The Canadian Jewish community is largely divided in its attitudes toward the Israeli government, according to a new poll, sponsored by JSpaceCanada, the New Israel Fund of Canada, and Canadian Friends of Peace Now. Sociologist Robert Brym acted as a consultant on the poll.
While 84% of Canada’s Jews say they are “very” or “somewhat” emotionally attached to Israel and 94% percent support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, just 51% of Canadian Jews consider themselves Zionists.
The poll also found that 34% of Canadian Jews believe the continued building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank hurts Israel’s security, with only 27% saying they believe it helps Israel’s security. The remainder of those polled either said it made no difference or they didn’t know.
Most Canadian Jews still believe that the ideal outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a two-state solution - a Jewish state of Israel alongside an Arab state of Palestine, with 61% support amongst Canadian Jews with an opinion on the subject. 55% of Canadian Jews agree that Canadian politicians should increase pressure on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to engage in a meaningful peace process.
Canadian Jews are also more likely to indicate their intention to vote for the federal Conservative party if the election were to be held tomorrow, with 55% indicating support for the Conservatives, and 26% for the Liberals. These trends are similar to those in the general population, but the decline in Liberal support and increase in Conservative support is more pronounced among Jews.
The results of this poll show what we have long known to be true - that the Canadian Jewish community does not speak in one voice and is not a monolith. Much like Israeli society, we see a divided Canadian Jewish society, and much like we wish to support our Jewish siblings in Israel, support for Canadian Jews and our diversity of thought and opinion should be not only tolerated, but lauded by those who purport to represent us.
| READ THE FULL REPORT |