Comparison of American and Israeli Jewish Opinion

Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Biden is handling U.S.-Israel Relations?

	2021
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Strongly approve	6%	19%
Somewhat approve	12%	39%
So-so	22%
Somewhat disapprove	17%	11%
Strongly disapprove	18%	16%
Don't Know	25%	15%

How important is being Jewish in your life?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Most Important	47%		51%`
Very Important	34%	40%	29%	41%
Somewhat Important	9%	37%	11%	35%
Not That Important	9%	17%	5%	17%
Not Important At All	4%	6%	3%	7%
No Opinion	2%	1%	1%

Do you consider being Jewish mostly a matter of religion, or more a matter of ethnicity and culture?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Religion	19%	24%	24%	24%
Ethnicity and Culture	40%	56%	51%	59%
Both Equally	37%	17%	23%	16%
Don't Know/No Response	4%	2%	3%	1%

Looking ahead five years, do you think that the ties between American and Israeli Jews will be...?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Stronger Than Today	30%	20%	30%	18%
Weaker Than Today	19%	15%	23%	24%
About The Same	40%	60%	38%	53%
No Opinion	11%	5%		4%

Using the metaphor of a family, do you consider American/Israeli Jews as your...?

	2018		2019		2021
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Siblings	28%	12%	31%	13%	24%	11%
First Cousins	10%	15%	11%	15%	18%	15%
Extended Family	40%	39%	36%	43%	45%	46%
Not Part of my Family	22%	31%	23%	28%	14%	28%

Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Trump is handling US-Israel Relations?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Approve Strongly	37%	21%	48%	22%
Approve Somewhat	40%	13%	31%	14%
Disapprove Somewhat	5%	16%	6%	14%
Disapprove Strongly	5%	41%	4%	45%
Don't Know/No Response	13%	8%	3%	4%

Do you think that a thriving Diaspora is or isn’t vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Yes	78%	69%	74%	65%
No	15%	17%	20%	16%
No Opinion	7%	14%	6%	17%

Do you think that a thriving State of Israel is vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Yes	87%	69%	91%	65%
No	6%	17%	5%	16%
No Opinion	7%	14%	4%	17%

*2018 wording: Do you think that a thriving State of Israel is or isn’t vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people?

Do you think it appropriate for American Jews to attempt to influence Israeli policy on such issues as national security and peace negotiations with the Palestinians?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Yes, it is Appropriate	25%	53%	31%	57%
No, it is Not Appropriate	68%	43%	63%	40%
Don't Know/No Response	7%	4%	6%	4%

In the current situation, do you favor or oppose a two-state solution through the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state on the West Bank?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Favor Strongly	15%	31%	17%	33%
Favor Somewhat	29%	28%	22%	31%
Oppose Somewhat	15%	12%	18%	12%
Oppose Strongly	33%	18%	33%	14%
Don't Know/No Response	8%	10%	9%	10%

As part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, should Israel be willing to dismantle all, some, or none of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
All	4%	15%	6%	25%
Some	35%	44%	37%	41%
None	54%	35%	50%	28%
Don't Know/No Response	7%	6%	7%	7%

Looking ahead five years, do you think that the chances for peaceful coexistence between Israel and a Palestinian state will...?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Improve	13%	18%	14%	19%
Decline	42%	22%	43%	27%
Stay The Same	37%	56%	37%	51%
Don't Know/No Response	7%	3%	7%	3%

Do you support or oppose the recent American recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory?

	2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Support	88%	50%
Oppose	5%	39%
Don't Know/No Response	7%	11%

Do you identify as...?

	2018		2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox)	10%	6%	10%	7%
Religious Zionist (Modern Orthodox)	11\%	5%	12%	3%
Conservative (Masorti)	0%	14%		13%
Religious-traditional	17%		14%
Not that religious-traditional	21%		18%
Reform	1%	29%		29%
Reconstructionist	0%	3%		3%
Secular	37%	16%	41%	21%
Other	2%	25%	4%	23%
No Opinion			1%

Currently, Jewish weddings, divorces, and conversions to Judaism in Israel are recognized only if Orthodox rabbis officiate. Should Conservative and Reform rabbis also be permitted to officiate?

	2018	2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Yes	49%	80%
No	45%	17%
No Opinion	6%	3%

*American Jews wording: Currently, Jewish weddings, divorces, and conversions to Judaism in Israel are recognized only if Orthodox rabbis officiate. Should non-Orthodox rabbis also be permitted to officiate?

Currently, Israeli law does not allow for civil [secular] marriage and divorce. Should the law be changed, and civil marriage and divorce allowed?

	2018	2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Yes	55%	81%
No	40%	13%
No Opinion	5%	5%

Currently, prayer services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem are conducted according to Orthodox tradition, with men and women being separated. Do you support or oppose the existence of a square adjacent to the Western Wall that would serve for mixed prayers, without separation between men and women?

	2018	2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Support	42%	73%
Oppose	48%	21%
No Opinion	10%	6%

*American Jews wording: Currently, prayer services at the Western Wall in Jerusalem—a site holy to Jews—are conducted according to Orthodox tradition, with men and women separated by a barrier. Do you support or oppose a mixed-gender prayer area adjacent to the Western Wall administered on an equal basis with the services at the Wall itself?

Do you support or oppose the recent U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the U.S. embassy there?

	2018	2019
	Israeli Jews	American Jews
Support	85%	85%
Oppose	7%	7%
No Opinion	8%	8%

Source: AJC.