Warning: Generalizations used to make a point, so don’t have a cow.
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Conservatives and Christians tend to be pro-Israel. As a Christian, I believe the nation of Israel will play a very important role in God’s unfolding plan of redemption. For years I’ve noticed that liberals are typically anti-Israel, and I’ve often wondered how Jewish Democrats feel about this or deal with anti-Semitism within their own party. The war in Iraq has brought out the true feelings of the anti-war crowd.
Liberals I know personally and read about tend to think along these lines: They believe problems in the Middle East stem from U.S. support of Israel. As secularists, they don’t believe in the Jews-as-God’s-chosen-people meme or that Jews have a historical claim to Israel. Some are pro-Palestine; others anti-Israel. And many couldn’t care less either way.
This article, American Jews Unprepared For Attacks From the Left, piqued my curiosity. Am I incorrectly assuming that most American Jews are pro-Israel? I don’t know how many religious or secular Jewish readers I have, but I’d love to hear from you on this issue, especially if you’re a liberal.
Update: Asher Abrams writes:
LaShawn, thanks for bringing the important issue of leftist anti-semitism to your readers’ attention.
I am an American Jewish liberal, pro-Israel and pro-Bush. The phenomenon Brookhiser describes - the growing convergence between leftist and anti-semitic elements - is real, and some of us have been noticing it for a while.
You ask whether most American Jews are pro-Israel. I would say not necessarily. By and large, the more religious (particularly Orthodox) Jews tend to be pro-Israel while the more secular, and liberal, Jews tend to be neutral or even anti-Israel. (Famous, and extreme, examples would include Noam Chomsky and Nir Rosen.) There are exceptions, for example a certainultra-orthodox sect which is strongly anti-Israel, but this is the general picture.
The cultural Jewish tendency toward “fairness” - to the point of being self-deprecating or even self-hating - is well-known and is the subject of a lot of Jewish humor. (It makes people laugh because people know there’s an element of truth to it.) There’s a saying that “a Jew won’t take his own side in a quarrel”; there is also an identical saying about liberals. So perhaps you begin to see the connection.
Israeli Jews and American Jews don’t always get along well, because Israeli society has (by and large) rejected what it sees as the “old world” or “ghetto mentality” of always thinking of yourself last.
The ideal, of course, is to strike a balance between altruism and self-interest. A proverb by the Jewish sage Rabbi Hillel sums it up: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
There is more I’d like to write about this, but I’ll save it for my own blog. BTW, I’m a big fan of yours.
From my experience with Jewish liberals (as my background is in the non-profit sector, where I have been in contact with them), most of them support the state of Israel although some quibbled with certain government policies. And of course, not all liberals are secularists (e.g., most black liberals).
Update II: A commenter wrote, “As a liberal, I must say anti-Israel does not equal anti-Semite.”
Very true, and I didn’t intend to equate the two, but apparently that’s the impression. In that regard, I hope people realize that being anti-race preferences doesn’t equal “anti-black.”
I’m puzzled, too. I’d like to hear a good, factual, historical explanation of the alignment of American Jews with the Democratic Party and the Left. Maybe it dates to a time when to be a Jew in America meant being a poor immigrant who lived on the fringe of society, and was shut out of power. But that seems to be no longer the case. Today, I see my fellow Americans who also happen to be Jews to be people who believe in family, faith, education, personal responsiblity, community service and leadership, and business and capitalism. To me, that sounds like conservative people who should be Republicans. Add in the fact that Republicans tend to be pro-Israel, while many on the Left are anti-Israel, and it’s hard for me to understand why American Jews continue to overwhelmingly support Democratic Party candidates.
Comment by David Downing — 09.29.05 @ 10:39 am
I think the answer to David Downing’s (#1) question is simple: American Jews have historically aligned with the left because the left is the party of civil liberties and freedoms. Remember where American Jews came from — Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany, etc. They had a healthy distrust of government. McCarthyism didn’t exactly endear “the right” to American Jews either.
La Shawn hits a foul ball when she implies that there is anti-semitism from the Democrats. That’s not a “generalization” she’s making; it’s outright incorrect. Being critical of Israel’s policies is not anti-semitism any more than being critical of Bush’s or Clinton’s policies makes someone anti-American.
(Of course, there are some on the left who are true anti-semites, but there are some on the right as well — see the KKK)
Anyway, I would like to know where that premise is based.
Comment by Kman — 09.29.05 @ 11:41 am
La Shawn hits a foul ball when she implies that there is anti-semitism from the Democrats. That’s not a “generalization†she’s making; it’s outright incorrect. Being critical of Israel’s policies is not anti-semitism any more than being critical of Bush’s or Clinton’s policies makes someone anti-American.
Interesting observation, indeed. Perhaps I’m guilty of the same thing black liberals are guilty of: calling whites racists and other blacks “self-haters” simply because they’re critical of blacks, skin color preference policies, etc.
Food for thought, and I will think.
Comment by La Shawn — 09.29.05 @ 11:46 am
Loved Asher Abrams comments….I have been bewildered and dismayed by the rampant anti-semitism I have seen overtaking so much of the world,(on US campuses, it is horrific), and how acceptable it has become. Recently, I read about a Jewish student who was brutally beaten ( he had to be hospitalized) at UT Austin, while anti-semitic slurs were hurled at him. He is not the only one beaten and yet, there has not been a ripple of concern… One day, I was listening to a mother from Gaza, whose eldest son was murdered by Palestinian terrorists, and who now had to give up her home to people who hate Jews and want to see them annhilated, heaving in gut-wrenching sobs. I came to a conclusion. The pain of a Jewish person isn’t the same as the pain of a ‘victim minority’, because Jewish people ‘don’t bleed’. There is a perception of them as the haves. Therefor, their suffering is discounted. Because they are the haves, it also naturally follows that they must be the oppressors. This has become the new paradigm for looking at the world. The UN and liberal propoganda machine has done a superb job of promoting the paradigm. Ultimately, such distorted thinking demeans the humanity in all of us.
Comment by jan brauner — 09.29.05 @ 11:47 am
David,
I guess they are following the same “goodies” that most blacks have followed (in regards to why they would be Democrat)…It’s the allusion and all the nice talk of getting “civil liberties”.
For Kman, I would suggest reading the news daily to see where the argument comes from (and not just the main ones in America). that will give you an idea. (Just a thought)
Comment by Renee — 09.29.05 @ 11:55 am
When I step back and look at it La Shawn, your question may be answered with the same answer that comes to mind for “how can a Christian who is Black”, support the liberal democrat party…
it all boils down to “what are their TRUE beliefs (not what name do they call themselves).
