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The Complicated Views of Liberal Jews

(New York Jewish Week) Irwin J. Mansdorf - At the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, we chose to address the question of how American liberal Jews relate to Israel. We posed the issues to different samples of American liberal Jews. Our research showed that, contrary to some opinions, liberal Jews do in fact show distinct identification with and support for Israel. Overall, Jewish liberals see the importance of keeping Israel a "Jewish" state, they reject the notion of Israel as an "apartheid" state, they see Palestinian violence as an illegitimate means of protest, and most see "Zionism" as a legitimate national liberation movement. When we asked which social issue is most important to liberal Jews, it was not black lives matter or Islamophobia, which general liberals see as more important. The "most important" issue for Jewish liberals (we tested three separate groups) was "anti-Semitism." When we specifically asked liberal Jews if the Democrats have a "Jewish problem," the answer was a resounding "no."
2019-08-19 00:00:00
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