Study of young US Jewish adults finds nuanced support for Israel

Survey shows Birthright applicants feel solidarity with the Jewish state, while empathizing with death and destruction in Gaza
BY AMANDA BORSCHEL-DAN August 29, 2014, 1:40 am 10




A report released Thursday finds that a decisive percentage of young American Jews strongly supported Israel’s Operative Protective Edge against Hamas, but concurrently also deeply empathized with the resulting destruction in Gaza and loss of Palestinian lives.

The report is called “U.S. Jewish Young Adults React to the Gaza Conflict.” In it, the broad base of Jewish young adults surveyed show “nuance and the ability to think of both sides” in the Israel-Hamas conflict, said Prof. Leonard Saxe, head of Brandeis University’s Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies.

“People thought what Israel did was justified and felt a strong connection to the country. But, at the same time, they were as concerned about the loss of Palestinian lives as Israeli lives,” added Saxe.

Other findings showed American Jews aged 18-29 are disproportionately liberal in their political views (two-thirds), in comparison to the broader US population of the same age group (one-third) as reported by the July 28 Pew survey and July 24 Gallup poll of Americans aged 18-29.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/study-of-young-us-jewish-adults-finds-nuanced-support-for-israel/