US Jews support Israel, don't speak up

[Behind the Aegis]

US Jews are strong supporters of Israel but usually tend to refrain from defending Israel publicly. This is one of the main conclusions of a new poll that surveyed the views of American Jews.

The poll was commissioned by The Israel Project, a pro-Israel public advocacy group and was conducted by pollster Frank Luntz.

Among the 800 American Jews that took part in the survey, 82% said they support Israel, most of them characterizing themselves as strong supporters. Analyzing the supporters, Luntz found that backing Israel is stronger among older Jews, among those who belong to the Conservative movement and among Jews who attended Jewish day schools and visited Israel.

While the support for Israel seemed solid, pollster Luntz warned from "disturbing signs that support could shift in the wrong direction". He noted that one in five American Jews does not support Israel in questions concerning its conflict with the Palestinians. "Every day people are dying and in this conflict I would like to see 90% backing Israel", he added.

...more... http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475665720&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[xchrom]

1. frank luntz -- famous gop pollster operative?

the one with the bad toupee?

[Behind the Aegis]

2. the one and same.

So, it must mean it is not true. :eyes:

[xchrom]

3. yeah --

:crazy: and here's my smilie for knee jerk support of israel.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. that makes no sense.

[xchrom]

6. and neither did your response.

luntz isn't going to create a poll with out an agenda guiding the ultimate response.

pretending that he does/will is disingenuous.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. again..no sense

just because he is odious, is it not possible what he says is actually true?

and here is my knee jerk reply for gay rights :crazy:

Because we all know that gays asking for equal rights is "too much, too soon." :sarcasm:

[xchrom]

12. there's a surprising response --

you post a slanted poll from luntz -- posit the possibility of truth with no proof -- you get called on the dis - ingenuity of your intentions.

you are amusing -- i'll say that.
but i don't believe your hurt or anger what ever it is you feel regarding some liberals and their lack of support for israel.

you, frank luntz and ralph reed will make for happy company i'm sure.

i'll leave you alone now -- with whatever your phony motives were for starting with a poll from luntz.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. LMAO!

Implications I must be a freeper or right-wing! :rofl: So fucking predictable by the knee-jerking anti-Israeli crowd!

[xchrom]

21. you're the one suckin frank luntz's poll -- and showin it to folks.

and while it's my mistake and others for slowing down to rubber neck something that ugly --

don't try to convince us something that horrible isn't that bad.

[Behind the Aegis]

24. .

:eyes:

You totally missed the point of the post (the original one). It is, however, not surprising at all.

[xchrom]

25. yeah right --

:rofl: you must be smoking some good drugs if you think i didn't get the original point.

i find it disingenuous to think that a push poll exposes any kind of truth -- but you remain the one that wants to roll around with frank{and if you're rollin frank -- then ralph is waiting for his turn}.

what i'm saying is that you KNOW it's bullshit.
and you're spreading bullshit for your own reasons -- whatever they are.

there's nothing honest about posting this or anything approaching genuine.

[Behind the Aegis]

26. and yet...

...you have made no comment on what was said in the poll. We all know you hate Luntz, we all know you like implying that because I posted it, I must be in bed with him (not only a gay jab, but implying I am a right-winger), we all know you have done nothing but cast insults.

Posting something for discussion is not "spreading bullshit." Responding with attacks of the poster being right-wing or having sinister motives is spreading bullshit.

[xchrom]

27. it's not bullshit when the poster is relying on a dishonest push poll

and passing it off.

you're not trying to interest anyone about the ''rightness' of the poll -- you're interested in something personal.

and i call rightwing bullshit.

[Behind the Aegis]

28. and still...

...in its other location, there were quite a few comments about what Jews feel in the US and issues with the poll (mainly because it can't be found), but it was all done in a more contructive and civil manner than the crap here.

[barb162]

16. I am wondering why you write that.

Having an agenda, like an ad firm does, doesn't necessarily mean the polling wasn't done scientifically.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. My experience: American Jews may not AFFIRMATIVELY support

Israel on a regular basis, but man, if a non-Jew (or worse, a "self-hating Jew" in their eyes) criticizes Israel, they'll DEFEND its right to exist and to pursue its right to expand its borders and to choose theology over democracy any day of the week.