Comment by Renee — 09.29.05 @ 11:57 am
To a large degree, I agree with Asher’s analysis that American Jews vote democratic as a block because of their socially liberal leanings. I see the issue from the outside, as I am a goyim married to a Jew in the Northeast. However, my overwhelming experience with Reformed Judaism and its practitioners is that they are pro Israel and simply in denial about the anti-semitism of the left, which, as demonstrated here, hides behind the false shield of pretending to be anti-Israel yet not anti-semitic. (A kind of hate the sin not the sinner preposition - but so obviously insincere that I am suprised that you actually give it any credibility). Yes, I am sure that there are some who have actually rationalized their anti-semitic views in that manner, and a smaller bunch who can actually sincerly hold that position - but in my opinion, today’s Left is as anti-semitic as the - well, you know.
I actually fear for my friends and family, and am constantly amazed at their willfull blindness towards those who obviously hate them for what they are. One thing remains constant - Jewish faith in the intrinsic goodness of the human heart despite repeated demonstrations carried out on their own people of the depravity it is also capable of. It is sweet in a way, but scary, they are setting themselves up to be victims once again, I fear.
Comment by West — 09.29.05 @ 12:35 pm
American Jews are pro-Israel… except when they are not
Following up on LaShawn Barber’s question of whether American Jews are pro-Israel, the answer is yes… and no… it depends on how one defines ‘Israel’…
Trackback by ThoughtsOnline — 09.29.05 @ 12:44 pm
I can speak with authority because I come from a liberal, Jewish, Democratic background. In fact, my entire family, from coast to coast, is liberal and votes Democrat, including my siblings’ in-laws.
The most pro-Israel Jews are the orthodox and conservatives. Liberal Jews support Israel, but they want peace, so they want to work with the Palestinians, not hate them.
When I try to talk to my family (and siblings’ in-laws) about the rampant anti-semitism from Palestinians and other Muslims, they have a hard time believing it. I even give them examples of what I’ve heard and read, but they don’t take it seriously. They have no animosity towards those people, but what’s sad is that the Muslims still think that all Jews are against them. Not true.
The people that liberal Jews loathe are Evangelical Christians, which is ironic. They are more against them than anti-semitic Muslims.
Rosh Hashanah is coming up, and I will undoubtedly hear anti-Bush statements, and what makes it worse is that he claims he’s a Christian. Actually, even in the synagogue (Reform, which is liberal), I’ve heard anti-Evangelical Christian rhetoric.
I’ve concluded that it is the veil that is over people’s eyes. Why? Because I’ve been there.
Comment by mj — 09.29.05 @ 12:52 pm
Liberals (including most liberal Jews) have a template which they use to sort things out. When they look at an issue, it’s generally in terms of oppressor/oppressed. Sometimes this template is useful and valid, as in the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights movement. Sometimes it’s stupid, as in the case of Israel (oppressor) and the Palestinians (oppressed).
Comment by Brainster — 09.29.05 @ 12:55 pm
For recent history most Jews and other minorities voted for democrats because they were more likely to protect their freedoms and accept them for their non-traditional (American) values. To this day the republican party has branches that are xenophobic, racist, and anti-Semitic. It is not a coincidence that David duke and his like are republicans. Until this perception is gone I don’t believe that most minorities in this country will vote republican. Regardless of how much they may actually have in common.
Plus, don’t evangelicals believe that Jews have to convert before Jesus returns?
Comment by jack — 09.29.05 @ 1:04 pm
Based on experience and numerous conversations, here’s my unscientific opinion about why non-Orthodox/conservative Jews tend to vote Democratic: there’s a philosophy, like someone said earlier, that people are basically good. Anne Frank also said it, and she died in the Holocaust, but that doesn’t prove anything to them.
There’s also the idea that Jews should make the world a better place. Even in the prayer book that is used in many Reform synagogues, it says that Jews are supposed to help complete the world by continually improving it–basically, God didn’t finish the job. So the Democratic party does the best job of improving our country.
I have met Jews who love the capitalist system and believe in hard work and no government handouts, but they vote Democratic because they believe the government should help those in need. It’s a way to help the world, even though they would never want to be on welfare or have any family members on it. They could live in the nicest, safest, richest suburb, but they will want to help those people in the ghetto, even though they may never set foot there.
I’ve met Jews who worked their way up from total poverty into wealth, but they would never align themselves with Conservative Republicans because they distrust Christian religiosity or anything that resembles it. Even “family values” or keeping “under God” in the pledge is suspect, because they assume it comes from those dangerous Evangelicals.
Comment by mj — 09.29.05 @ 1:11 pm
“It is not anti-Semetic to criticise the government of Israel”
- Colin Powell
Comment by Zorro — 09.29.05 @ 1:13 pm
I believe that many are being misled about the conservative and “family values” of Democratic-voting Jews. In fact, they are NOT conservative.
Anyone who believes that “people are basically good” all the time are terribly naive, and wishful thinkers.
These people actually believe that the Democratic party is tha “party of the people” because they wish that is was true.
Liberal Israelis are one step worse - they really believe that people like Arafat had some good in them that could be brought out with endless negosiations.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 09.29.05 @ 1:18 pm
Recently, a group of US Jews raised $14,000,000 to purchase greenhouses in Gaza for the Palestinians. They wanted to give these poor people a chance to prosper in a world that had ‘deprived’ them and in which they were ‘victims’. When the Palestinians streamed into Gaza, they began destroying the greenhouses in an orgy of hate….I watched, as parents shouted in joy as they destroyed the futures of their children, because hate was the most important part of their lives…more important than the lives of their children….I honestly feel that many Jews in the US have had their perceptions so shaped by a liberal media, that they do not perceive the depth of hatred, the degree of distortions they have been fed, and the true genesis of the problem. And, I don’t think they know what a victim really looks like any longer….
Comment by jan brauner — 09.29.05 @ 1:52 pm
Most Jews are liberals because of the traditional emphasis on charity, human rights, compassion (Tikkun Olam in Hebrew, “bettering the world”). My entire family is Republican and, while we’re Jewish anomalies, the war on terror has made many Jews rethink their political leanings. There’s never been a better friend of Israel or the Jewish people than President Bush, and the Democrats’ increasing affiliation with groups like ANSWER, politicians like Cynthia McKinney and simply consorting with all range of loons like Ma Sheehan and her anti-America, anti-Israel crowd make many Jews uncomfortable with the Democratic party.
With regard to anti-Semitism, most people who claim only to be opposed to the policies of the State of Israel are, in fact, anti-Semitic because they apply to Israel a double-standard. Until Saddam was deposed, Israel was the only nation in the middle east in which an Arab could speak freely, vote in a fair election, practice his religion in peace and serve in a democratically elected national legislature. When anti-Israel people stop indulging Islamic extremism and Arab tyranny and start applying the same standards to Arab nations as they do to Israel, then their claims of not being anti-Semitic will be valid.
