During the early 20th century, it helped geographically dispersed American Jews, especially in the West and the South of the country, keep in touch with Jewish affairs and their religious identity.

[6][10] Its two goals were to propagate the principles of Reform Judaism and to keep American Jews, who often lived in small towns singly or in communities of two or three families, in touch with Jewish affairs and their religious identity.

[11] The publication, along with Die Deborah, a German-language supplement that Wise started the following year, soon attracted a large circulation and was influential in helping the nascent Reform movement spread throughout North America.

[9] Wise, a prolific writer, published in the editorial columns of The Israelite numerous studies on various subjects of Jewish interest.

[13] Wise tirelessly expounded his call to the "ministers and other Israelites" of the United States, urging them to form a union which might put an end to the prevalent religious anarchy.

[14] Another campaign he presented in the columns of The Israelite was the desire for an educational institution, and this eventually led to success in 1875 when the Hebrew Union College opened its doors for the reception of students.

[10] By 1879, a typical issue had eight pages 28 by 42 inches (71 by 107 cm) in size, and a subscription cost $4, or $5 if the Die Deborah four-page supplement was included.

[11] One 1902 book characterized The American Israelite as "the leading Jewish newspaper in the United States and the National Journal of the Jews.

"[18] In the early 20th century, the paper's short articles were sometimes picked up and run by The New York Times with a credit "From The American Israelite".

[19][20][21] In those years, The American Israelite became known for its very strong stance against the new Zionism movement, calling it in 1902 a "pernicious agitation" that would undermine the acceptance of Jews in the countries where they currently resided.

[19] Rabbi David Philipson was among the editorial contributors to the paper[11] who used it to oppose Zionism, arguing that Judaism was a religion exclusively, and thus stateless.

[25] The Jonah Wise arrangement did not last long, and in 1930, journalist Henry C. Segal bought the paper and became its editor and publisher for more than five decades, until his death in 1985.

[31] Beginning in 2020, The American Israelite initiated a weekly podcast titled "Let There Be Light", hosted by Ted Deutsch and Julie Bernsen Brook, to further its goal of broadening its reach throughout Jewish Cincinnati and beyond.