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Most Jewish Voters Believe Trump Policies Fueling Antisemitism, Poll Finds

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance arrive for a ceremony with the 2025 College Football Playoff National Champions Ohio State Buckeyes on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, April 14, 2025. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect.

Most Jewish voters in the US disapprove of President Donald Trump’s policy choices and have “negative assessments of his personal character,” according to a newly released poll.

A new nonpartisan group called the Jewish Voters Resource Center, which seeks to collect and disseminate data on Jewish voters, commissioned and published the survey, which was conducted by the polling firm GBAO Strategies from April 21 through May 1 among 800 registered Jewish voters.

Some of the terms which those polled most frequently applied to the president included “dangerous” (72 percent), “racist” (69 percent), “fascist” (69 percent), and, despite his administration’s efforts to counter anti-Jewish discrimination on university campuses, “antisemitic” (52 percent).

Respondents gave Trump an overall approval rating of 26 percent. This figure mirrors polling in recent years of partisan differences among Jews. A 2021 Pew poll found that 26 percent of Jews identified with the Republican Party.

The survey also showed continued worries about antisemitism, with 89 percent described as concerned and 62 percent “very concerned.” Antisemitism on college campuses also drew concerns from 77 percent, with 55 percent “very concerned.” The intensity of concerns showed a disparity with older Jewish respondents more worried than younger Americans.

The survey suggests that large numbers of Jews regard many Trump administration efforts to counter antisemitism as accelerants that will fuel more hate. Sixty-one percent said that deporting anti-Israel activists will make antisemitism worse, and 63 percent said that the ending of federal observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day will as well.

Last month, a survey conducted by the Mellman Group and published by the Jewish Electorate Institute found that an overwhelming majority of American Jews disapprove of Trump’s job performance thus far, including his efforts to combat antisemitism.

However, a poll commissioned by the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) and conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research that was published weeks earlier found that most American adults, including college students, support the Trump administration’s cancellation of federal funding to universities which fail to address the campus antisemitism crisis. The poll also showed strong support for Trump’s policy of deporting campus activists who allegedly express support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

As for the latest survey published this week, 80 percent of respondents also said that billionaire technologist Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, inflamed antisemitism with his unapologetic deployment of Holocaust jokes on his X social media platform and calls for Germans to move beyond guilt about the past. Vice President JD Vance also came in for criticism, with 76 percent saying his coziness with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party would increase hate against Jews.

The pollsters also found that Jewish attachment to Israel had dropped to levels seen before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist strikes across southern Israel. Following the attack, 82 percent of respondents expressed strong emotional attachment. Sixty-nine percent now hold such views.  Generational differences also appeared in the poll’s results, with younger Jews (55 percent for those under 35) describing attachment to Israel while 79 percent of those over 64 did.

Seventy-two percent of those polled also believe that resuming military action in Gaza will make it more likely the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 onslaught will die, while the other 28 percent sees further fighting as a path to freeing the hostages.

The survey found Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 34 percent positive and 61 percent negative, findings which the researchers called “consistent with his favorability ratings over the past five years.” Respondents also expressed similar disagreements over Netanayhu’s true motives for his military policy in Gaza, with 62 believing that he “resumed military action in Gaza for political reasons” while 38 percent regard his choices as driven by a sincere national security analysis.

“When Jews are looking at Israel and thinking about Israel, while they’re very attached to it, it’s very striking how negative the attitudes towards Netanyahu are,” said Jim Gerstein, a founding partner of GBAO Strategies.

:Part of what’s going on is that Jewish voters believe that the actions that the Trump administration is taking, statements that the president is making, statements and actions of others in his administration—that these things actually increase antisemitism,” Gerstein added. “It is very striking that a lot of things that are being done in the name of combating antisemitism, Jews in America actually believe that these things increase antisemitism, instead of reduce antisemitism.”

The survey includes a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

The researchers found that ideology in the Jewish community divided among 17 percent conservative, 34 percent moderate, and 46 percent liberal.