Comment by Jonathan — 09.29.05 @ 2:06 pm
I’m a libertarian leaning Jew from NJ. Most of my family is pretty liberal (certainly compared to me) but there is a pocket of conservatives in my family. Most of the liberalness/Democratic voting seems almost a force of habit in my family. In the 40’s and 50’s there were some real commies (no hyperbole there) in my family but now everyone is pretty comfortably middle class. I’ve tried to talk to my family about the growing anti-semitism seeping in the Democratic party in the guise of Anti-Zionism but they don’t seem to listen (Yes, I realize that not all anti-Zionism is anti-Semitic but I find it Anti-Semitic that Jews are singled out as the only people not allowed self determination by the more aggressive left). I think a lot my family votes Democratic b/c there view of the Republicans is stuck in the 50’s even though I know Republicans have been much more pro-Israel than Democrats for a long time.
I think their view on Evangelicals is the same thing. I appreciate any support Israel can get for whatever reason. When many mainstream liberal Churches (Anglicans and Presbyterians) are moving towards total divestment from Israel, I know a friend when I see it. I don’t believe in the 2nd coming (nor the first) but if that is what it takes for you to support Israel, I’ll take it. Israel has too few friends to spurn any of them.
I hope this helped somewhat. On a personal note, I would like to say I’m a fan of your blog. Even though you have some different views than me I appreciate getting a different perspective on conservatism and Christianity. I recall reading in the past when you’ve been a little down on the whole blogging experience. I hope to continue reading your blog for a long time. Your voice and message is being heard by a wider and more diverse audience than you think.
Comment by Shtetl G — 09.29.05 @ 2:12 pm
Thanks for reading, Shtetl.
Comment by La Shawn — 09.29.05 @ 2:16 pm
My fiance is a Reform Jew and her family has Conservative leanings both religiously and politically.
Why do Jews tend to vote left? Others have said it but… (1) The left has historically stood for minority civil rights and Jews are a historically persecuted minority. (2) The Christian Right gives them the willies because they fear religious persecution that tend to follow vocal Christians. (3) They see government as a way to help people and make the world a better place.
Are they pro-Israel? Generally yes, but that doesn’t mean they like current Israeli politics. Are Jews worried about the growing anti-semitic sentiments on the left? Yes, but they worry a lot of things. They are a worrying people.
Jews are also an ideologically diverse group. You can’t sum them up as Orthodox/Conservative/Reform. These aren’t distinct groups, there is a continuity of belief. The definition of who actually is a Jew is pretty contentious too. Generally your Jewish if you have Jewish blood and aren’t Muslim or Christian (but they don’t like to be that blunt about it). You can be a Buddhist or even a Neo-pagan Wiccan Jew pretty successfully though.
Comment by Jeff the Baptist — 09.29.05 @ 2:44 pm
I’ve always been puzzled by the Jewish support for Democrats. Well, let me rephrase that; I’ve been puzzled ever since the Democrat Party took its severe lurch to the left.
Looking back to, say, 1960, I can see why Jews might favor Democrats. But that party is long gone, replaced today by the party of George Soros and Michael Moore. As Ronald Reagan said, “I didn’t leave the Democrat Party; it left me.”
Comment by RedBeard — 09.29.05 @ 4:14 pm
As a liberal, I must say anti-Israel does not equal anti-Semite. And I’ll keep it at that.
Comment by Mike M. — 09.29.05 @ 5:46 pm
Marx or Lenin once reportedly said “The capitalists will sell us the rope we hang them with.” Something similar applies to many Jews who dabble with and strongly support the left. In time, the Left will arise to destroy them. The signs are being seen now- in Europe, in the dubious “land for peace” “process”, in the terror attacks in Israel, in the supposedly “progressive” universities. Liberal Jews time and time again have remained silent or actively support these negative developments in the name of a liberal philosophy or lifestyle. They are unprepared because they naively assume they can do a balancing act, just as those who appeased Hitler assumed that, they, the more sophistiated and enlightened, could “do business” with Adolf Schikelgruber, the Austrian corporal.
This is not a unique situation with Jews however. Similar patterns can be seen among those who supported Communism. Eventually the very monster they supported and appeased, destroyed them. “The Revolution devours its children” is an old cliche, but contains much truth. Under a regime of the left, that of Stalin and his successors, Jews suffered horribly, but many skim quickly over this in favor of pointing to the threat from “right wing ideologues”.
One interesting aspect of this question is that christian conservatives like LaShawn are considered anathema to some (I did not say all) liberal Jews, part of the “reactionary” forces that threaten to “turn back the clock” to “the days of the Inquisition” as the standard boilerplate goes. But that objection may be mere window dressing. What they object to is that christian conservatives tend to support enduring and transcendent moral standards and principles, as set forth in the Bible narrative, including prophecy, something many liberal Jews have thrown off. That is what rankles many liberal Jews. Christian conservatives can speak intelligently about Jewish history and culture from a Biblical aspect. They have access to “the Director’s Cut” so to speak. As such, they are unwelcome goyim messengers, who dare to point out certain things. Of course, even conservative Jews fall into this anathema category as well.
Time will of course tell. If Biblical prophecy (Revelation, Exekiel, etc) is true, Jews as a group are slated for yet another round of intense future suffering. The exact shape it will take is of course unclear, but the present time provides certain hints. One is the continued squeezing of the Jewish state, forcing it into progressively weaker defensive situations, hobbling its ability to deal with Arab/Muslim attacks- whether proxy or open. Only the US umbrella gives Israel some breathing room now. That can change within a few election cycles.
Another indicator is the growing international hostility against Israel. It is not inconceivable to imagine a day when “UN Resolutions” condemn the Jewish state for something or another, and an economic embargo followed by armed force is unleashed to bring it to heel. Then it will be the Jewish state not merely against “world opinion” but actual military force wielded in the name of “collective security”. A weak US umbrella or military, and growing EU power makes this future scenario plausible. Will such “collective security” involve US troops? Unknown but said troops are not strictly necessary. A debilitating economic embargo, and a bombing campaign (Bosnia demonstrated the partial effectiveness of such) coupled with “fraternal” Arab help on the ground might do quite nicely.
A third indicator is antipathy towards Jews themselves everywhere, from the streets of Europe to the universities of the US, added to the usual clamor from Arab quarters. Liberal credentials are of little protection in the general resentment against the Jewish “problem”. As the Muslim population of Europe grows, this antipathy will become even greater. The entrance of Turkey into the EU is yet another example of how this trend could go. Skilfully exploited by secular and/or Arab/Muslim opponents, clamor to “resolve the Jewish problem” can lead to any number of unpleasant outcomes.
Comment by Enrique Cardova — 09.29.05 @ 6:07 pm
You’re right, La Shawn. I agree with your second Update. And, it’s not even that I’m against Israel. I’m against many of the policies the US uses with Israel. As if I need to add some qualifier, I have many Jewish friends and quite a few Jews in my family. So I’ve never quite understood the rhetoric from some on the right who make the left out to be anti-Semites. Believe me, there are PLENTY out there. Just like there are plenty of right-wingers who just as well despise Judaism.
Comment by Mike M. — 09.29.05 @ 7:20 pm
I am an Orthodox Jew and support Israel. Liberal Jews foolishly believe, deep down, that if they oppose Israel the Jew haters will leave them alone. This is (subconciously) what makes them liberal - fight our enemies by wishing them away.
