WASHINGTON, 6 March 2005 — American Jews’ attachment to Israel is waning, with support dropping significantly in the last two years.
The weakening trend is “apparent in almost every measure of Jewish connection to Israel,” noted Steven Cohen, who directed the 2004-2005 National Survey of American Jews, sponsored by the Jewish-Zionist Education Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Unlike earlier surveys, respondents said they were less likely to “say they care about Israel, talk about Israel with others or engage in a range of pro-Israel activities.”
Asked if they were “very” emotionally attached to Israel, 26 percent said yes, compared with 31 percent in a similar poll conducted in 2002.
When asked if “caring about Israel is a very important part of my being Jewish,” 57 percent said yes, compared with 73 percent in a similar survey in 1989.
“The drop from 1989 appears consistent with a widely noted, long-term generational decline in attachment to Israel,” writes Cohen in the New York-based Jewish newspaper, Forward. “However, generational change is unlikely to explain the dramatic shift during the last two years, which appears to reflect responses to current events in the Middle East.”
Cohen said most “expressions of emotional attachment” for Israel declined since 2002.
“American Jews traditionally profess a high degree of attachment to Israel. The intensity of that attachment varies considerably, ranging from warmth to passion, while a small group professes indifference or outright discomfort.”
The Palestinian issue also has caused ambivalence in the minds of some American Jews.
“A sizeable proportion expressed at least some negative feelings toward Israel,” wrote Cohen. “More than two-thirds said they are at least ‘sometimes’ disturbed by Israel’s policies or actions, and nearly as many said they are ‘confused.’
“Almost half said they are at least sometimes ‘ashamed,’ and fully 39 percent said they are sometimes ‘alienated’ by Israel.”
Two-thirds of American Jews view “many” or “most” Israeli as “peace loving,” “democratic” and “heroic.” But more than 40 percent see many Israelis as “chauvinist” and “militarist,” noted the poll.
But when offered “sharply critical characterizations of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians,” the respondents reacted predictably, with more disagreeing than agreeing.
But, notes Cohen, “substantial numbers were ‘unsure.’”
Nearly 60 percent to 11 percent polled “rejected the assertion that ‘Israel persecutes a minority population,’ with 29 percent not sure.”
Similarly, 65 percent to 13 percent rejected the statement that “Israel occupies lands that belong to another people, with 22 percent saying they were not sure.
Significantly, and with a much narrower margin, 43 percent to 20 percent, with 37 percent unsure, rejected the question: “When dealing with Palestinian civilians, Israeli soldiers often engage in unnecessary brutality.” Army brutality was the one question that had no plurality.
“The patterns point to a rejection of critical views of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, but they hardly amount to a consensus, let alone unanimity,” wrote the director of the program.
“Amid good feeling toward Israel, Israelis and Israeli policies, there are signs of doubt, hesitation and qualification. All might inhibit or restrain passionate feelings and expressions of support for Israel,” Cohen said in Forward.
