Israel-Hamas War made Israelis more religious, JPPI special report reveals

JPPI’s Israeli Society Index found a marked increase in observance of tradition and belief in God, especially among young traditional or religious Jews.

Israeli society has been feeling the rise in traditionalism and the rightward shift in politics. The new report highlights that this is not just a feeling, but a fact: there has been a rise in religious observance, traditionalism, and the right wing.

The survey examined the beliefs, practices, and attitudes of Jews and Arabs in Israel, with a special focus on the views of young Jews (aged 18-24).

The data shows that the wartime period has had a significant impact on Israelis’ observance of tradition.

Around 23% of the Israeli Arabs surveyed said they experienced a greater observance of tradition during the war.

The increase in Jewish religious observance since the war began is strongest among people who would already have described themselves as somewhat traditional or religious. A stronger religious identity was directly, positively correlated with a higher proportion reporting increased traditional practices.

Among young people who consider themselves “traditional, but not so religious,” there is a 37% increase in religious practices, and among those who are “traditional, somewhat religious,” there is a 51% increase.

This overall trend in Jewish society toward increased religious observance and tradition is especially clear among people aged 25 and under.

Prayer amongst Israeli Jews has increased, with 31% reporting that they have been praying more since the war began. Similarly, 20% report reading the Torah or Tehillim more often.

Approximately one-tenth of the Jews surveyed reported increases in practices such as attending synagogue, lighting Shabbat candles, putting on tefillin, or dressing more modestly.

Within the “traditional, not so religious” group, nearly half reported increased prayer. In the “traditional, somewhat religious,” and religious communities, the percentage reporting increased observance of customs is even more significant.

More than half prayed more, and around 42% read Torah and/or Tehillim more, compared to the 23% increase in the “traditional, somewhat religious” group.

In Arab society, 32% have increased how often they pray, 12% dress more modestly, and 10% attend church or mosque more often, similar to the proportion of all Jews surveyed who increased observance of each of those customs.

A large number of those surveyed indicated feeling a stronger faith in God over the last two years. Just over a quarter of Jews and 37% of Arabs feel they believe in God more now than they did before the war, while 9% of Jews and 4% of Arabs have a decline in faith.

Jewish youth have once again experienced a greater impact on belief than among Jewish adults, with 35% saying they believe in God more than they did before.

The general impression within Israeli society is that religious faith is strengthening. Almost half of Jewish Israelis believe their friends and relatives have increased their faith to some degree, with only 9% perceiving it as having weakened.

58% of Jewish youth reported that their families and friends have increased religious faith, similar to the 52% of Arabs who reported the same.

Alongside the questions about changes in religious belief and observance, JPPI asked participants about changes in their political self-identification. They found that since the war began, Jewish Israelis have displayed a clear shift to the right.

Almost half of those who would have described themselves as “moderate right” before the war, and 59% of those who were “right-leaning towards the center,” report moving further right in the last two years.

Approximately half of the people who identified as center or left-wing reported a rightward shift in their politics since October 7.

In the Arab sector, however, political beliefs have remained stable, with the same proportion of people self-reporting as center, left, and right as before the war.

A study from Hebrew University found earlier this year that the ongoing conflict in Gaza is creating significant shifts in religion and spirituality among young Israelis, similar to the findings of JPPI.

Hebrew University researchers found that approximately half of the people surveyed changed their religious and spiritual beliefs, with increases in faith being more common than decreases.

The researchers noted that direct exposure to war was associated with greater religious and spiritual engagement. They suggested that constant reminders of mortality, through rocket attacks, media coverage, and military service, can push people to seek meaning in spirituality.

They found that conscious knowledge of death creates existential anxiety, which people manage by clinging to cultural beliefs, values, and worldviews that give life meaning and offer a sense of symbolic or literal immortality.

Dr. Shuki Friedman, CEO of JPPI, said, “The data reflects what we sensed on the ground: many in Israel - especially among the young - feel that the war has connected them more deeply to tradition and to Jewish identity. Not necessarily in a halachic way, but in ways that are more salient in their lives and across the public sphere.