Why do US Jews still vote for Obama? - JPost - Opinion - Op-Eds
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=229779
«The writer is a former mayor of Shiloh, and founder and president of the Shiloh Israel Children's Fund. He is the author of two books, including his latest, The Islamic Tsunami (Israel & America in the Age of Obama).»
Shalom,
RRW
3 comments:
Here's what most religious Jews just don't get: for most of the non-religious of our nation, their Jewishness is simply not that important to them. They are Americans first, Jewish second (maybe). As a result, when they see Israelis on television they feel no more a connection to them than they do when they see English or Germans.
In addition, most of them have either no or minimal Jewish education that consisted of "Judaism has the same values as secular liberalism" and not much more. As a result they feel that they are expressing their Jewishness by being as liberal as possible.
In many cases their political orientation trumps "American" or whatever, too.
Garnel:
I think you have to distinguish between two different types of non-religious in your presentation. I believe that both of your groupings reflect the truth but they are two different groups. One is simply the group of unaffiliated Jews who identify as Jews only if asked and then perhaps only reluctantly. They are the ones you describe as Americans first.
The ones whom you describe as perceiving Judaism and liberalism as one and the same are a different group. While some may see themselves as Americans first, some within this group not, adamently declaring themselves as such. If they do see themselves as Americans first it is simply because they don't really see any distinction. They are expressing their Jewishness by being good liberal Americans -- and the reason is because America has been so good to the Jews. These Jews have been brought up to appreciate American liberalism for it fought persecution and opened this country to Jews being able to be almost full players.
Liberalism was the great deity of Jews in America for it meant Jews would not be persecuted in this country -- so this liberalism became intertwined with Jewishness in America. I am not, of course, advocating this position but it should be seen for what it is. There are Jews in America who see themselves as Jews first but have intertwined in this definition of being a Jew an inherent intertwinign with liberalism. It is a problem precisely because these people actually so see themselves as Jews first.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
Post a Comment