As the war, rising antisemitism, and growing generational divides continue to shape debate around Israel-Diaspora relations, a new survey from the Ruderman Family Foundation finds that a large majority of Israelis express concern about declining US support for Israel.
According to the survey, 78% of Israelis are concerned about the decline in US support for Israel, among them 48% who say they are very concerned or concerned, and an additional 30% concerned to some extent.
The nationally representative survey of 1,002 Jewish adults in Israel underscores the centrality of the Israel-American Jewry relationship in Israeli public life, even as unease about its trajectory grows.
Nearly eight in ten Israelis (78%) say the relationship is very important or important, highlighting a broad consensus around its strategic value, which is set against mounting concern about how that support may evolve in the years ahead.
One of the survey’s most striking findings highlights expectations of declining support tied to generational change in the United States. Forty-four percent (44%) of Israelis believe the younger generation of American Jews will support Israel less than they do today, compared with just 22% who believe support will increase. Older Israelis and secular respondents are significantly more likely than younger or more religious groups to anticipate a decline in future support.
These concerns are closely tied to perceptions of Israel’s recent policies. Asked about the impact of Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza on American Jewish support, 43% of respondents believe it weakened support, compared with 28% who believe it strengthened it. Similarly, 56% of Israelis believe relations between Israel and American Jewry have been harmed over the past two years (to a great extent or to some extent).
“The data make clear that many Israelis understand something fundamental is changing," said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “Over the past decade, our research has consistently pointed to growing gaps in how different communities relate to Israel and to one another, and this survey shows how those shifts are now being felt more acutely in Israeli public opinion. The growing distance felt among younger generations in the United States did not happen overnight and cannot be dismissed. It reflects a longer-term erosion that requires Israel to pause, listen, and rethink how it engages American Jewry - because this relationship is not symbolic, but a strategic asset for the future of Israel and the Jewish people."
The survey also reveals skepticism about Israel’s perceived contribution to fighting antisemitism in the United States. Only 17% of respondents believe Israel contributes to combating antisemitism to a great or very great extent, while more than a third say its contribution is limited or nonexistent. Secular Israelis are significantly more likely than religious respondents to hold this view, reflecting broader gaps in how different communities assess Israel’s global Jewish role.
The most comprehensive report on Jewish giving trends in America in the past decade, published by the Ruderman Family Foundation in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, found that higher levels of religiosity are associated with stronger and more sustained engagement in Jewish communal and Israel-related causes, including among younger cohorts. This pattern helps contextualize why secular Israelis are more likely to anticipate a decline in future support, while traditional and haredi respondents express comparatively less concern.
Despite the concerns, the data point clearly toward engagement rather than retreat. Nearly three-quarters of Israelis (74%) believe Israel should invest significant efforts in strengthening connections with young Jews worldwide to Israel and Zionism. Half of respondents say Israelis living in the United States serve as an important bridge between the two communities to a great or very great extent.
The survey also reflects broad public support for recent government steps aimed at reinforcing Jewish peoplehood. Seventy-two percent of respondents support the government’s decision to commemorate Jews who were not Israeli citizens but were murdered because of their Jewish identity - a move rooted in policy recommendations advanced by the Ruderman Family Foundation to formally recognize victims of antisemitism in the Diaspora.
The survey was conducted by Dialog Research on December 11, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Jewish adults (ages 18+) in Israel, using an online panel. The margin of error is ±3.1%.