Study: Young American Jews are not alienated from Israel

[bemildred]

WASHINGTON - Despite being on the road, I heard about this new study that just came out today and did not want to wait with the good news. So, I will share some of the highlights here and maybe write more about it later. For those really interested in the topic - I recommend reading the study in full. I, for one, found it to be very interesting.

So let's dive into it, starting with the most surprising conclusion: "Jewish attachment to Israel has largely held steady for the period 1994-2007". There is no decline. Those of you who bothered to read any of my previous posts on this matter (Another study, more proof: Younger American Jews are alienated from Israel), can calm down.

The new study was released by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University. I spoke with two of the three scholars responsible for this study (Len Saxe and Ted Sasson. Charles Kadushin was also on the team) and they feel pretty confident about its findings. Prof. Saxe of Brandeis told me that he is more than ready to debate those who will not agree with the conclusions of this study if need arises. There are "strong reasons for rejecting the prevailing pessimism regarding the future relationship of American Jews to Israel", the study declares. With such conclusions, there is no doubt that the need will arise.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/960736.html

[Vegasaurus]

1. It is not just conservative or Orthodox young people

who visit Israel and feel the connection, but is true among the more reform population of youth too,

People think Israel exists as only an interest for the blue haired set,but that hasn't been my experience at all. Every Jewish student I know takes an Israel trip before they are out of high school, and the ones that don't take it then, take it as a Birthright trip while they are in college. I see no alienation from Israel at all.

[aquart]

2. Why? Were you hoping?

Isn't that the goal of the "progressives"?

[bemildred]

3. Why what? What is your question? nt

[azurnoir]

4. Is there some confusion or conflation here?

Feeling a connection to Israel does not necessarily mean supporting Israel's occupation or policies nor does not supporting these thing mean that one hates Israel no matter how much political coin that one is worth to some.

[bemildred]

5. It's an attempt at refuting some stories which have said the opposite.

It mentions Cohen in particular. I suspect it's a murky business, but I was interested in some of the particular points asserted, in particular number 4, and as an example of how little probative value all such "studies" have, they are almost uniformly PR efforts rather than attempts at objective or scientific understanding. One would in fact have difficulty in even establishing that the object of study - e.g. the "feeling of connection of US Jews with Israel" - has any objective existence, it is an opinion about statistical properties of the nebulous opinions of a nebulously defined group.

[Vegasaurus]

6. No one needs "studies" or statistics on this

One need only look anecdotally at the actual experiences of young Jewish teens. Even ones who haven't been raised in religious homes often feel a strong bond or connection to the country.

[bemildred]

7. Indeed, anecdotal evidence has been long recognized as the surest guide to truth.

All this scientific and academic twaddle about empirical evidence and sound inference is just a big waste of time.