New Ap-norc Poll Reveals Sharp Divides Among U.s. Jews Over Israel And Gaza

As Israel’s actions proceed to disagreement America’s Jewish communities astir 3 years into nan latest warfare successful Gaza, a caller AP-NORC canvass reveals that immoderate of nan biggest gaps are betwixt belief and secular Jews.

The study from nan Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research makes clear that for galore U.S. Jews, support for Israel remains a bedrock of their belief identity, its beingness a guarantee of Jewish self-determination and safety. Yet others — peculiarly those who place arsenic Jews done ethnic, taste aliases family ties, alternatively than belief — consciousness little connected to Israel and judge its actions successful nan ongoing conflict much harshly.

About 7 successful 10 Jewish adults wide place arsenic Jewish erstwhile asked astir their belief affiliation, according to nan sweeping study that touched connected everything from views connected Israel to antisemitism concerns and strains connected interpersonal relations. The rest, astir 3 successful 10 Jewish adults, opportunity they are atheists, agnostics, aliases person nary peculiar belief affiliation, but still place arsenic Jewish successful different ways.

Israel has been astatine nan halfway of nan turmoil successful nan Middle East since nan Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught that killed immoderate 1,200 people. More than 73,000 Palestinians person died successful Gaza since Israel retaliated, according to nan Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t separate betwixt civilian and militant deaths. Israel’s ongoing offensives person go a wedge rumor for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, starring to protests, raising antisemitism fears and questions astir America’s adjacent ties to Israel.

Among Jews pinch a belief affiliation, views connected Israel’s caller subject actions are acold from azygous aliases uncritical. Only astir half opportunity Israel’s ongoing subject operations successful Gaza are justified. About one-quarter judge Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians successful Gaza, an accusation that’s been leveled by immoderate quality authorities organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and nan U.S. government.

But they are much supportive of Israel’s actions than secular American Jews. About 4 successful 10 religiously unaffiliated Jews opportunity Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, and only astir 2 successful 10 spot Israel’s existent operations successful Gaza arsenic justified. The immense majority, 74%, opportunity they are “not too” aliases “not astatine all” emotionally attached to Israel, a crisp opposition from different Jewish adults.

Anna Constant, 56, of Seattle identifies arsenic culturally Jewish and says she doesn’t consciousness intimately connected to Israel.

“I benignant of deliberation of myself arsenic an American type of a Jew. I do person a homeland,” she said, referring to nan United States.

At nan aforesaid time, “my bosom is surgery for everything everyone is navigating complete there. ... We person bad governments happening not conscionable successful Israel but successful nan United States. I’m trying to clasp connected to nan reality that nan group are not nan governments.”

Conflicting views astir Israel’s subject actions

Jews who regularly be belief services are much apt than those who ne'er be to consciousness a relationship to Israel and spot its subject actions successful Gaza arsenic justified, nan study found.

About 3 successful 10 Jewish adults ne'er be belief services, though that rises to astir two-thirds among religiously unaffiliated Jews. About half of Jewish adults be a fewer times a twelvemonth aliases little often. About 2 successful 10 be astatine slightest erstwhile a month, including astir 1 successful 10 who be weekly.

According to nan survey, Jewish adults mostly place arsenic Democrats; astir 3 successful 10 place arsenic Republicans. Religiously unaffiliated Jews are somewhat much apt than Jewish adults wide to place arsenic Democrats, and little apt to telephone themselves Republicans.

Jacqueline Rothstein, 35, splits clip betwixt a New York City suburb connected Long Island and nan city’s heavy Jewish borough of Brooklyn. She is Modern Orthodox, attending believe services astir erstwhile a month.

A governmental independent, she views Republican President Trump favorably and has an unfavorable position of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim Democrat who supports Palestinian rights. Rothstein says her Jewish personality and supporting Israel are “extremely important” to her.

She’s keenly alert of divisions wrong nan Jewish community, and cites family history arsenic 1 cardinal logic for nan differing views of Israel. Two of her grandparents were Sephardic Jews expelled from Egypt successful nan 1960s; nan different 2 were Holocaust survivors, she said.

