When Will They Ever Learn… Why do so many American Jews hate the president who stands by Israel?

The Weekly Standard ^ | July 31, 2006 | David Gelernter

[quidnunc]

For years I have watched the Palestinians do absurdly self-destructive things, and have never understood them until now. But watching the Bush administration stoutly defend Israel this week against the background of an American Jewish population that vocally (often sneeringly) dislikes him and his administration, and consistently votes by massive majorities for his Democratic opponents, I start to understand the Palestinians just a little.

American Jews are not Palestinians and have not sunk to the level of supporting terrorist murderers. But their behavior is a lesson in self-destructive nihilism that could teach even the Palestinians a thing or two. U.S. Jews remain fervent supporters of an American left that is increasingly unable or unwilling to say why Israel must exist. Of course American Jews, like all Americans, define their interests in terms of many issues and not just one. But there is a reason why so many used to put Israel's safety near the top of their lists: Israel has been caught in a life-or-death struggle since birth; American support is critical to her survival.

True: Jewish support for President Bush moved upward in the 2004 election relative to the 2000 figures. It moved all the way up to 25 percent. During the five presidential elections of the 1970s and '80s, American Jews averaged 35 percent support for the Republican candidate, so 25 percent for Bush in '04 was not exactly a landslide move to the GOP. But even this pint-sized move seems to have petered out earlier this year. Jack Abramoff does not make an attractive spokesman for Jewish Republicans. The fall of Tom DeLay silenced one of the best friends Israel ever had in American politics, and one of the most effective symbols of Republican support for Israel. So the pattern of the '90s is likely to continue: American Jews move left as the left moves away from Israel.

-snip-

[ExGeeEye]

You said it better than I did. Thanks and Shalom.

[ExGeeEye]

It is an undeniable truth that the serious followers of any and all religions believe that there are certain temporal or eternal benefits to doing so, and that everyone who does likewise will share the benefits. Furthermore, that there are certain consequences for doing otherwise, and these will be rigorously and justly applied, and that's very unfortunate and should be avoided or prevented.

I'm not sure that the followers of any religion* should be offended by the desire of others to see them "convert" or "reform" etc., especially when the motive is, frankly, love for one's fellow man.

Of course, there's Islam** and maybe a few others with orders from on high to convert the world by force and kill all that resist, and prevent the efforts of others to lead conversions away from their "truth". Niether Christians nor Jews fall into that category, though certain persons claiming Christianity did so some time ago.

*Yes, I'm getting to that; hold yer horses :)

**See?

[GiovannaNicoletta]

I am a Christian who is very good friends with an Orthodox rabbi and I have never made an attempt to "convert" him and never would.

The pastor at my church has never once advocated or even mentioned trying to "convert" Jews because we believe that the destiny that God has determined for the Jewish people has to be played out and will be done according to His will for them. At the same time, when we talk I never downplay my belief in Jesus being Savior and the end-time prophecies of the New Testament. I pray for my friend and his family and I tell him that I pray for him and he is never offended by my prayers for him. But I will always stand fast in my belief that Jesus is the Messiah and has already come and paid the price for man's sin debt.

The Jews are still the chosen people of God. There have been times in the history of the Jewish people when they repeatedly turned against God, worshiping idols and hard-heartedly rejecting him and his great love for them, and while God punished them for their sin, he never has forgotten his covenant with Abraham and the Jews remain the apple of His eye.

And the time will come when the Jews will turn back to their God- the God who loves them, chose a Jewish woman for the blessing of bringing forth the Savior of the world, and will always preserve a remnant of them, no matter what. The Jews will be reconciled to their God, in time.

[quadrant]

Its simple: far too many Jews are foolishly suspicious of anything that smacks of Evangelical Christianity and, at heart, far too many Jews are more liberal and Democratic than Jewish.

[finnigan2]

"Why do so many American Jews hate the president who stands by Israel?"

