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Steep rise in Jews marrying out as the number of Zionists drops says new survey

Those with the strongest attachment to Israel also have the strongest British identity, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found

February 8, 2024 06:00
Jewish comunity glasgow_GettyImages-1730131777
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 11: Members of the Jewish community in Glasgow gather in Buchanan Street where they held a vigil in memory of the those killed in Israel by Hamas militants, on October 11, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Saturday when Hamas militants invaded from Gaza and attacked Israeli communities nearby, coupled with a barrage of rockets. The attack spurred an intense bombing campaign by Israel across the Gaza Strip, where hundreds have died, according to Palestinian authorities. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BySimon Rocker, Simon Rocker

3 min read

The most comprehensive survey of UK Jewry has uncovered rising rates of intermarriage, growing concern about antisemitism and a drop in identification with Zionism.

British Jews overall feel more Jewish than British – although those with the strongest attachment to Israel also have the strongest British identity, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found.

Just over a third – 34 per cent – profess belief in the personal God of the Bible and a further 41 per cent in a “higher power” but the proportion of atheists (25 per cent) is only half of that of the British population as a whole (49 per cent).

Fewer than a fifth of British Jews (18 per cent) accept the Orthodox doctrine that the Torah is the actual word of God, with nearly a half (47 per cent) believing it is a human composition and a third (35 per cent) that it is divinely inspired.