“There are plentifulness of American Jews whose grandparents didn’t person that trauma,” Rothstein said. “If you person nary relationship to Israel, if your grandparents were safe successful America, ... past you don’t cognize nan struggle.”

Jewish adults who place arsenic religiously Jewish are overmuch likelier than nonreligious Jews to place arsenic Zionists. About 3 successful 10 religiously Jewish adults opportunity “Zionist” describes them “extremely” aliases “very” well, compared to 6% of religiously unaffiliated Jews.

Just nether half of secular Jews, 45%, opportunity “Zionist” describes them ”not very well” aliases “not good astatine all.”

Many still spot Israel arsenic cardinal to their Jewish identity

Supporting Israel is still basal to galore Jewish adults’ identity, but its value compared to different aspects of being Jewish varies.

About half of religiously affiliated Jewish adults opportunity supporting Israel is “extremely” aliases “very” important to their Jewish identity, compared to astir 1 successful 10 religiously unaffiliated Jewish adults.

Rabbi Seth Adelson noted that Israel was founded chiefly by secular Jews, but suggested that coming successful nan U.S., stronger connections to Israel are felt by religiously observant Jews. He is nan rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom successful Pittsburgh, a Conservative synagogue pinch adjacent ties to nan 3 congregations targeted successful nan 2018 massacre astatine nan adjacent Tree of Life synagogue successful which 11 worshippers were killed successful nan nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack.

“In caller years, possibly owed to nan complexity of that region, owed to nan challenges faced by modern states, belief Jews person been much apt to clasp connected to our ancient stories, and Jews of nary belief person been little apt to clasp connected to those stories,” Adelson said.

Some of nan disagreement is generational. Younger Jews — sloppy of their Jewish affiliation — are little apt to spot Israel arsenic important to their Jewish identity. But location are commonalities, too. Majorities of younger and older Jewish adults, for instance, opportunity that remembering nan Holocaust is important to their Jewish identity.

Bonnie Brody, 78, grew up successful a organization pinch respective Holocaust survivors successful Queens, New York. While she doesn’t ever work together pinch its government’s choices, nan Florida resident sees Israel arsenic a captious haven for Jews.

“I heard nan stories of nan attraction camps and really moreover (the U.S.) turned backmost a vessel afloat of Jews,” she said, referring to nan water liner St. Louis that departed Germany successful 1939 pinch hundreds of Jewish refugees aboard, and was prevented from landing successful nan U.S. “Many of them had obscurity to go.”

Painful conflicts pinch family complete Israel are common

The study finds that rifts are springing up wrong families and communities complete Israel, moreover among religiously unaffiliated Jews.

Most Jewish adults, 55%, opportunity they’ve felt offended by different person’s comments astir Israel since nan Oct. 7 attack, while astir 4 successful 10 opportunity they’ve disagreed pinch family members astir thing related to Israel.

About 3 successful 10 opportunity they’ve stopped talking to personification because of thing they said astir Israel.

Shainah Horowitz, 45, a staunch Democrat from Portland, Oregon, says nan Jewish organization successful that solidly wide metropolis is riddled pinch divisions. On 1 hand, she said, location is clash betwixt politically right-leaning Orthodox Jews and Jews pinch much left-leaning views, including those successful her Conservative synagogue which takes pridefulness successful being LGBTQ+-inclusive. Meanwhile, she said, secular anti-Zionist Jews successful Portland tin beryllium stridently captious of Jews who — for illustration Horowitz herself — place arsenic Zionists and support nan conception of Israel arsenic a Jewish state.

“I cannot person conversations pinch definite friends — non-Jews and immoderate very secular Jews who bargain into nan anti-Israel slant,” she said.

The AP-NORC canvass of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 utilizing a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to beryllium typical of nan U.S. population. The canvass included interviews pinch 1,022 Jewish adults. The separator of sampling correction for adults wide is positive aliases minus 2.8 percent points and nan separator of sampling correction for Jewish adults is positive aliases minus 5.0 percent points.

Crary, Thomson-Deveaux and Smith constitute for nan Associated Press.