As Israel's actions continue to divide US Jewish communities nearly three years into its genocide in Gaza, a new AP-NORC poll reveals that some of the biggest gaps are between religious and secular Jews.
The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research makes clear that for many US Jews , support for Israel remains a bedrock of their religious identity, its existence a guarantee of Jewish self-determination and safety. Yet others—particularly those who identify as Jews through ethnic, cultural or family ties, rather than religion—feel less connected to Israel and judge its actions in the ongoing conflict more harshly.
About 7 in 10 Jewish adults overall identify as Jewish when asked about their religious affiliation, according to the sweeping survey that touched on everything from views on Israel to antisemitism concerns and strains on interpersonal relations.
The rest, about 3 in 10 Jewish adults, say they are atheists, agnostics, or have no particular religious affiliation, but still identify as Jewish in other ways.
Israel has been at the centre of the turmoil in the Middle East since Oct. 2023. More than 73,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza by Israel. Israel’s ongoing wars in the region have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests, raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel.
Among Jews with a religious affiliation, views on Israel’s recent military actions are far from uniform or uncritical. Only about half say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. About one-quarter believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
But they are more supportive of Israel's actions than secular American Jews. About 4 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jews say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, and only about 2 in 10 see Israel’s current operations in Gaza as justified. The vast majority, 74%, say they are "not too" or "not at all" emotionally attached to Israel, in sharp contrast to other Jewish adults.
Anna Constant, 56, of Seattle, identifies as culturally Jewish and says she doesn't feel closely connected to Israel.
“I kind of think of myself as an American version of a Jew. I do have a homeland," she said, referring to the United States.
At the same time, “my heart is broken for everything everyone is navigating over there.… We have bad governments happening not just in Israel but in the United States. I’m trying to hold on to the reality that the people are not the government.”
According to the survey, Jewish adults mostly identify as Democrats; about 3 in 10 identify as Republicans. Religiously unaffiliated Jews are slightly more likely than Jewish adults overall to identify as Democrats, and less likely to call themselves Republicans.
Jewish adults who identify as religiously Jewish are much more likely than nonreligious Jews to identify as Zionists. About 3 in 10 religiously Jewish adults say "Zionist" describes them "extremely" or "very" well, compared to 6% of religiously unaffiliated Jews.
Just under half of secular Jews, 45%, say "Zionist" describes them "not very well" or "not well at all."
About half of religiously affiliated Jewish adults say supporting Israel is "extremely" or "very" important to their Jewish identity, compared to about 1 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jewish adults.
Some of the divide is generational. Younger Jews—regardless of their Jewish affiliation—are less likely to see Israel as important to their Jewish identity. But there are commonalities, too. Majorities of younger and older Jewish adults, for instance, say that remembering the Holocaust is important to their Jewish identity.
The survey finds that rifts are springing up within families and communities over Israel, even among religiously unaffiliated Jews.
Most Jewish adults, 55%, say they've felt offended by another person's comments about Israel since the Oct. 2023 war began, while about 4 in 10 say they've disagreed with family members about something related to Israel .
About 3 in 10 say they've stopped talking to someone because of something they said about Israel.