Apparently a lot of people on the talkback, don t seem to understand the relevance of this question, or its meaning. I think every jew in the diaspora has been asking himself this question. Do I feel more related to the jews all around the world, or do I feel more related to the people of the country I live in. Or course both feeling are present most of the time. In my many travels, when I asked young Israeli backpackers if they felt related to their jewish diaspora fellows, their answer was NO. They were Israeli, nekuda. I think this question will become more and more relevant in the future, because of the growing gaps between seculars and orthodox in Israel.

I wonder which has provided the 1 million yordim?

chosen to bring children into this world?

Jacob had two names. Israel and Jacob. When Israel is used it refers to Bnei Yisrael- the nation of Israel. When Jacob is used it refers to the individual Jew . Simple. P.S. Israeli Arab is an oxymoron and a desecration of the Israeli/Jewish nation.

it is time to make a new state that is really commited to the jewish people not only superficially. it is time to make the state of yehuda where we will be free to be jewish and not have the confusion of israeli or jew. enough of the antisemite self hating mentally ill leftwing israeli. im sick of it and it is destroying our country.. #35 you are welcome to learn about our heritage or if you dont feel comfortable being here just leave

and all based on brutality and corruption.

One cannot be wholeheartedly Jewish without being Israeli, and vice versa. To be Jewish and live anywhere else would be living only half a life.

an Arab occupying Jewish land!!!

MY OPIOION,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

state exsited in 1949...

Min fadilik

my friend look at any emotional trauma from age one to three year old, that is the source of being ashamed, if you can not find anything then seek professional help

I'm a 22 year old American-Israeli living in Florida. Even though there are many Jews at the university I attend and I have associated with many Jews through growing up in a synangogue and being a "traditional" Jew, I always feel like there is a difference in the Jew I feel I am and the Jew I feel they are. Many of my Jewish friends did not go to Israel until they were 18 and able to go on birthright, while many have still not gone. Whether they have gone to Israel or not, almost all of them are not nearly as aware and concerned for Israel as myself who has travelled to Israel almost every summer to visit family. Am I an Israeli or a Jew first? I'd have to say Israeli. To me, being Israeli is synonymous with being Jewish, but being Jewish does not mean you are Israel and unfortunately I think Jewish Americans need to be more concerned about the state of Israel whether Israeli or not.

I am Canadian. I am also Jewish. My first and ONLY loyalty is to my magnificent country. After 59 years of statehood it is long past time for Israelis to grow up.

Virtually every time an Arab (Muslim) or Muslim or pro-Palestinian supporter is interviewed here in the States, the pat line is, "Israel is on stolen Arab land", or "How would you feel if your home was taken"? This is all absurd. Jews were in Palestine long before the so-called Palestinian Arabs (mainly Arabs from Syria, Egypt, Turkey, etc.). The UN partitioned the land to the Jordan River. We Jews accepted the small parcels, the Arabs didn't, they attacked instead. So who is kidding whom about stolen land? In fact, Jordan is sitting on what should have been Jewish (Balfour Declaration). When the Arabs attacked Israel, and lost, they had no remaining sovereignty. All bets were off. Israeli's are Israeli, of both Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions.

What this poll is showing is a failed ideology. People on this talkback are naive, so I will explain to you the significance of this question. Zionism, ladies and gentlemen, camae into being in Europe as a 'Jewish Nationalism' of sorts - a replacement for the religious Jewish identity. Herzl envisioned a secular state in which the Jews would be able to protect themselves from anti-Semitism. Israel was created as the embodiment of his dream - the Secular Jewish NATIONALIST state, meant to act as a REPLACEMENT for religious Judaism. The problem with the Zionist movement and the State of Israel was that they attempted to rename this new secular identity to 'Israeli.' In a pure Zionist state, the nationality of all citizens should have been "JEW", not "ISRAELI." What this poll shows is the failing of Zionism. 50% of people feel closer to the Jewish religion than to the secular national identity that Zionism was meant to create. What a pity.

fiction? Never! The Arab narrative is founded either on dreams or lies.

I agree with and appreciate most of your sentiments, but Jews were indigenous (!) to ISRAEL and Yehudah (Judea; after which "Jews" are named) for millennia before "Palestine" came into existence (in 135 CE). Before 135 CE, there was no "Palestine" for Jews to inhabit. Please stop perpetuating that false representation. Paqid Yirmeyahu Israeli Orthodox Jew Advancing Logic as Halakhic Authority Welcoming Jews & non-Jews www.netzarim.co.il

and i say this as a jew first and always and an israeli for ever!

That is, if you're Jewish you're also Israeli, because this is the homeland of the Jewish people. You can be also an immigrant to Israel who is not Jewish but not the other way around.

I think the people who organized and carried out the Oklahoma bombing saw themselves as Christians first and than Americans.

This is stolen land.... the ishmaelites stole, lied, and squatted on thus stealing it from its rightful inheritors

We Jews have been around 5000 years, and most of the time we did not have a country. To say I am Israeli first would be putting down the religion and trivializing it, when what made Judaism unique among other religions was that it's God was invisible; and therefore not limited to any one location.

Jews are people of the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Israel was Jacob and Israel is the new name that G-d gave to him. Israel had 12 sons who later became the 12 tribes of Israel. These 12 tribes who were slaves in Egypt are the ones with which G-d made his covenant and gave them the Torah and its commandments, commanded them to settle down in the land of Israel - a land that he promised to Jacob hundreds years before - to conquer it and to establish a kingdom of priests. In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the north part of the Israeli kingdom and exilled 10 tribes (9 tribes plus parts of the Levi tribe who didn't have an estate of their own, parts of the tribe of Levi were scattered amongst all the other tribes) amongst the 12 tribes of the children of Israel and these 10 tribes lost their faith, became gentiles and assimilated with them. The Jews nowadays worldwide and in Israel are the descendants of 3 tribes: Judah, Levi and Benjamin (and some of them from the tribe of Menashe) http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1159193355309&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Judah was the biggest tribe which settled in the Judean desert, then the Romans who conquered the land of Israel 2000 years ago called all the children of Israel "Jews".

But at the end of the day I will always be ISRAELI cause Israeli is a JEW..Sephardic Jew :)