A new survey by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) revealed a disturbing shift indicating a growing chasm separating US Jews from Israel. 

The survey was conducted May 9-11, 2024, with a margin of error of ±4% and a balanced representation by gender and age. It focused on the views of American Jews influenced by the Israel-Hamas War.

The first question asked how concerned respondents were about their future as American Jews in light of the campus protests. More than 28% of respondents said they had “a great deal of concern,” while an additional 27.8% said they had “a lot” of concern. 22.5% expressed a moderate amount of concern. 13. 3% expressed “a little concern,” and only 8.2% expressed “no concern” for their future as American Jews.

Regarding accusations that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza, 12.5% “strongly agree” and an additional 17.4% “agree. This means that almost one-third of US Jews believe Israel is guilty of genocide. 18.6% neither agree nor disagree. 24.85% “disagree” with the accusation of genocide while 26.6% “strongly disagree.”

Only 28% of respondents viewed the demonstrations as purely anti-Israel, while 35% saw them as anti-war and pro-peace. 25% believed that the protests were motivated by both, and 12% believed that they were “best described as something else.”

Support for Israel increased, with 33% of respondents and 43.4% feeling their support for Israel remained about the same. 23.5% said they had less support for Israel since the war began. About a quarter of respondents expressed unconditional support for Israel, while another quarter supported Israel but not its current government. 

Notably, 11.5% unconditionally supported the Palestinians, with 7.8% supporting the Palestinians but not Hamas.

Regarding President Joe Biden’s decision to halt shipments of weapons to Israel if the IDF invades Rafah, 22.5% strongly agreed with the decision, and an additional 30% agreed. 25.2% neither agreed nor disagreed, 11.7% disagreed, and 10.5% strongly disagreed. 

Shockingly, this reveals that more than half of US Jews supported an arms embargo against Israel in wartime. 

Jews are choosing their partisan political choice over Israel issues as Biden enjoys substantial support for re-election (52%), leading Trump by a wide margin (11%). Nonetheless, 90% of respondents felt that President Biden takes the Jewish vote for granted.

When considering voting for openly anti-Israel and antisemitic Democratic candidates like Rashida Tlaib or Ilhan Omar over a moderate Republican, 26% of respondents said they preferred the Democrats, with 13% abstaining and a similar amount expressing indecisiveness.

Over 60% of US Jews support the “Two-state solution” that would create an unprecedented militarized Arab state inside the borders of Israel that has been ethnically cleansed of Jews and with its capital in an exclusively Muslim Jerusalem.

11.5% of respondents support a totally independent Palestinian state with no conditions attached. In contrast, about half of respondents agreed with an independent state with conditions. Over 24% support a totally independent state that must recognize Israel as a Jewish state and a quarter of respondents support an independent Palestinian state that must be demilitarized and accept Israel as a Jewish state. 

Dr. Mansdorf Younger, who conducted the survey noted that the survey revealed a deep division separating older US Jews from the younger generation.

“There are notable differences in viewpoints between respondents over and under the age of 44,” emphasizes Dr. Mansdorf. Younger respondents are more likely to agree with the genocide accusation (38% under 44 vs. 22% over 44) and have experienced more negative impacts on their relationships with non-Jews due to the demonstrations (52% “No” for over 44 vs. 13% “No” for under 44).

“The survey highlights a community in flux, grappling with its traditional liberal values and evolving perspectives on Israel,” the researchers concluded. “While support for Israel remains strong, it is increasingly conditional, reflecting a shift in how American Jewry relates to the current Israeli government and the broader conflict.”