Jerusalem Post - 10/20/98
By MARILYN HENRY
NEW YORK (October 20) -- Jewish identity and attachment to Israel are declining in the US, with only one-quarter of American
Jews believing that Israel is "very important," according to Steven M. Cohen, a Hebrew University sociologist.
"There is not a threat to Jewish continuity in America - the question is what kind of Judaism," said Cohen, who released the results
of a national study on Jewish religious and ethnic identity in America at a news conference in New York yesterday.
A narrow majority - 52 percent - said "Israel is critical to sustaining American Jewish life." Only one-third said Israel is extremely
important to their sense of being Jewish, while only 18% regard visiting Israel at least once as essential to being a "good Jew,"
according to Cohen's research. Only 20% think it is essential to support Israel.
The erosion of ties with Israel has taken place over 25 years, with multiple reasons for the decline, Cohen said. Some have to do
with changes in Jewish identity. "If American Jews become less ethnic, Israel is less important," he said.
However, Israeli actions are also involved in the decline, including confusion about the peace process and alienation over Israeli
religious policies and "who is a Jew," he said.
"It is not that people are turning against Israel, but they are moving to a more neutral position in their consciousness," Cohen said.
American Jews are experiencing declines in almost all forms of ethnic identity, although they seem to be maintaining levels of
religious identity, according to Cohen's research, which was conducted for the Jewish Community Center Association.
In a study of 1,000 Jews, Cohen distinguished between ethnic and religious identity. Religious identity - which was measured by
faith in God, ritual observance, and religious commitment - is fairly stable, with no dramatic differences between younger and older
Jews.
Ethnic identity was measured according to a scale that rated commitment to Jewish peoplehood, attachment to Israel, sentiment on
intermarriage, the level of Jewish friendship, loyalty to Jewish institutions, and the perception of social justice as a Jewish value. All
are weaker among younger Jews than older ones.
"While younger Jews are just as religiously committed as their elders, they are less ethnically identified," Cohen said.
The ethnic component, though weakening, is still stronger than the religious dimension in American Jewish identity, Cohen said. He
added that he believes the ethnic drive to be Jewish is much more powerful than the religious one.
A quarter of those surveyed said that religion is "very important" in their lives, while 47% said that being Jewish is "very important."
Almost one-third of those surveyed said they "don't really feel competent praying in synagogue," and as many said that "most
synagogue services are not interesting to me."
The erosion in measures of ethnic identity varies with age. Some 60% of Jews over 55 say that most of their close friends are
Jewish; that drops to about 36% for Jews 25-44.
Cohen focused special attention on Jewish friendship, which, he said, "indicates a lot of things about the nature of Jewish life in
America." It reveals that Jews are dispersed geographically and by occupation, that they are less likely to need and want other
Jews as friends, and thus are less likely to need organizations and institutions that provide them with a place to be with other Jews. |
