Israelis want US Jewish support

Only 11.1 percent say that Israel needs "less" or "much less" backing.

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER
jews israel parade 298 (photo credit: Channel 1 [file])
jews israel parade 298
(photo credit: Channel 1 [file])
Close to 90 percent of Israeli Jews believe that their country still needs the support of American Jewry, and of them nearly 50% think there should be more support coming from across the ocean, according to a survey released Monday. The poll did not specify any particular kind of support. In addition, some 60% disagreed - 40% strongly disagreed - with controversial statements made recently by author A.B. Yehoshua, while 22% did agree with them and 8.7% said they didn't know. Yehoshua set off a firestorm when he told leaders of the American Jewish Committee gathered in Washington to mark the 100th anniversary of the organization that "Judaism outside Israel has no future. If you not live in Israel ... your Jewish identity has no meaning at all." B'nai B'rith's World Center, based in Jerusalem, commissioned the poll of 501 Israeli Jews. Geocartographia conducted the survey, which had a 4.4% margin of error. The poll's release coincided with the World Zionist Congress, taking place in Israel for the purpose of choosing new leadership and setting policy priorities for the organization that aims to represent world Jewry. Delegates come from around the world and from Israel for the week-long event. In the question pertaining to American-Israeli relations, 26.1% feel that Israel needs "much more support" from American Jews, "despite the fact that Israel is now home to the largest Jewish community in the world," as the survey noted. A further 23.7% indicate that Israel needs "more support," and 39.1% think that Israel needs the "same amount of support" as it has traditionally received. Only 11.1% say that Israel needs "less" or "much less" backing.