A survey of Israeli teenagers released by the New York-based Anti-Defamation League on the eve of Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day reveals that most do not believe another Holocaust against the Jewish people could take place, but aren't sure that the Jewish State can't be destroyed.
Slightly less than two-thirds of the 500 teens surveyed, 59% said that "a second Holocaust of the Jewish people is not possible."
The majority of the 15 to 17 year olds who responded to the telephone survey, which was conducted in late March after they returned from a trip to Poland to learn about the Holocaust, did believe however, that the State of Israel faces an existential threat.
Of the 500 teens who participated in the survey, 52% said they believe Israel faces "a certain threat of destruction" and 30% said they believe "Israel is under a serious threat of destruction," up from 24% who saw a serious threat in last year's survey.
The vast majority of the respondents – 91% -- were found to have an awareness of global anti-Semitism, but 80% had never personally encountered anti-Semitism themselves. The average Israeli teen, according to the researchers, says he or she has only a small or reasonable amount of knowledge and tools to react in the face of anti-Semitism.
Schools are the major source of awareness of anti-Semitism – but half of those polled said they felt they should be learning more. Thirty percent said they had no awareness of acts against Jewish institutions in Israel. Of those who did, half saw them as anti-Semitic attacks, while the rest saw it as vandalism, acts to gain attention or adjustment problems. Those who visited Poland were more likely not to see the attacks as anti-Semitic acts.
"Israeli teenagers understand anti-Semitism in the context of history and not as something they might encounter in their daily lives," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Yet there is a growing awareness of contemporary anti-Semitism and threats to Israel's existence. As the YouTube generation, they are much more aware of attacks on Jews and the Jewish State."