{"id":31732,"date":"2022-09-10T15:41:53","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/african-americans-have-mixed-opinions-and-often-no-opinions-on-israel\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:41:53","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:53","slug":"african-americans-have-mixed-opinions-and-often-no-opinions-on-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/african-americans-have-mixed-opinions-and-often-no-opinions-on-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"African Americans Have Mixed Opinions and Often No Opinions on Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cole Keister photo – Unsplash<\/div>\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

American Jews and African Americans often worked side by side during the civil rights movement, including when rabbis walked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the march to Selma in 1965.<\/p>\n

In more recent years, however, the relationship has become more complicated due to conflicts between the nation of Israel and Palestinians and the resulting political responses from groups like Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n

A new study from Lifeway Research explored African Americans\u2019 thoughts about Israel, Jews, religious identification, news consumption and other issues. On many of the issues related directly to Israel, African Americans frequently say they\u2019re unsure what to think.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeeded social reforms in the U.S. may have distracted African Americans\u2019 attention from following challenges in Israel,\u201d said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. \u201cThat hasn\u2019t turned many African Americans against Israel but leaves many with honestly no opinion on matters of support, conflicts and even history.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Thoughts on the nation of Israel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The study, sponsored by the Philos Project, found African Americans are more likely to say they carefully follow domestic policy (68%) than say the same about foreign policy (59%).<\/p>\n

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With Israel specifically, 42% of African Americans have a positive perception of the country. More than a quarter (27%) have a negative opinion. A third (32%) aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Three in 5 (61%) say a political candidate having pro-Israel policies would make them neither more nor less likely to vote for that candidate.<\/p>\n

African Americans are divided on the amount of help the U.S. offers to Israel. While 3 in 10 say the U.S. is doing the right amount, 23% say it\u2019s too much, 12% say it\u2019s not enough, and 35% aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Half (52%) say they support Israel\u2019s statehood, while 18% disagree. Three in 10 say they\u2019re not sure.<\/p>\n

Two in 5 African Americans (39%) say the international community denies basic recognition as a nation to Israel. A quarter disagree and 36% aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Among those who support Israel\u2019s statehood, 71% say a reason they do so is because every nation has a right to exist, and 30% say it\u2019s because Israel is the historic Jewish homeland.<\/p>\n

Some African Americans point to religious reasons for their support: 28% say it\u2019s because Jesus was a Jew, 25% say they support Israel\u2019s statehood because it is important for fulfilling biblical prophecy, and 24% say the Bible says Christians should support Israel.<\/p>\n

Another 24% say their support is influenced by Israel being the United States\u2019 closest ally in an unstable region.<\/p>\n

Still, other African Americans speak of Israel being a needed refuge for Jews after the Holocaust (15%) or the safest place for religious minorities in the Middle East (11%).<\/p>\n

Civil rights connections<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many African Americans see historic connections between themselves and Jews during the civil rights movement. A significant number of African Americans also draw comparisons to their overcoming struggles as a people and that of the ancient Israelites.<\/p>\n

Half of African Americans (49%) say Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong supporter of the Jewish people. Slightly fewer (42%) believe he was a strong supporter of Israel.<\/p>\n

More than 2 in 5 (43%) say Jewish people in America were instrumental in the civil rights movement, while a quarter (23%) disagree.<\/p>\n

Many African Americans say they think more positively about the nation of Israel because of the historic connections between the journey of their ethnicity and the journey of the Jews.<\/p>\n

Around a quarter say their opinion of Israel has been positively influenced due to the historic parallels between the enslavement of Jews in ancient Egypt and blacks in America (27%) and due to the similarities between the two groups overcoming oppression: Jewish people in pursuing the promised land and African Americans pursuing civil rights (26%).<\/p>\n

Most (62%) say they are not familiar with the teachings of Black Hebrew Israelites, a group that contends black Americans are the physical descendants of the ancient Israelites. Few (4%) consider themselves to be a Black Hebrew Israelite.<\/p>\n

Growing anti-Semitism?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

More than a quarter of African Americans (28%) say they are seeing more black people they know express anti-Semitism than in the past.<\/p>\n

Three in 10 African Americans (30%) agree with the subtly anti-Semitic phrase, \u201cJewish people have too much control of American finances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around 1 in 5 (19%) believe Jewish people are blocking black progress in the United States.<\/p>\n

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When asked about a Louis Farrakhan quote claiming Jewish people have a \u201ctremendous\u201d influence in the U.S. government and as a result \u201cblack people in this country will never be free until they are free of that kind of control,\u201d 41% of African Americans agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile they may be unrelated, it is worth noting that at the same time the contributions of Jewish people in the civil rights movement have passed beyond the memory of the majority of African Americans, some are also seeing a rise in anti-Semitism,\u201d said McConnell.<\/p>\n

Media and faith influence opinions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

African Americans say the news media (46%) has influenced their opinions about Israel. Several say the Bible (24%), friends and family (18%) and positions of elected officials (15%) have also influenced them. A quarter aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

A third of African Americans (33%) say they have a Jewish friend.<\/p>\n

When asked what has influenced them the most, African Americans are most likely to point to the media (34%) or the Bible (17%). Still, 26% aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Eight in 10 say they regularly get news from television. Around half turn to social media (48%) or websites (46%). Fewer point to the radio (37%), print media (29%) or news apps (27%) as a regular news source.<\/p>\n

Still, African Americans aren\u2019t convinced the news sources they follow are objective in their coverage of Israel. A quarter (26%) believe the reporting is objective. One in 10 believe the news is slanted against Israel, while 16% believe it is pro-Israel. Almost half (48%) aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Specific religious beliefs may also play into many African Americans\u2019 support of Israel.<\/p>\n

Two in 5 (41%) say the formation of modern Israel is a fulfillment of God\u2019s covenant with the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

More than 3 in 5 African Americans (62%) believe God\u2019s promise of the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants was for all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo single source has influenced the majority of African American opinions on Israel,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cMedia, faith and friends each influence some, but 1 in 4 aren\u2019t sure of any influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Divided over the Palestinian conflict<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Seven in 10 African Americans say they sympathize equally with the hardships Israelis and Palestinians face.<\/p>\n

Fifteen percent say they sympathize more with the Palestinians. The same number feel more connection to the Israelis. Those numbers are similar to a previous Lifeway Research study of the views of Hispanic Christians toward Israel.<\/p>\n

Half of African Americans agree the state of Israel is regularly attacked with bombs and terrorist acts by Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Close to half (46%) agree the Palestinian Authority denies basic recognition as a nation to Israel.<\/p>\n

More than 2 in 5 African Americans (43%) say Israel denies the Palestinians\u2019 basic human rights.<\/p>\n

Around 2 in 5 African Americans (41%) believe the state of Israel has laws that discriminate against the Palestinian people. The same percentage (41%) say they aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Around a third (32%) believe Americans should boycott Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. Slightly more (38%) aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Most African Americans (70%) say they were unaware the platform of the Black Lives Matter movement accuses Israel of genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

A third say that position does not change their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Almost a quarter (23%) say it makes them more aligned with the movement, while 9% makes them less aligned. Twelve percent say it does not change their opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n

Most African Americans (54%) say the platform doesn\u2019t change their opinion of the Palestinians and Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrican Americans see difficulties faced by both Palestinians and Israelis, and most are not taking one side on various aspects of the conflict,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cYet 6 in 10 are concerned about the safety of Christians in areas controlled by the Palestinian authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

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Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n