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Study: US Jews distance themselves from Israel Published: 09.06.07, 09:23 / Israel Jewish Scene
Feelings of attachment to Israel declining among non-Orthodox American Jews, and are replaced by indifference and even alienation, study finds. Only 48% think Israel's destruction would be a personal tragedy for them, only 54% 'comfortable with the idea of a Jewish state'
Reuters Young non-Orthodox US Jews are becoming increasingly lukewarm if not alienated in their support for Israel in a trend that is not likely to be reversed, according to a study released on Thursday.
Blending into US society, including marriage to non-Jews and a tendency to look on Judaism more in religious terms than ethnic ones, is part of what's happening, the study found.
"For our parent's generation, the question that mattered was, how do we regard Israel? For Generation Y (born after 1976) the question is indeed, why should we regard Israel?" said Roger Bennett, a vice president of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman philanthropies, which sponsored the study.
"Until people recognize that a healthy and animated dialogue about Israel is the first step to a meaningful connection, the 'Israel debate' that takes place in America is liable to become moot well before Israel celebrates its 100th birthday," he added.
US support backed by a vocal and politically powerful Jewish lobby has been a key feature of the Jewish state's success since its founding in 1948, an event that is widely backed by US Jews and non-Jews.
But the study found that "feelings of attachment may well be changing as warmth gives way to indifference, and indifference gives way even to downright alienation."
The study found only 48% of US Jews under age 35 believe that Israel's destruction would be a personal tragedy for them, compared to 77% of those 65 and older.
In addition, only 54% of those under the age of 35 are "comfortable with the idea of a Jewish State" as opposed to 81% of those 65 and older.
It did find higher levels of support among US Jews, regardless of age, who had visited Israel.
Various affiliations
There are perhaps 6 million Jews in the United States, only about a third of them affiliated with a congregation. Of those who do attend a synagogue, perhaps 40% are classified as liberal Reform, 32% middle- ground Conservative and 8% Orthodox, according to surveys.
The findings were based on a representative sample of 1,704 non- Orthodox Jews in 2006 and 2007 contacted in writing. Its error margin was plus or minus three percentage points. The authors said they excluded Orthodox Jews because they tend to be overwhelmingly supportive of Israel.
In general US Jews "have increasingly adopted the American idea of what it means to be Jewish—primarily a religious identity," Steven Cohen of Hebrew Union College, co-author of the study, said in an interview.
"The decline in attachment is widespread. It doesn't depend on how you measure it," Cohen added, with the disengagement no different among political liberals or conservatives.
Cohen also said inter-marriage with other faiths had a strong impact with "younger Jews being much more likely to be married to non-Jews."
The trend is part of a long-term historic slide not likely to be reversed since "people do not seem to significantly grow in their attachment to Israel as they age," the study said.
'Assimilation is the biggest problem'
Steven Bayme, director of contemporary Jewish life for the American Jewish Committee, a major pro-Israel lobbying group, said "assimilation is the biggest problem" with declining support among US Jews, but he said it is not new.
"People growing up where there always has been an Israel" are more detached, he said.
But the study breaks new ground, he added, in finding that politics do not underpin declining support—that it is not as many assume a response to Israel's handling of the peace process or problems with religious pluralism in the country.
Bayme also said that even though Orthodox Jews were not included in the study, the segment represents "strong signs of Jewish renewal"— children involved in the Hebrew faith in numbers far disproportionate to those of non-Orthodox families and who in the future will help counter the effects of assimilation outside their ranks, he said.
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Poll: Most US Jews support Palestinian state
Published: 10.23.06, 17:04 / Israel News
Annual survey conducted by American Jewish Committee reveals most American Jews back Israel's efforts to achieve peace, but worry that conflict may lead again to war. Majority of respondents disapprove of American government's handling of Iran's nuclear threat; most believe anti-Semitism set to increase worldwide in coming years
While American Jews are highly supportive of Israel’s efforts to achieve peace, in the wake of the summer war with Hizbullah a majority remains skeptical about the chances for achieving an overall peace and worry that the conflict may lead again to a regional war, according to a new survey by the American Jewish Committee.
Fifty-six percent of American Jews think Israel and the Arabs never will be able to settle their differences and live in peace, while 38 percent believe they will.
Regarding the war between Israel and Hizbullah, 55 percent approved, and 35 percent disapproved, of the way the Israeli government handled the conflict in Lebanon in July and August. Similarly, 53 percent approved, and 39 percent disapproved, of the way the US government handled the conflict.
American Jews are evenly divided on the outcome of Israel’s summer war with Hizbullah, with 49 percent saying neither Israel nor Hizbullah emerged the winner, 2 percent saying both were victorious, 24 percent to Israel and 15 percent to Hizbullah.
Despite these mixed results, a majority of American Jews, 54 percent, favor the establishment of a Palestinian state, while 38 percent are opposed. These figures are consistent with AJC surveys since 2001.
AJC’s Survey of American Jewish Opinion, conducted annually since 1997, gauges US Jewish views on the Arab-Israeli peace process, terrorism, Iran, the war in Iraq, perceptions of anti-Semitism, social and political issues in the US such as energy and immigration, and Jewish identity concerns.
Disapproval over handling of Iran situation
On questions of national security and US foreign policy, 62 percent of American Jews disapprove, and 31 percent approve, of how the US government is handling the campaign against terrorism, figures consistent with the general American population.
Compared to one year ago, 8 percent of US Jews feel safer from the threat of terrorism, 31 percent feel less safe and 61 percent feel the same.
Sixty-five percent believe the US should have stayed out of Iraq, while 29 percent believe America was correct in taking military action against Iraq.
On Iran’s nuclear program, only one-third, 33 percent, approve of the way the US is handling the situation, and 54 percent disapprove. Moreover, only 38 percent of American Jews would support US military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, while 54 percent are opposed.
Worried about anti-Semitism
Perceptions of anti-Semitism in the US remain unchanged from last year, with 26 percent of American Jews calling it a very serious problem, 65 percent somewhat of a problem, and 9 percent not a problem at all.
Asked about different groups’ attitudes toward Jews, 59 percent of American Jews see “many” or “most” Muslims in the US as anti-Semitic. Asian Americans are viewed as the least anti-Semitic.
Looking ahead over the next several years, 53 percent of US Jews think anti-Semitism around the world will increase, while 36 percent say it will remain the same and 8 percent think it will decrease.
The 2006 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion was carried out for AJC by Synovate (formerly Market Facts), a leading survey-research organization. The 958 respondents were interviewed by telephone between September 25 and October 16. The margin of error for the sample as a whole is plus or minus 3 percentage points.