- My own theory of this is rooted in the Jewish immigration from eastern Europe that took place early in the last century. They fled mostly to escape poverty, and many arrived with strong communist sympathies as the best solution to the world's problems.
With the coming of the Great Depression and FDR's socialist inspired, "New Deal" many Jewish immigrants found a home in the Democratic Party since it's policies most nearly mirrored their own left wing beliefs.
McCarthy's attempt to winkle out communists in the early fifties was interpreted as some sort of right wing attack (ie; Republican) on their views which only reinforced their allegiance to the Democratic Party.
As to the matter of Israel, I think many American Jews appear to act indifferent to the situation there because they still do not really appreciate the threat. They think that Israel can handle the situation as easily as they handled all the Arab threats in the past and they can go on safely supporting the Dems and hating Bush without fear of consequence.
If Israel were to be truly threatened, I'm sure that they would close ranks in support of that country but, in effect, this would only mean that their criticism's of Bush would become more muted and, when the danger to Israel passed, I'm afraid that they would revert to their old Democratic Party allegiances.
Old habits are hard to break.

[mcvey]

I would love to--but I am in an area where the the Conservative shul can't afford a Rabbi and the Reformed is barely hanging on financially.

This will come as no surprise, but our relations with the union have not been great either.

[mcvey]

Yes, I think what you have is correct. There is, and it is something I have never been in touch with, a desire in Judaism for a communitarian utopia. That almost always means a strong central government.

I have remarked on a number of occasions that any Jew who believes in a strong central government has a learning disability.

McVey

[rbmillerjr]

"I think lefties are pretty reactionary. I don't even think they know what they want. Hell, the day they got what they wanted, they'd be against that."

LOL, that is so true. They are in a race to the bottom of rationality and to the abyss of pandemonium.

[mcvey]

You know, I don't really know if we could get a minyan. I do not know of one other politically conservative Jew in this county (which in MA is not too surprising.)

There is a downside to enjoying a more rural setting.

[Riverman94610]

There is some truth in what you say about"Jews having a soft spot for communism"yet the paradox is that they are still stereotyped as"greedy capitalists"who would jump over a million hoops for that extra nickel.
I knew many Jews in college who gravitated to far out New Left politics but are now very well ensconsed in the upper middle class professional ranks.And they still vote liberal Dem.
Many Jewish leftists DO support Israel.Yet their hate for the GOP stems from Jewish identification with the underdog in society which is usually viewed as blacks,labor,the homeless and illegal immigrants.They see Bush as "anti" those groups so therefore his support for Israel takes a back seat to those other issues.

[therut]

But if the large majority of Jews in the USA are athiest or agnostic why would they care if some chose any religion. And I ask the same question. If they do not believe in God then why are they angry that someone believe in hell for unbelivers. I can not quite understand their stance. And I have news for them Fascism is from the left and communism, socialism and Fascism as forms of ideology have no problem killing Jews and anyone else who disagress with them.

[finnigan2]

"I have remarked on a number of occasions that any Jew who believes in a strong central government has a learning disability."

- In real life, the modern states that have been most damaging to the Jewish people have been the strong central government regimes (Germany and Russia).
Given this experience it seems to me that, by and large, the Jewish people should be strong libertarians instead of strong central authority supporters.
However, for the majority, the reverse seems to be true.
Weird.

[One-Four-Five]

Lovely post.

>never let an American Jew ever speak to you about loyalty, about right and wrong. They are sick hypocrites

I'll speak to you about right or wrong, sir.

You are wrong.

I must say I find this a bit baffling, not because it's not relevant, but because of how sorely some perspective is needed. Jews are what percentage of the population?

How many people voted for Kerry?

How many people voted for Gore?

Who controls Congress?

With the number of Christians who for whatever reason choose to vote against conservatives, I'm not sure why this is given the weight it is.

But that's okay. Never hurts to know who isn't interested in what you think or who you vote for, because there's apparently no reason why they shouldn't refer to you as though you're some sort of leftist, regardless of how unbelievably wrong that may be.

How proud you must be.

[Mia T]

My experience as a New York born-and-bred Jew is that Bush-bashing by Jews and, more generally, leftist political orientation of Jews, especially younger ones, are directly related to a paucity of intelligence and enlightenment, not religiosity.

(Leftist Gentiles are not the best critical thinkers, either. Lefties feel, they don't think.)

[EagleUSA]

Nice try.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

They deserve all they get and then some.

Oh, really?