American Jewish attachment to Israel is holding steady, a new study shows.
The study, based on interviews in June, was done in response to media suggestions that the flotilla incident, the continued Israeli maritime blockade of Gaza and ongoing settlement activity were alienating younger American Jews from Israel. This was the thesis of a May essay by Peter Beinart in the New York Review of Books.
By contrast, the study found that 63 percent of respondents feel connected to Israel, and 75 percent say that caring about Israel is a significant part of their Jewish identity.
“Still Connected: American Jewish Attitudes About Israel,” published in August by the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, was based on a survey of 1,200 self-identified Jewish Americans.
Younger Jews were more likely to say that Israel forms an important part of their Jewish identity than that they feel connected to Israel.
Direct experience with the country, such as visiting on a Birthright trip, affects younger Jews’ relationship to Israel, the study confirmed. — jta