American Jews Do Not Vote in Israel, So Why Are They Being Polled on Its Election?

Why ask American Jews which bloc they want to win Israel’s next election when they cannot vote in it? That is the question raised by a recent survey from the Jewish People Policy Institute.

JPPI’s “Voice of the Jewish People” panel surveyed 804 American Jews who are relatively connected to Jewish life, Israel or Jewish identity. Fifty-four percent said they preferred an opposition victory, while 14% favored the current coalition. Another 24% said it was not their place to express a preference.

That qualification deserves attention. JPPI acknowledges that its sample does not represent all American Jews. Only 8% of those surveyed are Israeli citizens eligible to vote in the election. The remaining 92% were asked whom they would prefer to govern a country in whose election they cannot participate.

The political profile of the respondents also shaped the result. Sixty-two percent said they voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, compared with 30% for President Donald Trump. Strong liberals overwhelmingly favored Israel’s opposition, while strong conservatives were more likely to support the coalition. The poll therefore offers predictable sociology: American Jews who identify with the U.S. political Left tend to prefer Israel’s Center and Left, while conservative American Jews are more sympathetic to Israel’s Right.

American Jews have every right to support or criticize Israel, demonstrate, write, donate and argue over Gaza, settlements, judicial reform and religious pluralism. But the article draws a line between having opinions about Israel and turning those opinions into a political measure of who should govern it. A relationship that permits only applause would not be much of a relationship, it argues, but that does not make American preferences a surrogate Israeli electorate.