Those that love G-d love His People. The left, ideologically, hates G-d and so leans towards Jew hatred. The right is a mixed bag - some are fine with Jews and others not.
Criticism of Israel almost always is hatred of Jews, since the critics confine their criticism to Israel or equate it with barbaric regimes. And I also believe that America is hated mostly for its support of Israel.
Comment by Mike — 09.29.05 @ 8:17 pm
Jan Bruner said:
Recently, a group of US Jews raised $14,000,000 to purchase greenhouses in Gaza for the Palestinians. They wanted to give these poor people a chance to prosper in a world that had ‘deprived’ them and in which they were ‘victims’. When the Palestinians streamed into Gaza, they began destroying the greenhouses in an orgy of hate….I watched, as parents shouted in joy as they destroyed the futures of their children, because hate was the most important part of their lives…more important than the lives of their children….I honestly feel that many Jews in the US have had their perceptions so shaped by a liberal media, that they do not perceive the depth of hatred, the degree of distortions they have been fed, and the true genesis of the problem. And, I don’t think they know what a victim really looks like any longer….
It is not only the liberal media, it is sometimes an entire mindset. There is a typical liberal assumption of greater sophistication and greater enlightment, that blinds many from the hard realities on the ground in the Middle East. Some of that of course is based on the level of comfort and prosperity many Jews have achieved in the US. This comfort level stops some liberal Jews from asking hard questions about liberalism or the left. Many were for example shocked to hear about the streak of anti-Semitism in the black community, as Norman Podhoretz pointed out in his famous 1963 essay “My Negro Problem, and Ours”. The shattering of related delusions was to continue into the Affirmative Action era. Many are likewise unprepared for the even greater level of venom against Israel, venom light years above what Podhoretz spoke about. And yet the delusions continue where the stakes are infinitely higher- the survival of the Jewish people themselves. The example of the greenhouses is yet another example where naive illusions butt up against reality. The cynical “peace process” is an even more powerful example of where arrogant assumptions of greater sophistication can have disastrous results. It took the homicide bombers of Palestine to finally clear the fog of such delusions. But will people learn long term?
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Kman said:
I think the answer to David Downing’s (#1) question is simple: American Jews have historically aligned with the left because the left is the party of civil liberties and freedoms. Remember where American Jews came from — Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany, etc. They had a healthy distrust of government. McCarthyism didn’t exactly endear “the right†to American Jews either.
La Shawn hits a foul ball when she implies that there is anti-semitism from the Democrats. That’s not a “generalization†she’s making; it’s outright incorrect.
LaShawn has not hit a “foul ball” Kman. Your explanation is itself lacking. For one thing American Jews did not come from “Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany”. Most American Jews came to American soil decades before Stalin or Hitler appeared on the scene. They were coming to the US since the 1800s and even before. You are almost 2 centuries off. And the Left is hardly the bastion of civil liberties and civil freedoms. The tens of millions perishing in the gulags of Rusia, the mass graves of China and the killing fields of Cambodia make a mockery of this assertion. And there IS anti-Semitism of varying levels among various Democratic constitutiencies. Pick a group and you will find it: blacks (see Podhoretz above), Catholics, white Southerners, etc, so LaShawn is hardly “incorrect”.
Comment by Enrique Cardova — 09.29.05 @ 9:34 pm
I agree with RedBeard.
I have been a registered Dem since about 1981. Jews like me and have remained part of the Democrat party because, as a group, they are unwilling to acknowledge that the ideals of the 60s are no longer drivers of policy. They are also unwilling to acknowledge that the big tent mentality has allowed in many unsavory characters.
Increasingly over the past few years I have felt that the Democrat party’s effort to be everything to everyone there is no longer a place for me.
As a result I voted to reelect the President last year–the first time I voted for a Republican in a national election–much to the dismay of my wife and many friends.
Perhaps they are just able to see nuances which are lost on me.
Comment by Rob G — 09.29.05 @ 9:59 pm
The problem with those who see with ‘The Vision of the Annointed’, is that they fail to see the facts on the ground. Thus, their world view, utterly devoid of an empirical basis, often leads to disastrous unintended consequences. So, even when the ‘annointed’ say the right things, they often do the wrong things, while crediting themselves with their superior compassion. To them, it doesn’t matter that higher taxes bring in lower revenues, because they never let that fact interfere with their redistributive ideology.For, it is the thought that counts.
I think Enrique is absolutely correct when he speaks of how this mindset has proven problematic in that it ‘informs’ much of how so many liberal Jews in the United States view the world.
note: ‘Vision of The Annointed’was written by Thomas Sowell and resonated with me as I could not understand how there could be such a disconnect about the reality of economic policies and their effects when I first returned to the US…
Comment by jan brauner — 09.29.05 @ 10:31 pm
As a liberal-hawk American Jew (And a vet, so I can walk the walk of Liberal Hawk) I have 2 Points:
1st; Anti-Israel really is racist when it’s founded on unfair and biased criticism. When a person singles out Israel for criticism while remaining tolerant of far more serious things elsewhere, that’s anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic, even if the criticism is accurate.
Criticism matched by tolerance elsewhere is hypocrisy.
2nd; In my experience, a lot of American Jews are pro-Israel in heart, but not in head, and feel the same about the United States. It’s a product of upbringing, culture, and values taught. American Jews are frequently raised on things like seeking non-violent solutions to all problems, all violence is evil, etc, to the point where exceptions to these fine sentiments are ignored entirely. As an example, Jewish children learn all about the Holocaust in Hebrew School- except for one simple thing. Ask a twelve year old Jewish child about Anne Frank and concentration camps and Nazis, and he or she knows. Ask “and how did the Holocaust end?” and you’ll frequently get a blank stare. The teacher simply couldn’t teach them the truth- it ended when American, British, and Russian soldiers killed so many Germans that the rest of the Germans quit. That would be teaching that violence really can solve problems, and that would be wrong. So a lot of American Jews are ambivalent today, finding themselves, increasingly, in a world where the values they were taught don’t coincide with the reality they see.
Comment by Ben — 09.29.05 @ 10:48 pm
I am very familiar with the Jewish contempt for evangelical Protestants Brookhiser speaks of at the end of his article. I have always wondered about it since in my many years of very active participation in evangelical churches, I have met only one anti-Jewish person. She tried to give an anti-Jewish rant disguised as a prayer request at a Wednesday evening prayer meeting and our pastor kept interrupting her by repeating the sentence, “Gerda, I will not let you use our prayer meeting as platform for your anti-Semitic propaganda.†She eventually left the meeting and never came back to our church. Later, when she ran for the U.S. Senate, some enterprising reporters discovered that she had joined three different churches in the hopes of finding a hearing for her beliefs.
A woman who was two years behind me in school and attended the same church I did, came to the college I attended. One evening she asked me if a certain student was a Christian. I answered, “Yes.†She then told me that this student quickly challenged another student who had made an anti-Semitic remark. We both assumed this is what a Christian would do. While in college we attended a church that celebrated the rebirth of the nation of Israel every May.
