Survey Says: Israeli Jews Becoming More Religious

A study published Thursday by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and the AVI CHAI Foundation has found that Israeli Jews are becoming more religious.

The results of the survey, titled "A Portrait of Israeli Jews: Beliefs, Observance, and Values of Israeli Jews," contrast significantly with the last survey undertaken in the 1990s, and suggest that the orthodox and ultra-orthodox communities are growing in demographic influence.

An overwhelming majority (85%) of Israeli Jews believe that it is "important to celebrate Jewish festivals in the traditional manner," with 90% celebrating the Pesach Seder. The study also found that both the orthodox and ultra-orthodox communities "observe religious precepts more stringently than they did in the past."

The last study found that attachment to Jewish tradition and religion had declined sharply, but this has been mainly been attributed to the mass influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s.