American Jews and War, UN, Kirk

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Two in five American Jews view conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a friend of US Jewry, while nearly a third see him as an opponent, alongside strong negativity toward the UN, rising criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, and deep pessimism about the year ahead, according to the Jewish People Policy Institute’s latest Jewish People’s Voice Index released Sunday.

JPPI said the index asked US Jewish panelists how they perceive Kirk. “Two in five American Jews identified Kirk as a friend of US Jews,” while 29% viewed him as an opponent, 18% as neutral, and 16% did not know, the institute said in a statement.

The splits were stark by denomination and vote: 79% of Haredi Jews and 62% of Orthodox respondents called Kirk a friend, compared with 41% of Reform and 24% of Conservative Jews who considered him an opponent. “Eighty-six percent of Trump voters saw Kirk as a friend,” JPPI reported, while “only 12% of Harris voters thought so,” and nearly half of Harris voters (47%) labeled him an opponent.

Views of the United Nations were overwhelmingly negative. “Seventy-nine percent declared they hold a negative view of the UN,” JPPI said, including 61% “very negative” and 18% “somewhat negative.”

On campus boycotts, the institute found a broad consensus that such steps cross a line. The statement said there was “broad agreement of 70%” that allowing academic institutions to boycott Israel is “both anti-Israel and antisemitic,” a higher share than in a comparable survey in Israel.

The index also captured skepticism about claims of widespread famine in Gaza. A “large majority of 70% answered that the reports were exaggerated,” JPPI said, including 44% who called them “very exaggerated” and 26% “somewhat exaggerated.”

Israel’s response in Gaza has been too aggressive.
At the same time, nearly half of US Jews now say Israel’s response in Gaza has been too aggressive, and that share is rising. “From 31% in January to 47% this month,” the institute said. Among those who defined themselves as “very liberal,” 69% said Israel’s response was “far too aggressive,” with another 16% calling it “a bit too aggressive,” for a total of 85% in that subgroup.

Respondents were split on end-game preferences. Forty-three percent said Israel should seek to end the war and secure a hostage deal “even if that means Hamas remains in control of the Strip,” while 42% said Israel should continue the war to remove Hamas “even if that means there will be no hostage deal,” JPPI noted. The institute said these figures are “very similar” to results recorded among Jews in Israel.

Looking ahead to the new year, the panel was markedly downbeat. Two-thirds (66%) said the United States “is on a path of deterioration and that this process will continue.” On Israel’s trajectory, 38% believed the country “is on a path of deterioration,” while 19% said it “is on a path of improvement,” and another 20% said they believe things will improve later. Regarding the world at large, 71% said it “is on a path of deterioration,” a view that “crosses political groups,” with 70% of both “very liberal” and “very conservative” respondents sharing it, according to the statement.

More than half of Jewish Americans say they experienced antisemitism in the past year, and many now consider such hostility a normal part of Jewish life, according to a study published Monday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).

The survey of some 5,000 Jewish adults, conducted in partnership with researchers from Columbia University, found that 55 percent of Jewish Americans reported at least one form of antisemitism in the last 12 months, while 57% said antisemitism has become “a normal Jewish experience.”

The report found that American Jews have significant safety concerns and are experiencing psychological fallout. Some 79% of Jews are concerned about antisemitism, and 48% have taken actions to increase their personal security and sense of safety, including developing worst-case scenario plans (33%), plans to flee the country (14%), and purchasing guns (9%).

8% said they were physically assaulted, threatened or verbally harassed because of their Jewish identity, while 36% witnessed actual or threatened antisemitic violence. Nearly half said they had faced exclusion or minimization of their Jewish identity, such as being blamed for Israel’s actions or feeling unwelcome because of their faith.

eyond personal experiences, ambient antisemitism is nearly universal, with 60% saying they had seen antisemitic graffiti or flyers in public places, and 88% encountering antisemitic content on social media or other media platforms.

Researchers found links between antisemitism and health, as 41% of respondents who experienced direct harm said it had negatively affected their physical well-being.

Jewish Americans who directly experienced or witnessed antisemitism were twice as likely to score above medical thresholds for anxiety or depression as those who had not. About 32% of victims met the clinical screening threshold for anxiety, and 21% for depression.

Jews also feel a growing sense of isolation from the wider society, with half of respondents saying they believe that most non-Jewish Americans would not stand with Jews if antisemitic violence were to occur. That was six percentage points higher than in similar surveys conducted last year.

That helps explain why few victims reported their experiences. Among those who faced antisemitic discrimination, 74% said they never reported it to any organization or authority. Of those who did, just 7% contacted ADL, 5% the police, and 1% the FBI. Most said they believed nothing would happen or didn’t trust institutions to handle the issue.

Despite this, many remain determined to fight back against hate. Only 30% said they felt there was nothing that could be done to improve the situation, and 68% said they were at least somewhat comfortable speaking out publicly against antisemitism.

Despite widespread anxiety, 84% of Jews who directly experienced antisemitism said it prompted at least one positive change in their lives, including a deeper connection to Jewish community (62%), renewed spiritual faith (49%), or a reevaluation of life priorities.