These cohorts then split into comparable partisan categories. In party identification, 59 percent aligned with the Democrats, 16 percent with the Republicans, and 25 percent rejected political tribalism, embracing an independent political identity. However, when GBAO Strategies pushed the independents to express which party they leaned toward, Democrat support rose to 69 percent, the Republicans increased to 23 percent, and the remaining authentic independents stood at 8 percent.

Jews saw greater unity in their negative view of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who 95 percent found unfavorable. They also expressed strong agreement in opposing making Canada a US state (93 percent), cutting funding for Medicaid (88 percent), taking over Greenland (84 percent), enacting a 145 percent tariff on all goods from China (77 percent), and transferring Palestinians to Arab countries so the US can control Gaza (74 percent).

The post Most Jewish Voters Believe Trump Policies Fueling Antisemitism, Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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France Set to Recognize Palestinian State Despite Majority of Citizens Opposing the Move, New Survey Shows

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool

More than 70 percent of the French people oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next week, according to a new study that highlights strong public opposition to the contentious diplomatic move.

A survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) on behalf of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), the main representative body of French Jews, found that only 29 percent of French citizens support Macron’s initiative.

On Monday, France is expected to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York, with a handful of other Western countries — including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia — poised to follow suit.

However, the majority of the French people oppose the immediate recognition of a Palestinian state, with 71 percent rejecting any recognition before the release of all remaining Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and the surrender of Hamas, according to the newly released survey.

The study also examined how this diplomatic initiative and the ongoing war in Gaza have fueled the ongoing surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across France.

Nearly 70 percent of the French people view antisemitic incidents as a serious threat, not only to French Jews but to the society as a whole, the survey found.

Meanwhile, according to the data, 19 percent of French citizens consider it acceptable to target Jews due to the conflict in Gaza, with the figure rising to 31 percent among those aged 18 to 24.

France has faced sharp criticism from Israeli and US officials who oppose recognizing a Palestinian state, warning that such a move would only reward terrorism, hinder Gaza ceasefire negotiations, and embolden Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that has ruled the enclave for nearly two decades.

Israel is reportedly considering multiple retaliatory measures in response to Macron’s move, including accelerating West Bank annexations, closing the French consulate in Jerusalem, and seizing French-owned sites in Israel, such as the Sanctuary of the Eleona — a Christian pilgrimage destination.

For his part, Macron has pushed back against criticism of France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing that it is a necessary step to counter Hamas.

“The objective of Hamas has never been to make two states, and especially two states as we propose … they want to destroy Israel,” Macron said in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Channel 12. “The recognition of a Palestinian state is the best way to isolate Hamas.”

The French leader has argued that this move is the only way to bring peace and stability to the region, noting that the terrorist group has never supported a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and would likely oppose a Palestinian state since it would have no governing role.

“Hamas is just obsessed with destroying Israel,” Macron told US television network CBS in an interview. “But I recognize the legitimacy of so many Palestinian people who want a state … and we shouldn’t push them toward Hamas.”

However, the Palestinian terrorist group has repeatedly praised such plans to recognize a Palestinian state as “the fruits of Oct. 7,” citing the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath as the reason for increasing Western support.

France’s expected move has also sparked strong reactions across the country, amid an already tense and hostile climate.

CRIF has repeatedly denounced the recognition of a Palestinian state, calling it “a moral failing, a diplomatic error, and a political danger,” and warned that it would exacerbate antisemitism amid a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes since the Oct. 7 atrocities.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has also condemned the initiative, accusing Macron of supporting it “purely for electoral reasons.”

Meanwhile, France’s left-wing opposition welcomed Macron’s decision, with Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, calling on mayors to raise the Palestinian flag over town halls on Monday.

However, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau asked prefects, the government’s local representatives, not to follow through with such gestures, citing the principle of neutrality in public services and warning that violations would be referred to administrative courts.

“There are enough divisive issues in the country without importing the conflict in the Middle East,” the French diplomat wrote in a post on X.

Several French town halls have been forced to take down Palestinian flags following court rulings.

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‘Jews Forbidden Here’: European Jewish Communities Targeted as Latest Outrages Rock Spain, Germany

The children’s bookstore in Sant Cugat, Spain, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti and slogans, prompting outrage from the local Jewish community. Photo: Screenshot

Antisemitism continues to surge across Europe, with recent anti-Jewish incidents in Spain and Germany leaving Jewish communities shocked and outraged.

