Older Jewish adults see backing Israel as central to religious identity
Support for Israel has long been a key component of religious identity for many Jewish adults ages 45 and older in the United States, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But the survey found that younger Jewish adults are more likely to prioritize other forms of connection, such as celebrating Jewish holidays, over political support for the state of Israel.
The findings suggest the generational divide on Israel’s actions since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war in Gaza now extends beyond politics into how Jewish Americans define their religious identity.
“I pray for people in the land of Israel. I don’t need to pray for the state,” said Cameron Bernstein, a 27-year-old medical student in New Orleans. Bernstein was raised with strong ties to Israel, where she celebrated her bat mitzvah, but said that now “it doesn’t play a role in my life, more than another country with people I love.”
The poll of 1,022 Jewish adults was conducted by the AP-NORC Center. It shows that the split on support for Israel is particularly pronounced among Jewish adults who identify as religiously Jewish. Jewish adults who are religiously unaffiliated but identify as Jewish in other ways tend to have less of an emotional connection to Israel overall, according to the survey.