What do North American Jews think and feel about Israel and why do they feel it? As researcher Matthew Boxer explains, we have, at best, an incomplete understanding of opinion. That's had a harmful impact on discourse and planning. So to find out, Boxer surveyed some 1,800 North American Jews. In this episode, he shares his findings and what he believes they mean. Among his major takeaways: he disproves the-oft sited statistic that 95 percent of American Jews identify as Zionist, even though most American Jews have attitudes that one would associate with Zionism. Many on the left and right feel that their interpretations are obvious and clear and think that opposing views are dangerous and outside the pale. Also, many American Jews feel strong emotional attachment to Israel, but that emotional attachment doesn't correlate to particular or obvious opinions about the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. Boxer shares how he thinks future researchers can learn from his work. And, he makes a case that particular perspectives on Israel should not be a condition for inclusion in Jewish life and community.

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

Visit our home on the web — Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations: http://evolve.reconstructingjudaism.org

Subscribe by Email at http://subscribebyemail.com/evolve.fireside.fm/rss

Read these show notes on the web at https://evolve.fireside.fm/1

This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Special Guest: Dr. Matthew Boxer.

Support Evolve

Links:

• Sign up for Evolve's free newsletter
• Register for the 8/25 Evolve Web Conversation with Rabbi Jacob Staub and Rabbi Megan Doherty — "Creating Sacred Community: Leadership and Connection with Rabbi Megan Doherty"
• Read Matthew Boxer's Evolve essay, "How We Talk About Jewish Young Adults’ Connection to Israel: The Evidence or Lack Thereof"
• Read Matthew Boxer's Evolve essay, "What is Zionism? It Depends on Who You Ask"
• Dig Into Matthew Boxer's Survey Results: "What is Zionism? Assessing the Diversity of Discourse in a Charged Environment" — See Dr. Boxer's PowerPoint, read about his methodology, and explore his dataset
• Explore Local Jewish Community Population Studies and more at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
• "What Is Zionism?" Matthew Boxer presents his research findings in this video presentation