Recent polls show that a relatively significant number of American Jews are critical of Israel, and some even hostile. Evaluating the accuracy of these surveys, however, requires knowing the methodology used and the organizations that carried them out.
Polls were produced by organizations that are associated with the Democratic Party and “progressive” movements, which indicate an inherent bias, and by Pew. Although the polls asserted that the people who were interviewed were chosen randomly, we don’t know how that was done. Were specific populations and locations chosen that were more sympathetic with leftist and progressive views?
The Pew Report (“US Jews have widely differing views on Israel,” May 21, 2021), which is considered more reliable, divided respondents into two groups: “Jews by religion,” and “Jews of no religion.” But there is no indication of how the self-selection process operated, or what criteria were used. There was a vast difference of opinion between those who identified as Orthodox and those of other branches. According to the report, one-third of Jewish adults did not identify with any branch of Judaism. No in-depth questions were asked about what Jewish identity or Jewish observance meant to the respondents.
We know nothing about the background of the people who were interviewed except for their age category. What is their religious association, if any? Are they part of a Jewish community, and if so, how? Have they ever visited Israel? What are their sources of information about Israel?
Are they involved with anti-Israel groups (e.g. JVP, SJP, J Street, B’Tselem, etc.) and/or pro-Palestinian, Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood groups? Are they affiliated with a political party? Do they support anarchist groups, such as Antifa, and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement?
Without knowing this basic information, it is impossible to determine whether the people interviewed represent anything other than individual opinions. Dire assessments and predictions concerning attitudes of American Jews about Israel may, in fact, be nothing more than propaganda, part of a disinformation campaign intended to harm Israel and its relationship with the Diaspora.
Without a critical analysis of such surveys, it is impossible to develop programs to meet the challenges that face this relationship and guide a creative response. It may be that many Jews are alienated from Judaism and Israel, but dealing with this problem requires asking the right questions and understanding the answers. Jews in Israel and the Diaspora need each other to strengthen our unity and our commitments. That requires dialogue and a desire to understand each other. The values and ideals of Zionism are important for Jews wherever they live. It’s a matter of survival.
A far better indicator of what American Jews think about Israel is the widespread spontaneous outrage over the anti-Israel policies by the owners of an ice-cream company. The anti-Israel opinions of a tiny group of uninformed, misguided and alienated Jews should not be exaggerated.
The author is a PhD historian of American history and an Israeli journalist.