American Jews say others face more discrimination

WASHINGTON — American Jews say they face discrimination in the U.S., but they see Muslims, gays and blacks facing far more.

Findings from the recently released Pew Research Center’s landmark study on Jewish Americans help make the case that Jews find themselves an accepted minority.

“While there are still issues, American Jews live in a country where they feel they are full citizens,” said Kenneth Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Most American Jews are descendants of the great migration of Jews to the U.S. from 1880 to 1920. Today they make up little more than 2 percent of the population, but their influence is outsized. Jews make up 10 percent of the U.S. Senate, and they lead major cities, corporations, philanthropies and arts organizations.

The ADL’s 1964 benchmark survey, conducted by University of California researchers, showed that 29 percent of Americans held hard-core anti-Semitic views. The ADL’s latest poll, in 2011, found that 15 percent did.