Mosaic Teen Israel Survey Antisemitism and Attitudes Post-October 7th

Key Findings:

As of 2023, the Jewish population of the USA is estimated at over 7,460,000, with about 1.6 million under the age of 18. Despite changing views and attitudes toward Judaism over the last decade, the Jewish identity of American teens appears to be stable. A large 2019 study found that Jewish teens feel a sense of pride about being Jewish, want to learn about and experience Jewish holidays and Shabbat, and wish to be part of the Jewish people today and in the future.

Whereas in the past Jews were traditionally pro-Israel, the picture among today’s younger generation is different. Indeed, studies show that during the last decade, attachment to Israel among younger Jewish Americans has diminished and they are less likely to self-identify as Zionists. During the current Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, criticism of Israel has been rising, particularly among young liberal Americans. 

During the last decade, most American Jews, regardless of their Jewish identity or ties to Israel, have experienced a rise in antisemitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), between 2022 and 2024 anti-Jewish sentiments have been on the rise, with younger Americans more likely to endorse anti-Jewish tropes. The data point to a 400% rise in antisemitic incidents since October 7. Over 90% of American Jews believe that antisemitism has become a significant problem, and many feel unsafe wearing Jewish symbols in public or spending time in a synagogue or other Jewish institutions. 

Despite reports of rising antisemitism experienced by younger Jewish teens, no systematic research has yet to examine antisemitism among this group. To this end, the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism has commissioned the Mosaic United organization to conduct an online survey of teenagers from English-speaking countries, mainly the United States. The goal is to shed light on how Jewish teens feel about their connection to Israel and the war in Gaza, as well as to examine their current experiences with antisemitism and their strategies for coping with it.

Jewish Identity: Half of the respondents have a strong Jewish background and about two-thirds considered being Jewish important in their lives. Respondents from the United States scored lower than those from other countries. In addition, those with a strong Jewish background have a more solid Jewish identity, are more affected by antisemitism, are more connected to Israel, are more interested in visiting Israel and tend to be more supportive of Israel in the context of the war in Gaza than those with a weaker Jewish background. 

Antisemitism: According to respondents, antisemitism already existed in their country before October 7 and they reported a moderate rise in antisemitism (29%) after October 7. The rise in antisemitism was assessed as higher by respondents from countries other than the United States and by 18-year-old respondents. About half the respondents experienced antisemitism personally, more so among respondents from countries other than the United States and among 18-year-old respondents. 

The antisemitism that respondents experienced was quite intense, and somewhat more so among respondents in the United States. Moreover, a bit less than half the respondents claimed to have the resources to deal with antisemitism. In addition, around a third of the respondents reported being forced to change their behavior after October 7. Some of these changes can be classified as negative (e.g., hesitating before posting Jewish or Israeli content online and feeling personally less safe and secure), and some can be classified as positive (e.g., feeling more strongly connected to Judaism and talking to family about Judaism or Israel). The main attributes of respondents who experienced antisemitism are: strong Jewish identity, positive attitude toward Israel, desire to visit Israel, and support for Israel in the war in Gaza. 

Connection to Israel: More than 80% of the respondents have visited Israel at least once and most have friends or family in Israel. Their emotional attachment to Israel is moderate to high and their connection to Israel is even more positive. Nonetheless, respondents from the United States expressed less emotional attachment and less connection to Israel than respondents from other countries. Teens with a strong connection to Israel have a strong Jewish identity, believe that antisemitism in their country has worsened, changed their personal behavior since the events of October 7, clearly tend to support the Israeli side in the war in Gaza and strengthened their support for Israel after the events of October 7. 

The respondents’ desire to visit Israel is moderate to high and increases with age. This desire is significantly lower among respondents from the US compared to respondents from other countries. The following items are significantly related to the desire to visit Israel: attending a Jewish day school, holding positive attitudes towards Israel, tending to support Israel in the war in Gaza and not having friends and family in Israel. 

The respondents’ positions regarding the war in Gaza are mixed. On the one hand, they show relatively little agreement with the claim that Israel’s actions in Gaza are justified. On the other hand, they have little sympathy for Hamas and tend not to believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Respondents from the United States show more sympathy for the Palestinians and Hamas than do respondents from other countries. 

Conclusions and Recommendations 

The survey findings indicate that the objective and subjective Jewish identity of the participating teenagers reflects the Jewish heritage they absorbed at home and from their surroundings. This Jewish identity is a key factor directly related to main items examined in the survey. This finding may suggest that teens who have a strong Jewish identity experience antisemitism more intensely because their external and internal Jewish experiences play a more central role in their lives. In addition, teens who have a strong Jewish identity see Israel as more central to their lives due to the inherent connection between Judaism and Israel. Hence, their attachment to Israel is stronger and they tend to support Israel during routine times and even more so during times of war. 

The survey findings indicating that the objective and subjective Jewish identity of teens in the United States is weaker than that of teens from other countries may explain why US teens reported experiencing less antisemitism on both the national and the individual levels and why they made fewer behavioral changes following the events of October 7. Furthermore, their connection to Israel is weaker, they have less desire to visit Israel, they tend to support the Palestinian side in the war in Gaza, and their support for Israel increased only marginally following the events of October 7. Additional notable findings are that age has a significant influence on the central issues examined in the survey. 

In view of these findings, it is recommended that Mosaic United and other organizations working with Jewish youth devote efforts to strengthening Jewish identity and connection to Israel among Jewish teens in the United States, who often do not live in large and established Jewish communities, starting with the younger age groups (14-15), including bringing them to Israel for visits.