Jewish-Israeli Attitudes toward Human Rights Organizations and Patriotism

Abstract

This article explores Jewish-Israeli attitudes toward human rights (HR) activism and patriotism, based on responses to a questionnaire answered by 503 people. We examined how Jewish-Israelis perceive three HR NGOs, based on their political orientations, religious beliefs and level of education, including attitudes concerning the relationship between HR activism and patriotism. While the left-wing and secular respondents tended to exhibit more support for such work than the other groups, HR activism was often seen as unpatriotic. Educational level did not often play a role in attitude formation. Furthermore, the left-wing and centrists often showed unexpected attitudes. Analyses of written comments on the issues showed they were highly emotional and negative. We offer psychosocial explanations for the results and conclude that Jewish-Israeli attitudes toward HR work, in connection to patriotism, needs further study, especially among left-wingers and centrists.

Notes

1 Israel has Basic Laws, but no Constitution.

2 The pre-State Jewish community in Palestine