Israeli Jews firmly stand with the Diaspora in the fight against global anti-Semitism, but according to a recent survey, when it comes to issues of national security, they feel Diaspora Jews should stay out of the discussion.
An old photo of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US financier Morris Talansky.
Photo: Channel 10
These findings were among the results of the recent third annual Survey of Contemporary Israeli Attitudes Toward World Jewry commissioned by the B'nai B'rith World Center in Jerusalem.
Many of the survey's findings supported Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's dramatic shift in Israel-Diaspora policy as presented in a speech last month to the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors.
The prime minister's promise of change, World Center Director Alan Schneider said on Tuesday, signified a move away from mass aliya toward building a relationship founded upon culture and Hebrew-language promotion. The new policy believes in "building contacts instead of seeing [the Diaspora] as a source for aliya and funding," Schneider said.
Olmert called the shift "a new paradigm" for the Israeli-Diaspora relationship.
According to the survey, some 46 percent of Jewish Israelis above the age of 18 support the new policy.
A man blows the shofar after making aliya [illustrative].
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski
"We were surprised that 46% of the public supported it before any public debate," Schneider said. "We went out to test the general public's opinion, and even though it was flying in the face of 60 years of government policy, we still found significant support among the public for this policy."
Olmert spoke about moving away from an institutional focus on aliya to supporting Jewish education, culture and heritage in the Diaspora. Schneider believes this shift is the result of "looking at realities" in the Diaspora, including the fact that the era of mass aliya is coming to a close, with only pockets of Jews living outside Israel or the US, mostly in the former Soviet Union and France.
The survey also found the Israeli public feels solidarity with the Diaspora in the fight against global anti-Semitism, with a two-to-one majority of Israelis saying the State of Israel has a greater responsibility to fight anti-Semitism than even Diaspora communities.
"It shows a sense of common destiny and common identity," said Schneider. "It's something we've always strived for. That is, mutual destiny."
Although Israelis feel a responsibility toward Jews living abroad, they overwhelmingly do not want their input on issues of border changes, according to the survey. Only 20% of Israelis said the government should take Diaspora opinion into account when deciding on border changes, such as diplomatic agreements based on territorial compromise on Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.
Schneider was not surprised, saying that it was consistent with earlier surveys.
"Israelis feel that when it comes to issues of life and death here in Israel, issues that can draw Israel into wars, or issues of security, that it's the people here in Israel who are going to pay the price for decisions made," he said.
While Israelis want to connect with Diaspora communities culturally and in the fight against anti-Semitism, "when it comes to issues of life and death, Israelis feel that they're the ones - the only ones - who should have a say," Schneider said.
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