My experience in evangelical groups made me wonder why most educated Jewish writers and speakers seemed to assume that evangelicals were ignorant anti-Semitites. The first Jewish author that I remember having a kind word for evangelicals was Harry Golden. He had lived in the south and wrote that contact he had with church people was usually friendly and often consisted of some pastor asking him some historical question, such as, if he knew the final fate of the Ark of the Covenant. He put in a good word for William Jennings Bryan, pointing out that he was for shortened work days and work weeks long before such reforms were popular. He also mentioned that Billy Graham supported him when Golden’s participation in some event was challenged because he had once been in jail.
Later, when I was active in feminist groups, I attended a lecture on Raul Wallenberg and sat next to another feminist I knew. After the lecture there was time for questions and comments from the audience. I was surprised to see may feminist friend get up, go to the podium and say that while the Holocaust was bad, Israel was guilty of terrorizing Palestinians. I began to notice anti-Israel resolutions at many national and international feminist gatherings. I suspect that the anti-Israel slant came into the Democratic Party via some of their coalition groups and has taken firm hold.
Sojourners magazine in the 1970’s was the first evangelical publication in which I read a challenge to the idea that the land Israel was promised to the Jews by God.
Sometime in 1976 I attended a lecture by feminist author Rosemary Radford Reuther at a Jewish pacifist commune in Washington, D.C. named “Zedek, Zedek.†The mission statement of the commune seemed very anti-Israel, which surprised me.
The Left now seems to be firmly anti-Israel, which is something that I don’t understand. All governments, including ours, need criticism but often the criticism of Israel seems to have a double standard–a harsh standard for Israel and a very relaxed standard for Israel’s enemies.
Comment by Evon — 09.29.05 @ 11:41 pm
Well I don’t think the Left is that bad. It was the Left after all that pushed for establishment of the Jewish state, and the Left was a big part of the founding of the state, championing labor unions, social justice and the kibuttz movement. What were those on the right doing at this time?
I think sometimes these matters are exaggerated by the right to stoke infighting between Jews and other groups, just as they exploited affirmative action to harm Jewish-Black relations. It was Nixon that introduced Affirmative Action many seem to forget, and I am sure he had the infighting it would cause at the back of his mind.
Israel should be able to make peace with the Palestinians once the lands in question are returned. Failure to do so weakens moderate Arab elements and allows extremists to come to the forefront. Evangelicals and the religious elements don’t help matters any much. The Left is critical of Israel because it wants to see Isreal live up to those early ideals as demonstrated by the kibutzim movement- ideals of peace and social justice. By the way if Jews are so left-wing and have so much power and influence as rightists say, why are they not preventing this so-called wave of persecution from the Left?
Comment by Mandy Whitman — 09.30.05 @ 12:38 am
It’s been very interesting to read these diverse perspectives. I must say this discussion has been remarkably well-mannered and informative.
But as a conservative Christian, I find it troubling to learn that Jews feel people like me are a threat to them. I feel that I’m among their strongest allies.
Finally, regarding how long Jews have been in America: The first recorded Jewish immigrants to what would become the United States came ashore in 1654. In 2004, observance was made of 350 years of Jewish Life in America. Besides seeing mention in the general media, I’m aware of that because I do some work for a local Jewish congregation.
Comment by David Downing — 09.30.05 @ 12:44 am
As a liberal and a Christian, I support Israel 100 percent. I’m well aware of the strains of anti-Israeli sentiment amongst the Hard Left, and the far-right, but as far as mainstream liberals go, I just don’t see it. Name one prominent Dem that is remotely anti-Israel. The only Dem I know of with any real name recognition is Cynthia McKinney, and she’s on the fringe.
I think you have a point about the secular Left (and liberal Jews) when it comes to Israel and God’s prophetic calendar. Many just don’t get it. I think most sensible people, Right or Left, at the very least think we should continue to support Israel, for the simple fact that Israel is an ally. Many differ on key issues (Gaza, the two-state-solution, the viability of a legit peace plan, the fence, etc), but I don’t think the ideas of Noam Chomsky or Edward Said hold much sway in the minds of most Democrats or Jews, liberal or otherwise.
Comment by Rafique Tucker — 09.30.05 @ 1:07 am
Interesting subject. I am a religious Jew whose family came to America in the early 1920’s. My family idolized FDR. First, they felt that his “New Deal” brought America out of the depression, and they thought that FDR rescued the Jews in death camps in Europe. I say thought, because they, for the most part, were not aware of the Jewish deaths caused by FDR’s actions or inactions.
In any event, the Democratic Party became the party of the Jews. FDR was their savior, he brought us out of the depression, won WWII, freed the European Jews, and his successor, Harry Truman was the first to recognize the State of Israel. What’s not to like?
The Jews felt that the Republicans were the dreaded Christian right, and religious Christians have always meant anti-semitism, and even death, in the Jewish psyche. The Democrats, however were the party of the “little” guy. The poor, the black, the “worker”. They were the party of the ACLU which the Jewish immigrant felt protected his rights.
So for most of the 20th Century, Jews have been overwhelmingly Democratic.
Enlightened younger Jews who may now be second or third, or fourth generation American, are more conservative and more religious. They realize that they really have more in common with religious Christians than with secular socialists. They are becoming conscious to the fact that religious Christians in America are not going to harm Jews and, in fact, are going to support Jewish religious practices and the State of Israel.
It may take a generation more, but Jews will become overwhelmingly conservative and Republicans. They really have no other choice.
Comment by Gary Aminoff — 09.30.05 @ 1:44 am
Re: “Israel should be able to make peace with the Palestinians once the lands in question are returned. Failure to do so weakens moderate Arab elements and allows extremists to come to the forefront.” -from Mandy.
That opinion is not informed by facts. You are meshugganeh(goy spelling), honey. Did you see the loving response Israel got from the most recent “return” of land? 80 rockets, at last count. The extremists are empowered by the liberal elements in Israel, as well as the U.S.
WAKE UP.
Comment by Chris Leavitt — 09.30.05 @ 2:50 am
La Shawn, I’ve met plenty of people here in NYC who come from what we would call a jewish back-ground, and they are atheists. Some are Marxists, and as you know Karl Marx wrote that “Religion is the opium of the people”. They treat people of all faiths with equal contempt. I guess they can’t stand being on the wrong side of the cold war.
Comment by Tom Bosee — 09.30.05 @ 8:15 am
Historically speaking, when has appeasing thugs ever worked? The repeated mistake of civilized countries, throughout history, has been the assumption that the other side also wants a diplomatic solution.
