Conducted by the Ruderman Family Foundation, the poll surveyed more than 1,000 Israelis on the current state of antisemitism.

By TPS

Some 28% of Israeli Jews aged 18-29 are either “very much” or “extremely” afraid for their personal safety as a Jew traveling abroad, and 59% of Israelis hide their Jewish identity while out of the country, according to a new survey released on Monday by the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Dialog, the poll surveyed more than 1,000 Israelis on the current state of antisemitism.

The results were released at the Knesset during a special session of the Caucus for Israel-American Jewry Relations, an initiative established by the Foundation. The Caucus’ objective is to strengthen Israeli relations with American Jewry and elevate the concerns of American Jews within Israeli deliberations and aspirations.

In the survey, 21% of Israeli Jews ages 18-29 reported either experiencing antisemitism or knowing of someone who experienced antisemitism when traveling outside of Israel. 17% of respondents aged 30-39, 7% ages 40-49, 15% ages 50-59, and 8% over 60 answered “yes” to the same question.

Similarly, 32% of Jews ages 18-29 are reluctant to reveal that they are Israeli when traveling abroad, compared to 35% of respondents aged 30-39, 27% ages 40-49, 23% ages 50-59, and 15% over 60.

When asked if they hide Jewish symbols on their person when traveling, 59% of Israelis said they would do so, with traditional Jews (69%) opting to do so the most and Orthodox Jews (31%) the least likely to avoid wearing religious garb while traveling.

Nearly two-thirds, 62%, agreed that Israel should intervene in the combat against antisemitism around the world, employing tactics such as rescue missions, antisemitism training seminars, and disbursing aid to Jewish communities. 38% think Israel is not adequately addressing the impact of antisemitism online. Only 5% of Israelis believe the world is strongly working to combat antisemitism.

When it comes to their IDF service, more than half of Israelis say they are not afraid to fly abroad once they are discharged.

Twenty-six percent of Israeli Jewish adults aged 30-39 reported fear over personal safety at the prospect of traveling abroad, compared to 21% of respondents aged 40-49, 23% of those ages 50-59, and 16% for those over 60.

“Our new survey powerfully shows that pressing American Jewish concerns such as rising antisemitism are in fact shared concerns for the Jewish communities on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world,” Jay Ruderman said.

“Although Israelis live in a Jewish state, we should not and cannot assume that they are somehow immune from the threat of antisemitism. In turn, the shared nature of this threat can serve to unite American and Israeli Jews in efforts to combat it,” he added.

“Relations between Israel and American Jewry are a strategic asset for Israel and are not to be taken for granted,” said Caucus Co-Chair MK Ruth Wasserman Lande. “There is an importance in strengthening the acquaintance between Israelis and our brothers and sisters in the United States, with all the complexity that characterizes them.”

“The resilience of the Jewish people is in its unity,” Wasserman Lande added.

During Monday’s session, Knesset members were also presented with data from a previous Foundation-commissioned study conducted by the Mellman Group; a panel study that examined 2,500 Jewish American adults in December 2019 and the Fall of 2021. One thousand of the original respondents took part in the latter survey.

In data that has not yet been published, the U.S.-based study revealed that American Jews have a stronger sense of shared fate with each other than they do with Jews in Israel.

When asked how much what happens to Jews in America would affect their lives, 82% responded either “a lot” or “some.”

In contrast, only 55% feel any attachment to Israel. On the other hand, 73% of Israelis identify strongly when something happens to their Jewish brethren abroad.

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Eight out of 10 Jews identified themselves as “pro-Israel,” a new study from the Ruderman Family Foundation revealed.

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After less than 24 hours, a US-based Jewish foundation wound down its “hugely successful” campaign to counter Poland’s controversial Holocaust law. 

By: World Israel News Staff and AP

A prominent American Jewish foundation launched a campaign calling on the US to cut all diplomatic ties with Poland over its passing of a controversial bill that criminalizes the use of the term “Polish Holocaust.”

The Ruderman Family Foundation, which launched the campaign, posted a video on Youtube which sparked outrage in Poland on Wednesday with its provocative use of the  term “Polish Holocaust” to protest the new Polish law.

In the video, men, women and children are seen saying “Polish Holocaust,” defiantly breaking Polish law.

Ridiculing the law, one of the people is seen standing in a bar holding a beverage while saying “I wonder if they have beer in Polish prison.”

A mother sitting on a sofa with two children is seen saying “I’ll miss them when I’m gone,” referencing her supposed pending imprisonment. An elderly man, possibly a Holocaust survivor, is seen saying, “No Polish prison scares me.”

The clip says that “after 3.5 million Jews were murdered in Poland, including hundreds of thousands of children, the Poles have passed a new law.”

“Repeal this disgraceful law now,” the foundation’s clip demanded.

The Boston-based foundation put out the video in reaction to the new Polish law, which criminalizes attributing Holocaust crimes to Poland.

Polish complicity in the Holocaust

The measure has angered Israel, where it is seen as an attempt to whitewash the actions of Poles who murdered Jews or collaborated with the Nazis during the Holocaust.

The use of the term “Polish Holocaust” in the video was seen as offensive to many in Poland. Many of Nazi Germany’s death camps, like Auschwitz, were located in German-occupied Poland. Poles had no role in operating them, but did murder Jews during the Holocaust and collaborated with the Nazis.

Princeton University Professor Jan Tomasz Gross, an expert on Polish complicity in the Holocaust, previously stated that Poland’s new stance dissociating itself from the Holocaust is “a step back to the dark ages of anti-Semitism.”

The Polish-born sociologist and historian has stoked controversy in Poland with works that expose dark chapters in a wartime history that Poles are otherwise proud of thanks to a strong resistance by Poles to Nazi Germany.

The latest uproar surrounding Gross began after he asserted in 2015 that Poles killed more Jews than Germans during the war. Though the exact numbers are difficult to measure, Gross said evidence indicates that Poles killed up to 30,000 Germans during the war, at most, while they probably killed 70,000 to 90,000 Jews, but possibly more.

Emotions are running high

“The term ‘Polish Holocaust’ is not accepted by any reasonable person whether Jewish, Polish, Israeli or German,” Jonathan Ornstein, director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, said. “Emotions are running high and harmful, inaccurate comments from various sides have been published, but this is indefensible,” Ornstein claimed.

The Ruderman Family Foundation released a statement saying that “after a hugely successful campaign that went viral internationally and among American Jews and Israelis who have signed the petition – the Foundation was contacted by the Polish Jewish community and because of their concerns for their safety, we decided to halt the campaign.”

Michal Dworczyk, an aide to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, described the video as an affront to the thousands of Poles who risked their lives during the war to help Jews.

Polish state television’s all-news channel TVP Info reported it as the top story on its website, calling the video “shocking.”

Witold Jurasz, a journalist with the private Polsat broadcaster, called the video “offensive and scandalous,” and said it “spits in the face of every Pole” — even those who, like him, oppose Poland’s Holocaust law.

Poland’s Holocaust law, which takes effect February 28, has already triggered rising anti-Semitism in Poland. In reaction to criticism from Holocaust historians and others, the government said it will be reviewed by Poland’s constitutional court.

Deputy foreign minister Bartosz Cichocki said Tuesday that no criminal charges would be brought under the law until the court reviews it.

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