Knowledge about Israel

In some ways, it could be expected that American Jews would feel that what happens to other Jews in the U.S. would have more of an impact than whatever happens in Israel. But it is a reminder that for some American Jews, Israel is not as close or immediate an issue.

An Israel Index using similar factors to the Jewish Identity Index also underscores this difference. Only one in ten (11%) are in the high index category feeling both very attached to Israel and that what happens to Israel has a lot to do with their lives. That is less than half the 25% in the high range of the Jewish identity index and shared fate with other American Jews category.

How much do you think that what happens to Jews in this country/ Israel will have something to do with what happens in your life?

Those more engaged in the U.S. Jewish community appear to be more informed about events in Israel

We used a simple three-question, multiple-choice quiz to gauge awareness of events in Israel. While this pop quiz is far from an ideal assessment of awareness, let alone understanding, it does provide an interesting gauge of how knowledge can differ by demographics.

Most were able to answer basic questions about Israel, but the less engaged and less attached to Israel were less informed. We asked three general knowledge questions about Israel to establish an Israel Identity Index:

• Who was the current Prime Minister of Israel? (multiple choice) • Which city was home to the US embassy in Israel? (multiple choice) • Were Arab citizens of Israel allowed to vote in Israeli elections?

Although many American Jews have some basic information about Israel, shockingly, four in ten do not know that Arab citizens have voting rights.

Each question was answered correctly by a majority or large plurality across demographic backgrounds. Those not feeling attached to Israel and smaller donors were correct less often. The engaged and observant were better informed, but even among the unengaged, a majority answered at least two of three questions correctly; younger Jews were no less informed than the seniors.

Over three quarters (78%) of Orthodox Jews answered all three questions correctly, as did 52% of Conservative Jews, as opposed to 36% and 35% of Reform and non-denominational Jews, respectively.

There was a similar difference in community engagement. Among those engaged in community organizations, 59% answered all three questions correctly, compared to 35% of the unengaged.

Responses to Multiple Choice Quiz