Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset on May 23, 2023. Photo by Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP, Getty Images
(JTA) — Five months into Israel's war with Hamas, American Jews feel close to Israel but disapprove of the Israeli government's actions, according to a poll by the Jewish Federations of North America. It is likely that he is feeling pleasure.
The survey, released Thursday, surveyed 1,901 Jews from February 23 to March 11 and found that 79% of respondents felt close to Israel, while 19% felt close to Israel. found that 72% agree that Israel is generally proud of its Israeli identity. Jews did not feel that way, but 23% felt the same way.
When asked if they agreed with the statement, “I sometimes find it difficult to support actions taken by Israel or its government,” 62% said they agreed and 34% disagreed.
The results echo recent polls showing American Jews significantly support Israel in the war it has waged since Hamas massacred hundreds of people in Israel on October 7. Match. A Pew poll released last month showed that Jews were more likely to support Israel's actions in the war than average Americans.
But it also echoes polls from last year that showed growing disenchantment among American Jews with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and his efforts to undermine the power of Israeli courts. We are doing so.
The same study asked 4,143 non-Jews over the same period some of the same questions and found that Jews were more likely than non-Jews to have an emotional response to the war. was high. When asked to what extent the war had affected them “emotionally,” 92% of Jewish respondents said it had affected them, but only 48% of all respondents said the same.
When asked whether they closely follow the war, 96% of Jewish respondents said they did, compared to 71% of all respondents.
The Benenson Strategy Group, a polling organization, weighted the responses to reflect the exact proportions of Jews and other segments of the American population.
There were substantial differences in how Jewish and non-Jewish respondents answered questions about empathy for Israelis and Palestinians, with 95% of Jewish respondents feeling empathy for Israelis. In comparison, 74% of non-Jewish respondents expressed sympathy. When asked the same question about Palestinians, 57% of Jewish respondents said they felt empathy, while 69% of non-Jewish respondents said they felt empathy.
JFNA did not indicate a margin of error.
This article was originally published on JTA.org.
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