Poll: Nearly 50% of Hispanic Americans believe U.S. too supportive of Israel
American Jews and Latinos, which account for one-sixth of the U.S. population, were surveyed on their opinions about Jews and Israel.
By Shlomo Shamir and Haaretz Service Tags: Israel newsA survey of Hispanic Americans and Jewish Americans has found that about half of the respondents of each group believe that some Latinos harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. Hispanics number approximately one-sixth of the U.S. population, while Jews comprise approximately two per cent of the U.S. population.
The survey was commissioned by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and announced by FFEU president Rabbi Marc Schneier at a conference this week in San Antonio, Texas.
“These findings are a wake-up call to both communities," says Rabbi Schneier, "We need to understand how real anti-Semitism is within the Latino community and how we can counter it as well as find more effective ways to communicate the value of Israel to bolster Latino empathy for the Jewish state."
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"This is truer then ever as Latinos now number more than 50 million in the U.S." Schneier added. "One out of every 6 Americans is Latino. It therefore behooves the Jewish community to reach out and foster an alliance with this significant ethnic group."
The survey revealed that similar numbers of Jews and Latinos said they perceive anti-Semitism in the Latino community. According to the survey, 58% of Jews believe that the Hispanic American community holds some anti-Jewish prejudice, and 46% of Latinos agreed with this same statement.
Strangely, the press release announcing the survey made no mention of appraising the existence of anti-Hispanic sentiment in the Jewish community. But 54% of American Jews surveyed reported that they support new anti-immigration laws passed in the U.S. state of Arizona, which are widely considered to be anti-Hispanic in nature.
Regarding U.S. foreign policy in vis-a-vis the State of Israel, 56% of Jewish Americans surveyed stated that they believed the U.S. government is not supportive enough of the Israeli government, while 46% of Hispanic Americans surveyed said the opposite, that the U.S. government is too supportive of the Israeli government.
When asked if they support either the Israelis or the Palestinians in their conflict, 77% of American Jews reported support for Israelis, but American Latinos were divided on the issue, with many responding that they "don't know".
The two groups are in sync with regards to their estimation of the likelihood of success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Two-thirds of both Jewish and Hispanic Americans doubt that there will be peace within the next five years.
The South American trade bloc Mercosur signed a free-trade agreement with Israel on in 2007, its first pact with a country outside of Latin America. In recent weeks, a number of South American governments have one by one recognized the existence of a Palestinian state along the 1967 'Green Line' borders.
Neither Jews nor Latinos were seemingly asked about their opinions as to the U.S. government's relationships with the governments of Latin America.
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All the Americans I know feel the same, and none of them are Hispanic.
Latin Americans could be viewed as favoring "La Raza" more than being straight up anti-semities. In order to promote perceived group interests, it behoves the in-group from looking down on, or being suspicious or hostile to out-groups. It is, unfortunately, *natural*.
Hispanics have anti-semitic attitudes? I've NEVER heard or seen evidence of this. Someone please fill me in on why supposition by poll respondents is being used to create fear? A quick visit to most older Jewish homes will reveal half of the people believing that EVERYONE in the world is anti-semitic - there's your number.
You have a lot of work to do. Don't just depend on us over here. If true, then Muslims are making inroads while the Netanyahu Goverment is busy alienating everybody.
I'm a Hispanic American (half, anyway) and to be honest, most of my Hispanic relitives and friends don't know or care about Israel. And the ones that do support Israel ( I also support Israel) So this seems strange to me. But hey, it's not like I know the entire Hispanic population :)
what would be the percentage if the US media is a little objective, 60,70, 0r 80%
lol
If you live in the states you know what the illegals,mexicans,have done to help decay the U.S. Now they have something to say about Israel..to hell with them and their opinion. Mexico is a hell hole and the whole of So.America is rotten to the core. Why would any sane person care what these people even think...that is if they think or speak English.
I am learning Int'l politics, but how / why is Anti-Israel perceived as Anti-Semitic ?
Have lived in the shadow of other people's colonial and neo-colonial empires and have a natural sympathy with each other. I've never cared much for Islam but that's not my business until they start flying planes at buildings where I live. I couldn't be happier that the Arabs are demanding and working for freedom. Sometimes I can't listen to accounts of Israeli oppression of Palestinians. I'm Puerto Rican and feel very strongly that the United States backs Israel's play entirely too much. There is no adjustment needed of our attitudes toward Israel and oppose any that is attempted. I suppose you have to be anti-Arab if you don't want to be classified as anti-semitic.
Times. They are a changin. . .
I found the article on Hispanics interesting but strangely incomplete. It would have been helpful to know what attitudes were shared in common with Jews and the general American population. It is sad to learn that 54% of American Jews support the anti-immigration law of Arizona. It is racist. It does not target Canadians or Israelis but very specifically Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.
Glad to know that a growing number of Americans don't believe the hype. Woo hoo!
Sounds great. How big was this sample? Where was it taken? What were the questions? What were the controls? etc.etc.etc. Why do you publish these silly statements???
I agree. Thanks.
more sympathy with Latinos, tie the colonization of Palestinian lands with the colonization of there historical lands in the southwest of the US..
So that means that more than 51% believe that it's the US is not to supportive of Israel.
You want to know something funny? Most of the hispanic population in the United States is here illegally. Most don't even speak English....so how did the survey happen? What does their opinion matter? It does not matter. Who cares what the hispanics think? This American does not.
Why should Latinos and Jews be asked about relations with South America? It is Israel which gets special treatment in the USA- not Latin America, so the question is relevant and not- here we go again- anti semitic..
Get real. Dislike for Israel is not anti-semitism. Why should anyone approve of Israel's right-wing government ,its behaviour and delusions of grandeur? Greater Israel? Why? Palestinian State? Why not?
so nice to know that so many hispanics(the majority of which are in the U.S. illegally,harbor anti Israel sentiments. I would think they would be to busy grabbing free bees from the U.S. government,messing up the schools and hospitals to be concerned with a country that is besieged by terror and terrorists. Maybe it is a catholic thing,,an ignorance thing or the inability for so many of them to understand the english language. Whatever...just look at Mexico and other hispanic countries and you can see the decay and socialism that rots those countries to the very core. As for American Jews supporting Arizona in their quest to stop illegals from enteriing the U.S. kudos to them. Funny isn't it...to be called anti hispanic because you are against something illegal that hordes of the hispanics are doing. The U.S. has a very high jobless rate...the schools are failing under the weight of all of the illegal children and the anchor babies are being born at U.S. citizens expense..and these people think that the U.S. is too supportive of Israel..why don't the legal hispanics in the U.S. do something about their fellow hispanics and help the U.S. kick them out...they should be ashamed of themselves.
Why do the media insist on confusing the issue?
It's not anti-semitic to think the US government gives another government too much money (let alone money used to kill innocents).