United Synagogue members are overwhelmingly Zionist, with 95 per cent identifying as such, while a sizeable majority want the Orthodox body to speak up on Israel issues, according to a survey.
Respondents were virtually unanimous in saying they had an attachment to Israel - 99 per cent.
Up to the now, the country’s largest synagogue membership organisation has generally left Israel comment to its spiritual head, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.
A vast majority of members - 82 per cent - favoured the United Synagogue being “publicly supportive” of Israel with just nine per cent against.
“Members commented how they expect similar support from other communal bodies, especially in the face of rising antisemitism and negative media coverage in the UK”, a US summary of the findings said.
But it added that while support for Israel was strong, members “made a distinction between supporting the state of Israel and endorsing every action of its government”.
More than two thirds - 68 per cent - were in favour of the charity “being vocal about our members’ views on Israel, particularly about UK government policy relating to Israel, the hostages and media bias against Israel”, while 32 per cent preferred to keep out of the debate.
Ninety-seven per cent believed it important that there was a “place [Israel] where all Jews can live if they wish”, while four out of five said they had a “great deal” or “a lot” of attachment to Israel.
The organisation, which has 35,000 adult members and 15,000 children and young people, received 6,000 responses.
Well over a third of respondents attended synagogue only a few times a year and six per cent said never - groups which showed a lower connection to Israel and were less likely to identify as Zionist.
But those in their 20s and 30s were “undersampled”, the US said.
Saul Taylor, US president, said the response rate “alone
shows how central Israel is to our members’ Jewish identities and also demonstrates how engaged the United Synagogue membership is.
“It is clear we have a membership who love Israel and are Zionist. The United Synagogue remains the natural home for Israel supporters and we have been pleased to welcome many new members over the last year who were looking for a safe space to show their Zionism.
“We also heard concerns from our members. While support for Israel is incredibly strong, members showed they had varied views on Israeli politics.”
The US is starting a new online Israel education programme this month and the following month launching a fair on gap-year and post-university programmes in Israel.
Rabbi Elchonon Feldman, chair of the Rabbinical Council of the United Synagogue, commented: “The results of this survey reveal the profound connection our members maintain with Zionism, an integral part of our identity and spiritual essence.
“It underscores the commitment of our rabbanim and rebbetzins to foster deeper ties with Israel and to share the teachings of Torah that flow from our sacred homeland.”
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