Institute for Jewish Policy Research

05/10/2026

The Green Party’s decision to define Zionism as racism risks fundamentally misrepresenting British Jewish identity and effectively tells the majority of British Jews that a central part of their Jewish identity is inherently racist. It also blurs the crucial distinction between emotional attachment to Israel and support for any particular Israeli government or policy.

JPR data show that 𝟲𝟲% 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗭𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁, while 51% feel 'very' emotionally attached to Israel. About four in five British Jews agree that Israel is the ancestral homeland of the Jewish People and support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: these beliefs extend well beyond support for any particular Israeli government, and many British Jews are also sharply critical of Israeli policies and the conduct of the war.

Our new report, 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟴 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟳 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, explores how ’ relationship with , , and their own has changed since - and what has remained remarkably stable.

Read the full report on the JPR website.

Full report October 8 Jews: the impact of October 7 on British Jewish identity i Unique study tracking 2,500 British Jews before and after October 7 finds stronger emotional attachment to Israel, alongside heightened anxiety and vulnerability about antisemitism, yet little evidence of a religious re...

11/09/2026

(Link in comments)

As another Jewish year draws to a close, it is tempting to ask whether it was a good or a bad one for Jews in the UK and everywhere else. In his latest op-ed for The Jewish News, Dr Jonathan Boyd dives into JPR's research in 5786 and finds that the reality is much more complex, nuanced, and interesting.

Shana Tova u'Metuka from JPR!
🍯🍎

10/09/2026

“The available evidence shows that views on Israeli government policy and the conflict are quite diverse, varying by age, denomination and political outlook. At the same time, they also show that most British Jews feel a strong emotional attachment to Israel and have become increasingly concerned about antisemitism in Britain since October 7. Research in Britain and elsewhere in Europe consistently finds that many Jews experience a close connection between public discourse and policy concerning Israel and the climate they encounter as Jews in their everyday lives.”

Dr Jonathan Boyd brings context to the latest report by The Guardian:

Spiritual leaders stress diversity of views within Jewish community and warn against inaction on settler violence

07/08/2026

School might be out for summer... But our research shows some of the strongest Jewish education experiences happen outside the classroom.

In his latest op-ed for The Jewish News, Dr Jonathan Boyd explains why summer camps, Israel tours and Jewish youth movements are not ‘nice-to-haves’. Our research shows they clearly matter.

All ur insights and reports on Jewish education are available for free on our website.

Shabbat shalom from JPR 🎓

30/07/2026

JPR’s recent What Works? study finds that no single programme has a transformative impact on Jewish identity. Rather, identity is shaped through a wider ecosystem of experiences and relationships.

Israel has long played a distinctive role within that ecosystem because it offers something no Diaspora classroom can replicate: an encounter with Jewish majority culture. It allows young Jews to experience the Jewish People not only as an idea, but as a society.

Seven years of disruption and polarisation are changing how a generation of Jews encounters Israel. In his latest op-ed for The Jewish News, Omri Gal Glueckselig wonders what that means for the next generation of Diaspora Jews if Israel becomes harder to reach and harder to teach.

03/07/2026

Earlier this week, in Vienna, JPR, the European University Institute (EUI) and the European Commission officially launched NERON - the Network for European Research on Jewish Life and Antisemitism.

Funded by the European Commission under its programme as a key component of its long-term strategy in this area, NERON is a major three-year initiative designed to strengthen the research foundations needed to combat and foster across Europe, including the UK.

Bringing together researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations and community leaders, the project will help improve research standards, build new partnerships, support the next generation of scholars, and lay the groundwork for a permanent European research hub in this field.

Thank you The Jewish News, The Jewish Chronicle, The Jerusalem Post and many others for sharing this important news.

Want to learn more? Visit the NERON page on our website for more information, reports and the latest insights from Dr Jonathan Boyd and Dr Keith Kahn-Harris: https://www.jpr.org.uk/neron

Shabbat shalom from JPR!

30/06/2026

Speaking last evening in Vienna, the European Commission Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, launched '𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍' - a major new international initiative designed to significantly improve the academic quality and policy value of research on contemporary antisemitism and Jewish life, to be led by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) and the European University Institute (EUI).

𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍 aims to strengthen Europe's research landscape on and contemporary by bringing together researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations, and community leaders in a collaborative European network.

The project will address knowledge and research capacity gaps, promote methodological standards, and strengthen the link between research and policymaking so that evidence can better inform practical responses.

It will also support the next generation of researchers through training and networking opportunities, while laying the foundations for a permanent European research hub to provide long-term coordination, expertise, and leadership in the field.

Top photo, L-R: Austrian State Secretary Alexander Pröll; Commissioner of Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner (EC); Prof Erik Jones, Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies; Dr Jonathan Boyd (JPR).

Find out more: https://www.jpr.org.uk/NERON

Subscribe to the JPR newsletter to stay in touch with all the latest news and research: https://shorturl.at/ppkMI

17/06/2026

JPR Executive Director Dr Jonathan Boyd participated this week in the 16th EU–Israel High-Level Seminar on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life in Brussels, sharing the latest data on the rise of antisemitism in Europe and the UK following the October 7 attacks and the war in Gaza, and how it affects Jewish life, identity and demography.

Bringing together policymakers, researchers and community leaders from across Europe and Israel, the seminar focused on contemporary , , and the implications of on all these.

Jonathan's participation reflects JPR's ongoing engagement in European policy and research discussions on issues affecting Jewish communities, and our commitment to provide independent, accurate and robust data to help plan for a better future for Jews across the world.

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
European Commission

21/05/2026

Tonight begins the Jewish holyday of – the Feast of Weeks – which commemorates one of the most foundational moments in Jewish history: the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It marks the point at which a collection of tribes became a nation: The .

For the occasion, 𝗝𝗣𝗥 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗮, examining the forces that shaped throughout history – and how those might affect what the Jewish People look like 100 years down the line: https://www.jpr.org.uk/reports/jewish-people-2126-demography-identity-and-future-global-minority

You can also read this interview with Sergio in TThe Jewish Chronicle https://www.thejc.com/news/world/post-october-7-hostility-is-making-diaspora-more-jewish-says-leading-demographer-k6o3wk6k

Sinai did not give us solidarity alone. It also gave us a collective conscience. And it insists we resolve the two, however difficult it might be, writes Dr JJonathan Boydin his latest op-ed for TThe Jewish News https://www.jpr.org.uk/insights/sinai-jewish-solidarity-and-jewish-conscience

How has the changed in recent years? Dr Jonathan Boyd discussed the topic in a recent event, now available on the JPR website: https://www.jpr.org.uk/insights/diaspora-jews-shifting-landscape

Despite all these important themes, our latest data show that only 42% of celebrated Shavuot last year. In his op-ed for The Jewish News, OOmri Galwonders whether this important holyday has a ‘branding’ problem: https://www.jpr.org.uk/insights/shavuot-has-branding-problem

Something to read over the long weekend? Sorted!

Chag sameach from JPR!

21/05/2026

Read the full policy paper - 'The Jewish People in 2126' - on the JPR website: https://www.jpr.org.uk/reports/jewish-people-2126-demography-identity-and-future-global-minority