Latinos feel US backs Israel too much, poll reveals

Most respondents in study believe anti-Semitism exists in the Latino community.

By GIL STERN STERN SHEFLER
Bibi netanyahu (photo credit: JPost Staff)
Bibi netanyahu
(photo credit: JPost Staff)
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.”