Zionist Organization Will Present Results of Jewish Attitude Survey

The preliminary results of a survey of "Jewish Attitudes" in which 500 Harvard and Radcliffe students recently participated will be presented tonight.

At the same time, Oscar Handlin, Winthrop Professor of History and Harold Weisberg, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis, will discuss "The Orientation of the American Jewish Identity."

The survey, entitled the "Harvard Student Attitude Qusetionnaire," was sent to 1000 Harvard-Radcliffe students two weeks ago by the Harvard Student Zionist Organization. Its purpose was to raise questions concerning the Jewish status quo, which is one of the tasks that SZO has set for itself," according to Jonas B. Galper, president of the group.

The questionnaire was compiled by several members of the student Zionist Organization and a Harvard sociologist. It is concerned with Jewish background (were you bar mitzvahed?) and social associations (Were your high school friends 'Jews, Non-Jews, or At Random?").

Respondents were also asked which behavior patterns and personality traits they attribute to being Jewish, and were offered a variety of negative and positive choices to comment upon.

Galper commented yesterday that on the basis of the tabulation that had been completed, there was much less "antipathy toward religion" than is normally expected among college students. For example, 66 per cent of the respondents said that they felt it was important to attend services on the High Holy Days, and 30 per cent said that they attend lectures on Jewish cultural topics.

The findings of the survey will be presented tonight at 8 p.m at 2 Divinity Avenue, preceding the discussion between Handlin and Weisberg.