Most Israelis fear antisemitism and hide being Jewish when traveling abroad, while also feeling that Israel is not doing enough to fight antisemitism online, a study by the Ruderman Family Foundation has found.
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The study's findings were presented Monday to the Knesset Lobby for Israel-American Jewry Relations.
According to the survey, 62% of Israelis think Israel should take action vis-à-vis antisemitic incidents around the world, including sending rescue teams when warranted.
Some 38% think that the state is failing to adequately fight online antisemitism online. At the same time, only 5% think that the international community is doing enough to eradicate antisemitism.
Also, 73% of Israelis identify to a large extent with other Jews worldwide in the event of an antisemitic incident. Only 1% of respondents said they did not identify with this plight at all.
The survey further found that 28% of Israelis ages 18-29 are "very concerned" for their safety abroad – a sensation shared by 16% of Israelis 60 and over. This 21% in this age group also reported that they or their acquaintances were exposed to antisemitic incidents, compared to 8% among the latter group.
Younger Israeli also expressed greater concern to reveal where they were from when traveling: about 13% of Israelis ages 18-29 said they won't say they are from Israel, compared to 8% Israelis 60 and over.
Overall, 59% of Israelis said they hide the fact they are Jewish when traveling overseas.
As for the Jewish community in the United States, the study found that 82% of American Jews felt a stronger bond with the American Jewish community than with Israel (55%).
This figure represents a decrease from sympathy to Israel, which stood at 67% in 2019 and 64% in 2021.
Some 64% said that they expect Jewish institutions to be more inclusive and diverse – a 4% increase compared to 2019.
Foundation president Jay Ruderman noted that the concerns that Israelis are expressing in the survey correspond with the alarming trend of the rise in antisemitic incidents around the world.
"While the Foundation's Knesset Lobby has traditionally worked to strengthen the Israel-American Jewry relationship by ensuring that elected officials in Israel are consistently and comprehensively informed of the defining issues that shape Jewish life in the US, our new survey powerfully shows that pressing American Jewish concerns such as rising antisemitism are in fact shared concerns for the Jewish communities on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world.
"Although Israelis live in a Jewish state, we should not and cannot assume that they are somehow immune from the threat of antisemitism. In turn, the shared nature of this threat can serve to unite American and Israeli Jews in efforts to combat it."
"Relations between Israel and American Jewry are a strategic asset for Israel and are not to be taken for granted," said lobby co-chair MK Ruth Wasserman Lande.
"There is an importance in strengthening the acquaintance between Israelis and our brothers and sisters in the United States, with all the complexity that characterizes them - including the antisemitism they experience, the affiliation of many of them to the Conservative and Reform movements, interfaith marriage, their struggle with BDS movements on campuses and other places, and the distancing of many young Jews from Israel."
Co-chair MK Tzachi Hanegbi added, "Ruth and I are pleased to host the opening meeting of the parliamentary caucus for strengthening the relations between Israel and the Jewish communities in the US. Members of Knesset from all parties have always led the strong and intimate bond between the Israeli political arena and the influential forces in American Jewry, and it is in this spirit that we intend to lead the caucus in addressing the demanding challenges of our time."
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