On Tuesday, a children’s bookstore in Sant Cugat, a small town by Barcelona, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti and slogans.

An unknown individual spray-painted messages — including “Zionist” and “accomplice to genocide” — along with a Palestinian flag across the bookstore’s facade.

The store’s owner, Mont Soler, voiced her “deepest rejection” of this act of anti-Jewish hatred.

“This attack is not only against my bookstore, but also against the values of coexistence and respect that I have always stood for,” Soler wrote in a post on Instagram.

The Jewish Community of Barcelona (CJB) also condemned the incident, expressing solidarity with the store’s owner and urging the authorities to take action.

“This attack is not just against a landmark bookstore, but also against the values of coexistence, respect, and diversity that should define our society,” CJB said in a statement.

“Antisemitism and all forms of intolerance have no place in Sant Cugat, in Catalonia, or anywhere else,” the statement read.

This incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

On Wednesday, a shop owner in Flensburg, a small town in northern Germany, ignited outrage by displaying a sign in his store window that read, “Jews are forbidden here.”

The sign also said, “Nothing personal, not even antisemitism, I just can’t stand you.”

According to 60-year-old shop owner Hans Platen-Reisch, the sign was intended as a protest against Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, but he insisted it was not meant to be antisemitic.

“Jews live in Israel, and I can’t tell who supports the strikes and who doesn’t,” Platen-Reisch told a local news outlet.

“To me, it’s hypocrisy. They always say history must not repeat itself, and then they do the same themselves,” he continued.

Social media photos reveal the interior of his shop, featuring a Reich war flag — a symbol used by Nazi Germany during World War II — behind his desk, a RAF poster referring to the far-left terror group Red Army Faction on the wall, and a Palestinian flag displayed in the window.

Shortly after the incident, the Flensburg prosecutor’s office filed five criminal complaints and opened an investigation into Platen-Reisch on suspicion of incitement to hatred.

Felix Klein, Germany’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, denounced the incident as a shocking display of hatred and called for swift legal action.

“This is clear antisemitism, with direct connections to the Nazi period, when Jews were boycotted and signs like these were widespread,” Klein said in an interview with German television.

“This must not be tolerated under any circumstances,” he continued.

German Education Minister Karin Prien, the first Jewish woman to hold a federal ministerial post in Germany, also condemned the incident and expressed strong support for the Jewish community.

“Anyone who expresses or justifies antisemitism opposes everything our democratic life represents,” Prien told a local newspaper. “Let there be no doubt: We will not tolerate antisemitism – not in Flensburg, not in Germany, not anywhere in the world.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, voiced his strong condemnation of the incident.

“The 1930s are back! In Flensburg, ‘Jews forbidden’ is once again hanging in a shop window — in the year 2025. Just like back then, in the streets, cafés and shops of the 1930s,” Prosor wrote in a post on X.

“This is exactly how it started — step by step, sign by sign. It is the same old hatred, only in a new guise,” the Israeli diplomat continued.

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Trump Administration Plans $6.4 Billion in Weapons Sales to Israel, Sources Say

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, Feb/ 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis

The Trump administration is seeking congressional approval to sell Israel $6.4 billion in support equipment and weapons including attack helicopters and troop carriers, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Israel‘s military said it had expanded operations in Gaza City on Friday and bombarded Hamas infrastructure.

The news of the proposed sale came days before world leaders were set to gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly next week, which the UN Security Council is also due to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza.

The planned package includes a deal worth $3.8 billion for 30 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and $1.9 billion for 3,250 infantry assault vehicles for the Israeli army.

Another $750 million worth of support parts for armored personnel carriers and power supplies are also working its way through the sale process, one of the people said.

US Republican President Donald Trump’s full-throated support for Israel‘s military contrasts with growing wariness about Israel‘s campaign in Gaza among Democrats.

On Thursday, a group of US senators introduced the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state and more than half of Democrats in the Senate recently voted against further arms sales.

The Wall Street Journal reported the potential helicopter and vehicle sales on Friday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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