• 66% American Jewish teens sympathise with Palestinians, with 41.3% believing Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
• 36.7% of American-Jewish teens sympathise with Hamas.
A survey conducted by Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs revealed interesting insights into the perspectives of American-Jewish teens aged 14 to 18. According to the findings, 36.7 percent either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the statement, “I sympathise with Hamas”, a sharp contrast to only 7 percent of Jewish teens outside the United States.
Even more noteworthy to consider, 41.3 percent of American-Jewish teens concurred with the statement that Israel is “committing genocide” in Gaza, compared to just 10 percent of their international counterparts. Additionally, 66 percent expressed sympathy for the Palestinian people in general, signalling a generational shift in attitudes.
Despite these views, a significant proportion of respondents identified as pro-Israel. Among American-Jewish teens, 62 percent consider themselves Zionists, and 84 percent affirmed that Israel has the “right to exist as a Jewish state.”
The survey concluded that young American Jews exhibit a diminished connection to Israel. It called on pro-Israel Jewish organisations to engage younger demographics to strengthen their ties to Israel. The report also noted that their support for Israel showed only marginal increases following the events of October 7.
