Source of publication: Institute of the Middle East (Moscow).

Political support for Israel among European Jewish community leaders and ordinary members has increased significantly in recent years. This is evidenced, in particular, by the results of a survey of Jewish community leaders conducted this year by the International Center for Community Development, operating under the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). In this regard, it is appropriate to recall that the JDC is not a Zionist organization, but a strictly charitable one. It was established in 1914 by American Jews to assist their coreligionists in Europe affected by the First World War. Providing material assistance to socially vulnerable segments of the Jewish population and organizing Jewish community life in the diaspora remain the core areas of the JDC's activities. Encouraging Jewish repatriation to the historical homeland and systematic efforts directed toward strengthening the ties of diaspora Jewish communities with the State of Israel are not part of the JDC's statutory objectives.

The 2018 survey of European Jewish community leaders is the fourth of its kind conducted by the International Center for Community Development under the JDC. This offers a certain perspective on the attitudes of the European Jewish population. Although, as mentioned above, the survey only involved individuals defined in JDC terminology as "community leaders"—namely, active members of Jewish communities and organizations (sociologists would classify them as "experts" in their professional terminology)—the resulting data, to a certain degree, provides an overview of the general sentiment of the European Jewish population.

In 2018, the aforementioned survey covered 893 individuals from 28 European countries, including Turkey. Among them, 68% agreed with the statement: "I support Israel fully, regardless of the actions of its government." For comparison, according to data from similar surveys conducted in 2008, 2011, and 2015, the percentage of respondents agreeing with this statement was 61%, 56%, and 55% respectively.

Only 42% of the European Jewish community leaders surveyed in 2018 agreed with the statement: "I sometimes feel ashamed of the actions of the Israeli government." By comparison, in a similar survey conducted in 2015, 51% of respondents agreed with this statement. Consequently, this indicator also points to an increasing sense of solidarity among European Jews with the Jewish state.

Nevertheless, there are certain groups of European Jews who condemn the policy of the Israeli government and do not conceal their views. However, they represent a minority. While this minority is somewhat noticeable in Western European nations, it remains insignificant in Eastern European states (primarily those of the former communist bloc). For instance, in Western European countries, 11% of the 2018 survey respondents stated that their communities experienced "serious disagreements with Israel," whereas in Eastern European countries, this figure was only 1%. Thus, the figures speak for themselves.

A highly illustrative example of the sentiment among Jews in Eastern European states in this context is the statement by Rabbi Shalom Stambler, the emissary of the Chabad religious movement in Warsaw, who noted in particular that "the majority of community members strongly identify with Israel, and therefore most would agree with the statement 'I support Israel fully, regardless of the actions of its government'."

Another notable finding from the 2018 survey is that Jews in Eastern European countries feel safer than those residing in Western Europe and are far less likely to consider emigrating from their current countries of residence in the foreseeable future. Across Europe as a whole, 76% of respondents stated that they had not considered the possibility of emigrating due to the threat of antisemitism over the past five years. Only 19% of respondents had considered such a step. Furthermore, 63% of respondents reported feeling "completely safe" in their country of residence, 20% felt "safe," 13% "did not feel safe," and 4% felt "completely unsafe." Here, too, the contrast between Eastern and Western European nations is striking: 96% of respondents in Eastern European countries stated they felt safe, compared to only 78% in Western Europe. It may be hypothesized that this discrepancy is linked to the presence of large Muslim immigrant communities in most Western European states, which serve as a significant source of antisemitism. Moreover, this "new" Muslim antisemitism in Europe is far more aggressive in its manifestations than "traditional" European antisemitism associated with Christian fundamentalism and radical right-wing movements.

Another curious indicator obtained from the survey is the rate of ethnically mixed marriages among European Jewish community leaders. In 2018, 40% of respondents were in such marriages, compared to 44% in 2015 and 64% in 2008. In this regard, it is possible to cautiously suggest that the decline in mixed marriages is primarily due to the emergence of younger community activists in leadership roles in recent years, who possess higher national and religious motivation than the previous generation of leaders. It is unlikely that these figures can be extrapolated to the European Jewish population as a whole.

In conclusion, it is appropriate to note that 66% of the European Jewish community leaders surveyed in 2018 identified "alienation of Jews from Jewish community life" as the greatest threat to the future of Jewish communities in their respective countries. This was followed closely by "demographic decline" (i.e., the shrinking Jewish population) at 65%. Antisemitism ranked only sixth on this scale of threats, though it was cited by 56% of respondents. Ten years prior, in the 2008 survey, only 23% identified it as such. This indicates that the perceived threat of antisemitism in Europe is rising rapidly according to Jewish community leaders.