United in adversity: Secular Jewish Israelis feel more attached to global Jewry, according to new poll

Secular Jewish Israelis feel a stronger attachment to national missions, symbols and Jews in the diaspora, according to a new poll published by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). The survey specifically measured the attitudes of secular Israeli Jews towards Judaism.

“Events of the past year have strengthened the “Jewish value” secular Israel Jews attach to national missions and symbols, as well as their sense of connection to Diaspora Jews,” according to the JPPI report, published last week.

The JPPI conducts polls each month to measure changing attitudes and, while the differences have not been stark, they are noticeable. With a focus on secular Israeli Jews in this poll, they looked at attitudes about the “Jewishness” of individuals and society. In a survey of 1,345 respondents, 960 of whom identified as "totally secular" or "secular traditional," JPPI looked at three key areas: Jewish values; changes in outlook and behavior in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war; and the connection between secular Israeli Jews and diaspora Jews.

According to the results, "a large majority of secular Israeli Jews, who comprise 45% of the Israeli Jewish population, are reaffirming their Jewish identity in the face of recent events," the JPPI wrote. Most notably, “a fifth of secular Israeli Jews say that the events have brought them closer to Diaspora Jews.”

The poll asked participants to rate their sense of Jewishness on a scale from 1 to 10, and the average response was a notably high 8.5, indicating that an affinity with Jewish identity seems to have grown stronger and more significant.

The JPPI reported a “significant rise” in a sense of shared fate between Israeli Jews and those out in the Diaspora, citing worldwide antisemitism as the reason.

“Compared with data from previous years, the percentage of Israeli Jews who ‘strongly agree’ that all Jews have a ‘common future’ has surged. If we add those who ‘somewhat agree’ with that statement, we find that eight in 10 Israeli Jews see a ‘common future’ for Israeli and Diaspora Jews.”

Although the JPPI polled the more secular segments of Jewish Israeli society in this study, the results were even more pronounced when a broader sample was polled.

When asked about the statement “All Jews have a common future” the vast majority agreed.

“The consensus among the secular on this statement is smaller though still amounting to 70%, and 62% among left-wing Israelis. It is even larger among all other groups.”