SURVEY – European Jews, hopes and concerns

Uneasy, preoccupied, and at times disoriented, yet resolute to combat for the future for European Jews. This is how Jewish leaders and professionals are portrayed according to the sixth survey conducted by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Conducted online six months after the October 7 attacks, it included nearly 900 people from 32 different countries. The data offer a scientific assessment on the impact of October 7, with Italy playing a leading role in participation. Approximately one in seven responses came from Italy, placing it just behind France and Germany in the number of completed surveys.
The Italian partner was the Contemporary Jewish. Documentation Center (CDEC) Foundation in Milan with sociologist Betti Guetta involved.

October 7
The terror attack “had a profound impact” on Jewish Communities, the JDC states at the beginning of the report. Not surprisingly, 78% of the survey participants reported feeling “less safe” in expressing their Jewish identity compared to the past, and 38% said they have distanced themselves from non-Jewish friends due to misunderstandings. At the same time, the survey shows a positive increase in community life participation, greater awareness of the importance of building networks, and a strengthened connection to Israel.
At the top of the list of priorities for European Judaism is the “fight against antisemitism” (8.9), closely followed by the obligation “to assist those who most need it” (8.8) and “strengthening Jewish education” (8.7). In fifth place is “supporting of the State of Israel” (8.2) and in sixth the challenge of “reducing community tension and divisiveness” (8.1). “Developing creative outreach policies towards the non-affiliated” (7.7) ranks tenth. When asked about the greatest threat to the Jewish future, 79% of respondents identified antisemitism, followed by “a feeling of alienation” that some individuals experience towards the Jewish Community they belong (74%), and the lack of renewal in community leadership (70%). Only one in three respondents (34%) cited as a concern “lack of a religious life/ observance”.

Who is Jewish?
“Who shall be accepted as a member of a Jewish community?”, asked the JDC. When surveyed, 72% answered: “All those who are undergoing a conversion process under a rabbi’s authority, regardless of the denomination”. Regarding the same question, 69% indicated “all those who have a Jewish father”, 49% “all those who have at least a Jewish grandfather”, 35% “only those who embody the Halakhic criteria”, and 23% “everyone who considers themself Jewish”. Other questions focused on themes such as the conflict in Middleast, empathy towards Israel and strategies to pursue continuity.

Optimism
Is there still room for optimism? In the fifth JDC inquiry, conducted in 2021, 12% of respondents said that they “strongly agree” with the statement. Today, the number has decreased to 9%. While 40% agreed in 2024, the figure has now dropped to 35%. Optimism remains higher in Eastern Europe compared to Western Europe, with 57% versus 39%. However, both percentages have decreased over the last three years, proving that October 7 has left and will continue to leave a lasting impact.

Translated by Chiara Tona, student at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainee in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities – Pagine Ebraiche.