Community
Survey: American Jews feel closer to Israelis than at any point in five years
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
More American Jews feel a family-level bond with Israeli Jews than at any point in the past five years, according to a survey commissioned by the Jewish Federations of North America, a network of Jewish community organizations across the United States and Canada. The findings, reported by eJewishPhilanthropy and Jewish Insider, come as both communities have lived through the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, the war in Gaza and rising global antisemitism.
What the numbers show
Sixty-two percent of American Jewish respondents said they view Israeli Jews as extended family or part of their own community. That compares with 46% who said the same in a 2021 American Jewish Committee survey. On the Israeli side, 53% said they view American Jews the same way, up from 45% in 2021.
The U.S. portion of the survey covered 2,836 Jewish respondents and ran across May and June 2026. The Israeli portion, drawn from 1,323 Jewish adults, took place in May 2026.
The share of American Jews who say they have a lot in common with Israelis reached 29%, up from 19% in a 2020 Pew Research Center survey that asked the same question. Among Israeli Jews, 43% said they have a lot in common with American Jews, and 44% said they share some things in common.
Where the two communities diverge
Despite the stronger sense of connection, the two groups differ on what that connection demands. Seventy-eight percent of Israeli Jewish respondents agreed that Jews worldwide share a common fate and must act on it together. Among American Jews, 56% agreed with that statement.
On the question of diaspora life, the gap closes: 72% of both populations agreed that living outside Israel is a legitimate form of Jewish existence, not a problem requiring a solution. The diaspora refers to Jewish communities living outside Israel.
Views on American Jewish philanthropy also split along national lines. Seventy-nine percent of Israeli respondents said American Jewish giving to Israel remains important to Israeli society; 67% of American Jews agreed. Asked whether post-October 7 donations made Israelis feel that diaspora Jews genuinely cared, 68% of Israelis said yes, compared with 50% of American Jews. On whether that financial support is critical to Israeli rebuilding, opinions were more divided: 40% of Israelis and 49% of American Jews agreed.
How contact shapes the connection
The survey found a strong link between personal experience and a sense of shared identity. American Jews who had visited Israel once were 1.7 times as likely to report having things in common with Israeli Jews as those who had never been. Those who had visited more than once were 3.8 times as likely, and those who had lived in Israel were 11.2 times as likely, according to the report.
Direct contact with Israeli Jews showed a similar pattern. Among American Jewish respondents whose contact with Israelis was more engaged, 91% reported having things in common with Israeli Jews, compared with 70% of those whose contact was more distant and 42% of those with no contact at all.
Sources
1. Jewish Federations survey finds deepening ties between U.S., Israeli Jewish communities, ejewishphilanthropy.com
2. Jewish Federations survey finds deepening ties between U.S., Israeli Jewish communities, jewishinsider.com