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A central aspect of Israeli youths' identity is the need for military defense, particularly in light of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, according to the study. A lesser emphasis is placed on Jewish rituals and the relationship with Diaspora communities, especially in the United States. While the secular students do study Jewish issues in the classroom, these discussions are often at a very basic level.  Rabbi Edward Rettig, associate director for Legislative and Educational Affairs in the American Jewish Committee's Israel/Middle East Office, who studies the cultural divide between Diaspora and Israeli Jews, said the study came as no surprise. Israelis and American Jews are growing apart and this has become "one of the central Jewish crises of the 21st century," he said.
The "politicization of religion" in Israel has led not only to a gap between religious and secular identity-forming education within the country, but to a lack of education on Diaspora Jewry, Rettig said. "While Israeli Jews are becoming more Israeli, they are losing touch with American Jews, who are becoming more American." Yosef Abramowitz, founder of the JVibe magazine for Jewish teens, said the problem also existed elsewhere. American Jewish youth, he said, also share feelings of disconnection with Israel and the worldwide Jewish community. Because of the polarizing nature of religion in Israel and the complexity of the Middle East conflict, there is a steady decline of attachment toward Israel among American Jewish teens, he said. Einat Wilf, author of My Israel - Our Generation, a book discussing Zionism in Israeli education, dismissed the study's worrying interpretation, saying there was no crisis. "It is only natural for Israeli youth to connect chiefly to their culture and learn major Jewish historical events through a Zionist lens," Wilf said. "It has always been the case that when the Israeli youth grow up, they will eventually learn to understand the importance their Jewish heritage plays." No one has commented on this article.
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