A survey conducted for the Israel Democracy Institute’s 19th annual Caesarea Conference has found that young secular Jewish Israelis are still reluctant to study with Hareidim or Arabs.
The survey was commissioned for the conference by the Israel Democracy Institute and its academic partner, the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion. It consisted of a representative sample of 400 secular Jewish Israelis between the ages of 18 and 22, who were asked about their opinions regarding the possibility of studying together with Israel’s Hareidi and Arabic sectors.
“The findings were negatively amazing,” said Professor Seev Neumann, President of the College of Management Academic Studies. “Most of the respondents – 70 to 80 percent – said that they would not go to study in a campus in which than half the students are either ultra-Orthodox or Arab.”
He noted that this opinion, despite being voiced by the majority of respondents, would be unacceptable to many Israelis.
Prof. Neumann also addressed the partnership between his college and the Israel Democracy Institute, which came into being after 18 consecutive years in which the Caesarea Conference has been held.
“We have exactly the academic departments that deal with the issues that are relevant to the Caesarea Forum,” he explained. “We are the ideal partner [for them] and they are the ideal partner for us.”