Poll: Anti-Semitism among US Latinos

The study, commissioned by The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (www.ffeu.org) and conducted by Latin Insights, also finds nearly half of all Latinos believe US foreign policy is too supportive of Israel.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, founder and president of FFEU and vice president of the World Jewish Congress, announced these findings in conjunction with the Bridges & Pathways Strategic Dialogue Conference in San Antonio, Texas, chaired by former HUD Secretary and Mayor of San Antonio Henry Cisneros and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg of the Orthodox Congregation Rodfei Sholom.

“These findings are a wake-up call to both communities and highlight the importance of this conference taking place in San Antonio,” said Rabbi Schneier. “We need to understand how real anti-Semitism is within the Latino community and how we can counter it as well as find more effective ways to communicate the value of Israel to bolster Latino empathy for the Jewish state.

"This is truer than ever as Latinos now number more than 50 million in the US. One out of every six Americans is Latino. It therefore behooves the Jewish community to reach out and foster an alliance with this significant ethnic group.”

The survey, commissioned by the FFEU, found both American Jews and Latinos perceive anti-Semitism within the Latino community. Fifty-eight percent of Jews believe such bias exists, and 46% of the Latinos concur.

When asked about US policies in support of Israel, 46% of the Latinos said America was “too supportive” reflecting a 5 to 2 ratio to those who felt it was not supportive enough. Fifty-six percent of the Jewish respondents, on the other hand, believe the US is not sufficiently supportive; a 4 to 1 ratio over those who felt it was too supportive.

Other findings

• Over 75% of both groups have experienced discrimination in their lives
  

• Seventy-one percent of both groups feel alienated from decisions being made for them in Washington, DC
  

• A strong majority of both groups support immigration-friendly legislation and positively view the role in US society of newcomers; however, 68% of the Latinos oppose the recent controversial immigration laws adopted in Arizona, while 54% of the Jews favor that legislation
  

• A solid majority of each community favors American or Israeli measures to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons development
  

• Two-thirds of the Latinos and Jews doubt peace will come to Israel and the Palestinians in the next five years; the largest group, 39%, believe peace there will never be reached
  

• Seventy-seven percent of American Jews support Israel over the Palestinians in the conflict, while the Latino view is much more fragmented with a large number responding “don't know.” American Jews hold Palestinians more responsible for the failure to secure peace by a 5 to 1 ratio, where the Latino opinions are much more diffuse
  

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