The Jewish Peoplehood Index:Evidence from Surveys

in the US and Israel

Prof. Steven M. Cohen, HUC-JIRand

Prof. Ephraim Ya’ar, Tel Aviv University

The Ninth Annual Herzliya Conference: Strategies and Leadership for Times of Crisis

IDC Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy

February 3, 2009

The Surveys: Sample and Methods

Israel Survey

• N=1000 Israeli Jewish adults, age 18+• Questionnaires were completed Dec. 12-17, 2008 by telephone using

CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) by Midgam, Ltd.• Margin of error is 3.2% with a 95% confidence interval

US Survey

• N=1161 adult Jews, age 21 and over who reside in the continental US• Questionnaires were completed by mail and on the web in December

2008 and January 2009• Includes only Jews who are Jewish by religion. Excludes Jews who say

that have “No religion.”• The Jewish sample was weighted by the number of adult Jews in the

household, age, sex, region, and education to approximate distributions found in the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Study

Eight indices• Importance of Jewish identity

• Peoplehood attachment

• Mutual appreciation

• Mutual Centrality

• Mutual Knowledge

• Social networks

• Encouragement for mutual connection

• Inclusive approach to intermarriage

Being Jewish equally important to Israelis and to US Jews

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of Jewish identity

Pride in being Jewish

Importance of beingJewish in your life

Israel

US

Index of Jewish Identity

Israeli & American Jews report nearly equal levels on indicators of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of JewishPeoplehood Attachment

Cares about Jewsoutside Israel or US

Cares about Jews inIsrael/US

Feels attached to Jewsoutside Israel or US

Feels attached to Jews inIsrael/US

Feels close to Jewsoutside Israel or US

Feels close to Jews inIsrael/US

Being Jewish involvesfeeling part of the Jewish

people

Israel

US

Index of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

High levels of mutual appreciation among Israeli and US Jews

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of mutualappreciation

(Not) disappointedin Israel/US Jews

Pride in Israel/USJews

Israel

US

Index of Mutual Appreciation

Most Israeli & US Jews see the other society as a spiritual center of the Jewish People

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

US Jews: Importance ofIsrael as spiritual center

Israelis: Importance of USas spiritual center

Low levels of knowledge of Jews in Israel/US

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of MutualKnowledge

Knowledge of Jewishpopulation size in

Israel/US

Knowledge ofpersonalities and

movements in Israel/US

Subjective knowledge ofIsrael/US Jews

Israel

US

Index of Mutual Knowledge

Similar levels of travel by Israelis to US, & US Jews to Israel

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

US

Israel

Lived there

Twice or more

Once

Never visited

Components of Jewish Peoplehood: Similar scores for Israelis and US Jews; Low levels of knowledge

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Overall Index of JewishPeoplehood

Index of MutualKnowledge

Index of MutualAppreciation

Index of Mutual Centrality

Index of JewishPeoplehood Attachment

Index of Jewish Identity

Israel

US

Overall Index of Jewish Peoplehood

No age differences among Israelis on Peoplehood Attachment and Overall Peoplehood Index

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

OverallPeoplehood Index

PeoplehoodAttachment

65+

35-64

18-34

Index of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

Overall Index of Jewish Peoplehood

No age differences among Americans on Peoplehood Attachment and Overall Peoplehood

Index

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Overall PeoplehoodIndex

PeoplehoodAttachment

65+

35-64

18-34

Index of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

Overall Index of Jewish Peoplehood

Religiosity linked to Peoplehood Attachment and Overall Peoplehood Index among Israelis

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

OverallPeoplehood

Index

PeoplehoodAttachment

Dati

Masorti

Masorti-Hiloni

Hiloni

Overall Index of Jewish

Peoplehood

Index of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

Religiosity linked to Peoplehood Attachment and Overall Peoplehood Index among Americans

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Overall PeoplehoodIndex

PeoplehoodAttachment

Orthodox

Conservative

Reform

Secular

Index of Jewish Peoplehood Attachment

Overall Index of Jewish

Peoplehood

More travel to US/Israel linked with more relationships with US/Israeli Jews

0 20 40 60 80 100

US: Relationships withIsraelis

Israel: Relationshipswith US Jews

Lived there

Twice or more

Once

Never visited

More travel to US/Israel linked with higher levels on Jewish Peoplehood Index

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

US: Peoplehood Index

Israel: PeoplehoodIndex

Lived there

Twice or more

Once

Never visited

US: Overall Index of Jewish

Peoplehood

Israel: Overall Index of Jewish

Peoplehood

The Jewish Peoplehood Index Project

The Main Findings• In both countries, relatively high levels of Jewish identity,

Peoplehood attachment, mutual appreciation, & centrality.• But … Low levels of knowledge of the “other.”• Only minor variations by age among Israeli Jews & self-identified

Jews in the US (i.e., excluding Jews with “No religion”).• Predictable variations by religiosity in the US, but more muted

patterns in Israel.• Travel to each country is intimately linked with knowledge,

networks, and all indicators of Peoplehood attachment.

