Latinos are more likely than other US citizens to believe America is too
supportive of Israel, at a rate of 5 to 2, according to a new survey.
The
study, commissioned by The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and conducted by
Latin Insights, found that nearly half of all Latinos felt US foreign policy was
too supportive of Israel and that most respondents believed anti-Semitism
existed in the Latino community.
Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder and
president of FFEU and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, announced
these findings in conjunction with the Bridges & Pathways Strategic Dialogue
Conference in San Antonio, Texas, chaired by former HUD secretary and San
Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros, and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg of the Orthodox
Congregation Rodfei Sholom.
“These findings are a wakeup call to both
communities and highlight the importance of this conference taking place in San
Antonio,” said Schneier.
“We need to understand how real anti-Semitism is
within the Latino community and how we can counter it as well as find more
effective ways to communicate the value of Israel to bolster Latino empathy for
the Jewish state,” he went on.
“This is truer than ever, as Latinos now
number more than 50 million in the US,” Schneier noted. “One out of every 6
Americans is Latino.
It therefore behooves the Jewish community to reach
out and foster an alliance with this significant ethnic group.”