Geal-Dor: Amazing results
Poll: Most Israelis won't eat chametz on Pesach
Nearly half of Jewish secular public plans to conduct traditional seder, abstain from bread
Most of the Jews in Israel say they do not plan on eating bread during Passover, according to a Ynet and Gesher survey held ahead of the holiday.
The majority of the Jewish public also plans to conduct a proper seder, which will include reading the haggadah. The survey was conducted among 300 Jewish adults residing throughout the country.
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When separated into sectors, the poll revealed that 49% of secular Jews would not eat chametz, a surprisingly large figure. As expected, 100% of haredim polled said they would not eat bread.
To the question of how they planned to celebrate Pesach, 63% said they would hold a traditional Seder, which includes reading the entire haggadah, while 23% said they would only read up to the dinner part. Just 4% said they would not read the haggadah at all.
The survey also asked whether those polled would be willing to hold the seder abroad, and specifically in Turkey. Forty-two percent said they would not hold the seder abroad and 34% said they would, but not in Turkey. Just 17% were willing to spend the holiday in the recently alienated country.
Of the seculars polled, 71% would not mind spending the seder abroad, but 49% would not choose Turkey as their destination.
Ilan Geal-Dor, the general manager of Gesher, was satisfied with the results. "More than 90% of the public marks the Seder – that's an incredible figure!" he exclaimed.
He said his organization had been studying the Israeli public's regard for the holiday for three years and that it was consistent in honoring the Passover tradition. "Israeli society wants to mark Passover in the public sphere," he said.
"Sometimes it seems the Israeli public has thrown off all Jewish characteristics, but this survey proves that this is not the case. Israeli society wants Jewish identity in the public sphere. It doesn't want oppression, though, and that is why Judaism must be left to each person's free choice."