The Main Policy Takeaways• Translate good feelings into … more knowledge, more interaction,

& more action.• Focus not on feelings, but on learning & doing• In particular, encourage more travel to both countries.

Acknowledgments

Project co-leaders: Nimrod Goor & Prof. Uzi Arad

Additional steering committee members: Gidi Grinstein, Shula Bahat

Principal Investigators: Prof. Steven M. Cohen (HUC-JIR) & Prof. Ephraim Ya’ar (Tel Aviv University)

Bi-national Scientific Advisory Committee:US: Prof. Sam Abrams (New York University), Shula Bahat (AJC NY), Prof. Sylvia Barack

Fishman (Brandeis University), Prof. Shaul Kelner (Vanderbilt University), Tahl Raz (Jewcy.com), & Prof. Chaim Waxman (Rutgers University & JPPPI).

Israel: Prof. Sergio DellaPergola (Hebrew University & JPPPI), Dr. Eran Lerman (AJC Israel), Esti Moskovitz (Mandel Leadership Institute), Prof. Gabi Sheffer (Hebrew University), Prof. Yaacov Yadgar (Bar-Ilan University), & Dr. Shai Finger (JAFI).

Strategic Advisory Board: TBA soonOperating partner organizations: Birthright Israel/Taglit, JAFI’s Partnership2000, the

Wexner Foundation. PPE team: Netaly Ophir (Re’ut Institute)

Thanks to the JPPPI for advice and support, and special thanks to our session partners, Beth Hetefutsoth, in particular Dr. Shlomi Ravid and Louisa Valitsky, for a wonderful collaboration.

Most Israelis and most American Jews want intermarried treated like in-married

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Treat mixed married likein-married

Israel

US

US: In-married score higher than intermarried on Jewish Peoplehood, relationships, Jewish identity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Jewish Identity Index

Relationships Index

Peoplehood Index

In-married

Intermarried

More personal relationships linked with higher levels on Jewish Peoplehood Index

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

US: Peoplehood Index

Israel: Peoplehood Index

Many

Some

Few

None

Israelis: Little variation by age in Peoplehood, Relationships & Jewish identity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of Jewish identity

Index of personalrelationships withIsraelis/US Jews

Index of JewishPeoplehood

65+

35-64

Under 35

US: Mixed patterns by age; younger Jews retain Peoplehood ties, lower Jewish Identity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Index of Jewish identity

Index of personalrelationships withIsraelis/US Jews

Index of JewishPeoplehood

65+

35-64

Under 35

Few age differences among Israelis on Jewish identity, peoplehood, social networks, and

knowledge indices

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Knowledge

Social Networks

Peoplehood

Jewish Identity

65+

35-64

18-34

Younger American Jews have larger social networks, few age differences on other indices

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Knowledge

Social Networks

Peoplehood

Jewish Identity

65+

35-64

18-34

Israelis: Few differences among levels of religiosity and social networks; Dati Israelis outscore other

denominations on other indices

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Knowledge

Social Networks

Peoplehood

Jewish Identity

Dati

Masorti

Masorti-Hiloni

Hiloni

US Jews: Orthodox outscore other denominations on all indices, especially social networks

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Knowledge

Social Networks

Peoplehood

Jewish Identity

Orthodox

Conservative

Reform

Secular

US: Religious traditionalism linked with higher levels of Jewish Peoplehood, relationships, identity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Jewish Identity Index

Relationships Index

Peoplehood Index

Orthodox

Conservative

Reform

All other

High levels of support for strengthening ties among Israelis

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Support for strengtheningties

Encouragement of aliyah

Support for bringing USyouth to visit Israel

Interest in activities

Some American Jews engage in activities designed to express and foster ties to Israelis

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Sent friends e-mail related toIsreal

Encouraged friends to visitIsrael

Participated in an Israel-relatedprogram

Similar scores for Israelis and Americans on Peoplehood Attachment and Overall Peoplehood

Index

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Overall PeoplehoodIndex

Peoplehood Attachment

Israel

US

More relationships with the “Other” reported by Israelis than by US Jews

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Index of personalrelationships with

Israelis/US

Phoned or emailedsomeone in

Israel/US last year

Close friends inIsrael/US

Close relatives inIsrael/US

Israel

US