80% of US Jews to attend Passover seder this year

New poll shows four-fifths of American Jews plan to attend a Passover seder this year, and two-thirds believe Israel has struck the right balance with its Jewish identity.

By World Israel News Staff

The vast majority of American Jews plan to take part in a Passover seder this year, according to a new survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute’s (JPPI) Voice of the Jewish People Index.

According to the survey, 80% of respondents in the United States are expected to host or participate in a traditional seder night, a figure almost identical to last year’s and one that indicates the stability of one of the central rituals of Jewish identity in the diaspora.

Prior to the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, roughly 7 in 10 American Jews said they took part in Passover seders.

Another 3% said they would take part in a festive meal with few or no traditional elements, while a relatively small share of respondents (8%) said they had no plans to participate in a special Passover event.

Less than one in 10 (9%) said they had not yet decided how they would celebrate the holiday.

The data indicate that the seder night continues to be one of the main and most stable expressions of connection to Jewish tradition among American Jewry, including among those who do not necessarily lead a religious lifestyle.

While the vast majority of American Jews do not identify as Orthodox, nearly half (48%) of respondents say religion is very important in their lives, and nearly a quarter (23%) attend synagogue every week.

More than a third of respondents (35%) said religion is important “to some extent” in their lives, while just 17% of respondents said religion is not especially important to them.

According to the survey, in addition to the 23% of respondents in the US who attend synagogue every week, another 14% attend almost every week. Twenty-two percent attend “about once a month.”

Thirty-four percent say they attend synagogue only rarely, and another 8% said they “never” attend synagogue.

The survey also examined respondents’ views regarding the Jewish character of the State of Israel.

A clear majority of American Jews, 66%, believe that Israel is a Jewish state “to the right extent,” while only a small minority think it is not Jewish enough or, conversely, too Jewish.

Only 12% believe that Israel is not Jewish enough, and 11% believe that it is too Jewish. The remaining respondents said they do not know or have no opinion on the matter.

These figures stand out when compared with the views of the Israeli public itself.

In a parallel JPPI Israeli Society Index survey, the Israeli public was found to be much more divided on this question: Only 38% of Israelis think Israel is Jewish “to the right extent,” while over one-third (36%) believe Israel is not Jewish enough and one-quarter (24%) think it is too Jewish.

“The seder night continues to be one of the pillars of Jewish identity in the diaspora, a baton passed from generation to generation in the multi-generational relay race of the historical memory shared by Jews across the globe,” said JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern.

“Even among Jews who do not lead a fully religious lifestyle, the connection to tradition remains significant. As for the question of whether the State of Israel is Jewish to the right extent — US Jews answer with a resounding yes, while Israeli Jews, by a large majority, answer no.”

“This is an interesting finding that stands in contrast to the fact that US Jews, in general, tend to be critical of Israel when it comes to questions of foreign policy and security.”