Pro Jewish groups have said that young British Christians are more antisemitic compared with their American counterparts and with older generations of Christians, following the results of a survey.
The survey asked around 2,000 British Christians their views on a number of Jewish and Israel related questions. Around a third of those questioned said they believed that Jews “still talk too much” about the Holocaust.
When it came to the conflict between Israel and Gaza, around a third of young British Christians said they supported the Palestinians, while only 19% came out for Israel.
Around 14% of young Christians said they strongly supported Israel, a figure that rose to 22% among Christians aged 65 and over.
Dr Motti Inbari, a professor of Jewish Studies at the University of North Carolina and a co-author of the research, said, “Young Brits are significantly more likely to hold very negative opinions of Jews and Israel than older British Christians.
“With antisemitism being openly celebrated, it’s important to understand why many British Christians, especially the young generation, still embrace old antisemitic Christian views.”
Dr Inbari did not explicitly state what antisemitic views young people allegedly have, but the report did cite some of the following:
– Believing it’s not antisemitic to say Israel doesn’t have a right to exist – 16% agreed.
– Believing Jews probably only care about other Jews – 25% agreed.
– Believing Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars – 16% agreed.
The research also found that Christians who identified as being far left politically, or who came from an Asian background, were more likely to hold antisemitic views than other young British Christians.
Just under a quarter of British Christians support Israel in the current conflict, compared with 42% of American Christians.
Dr Mitch Glaser, CEO of Chosen People, a ministry that seeks to convert Jews and helped fund the research, said, the findings show “exactly where Christians in the UK stand — and it’s deeply concerning”.
