A new survey by the Tzohar Index for Judaism and Tradition finds broad public support for maintaining or expanding Jewish, tradition and heritage studies in Israel’s state-school system.
According to the survey, conducted through Mashav, the content platform operated by the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, 72.5% of respondents said they favor either maintaining the current scope of Jewish studies or expanding it. Some 37.7% support increasing the amount of Jewish studies, while 34.8% would prefer to maintain the current level. By comparison, 18.1% favor reducing the scope of such studies, while 9.4% said they were unsure.
The findings also reveal a notable generational divide. Younger Israelis expressed the strongest support for expanding Jewish and tradition-related education: 43% of respondents aged 18-29 favored increasing the scope of studies. Among Israelis aged 60 and over, support was strongest for maintaining the current situation, at 44.6%.
Educational background also appears to influence attitudes. Among respondents with high school and post-secondary education, between 40% and 47.6% supported expanding Jewish studies. The highest level of support for reducing them was recorded among those with advanced academic degrees, at 28.9%.
The survey found significant differences according to religious identification. Among secular Israelis, 46% preferred maintaining the current situation, while 13.6% supported expanding Jewish studies and 30.8% favored reducing them. Among traditional Israelis, 40.7% supported maintaining the current level and 35.3% supported expanding it.
Support for expanding Jewish studies was substantially higher among religious and haredi respondents, reaching 79.1% among the religious public and 94.7% among haredi respondents.
Rabbi Asher Sabag, a member of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization's leadership, said the findings demonstrate broad recognition of the importance of Jewish heritage education.
“The survey results show that there is a deep understanding among the wider public of the importance of learning Jewish heritage, and that Jewish and heritage studies are neither a luxury nor something intended only for a particular sector," Sabag said.
He added that the findings are consistent with other data collected this year as part of the Tzohar Index for Judaism and Tradition, which he said points to a renewed Jewish awakening among Israelis since October 7.
“Jewish heritage is the story that connects us to this land, to our values and to our roots," Sabag said. “It gives us not only a sense of belonging, but also the moral and ethical justification for the struggle we are waging against our enemies. This is also reflected in the field of education."