Comment by RedBeard — 09.30.05 @ 8:29 am
RedBeard and Chris;
Here we have a situation in which gun running from Egypt is taking place, rockets are being lobbed, massive burning of synagogues occurs,there is unbelievable destruction of greenhouses and other property, anarchy and corruption are rampant, calls are heard from many quarters for the total annhilation of Jews, and there is a cry for the return of all of Israel to the Palestinians among even the leaders…and this is what we now call a peace process…..There’s a chunk of the process that fell into the abyss somewhere along the line…..Cuz it no longer resembles anything I can detect as a peace process in which two parties come to the table in good faith, willing to reach out and achieve compromise and goodwill…
Comment by jan brauner — 09.30.05 @ 9:50 am
Chris Leavett no one denies that extremists are not a problem, hence the urgent need for solutions that bring peace. I notice you have none to suggest yourself except to check spelling. None of you address the fact that the Left was very important in the founding of Israel, from the kibbuttzim movement, to the moshav to other social justice developments. You all complain about the Left and Israel, but Israel was strongly support by the Left in times past. It was part and parcel of the Jewish support for Israel to begin with, including support among American Jews.
Gary Aminoff I doubt younger Jews will be leaning more conservative. As I say the Left has been a big part of the modern Jewish identity, including the founding of Israel. Traditionally there has been fear and loathing of christian conservatives. Even Ed Koch mentioned it in an article a while back. So I don’t think Jews will change anytime soon. The solution is to try to reform the Left and take it back from a few extreme ideologues.
Comment by Mandy Whitman — 09.30.05 @ 10:49 am
A commenter wrote, “As a liberal, I must say anti-Israel does not equal anti-Semite.â€
Someone (I don’t remember who) made this point:
There are those who oppose the state of Israel as a prime violator of human rights and lament the treatment of the Palestinians, and demand that Israel place itself in a strategically untenable position to placate its enemies. This despite the fact that Israeli Arabs are better off in terms of standard of living and personal freedom than those in any majority Arab nation, including truly brutal and oppressive Middle Eastern regimes which get a pass from the same people. It’s just a coincidence that Israel happens to be the only place in the region that is predominantly Jewish.
Once you ignore the pious rhetoric and look at the glaring double standard, the denial of anti-semitism rings hollow IMHO.
Comment by Kevin — 09.30.05 @ 10:52 am
The past does not the present make…..
Comment by jan brauner — 09.30.05 @ 11:22 am
Interesting observation Kevin #39
Comment by Renee — 09.30.05 @ 12:34 pm
Re: Mandy Whitman #38. As I said in my post, American Jews have been traditionally liberal. Yes, the founders of Israel were socialists. Neither statement is true today.
If you can make the statement that there has always been fear and loathing of religious Christians and you don’t think Jews will change anytime soon you must not be aware of what is going on in the Jewish community. Religious Jews love evangelical Christians. We realize that they are our true friends and we have no fear that they will kill Jews. This is not medieval Europe, and American Christians are different than Christians in Europe.
The Republican Jewish Coalition is growing at an astronomical rate. The American Israel Political
Affairs Committee (AIPAC) leadership is primarily Republican Jews. Thousands of young people are being graduated from orthodox seminaries every year. All of them are Republican. The more religious, the more conservative. The fact is Wendy, in another generation or so, Jews will be predominantly Republican.
The right in Israel is fed up with the left. Sharon will lose his leadership of the Likud party next year to either Bebe Netanyahu or to Uzi Landau, both of whom are to the right of Sharon. Wake up and smell the bagels, Mandy. The Jewish community is going through a major shift from left to right.
The solution for me is not to reform the left and take it back from a few extreme idealogues. The left is full of extreme idealogues. Let them have it. I say all those who have ocmmon sense and reason as part of their makeup, particularly Jews, should leave the left and join the Republican Party where they can make a significant contribution to the future of America.
Comment by Gary Aminoff — 09.30.05 @ 12:44 pm
Sorry about the confusion, my #40 was in reply to Mandy…It is in sync with Gary’s statement about a changing dynamic.
And, Kevin, isn’t it astounding when one looks at the per-capita income of Arabs in Israel relative to elsewhere, coupled with their freedoms, while listening to Israel being held to such double standards?….Gotta love that propoganda machine….
Comment by jan brauner — 09.30.05 @ 1:17 pm
My 80-year-old Jewish mother grew up in an era and place where Jewish schoolkids were taunted by Catholic kids on the way home, Father Caughlin broacast the vilest anti-Semitic screeds on the radio and the KKK (symbolically at least representing all White Southern Protestants) targeted Jews along with Blacks. Roosevelt and the Democratic Party were the benefactors of the Jews. So of course, today, she is still a hardcore Democrat.
Embarassed to death by the fact that her three children, a doctor, a lawyer and a nurse, are all Republicans who voted for Bush in the last election. Does she care about Israel? Some, I guess. But the intifada didn’t really change her perceptions of the world because, frankly, she’s too old.
I abandoned my flirtation with radical politics in the fall of 1969 when the leader of the campus radicals made it clear that the left sided with the Arabs and against Israel. Since then things have only changed for the worse.
Comment by DBL — 09.30.05 @ 1:44 pm
Enjoyed the comments. Enrique!! Long time no read and spot on as usual. To paraphrase an old Jewish curse, we are living in some very interesting times as we approach the end and even more so then.
It is then that we will see the wise leave the the foolish bridesmaids behind on the eve of the Messiah’s great wedding.
Ciao
Comment by Andy — 09.30.05 @ 2:55 pm
What an excellent question to ask about American Jews and Israel. There are a few comments I can make on the subject.
First, Jews have traditionally been aligned with the Left. This alignment was driven by historical forces. For hundreds of years, Christian Europe drove Jews out of the political process. Confined to shtetls and ghettos, they were ripe for a political movement that challenged the process.
Second, despite the Jews’ allegiance to the Left, the Left is extraordinarily hostile to Jews and, by extension, to Israel. This hatred has dovetailed nicely with the Lefts’ embracing the Palestinian cause as a struggle against American Imperialism. (I’ve discussed these points at greater length in my blog — here’s a good link that links to other stuff.)
The problem is that Jews have still not realized, despite 100 years of blood-soaked evidence, that the Left is profoundly hostile to Jews. (I doubt many modern Jews remember that the “z” in Nazi stood for “socialist”.) Jews have also been remarkably blind to the fact that modern Christianity has almost completely banished the anti-Semitism that used to characterize it.
In the past, the Leftism of Jews hasn’t impaired support for Israel. Although the older generation of Jews always hewed to the Left, they also watched the Holocaust and Israel’s exciting founding. Also, for the first several decades in Israel’s life, it was one of the few reasonably successful Socialist countries, so its existence worked nicely with American Jewish belief systems.
The problem is with young American Jews. They still pull to the Left politically, and have bought into the canard that Israel’s existence is the most exgregious manifestation of Western Imperialism. They also feel no emotional connection to the State of Israel. They don’t recall the Holocaust, nor the hope and excitement that characterized early Israel. They’ve been raised on an unending diet of negative news reports from the mainstream media, including falsehoods such as the imaginary Jenin massacre and the phoney Muhammed al-Dura murder. These falsehoods, played against their ignorance and knee-jerk liberalism, have left them ashamed of Israel.
