World American Jews from page 26 On Jerusalem When asked whether Israel, in the framework of a permanent peace with the Palestinians, should be willing to compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdic- tion, 37 percent are in favor and 58 percent opposed. In 2007, 36 percent answered yes and 58 percent no. "While ideologically-driven Jewish groups of the left and right assert that a majority of American Jews share their views on the Middle East, it just isn't true. The AJC survey results reveal very clearly that, in fact, the bulk of American Jews hold largely centrist views, at times tilting to the left, at other times tilting to the right:' said Harris. "This has been largely true in recent years, regardless of who is in power in Washington and Jerusalem." Eleven percent of American Jews, according to the AJC survey, character- ize relations between Israel and the United States as "very positive" and 70 percent "somewhat positive" nine months after President Obama's inau- guration and seven months after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed his government. In contrast, 14 percent characterize U.S.-Israel relations as "somewhat negative" and 2 percent "very negative." Fifty-four percent of U.S. Jews approve and 32 percent disapprove of the Obama administration's handling of U.S.-Israel relations. Meanwhile, 59 percent approve and 23 percent disapprove of the Netanyahu government's handling of U.S.-Israel relations. Among age segments, AJC found little distinction in approval of the Obama administration's handling of U.S.-Israel relations, with 54 percent of those under 40; 57 percent aged 40-59; and 49 per- cent over 60 expressing approval. AJC surveys have consistently shown that American Jews yearn for Arab-Israeli peace and back compromise through negotiations, but remain skeptical of Arab intentions. On the other hand, denominational affiliation appears to be a key factor in determining attitudes. While majori- ties of Conservative (54 percent) and Reform Jews (59 percent) approve, only 14 percent of Orthodox Jews approve of the Obama administration's handling of U.S.-Israel relations. President Obama won 78 percent of the Jewish vote in the 2008 elections. Settlement Issue Much discussion in recent months has focused on the Obama administration's public criticism of Israeli settlements, a stance opposed by a majority of American Jews. The AJC survey found that a majority, 51 percent of U.S. Jews, disagree with the Obama administration's call for a stop to all new Israeli settlement con- struction, while 41 percent agree with that tactic. Disapproval is fairly consistent among age segments — 49 percent of those under 40 disapprove and 38 percent approve; 53 percent ages 40-59 disap- prove and 42 percent approve; and 51 r ••• i am. au' -ww' sr' - percent over 60 disapprove, while 41 percent approve. Among the denominations, 74 percent of Orthodox, 62 percent of Conservative, and 46 percent of Reform Jews disap- prove of the call for a full settlement freeze. In contrast, 21 percent of Orthodox, 33 percent of Conservative and 45 per- cent of Reform approve. Still, there is wide recognition among American Jews that the question of settlements is a topic to be resolved in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. When put in that context, most American Jews say Israel should be willing to dismantle all (8 percent) or some (52 percent) of the settlements as part of a permanent peace settlement with the Palestinians. Thirty-seven percent oppose disman- tling any. American Jews continue to view glob- al anti-Semitism as a serious problem that is likely to increase over the next several years. Fifty-six percent say anti-Semitism is a "very serious problem" and 43 percent say "somewhat of a problem." Looking ahead, 45 percent say anti-Semitism around the world will increase, 42 per- cent say it will remain the same, and 10 percent say decrease. The 2009 survey was conducted for AJC by Synovate (formerly Market Facts), a leading opinion-research orga- nization. Respondents were interviewed by telephone between Aug. 30–Sept. 17. The 800 respondents are representa- tive of the United States adult Jewish population on a variety of measures. The margin of error from the sample as a whole is plus or minus 3 percentage points. II All AJC annual surveys on American Jewish opinion from 2000 to 2009 are available at Tamarack Fees Frozen For 2010 When Tamarack Camps recently announced fees for next summer's season, the Bloomfield Township-based agency demonstrated commitment to fulfilling its mission — that no child be denied a Jewish camping experience due to finan- cial reasons. At its retreat last month, Tamarack's board approved tuition rates for2010, holding the numbers steady from the pre- vious summer. It was the second straight year in which the agency's leadership responded aggressively to the area's struggling economy. "We allocated more than $1 million last year in financial aid to assist families in sending their children to camp — setting an agency record and a record for Jewish camps around the world:' said Tamarack's president, Shelley Hutton. "We felt that holding our fees in 2010 was the right thing to do in order to fur- ther support all of our families, not just those on financial assistance." Jonah Geller, Tamarack's executive director, said the tuition freeze is possible because of the agency's numerous sup- porters. "It's a testament of the community's determination to serve each and every family, despite the economy:' Geller said. "From Federation, to our board, to the hundreds of donors who invest in what we do. That's also what camp is all about — teaching the importance of supporting each other." Registration for returning Tamarack campers begins this Friday, Oct. 16, while new campers can sign up as early as Nov. 1. www.ajc.org/surveys. wrIPPPP7MMTIR 1 11•1 20% OFF ews total food bill I 1 Bread Deli 28 October 15 = 2009 J. 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