Israeli Jews are united in the opinion that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, but are divided on the matter of religion, according to a comprehensive public survey on religion, state and society in Israel by the American Pew Research Center. The survey found that while more Israeli Jews are traditional or religious than secular, most still think Halachah (Jewish law) should be separate from the laws of the state. It also found that most of the Jewish population votes for the center-right, and most object to the lack of public transportation on Shabbat. "Nearly 70 years after the establishment of the modern State of Israel, its Jewish population remains united behind the idea that Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people and a necessary refuge from rising anti-Semitism around the globe," researchers said. According to the findings, 40% of Jews in Israel are secular, 23% are traditional, 10% are religious and 8% are ultra-Orthodox. Most Israeli Jews (63%) said Halachah should not be made into state law. The vast majority (94%) of secular Israeli Jews support public transportation on the Shabbat, most of the country's Jews (72%) support conscripting haredi men to serve in the military, and almost half (45%) said they were in favor of letting women pray out loud at the Western Wall. Meanwhile, the majority of secular Israeli Jews said they observe cultural aspects of religion. For example, 87% said they had participated in Passover Seders and 53% said they light Shabbat candles at least on occasion. On the other hand, 62% said they drive vehicles on Shabbat. One of the more disconcerting figures to emerge from the poll is the level of isolation between the secular and haredi subgroups. Only a small portion of those questioned said they have many close friends outside of their own community. In addition, the vast majority of haredim said they would "not be comfortable" if one of their children was to marry a secular Jew -- and vice versa. Some 48% of Jewish Israelis support the transfer or expulsion of Arabs from Israel, while 46% said they oppose such measures. Religious Jews were most in favor of the idea (71%), followed by haredi Jews (59%), traditional Jews (54%) and secular Jews (36%). Pew, recognized as one of the more prestigious research centers in the United States, conducted the survey through face-to-face interviews in Hebrew, Arabic and Russian among 5,601 Israeli adults aged 18 and older from October 2014 through May 2015, before the current wave of terror. The survey used the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics' definition of the Israeli population, which includes Jews living in the West Bank as well as Arab residents of east Jerusalem. In other findings, 79% of Israel Arabs said there is significant discrimination in Israeli society against Muslims. Jews believed the opposite to be true, with a considerable majority (74%) saying they do not see much discrimination against Muslims in Israel.