And that’s why modern American Jews are not very supportive of Israel any more.
Comment by Bookworm — 09.30.05 @ 5:29 pm
La Shawn,
As the name I chose to post under suggests I’m a conservative red-dot in the deep-blue corruption-ridden city of Chicago. I think the question you ask touches on the larger question of how do Christian Conservatives attract conservatives with backgrounds other than Christian to join them in supporting the conservative cause. Liberals use the fear of racial and religious discrimination to scare many minority groups to support the liberal agenda despite the fact that they largely embrace conservative values. For example, many Asians, Indians (that’s the capital I Indians from India) vote Democratic despite the fact they by and large support a pro-family pro-self-reliance philosophy that is much more closely aligned with conservatives. We lose the support of these groups at our own peril when we fail to actively seek out their support and we don’t brand our political agenda in more accessible terms other than simply Christian Conservative or Family Values.
If I’m a new arrival to the US from Asia, I’m not Christian and I’m probably not in a position economically to be all that self-reliant. Then I hear Howard Dean announcing that Republicans are all White Christians. In this case, why would I even consider supporting a conservative agenda?
My point is that conservatives need to a much better job in defining the values we support in a way that can be shared by non-Christians. If we fail to reach out to these groups, the ranting of the socialist left that conservatism is an exclusively Christian agenda will ring true to them. As you look out at the changing demographics in the US, Christian Conservatives must actively find ways to connect with minorities of all backgrounds and religions or face a future in a America dominated by secular socialists we like to call liberals.
Thanks
Great work La Shawn!
Keep Posting
Comment by Red Dot — 10.01.05 @ 7:41 am
Could the Jewish fear of the Christian right, and conservatives in general, be partly explained by the long history of persecution Jewish people faced at the hands of real or alleged Christians for hundreds of years? Something that has struck me in talking with Jewish friends is the different perception of cultural history many of them seem to possess compared to many Christian Americans. Many of us gentiles are unaware, for example, of Martin Luther’s descent into antisemitism, but this colors many literate Jews’ perceptions of Protestantism. This also explains the Jewish reaction to Mel Gibson–many “passion plays” in Old Europe were oriented at blaming the Jews for the death of Christ, and were followed by pogroms. In their minds, they have good reason to fear us, and who can really blame them?
This “cultural history”, however, can also blind them to some real differences between modern Christians in America and the past. One critical difference is a literacy in the Old Testament, which came into being in the last three centuries, and which shows the critical place the Jewish people have in God’s scheme of things–something that, before general literacy and the explosion of Biblical scholarship following the Protestant Reformation, virtually all Christians lacked.
Getting long-winded here; my basic point is that we Christians on general principles, should go well beyond the extra mile to demonstrate to Jewish people that we truly pose no threat to them, and that our principles are ones that they can share without losing their distinctiveness, unlike the actions of our spiritual ancestors.
Comment by Vikingstar — 10.01.05 @ 9:28 am
Why do Jews fear and loath Christian evangelicals, as they are too conservative, and anti-Semitic, but don’t have the same concerns for Islamic attitudes? Who is going to kill you faster, an evangelical Christian, or an Islamic fundamentalist? Who wants to destroy Israel?
The KKK is a thing of the past. Jews were more persecuted by Stalin than the KKK. The left and Jews embraced Stalin, and communism. Why? Where does this self destructive behavior originate? Are Jews repeating the Holocaust, by ignoring reality in the current War on Terrorism? Is it still their idea that if you play nice, others will also?
The left continues to denigrate and be anti-Semitic, and the Jews still hold tight to them. This is masochistic.
Comment by pyrite — 10.01.05 @ 10:17 am
I’m not qualified to speak for Christianity (what individual is, really?), but I do think it’s clear to anyone wanting to look that today’s bible-believing Christians are the biggest supporters of Israel and Jews in general.
As for things like The Passion, pogroms did not follow. There again if anyone would look beyond the soundbites and rhetoric, they would see that Gibson didn’t slandered a race of people, but was dealing with specific individuals and their actions. To call his film anti-semitic would make no more sense than calling The Godfather anti-Italian, or for that matter calling Rosewood an anti-white film.
So I guess I’m back to being puzzled about the American Jewish loyalty to the Dems.
Comment by RedBeard — 10.01.05 @ 11:04 am
Dr. Laura, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer are among the many Jews who do not have that knee-jerk antipathy to evangelicals, today. They are all conservative. I’m not aware of any liberal Jews besides Sen. Joseph Lieberman who do not seem to have that knee-jerk antipathy to evangelicals.
Vikingstar I noticed that some of the celebrities speaking against Mel Gibson’s movie were Jewish. “The Passion of the Christ” was the last movie I saw and the only movie I saw that year. I’m not a great movie-goer.
At the request of the Jewish actress who played Mary the line shouted by the crowd, “Let his blood be on us and on our children,” (Matthew 27:25) was left out of the movie. Reading about that got me to thinking. That line was said by a crowd incited by the Jewish leaders who were trying to stampede a pagan authority into doing their will. But on the cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Which request is God the Father most likely to listen to? Which request should we believers listen to?
Evon
Comment by Evon — 10.01.05 @ 11:21 am
Give me the child and I shall control the man. That is why the left has concenrated so much on universities.
Comment by Walter E. Wallis — 10.01.05 @ 4:09 pm
Jewish communities and the liberal left
La Shawn Barber’s got a very interesting topic about the Jewish community and the left. It asks if those who vote Democrat and/or have liberal leanings are aware of the anti-semitism and anti-Israelism that are becoming a growing problem within the p…
Trackback by Tel-Chai Nation — 10.01.05 @ 5:04 pm
I guess ole’ Cindy Sheehan proves your point La Shawn:
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/2005/08/cindy_sheehan_a.php
Comment by Renee — 10.01.05 @ 6:52 pm
The American Christian right as been the most Jew friendly group of people since the beginning of time oh yes there are quasi-Christian racists like the KKK that hate everybody but they are really quite rare.
Transplanted European Christianity (as opposed to American Christianity) brought a lot of anti-semitic baggage with them. Look at the mainline denominations. They all have an ant-Israel streak a mile wide.
Comment by texasviolinist — 10.01.05 @ 6:54 pm
The “mainline” churches are dinosaurs, I’m afraid. I’m speaking of the big guys, members of the left-leaning NCC. I was married in a Methodist church, but left after the national organization made itself known as a bunch of left-wingers.
National organizations seem out of place anyhow, given what little I know of the teachings of the New Testament. Wasn’t it Jesus himself who declared that a church was simply 2 or more gathered in His name? No mention of grand buildings or bureaucracies.
