israel sees itself as the nation-state of the Jewish people – this responsibility cannot disappear precisely when it is needed more than ever. Diaspora Jews have no right to vote in Israel, but the state has no right to choose to ignore them.