[dutchdemocrat]

7. Comments at the Jerusalem Post website on article.

1. American "Jews"
Danny - Tel Aviv
12/01/2005 22:55

This is EXACTLY what I meant when I told my American Jewish English teacher that I would trade five hundred American Jews for five American Evangelic Christians on a-n-y given day.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?article_headline=US+Jews+support+Israel%2C+don%27t+speak+up&articleref=1132475665720&author_name=NATHAN+GUTTMAN&id=1126169697986&pagename=JPost/JPTalkback/ShowTalkback&tb_num=1

A very smart observation. Evangelicals are actually more likely to speak up on behalf of Israel than many in the Jewish community. We should accept our allies where we find them.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?article_headline=US+Jews+support+Israel%2C+don%27t+speak+up&articleref=1132475665720&author_name=NATHAN+GUTTMAN&id=1126169699198&pagename=JPost/JPTalkback/ShowTalkback&tb_num=3

Right on! the older generations of American Jews tended to more or less have a Jewish peoplehood consciousness, although even many of them tended to express it more during periods when Israel was favorably preceived by the general U.S. population. As things stand now though -- and especially in view of trends among youger U.S. Jews --- I'm prepared to write them off, except the manifestly Zionist ones. All the others I simply view as a pool from which to "convert" to Zionism. I also think most liberal American "Jews" are not only bad sons and daughters of the Jewish people, but also bad Americans, what with their being in the lead of various misguided leftist-liberal causes. It's no wonder conservatism is correlated with support for Israel. And Jews who support today's Democratic party are neither good Jews, nor good Americans. Evangelical Christians are far more reliable allies than most of today's post-Modern, post-Jewish, post-patriotic American "Jews"

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?article_headline=US+Jews+support+Israel%2C+don%27t+speak+up&articleref=1132475665720&author_name=NATHAN+GUTTMAN&id=1126169701118&pagename=JPost/JPTalkback/ShowTalkback&tb_num=11

AIPAC will be in my town for a big conference this month. I've gone before but I'll never go again and they'll never get another dime from me either since they've dropped singing Hatkivah from their program and refused to have someone representative from YESHA speak when they were in New York with Ariel Sharon. They were fawning all over him since he adopted their liberal attitude about throwing evil right -wing Jews out of Gaza. Obsequious is an understatement. Shameful ...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?article_headline=US+Jews+support+Israel%2C+don%27t+speak+up&articleref=1132475665720&author_name=NATHAN+GUTTMAN&id=1126169699494&pagename=JPost/JPTalkback/ShowTalkback&tb_num=5

[Behind the Aegis]

9. and?

[dutchdemocrat]

10. And?

And?

What?

I find it shocking that some hardline Israelis call Democrats traitors and would rather align themselves with Republican Fundamentalists. I read the article. And I read all the responses. These simply shocked me.

Don't pigeonhole me for reproducing comments from JP thanks.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. I didn't pigeonhole you...

...but thanks for implying I did.

[Maat]

13. This certainly stirs emotions.

I'm interested in finding a way to support both my Muslim friends and my Jewish friends.

I have a Jewish friend that attends a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue. She has spent her entire life in the peace movement, and is now in her 50's. She is helping me get together a collection of statements I can say that honor both Palestinians and Israeli Jews (etc).

Any help is appreciated. I just want peace, and for suicide-homicide bombings to stop, and for bulldozing people's homes and killing civilians to stop.

My tax dollars seem to wind up funding activities that appall me.

She is helping me to frame those thoughts.

[barb162]

18. I think your views are shared by so many people.

And they are beautiful thoughts.

[Maat]

22. Thanks.

And I appreciate all of the insight and education on this topic that I can get.

[barb162]

17. Do you ever go on the Israel/Palestine forum

[cobaindrain]

14. I find most Jewish people feel sort of detached from Israel

So I don't necessarily agree with these results.

Especially one's from eastern european descent and uncertain bloodlines, ones that supposedly have no connection to ancient times. Now I really can't speak for them since I'm not Jewish, but to some it seems Israel is about as distant as Mars. They don't view it as a homeland, as a result they're indifferent to its fate

[barb162]

15. Glad you posted that, BTA, It's really important

[funflower]

19. I know a lot of Jews who've been horrified by the policies of the Sharon

and Netanyahu governments. Saying the "support Israel" begs the question what Israeli actions and politicians they "support."

[AntiCoup2K4]

23. Excellent point.

I'm certain that most American Jews, when asked would say that they support Israel, as in "the existence of a Jewish state".

But that should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Likud policy anymore than Americans loving their country would be an endorsement of the Chimp.

Luntz is a right wing whore, and the "Jerusalem Post" is a right wing disinformation rag (Conrad Black/Hollinger/Perle/etc.) so there's reasonable doubt that their "results" aren't distorted.

[funflower]

29. I'm sure a lot of Israeli citizens would agree with everything you said.