Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Elder of Ziyon
The results are shocking.
If the details are accurate and the questions weren't preceded with leading definitions, as we've seen in other polls, it shows that fully 25% of American Jews agree that "Israel is an apartheid state" while only 52% disagree.
22% agree with the statement that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians while only 62% disagree.
The numbers are even worse for the young.
Ignorance about Israel seems to correspond with ignorance about Judaism. While the survey didn't ask about Jewish practices, only 9% identified as Orthodox and 17% as Conservative Jews, with 31% saying that had no denomination at all.
While 62% claim they have an emotional attachment to Israel, it is obvious that for most of them, it is a shallow attachment indeed - not one that prompts them to even investigate whether the slanders about Israel are accurate or not.
The trend of people making up lies about Israel correlates with the increase of antisemitic attacks in America.
American Jews are thoroughly ignorant about their own history, their religion, and the Jewish state. That ignorance translates into apathy and then into a willingness to believe the enthusiastic modern antisemites who pretend that they are merely anti-Israel.
This is a massive failure of American Jewish leadership, Jewish education, synagogues and the previous generation of American Jews who taught their children that Judaism and Israel aren't priorities for them.
If the current American Jewish leadership cannot do their job, perhaps it is time for a new leadership to take over.
(h/t Noah)
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