The Distancing Hypothesis: Fact or Fiction? A Response

Abstract

This article is a response to variant views of the hypothesis that American Jews are becoming progressively more distanced from Israel. Analysts agree that Jews under 35 are less attached to Israel than older cohorts. One view is that this is a life cycle effect within the same parameters of differentials found in studies from earlier decades; the other is that there has been a move toward alienation that will persist throughout the life-cycle of those studied today. For this group the change is attributed to rising numbers of cultural Jews and of Jews married to non-Jews. The differences in interpretation arise from analyzing different segments of the Jewish community. There are four areas of concurrence among social scientists; and this concurrence provides an important starting point for further discussion and policy development.