Comment by RedBeard — 10.01.05 @ 8:00 pm
Redbeard,
Interesting theme you have noticed (regarding what is a church). The church is the body of believers, not a building but as you have pointed out, that has become twisted. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Comment by Renee — 10.01.05 @ 8:19 pm
True or not true I believe it is the perceived connections with the Iraqi fighting. One of the reasons given by G Bush was peace in the Near East. If you accept this premise, then your next question is why should we borrow money and spill our blood for Israel. A possible nagging answer is Jewish influence/control of our government. This is supported by the recent FBI stings on Israeli spies well placed in our government. Again, I do not want to argue the validity of the perception. I only want to point out that it is real.
My departed father’s advice to all his children was to vote Democrat because they were the peoples party. I suspect poor Jewish immigrants coming from a very socialist Europe shared this view. Ingrained political habits are replaced slowly in the face of new evidence. It takes time for the new reality to dawn. This is not obvious to those with the interest and intelligence to read La Shawn. The diversity of opinion above is indicative that the process of change is quite active.
Comment by Walt F — 10.01.05 @ 10:42 pm
It was the Left after all that pushed for establishment of the Jewish state, and the Left was a big part of the founding of the state, championing labor unions, social justice and the kibuttz movement.
The USSR voted for the establishment of Israel primarily because Stalin wanted to deliver a smackdown to the British, not because he was fond of Jews. He grew increasingly anti-Semitic in his old age, which culminated in the arrests and show trials of many prominent Jews allegedly involved in the “Doctor’s Plot.” If Stalin had lived, the bulk of Soviet Jewry would have been shipped off to Siberian camps and many, perhaps a majority would have died there. So much for the high regard the greatest Leftist power of the time had for Jews. And yet many American Jews I have met think McCarthyism was the greatest evil of the 1950’s, not Stalinism. Go figure.
I suspect that Jewish American liberals, like liberals in general(heck, perhaps like human beings in general) prefer to ponder the devil they know, rather than the one they don’t. In the 50’s, it was easier to concentrate on the homegrown phenomemon of Tailgunner Joe (I am no admirer of his, BTW) than on Uncle Joe. It is easier now to contemplate the “evils” of Bush and Mel Gibson and Christianity than it is to consider Hamas, the growing anti-Semitism in Europe, and the ravings of radical Islamists.
I believe this is called “displacement.”
Comment by Donna V. — 10.02.05 @ 12:22 am
“As a liberal, I must say anti-Israel does not equal anti-Semite.â€
I think it does, because one can only be “anti-Israel” if one holds Israel to standard not expected of any other country, including the circumstances of its birth. And Israel is the nation of the Jews. And the last time there was a sovereign nation in that location was 2000 years ago, and was the previous nation of the Jews.
So to be specifically “anti-Israel” is to be anti-Jewish. This is different from criticizing particular Israeli pocies, provided one criticizes the same policies by other nations and recognizes good that Israel does likewise.
Comment by Yehudit — 10.02.05 @ 12:37 am
“Most American Jews came to American soil decades before Stalin or Hitler appeared on the scene. They were coming to the US since the 1800s and even before. You are almost 2 centuries off.”
Actually most American Jews came around the turn of the 20th C., from Eastern Europe. A much smaller population came 100-200 years before that and was mostly German or Sephardic.
Comment by Yehudit — 10.02.05 @ 12:46 am
Maybe Jews could do what my mother did. She was raised as a “legacy Democrat” in the farm community Democrat mold. Out of a sense of tradition and respect for her parents, she remained a registered Democrat as an adult. But she voted Republican in every election of which I was aware. Tradition and political common sense were both served.
Comment by RedBeard — 10.02.05 @ 8:16 am
A fascinating set of comments and an intriguing question. First, let me say that the question is a problem. Most American Jews are pro-American. Some small minority are not. Israel is incidental to most of them, as France might be, or the nation of their family’s origin. Remember, few American Jews came here from Israel. My parents, for instance, came here from Argentina, and have always had more interest, due to family connection, to Argentina, than Israel. If an American Jew has a sufficient degree of passion regarding Israel, they might choose to move there. That doesn’t happen too much. This is no small point. American Jews are American. There should be no question of “divided loyalty.”
As a largely immigrant population of the 20th century, American Jews tended to vote in a block for Democratic Party candidates. The Democratic Party framed itself as progressive. FDR was certainly a heroic President for most Americans, not least Jews of the period. Democratic President Truman was almost singlehandedly responsible for the creation of the State of Israel post Holocaust, whereas Eisenhower and Dulles did little for Israel in the 1950’s. Similarly, Nixon and George HW Bush were not perceived by American Jews as terribly sympathetic to Israel. And remember, there was a long period of time when Israel was a perceived underdog — the enemy was Egypt, Iraq, Jordan — sizeable and wealthy nation states. With the advent of the Intifada, suddenly Israel went from oppressed underdog to oppressor in the eyes of Europe and American media.
This change in perception is critical. Jewish Americans do not like the association with a media created oppressor. So most will stake out a politically correct position supporting a deal with “Palestine” whatever that is. The truth is, I bet most Jewish Americans would like Israel to “go away” - not as a political entity, but as a media issue. 25 years ago, Ariel Sharon was a mythic heroic figure from 1967 and 1973. The American and European media have morphed him into the Devil. This change in perception mirrors the movement of both left and right in this country viz. Israel too.
So most Jewish Americans, true to their history, have adopted a pc/left posture and some, though few, have opened their eyes to what GWB is doing for Israel and moved their support to GWB. That movement to the right is difficult because, first, you can’t generalize and second, the Jewish history with the extreme right ain’t so great. Fascism, Father Coughlin and Pat Buchanan all blur together and it is a source of great fear amongst Jewish Americans. It is only a few weeks since Buchanan wrote a lengthy piece arguing the US should have been fighting Stalin, not Hitler, during WWII.
So if I had to summarize, I would say the following:
1) American Jews are, first, Americans.
2) There is a very good, logical set of reasons why they have aligned historically with the Democratic Party - FDR, Truman and other Democrats fit better with their vision of Progressive leadership as immigrants, while Republicans tended to at a minimum snub their interests, and at a maximum, express unfortunate anti-semitism (Nixon was probably the worst in this regard).
3) For those Jewish Americans who did care about Israel, Truman was responsible for it, and Israeli leaders from Ben Gurion to Begin trumpted it. By contrast, from Ike to GHWB, the Republican Party tended to be less interested in Israel.
4) GWB has clearly repudiated his father’s past (we should remember the his father associates included James Baker, a noted Israel “disliker” and Fred Malek was ousted from GHWB’s campaign to to his alleged anti-semitism. Prescott Bush allegedly was also a fairly antisemitic fellow, not uncommon for that time) and expressed great sympathy for Israel, especially in light of the GWOT.
5) Nonetheless, American Jews struggle with moving their support to GWB due to the above positive history with Democrats, and the association with Israel that movement might imply — i.e. association with a perceived opporessive Israel viz. Paelstinians.
6) Finally, there is a latent distrust by American Jews of the Pat Buchanan “element” within the Republican Party which, again, American Jews are loathe to associate with.
Complicated, huh?
Comment by cardinalpark — 10.03.05 @ 5:14 pm