The American Diaspora in Israel: Intersecting Identity, Ideology and Politics

Since the US considers Jerusalem disputed territory according to international law, it has never agreed to register any country for a citizen born in Jerusalem since the end of the British Mandate in 1948. While this case highlights American legal issues regarding the relations between Congress and the President or the role of the US Supreme Court in the international controversy over Jerusalem, it also offers a perspective on the relations between the American public, American Jews and the American Diaspora in Israel. Herzog analyzes the media coverage and institutional connection related to this case in Israel and in the United States. He argues that looking at the different narratives presented allows people to understand the intersecting identity, ideology and politics of the American Diaspora in Israel. He also analyzes the discourses and politics of American Jews in Israel. By examining the interactions around the Zivotofsky case, both in Israel and in the US he argues that American Jews in Israel hold dual national identity and thus, can be seen as part of a double diaspora.