A new survey conducted among the secular public in Israel reveals a significant divergence between the religious and secular communities over Jewish customs. According to the survey conducted by The Institute for Jewish and Zionist Research in collaboration with the Lazar Research Institute, 67% of the secular Jews in Israel who used to attend synagogue on Yom Kippur over the years did not do so this year.
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The researchers found that in the past, around 61% of Israelis used to go to synagogues on Yom Kippur. However, this year, a higher percentage of this population chose not to attend. When asked why there was a change in their desire to go to synagogues, 40% of respondents cited reasons related to a "lack of connection" and social division.
The survey also highlighted the impact of this social division on the future. When asked if they would continue to attend synagogue on Yom Kippur in the future, 25% of secular respondents said they probably would not, and 29% were uncertain. Furthermore, 51% of Israeli Jews believe that the current Israeli government's actions distance it from Judaism, with an overwhelming 74% of secular respondents sharing this view.
Additionally, the survey found that a majority of the Israeli public believed that the attitude towards religion and Judaism was better during the tenure of the Bennett-Lapid government, which was in power between 2021 and 2022. When examining responses from secular respondents, 59% felt that the relationship was better during this government's time.
Daniel Goldman, the founder of The Institute for Jewish and Zionist Research, noted, "In the current survey, we see how the situation in the country practically distances the broader public from synagogues and how the general public perceives the attitude towards Judaism as worse during the tenure of this government."
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