American Jews and liberalism

[eflatminor]

Well, this is my first real post here and I thought I'd start off with something that's been on my mind lately. First, I am not really Jewish, but close. All of my mother's family going way back are Jewish but I was not raised as such. While I was snipped (!), no bar mitzvah, not really a Jew. Secondly, I am a decidedly limited government kind of guy. I'm a strong believer in that government which governs best governs least. Call it Libertarianism if you like, I reject big government from Conservatives and Liberals alike.

What's on my mind is why so many Jewish Americans lean so heavily Left. Why do they seem to always vote Democrat? This question bugs me not just because of President Obama's recent comments about Israel's borders. The Democratic party and American Liberals in general seem to me to be the most fervent opposition to all things Israeli. For that reason alone, I don't understand why Jews give them undying support.

Perhaps more importantly are the lessons apparently not learned from Nazi Germany. My great, great grandmother escaped Southern Germany before the Nazi's came to power, but for those that didn't, they experienced the worst kind tyrannous government. Whether you call the Nazi's National Socialists or Fascists, they certainly represented a top-down style of governance. Given the results of that big government experiment, I'm continually flabbergasted by American Jews support of ever bigger government. You'd think Jews today would be the most staunch limited government supporters out there but just the opposite is true.

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

 

[dilloduck]

Victims---Liberals love victims.

 

[JBeukema]

. First, I am not really Jewish, but close.

So you're what? Muslim? Christian?

All of my mother's family going way back are Jewish but I was not raised as such.

Okay? And?

Secondly, I am a decidedly limited government kind of guy.

So far you just sound like a troll

What's on my mind is why so many Jewish Americans lean so heavily Left.

Culturally, they've learned to reject Jewish conservatism. Judaism is a truly violent religion, but those who claim to adhere to it rarely do. Ever since roman times, the Jews have been on the losing side, so they've come to identify strongly with the victim (real or imagined) in any given situation.

Why do they seem to always vote Democrat?

Because, at this time, the Reps tend to be bigger bigots than the Dems

This question bugs me not just because of President Obama's recent comments about Israel's borders. The Democratic party and American Liberals in general

I challenge you to find me ten Liberals in the Democratic party.

Perhaps more importantly are the lessons apparently not learned from Nazi Germany.

Oh?

My great, great grandmother escaped Southern Germany before the Nazi's came to power, but for those that didn't, they experienced the worst kind tyrannous government. Whether you call the Nazi's National Socialists or Fascists, they certainly represented a top-down style of governance. Given the results of that big government experiment, I'm continually flabbergasted by American Jews support of ever bigger government. You'd think Jews today would be the most staunch limited government supporters out there but just the opposite is true.

Perhaps they expect to be on the right side this time.

 

[The T]

Victims---Liberals love victims.

Albeit Judaism was put on NOTICE by Obama last week...

 

[JBeukema]

Victims---Liberals love victims.

Albeit Judaism was put on NOTICE by Obama last week...

When was this?

You know not all self-identified Jews are Israelis or even Zionists, right?

 

[jillian]

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

jews fought for civil rights for blacks. we find the southern strategy an offense.
jews are pro-choice. (if they weren't, their wives would kill them).
jews know that the more moderate society, the better for jews since jews don't do well in extreme societies... right or left.
jews have been subject to discrimination and vote against policies that smack of discrimination and racism...
jews believe in education...
jews believe in taking care of the poor and sick.

not exactly a big leap.

the only reason any jew is a neocon is israel...

 

[Grace]

If your mother is jewish, so are you.

 

[hellofromwarsaw]

Nazis are the opposite of socialists, liberal, democrats. Jews know their history, whereas there is some strange new history being promulgated by Fox, Rush etc; Neocons are the closest to Nazis we have- if they declare martial law they're THERE...

 

[JBeukema]

jews know that the more moderate society, the better for jews since jews don't do well in extreme societies... right or left.

Nor does anyone else when the Jews are running it. See: Deuteronomy

jews have been subject to discrimination and vote against policies that smack of discrimination and racism...

But their holy book says to kill the unbelievers...

Sounds to me like (a) you're making up your own religion, placing your own will above God's law and (b) you think you speak for all Jews

 

[JBeukema]

If your mother is jewish, so are you.

Religion isn't hereditary.

 

[The T]

If your mother is jewish, so are you.

Religion isn't hereditary.

Really? Maybe NOT by genetics...but by FAITH it is TRUE.

The original and current Jewish definition of a born Jew is someone whose mother is Jewish. Even though the Torah forbids a Jewish woman to marry a Gentile man, if she does, her children will still be Jewish.

SOURCE

YOU fail JB.

 

[AVG-JOE]

If your mother is jewish, so are you.

Is being Jewish all about blood or all about belief?

 

[JBeukema]

If your mother is jewish, so are you.

Religion isn't hereditary.

Really? Maybe NOT by genetics...but by FAITH it is TRUE.

You might think I believe x, but that doesn't mean i believe x.

Beliefs are not hereditary.

The original and current Jewish definition of a born Jew is someone whose mother is Jewish.

Wrong. A Jew is an adherent of Judaism. It is that simple. Just because my mother was a Lutheran doesn't make me a Lutheran. I am not a Catholic just because my father was or because the church intended for me to be brainwashed into their church and dipped my head in some water when I was an infant.

 

[American Cowboy]

Israel is the size of New Jersey, but Obama has decided that is too big. He has decided Israel will be the size of Delaware. Obama is too stupid to figure out that Israel is one of our few allies in the Middle East and these Muslims hate Americans as much as they hate Jews. Nice job Obama!!!

 

[The T]

Religion isn't hereditary.

Really? Maybe NOT by genetics...but by FAITH it is TRUE.

You might think I believe x, but that doesn't mean i believe x.

Beliefs are not hereditary.

The original and current Jewish definition of a born Jew is someone whose mother is Jewish.

Wrong. A Jew is an adherent of Judaism. It is that simple. Just because my mother was a Lutheran doesn't make me a Lutheran. I am not a Catholic just because my father was or because the church intended for me to be brainwashed into their church.

Didn't even BOTHER to read the source...TYPICAL. You're dismissed with an F-

Got it ACE?

 

[Jroc]

Really? Maybe NOT by genetics...but by FAITH it is TRUE.

You might think I believe x, but that doesn't mean i believe x.

Beliefs are not hereditary.

The original and current Jewish definition of a born Jew is someone whose mother is Jewish.

Wrong. A Jew is an adherent of Judaism. It is that simple. Just because my mother was a Lutheran doesn't make me a Lutheran. I am not a Catholic just because my father was or because the church intended for me to be brainwashed into their church.

Didn't even BOTHER to read the source...TYPICAL. You're dismissed with an F-

Got it ACE?

Umm..Actually that is correct If your mother is Jewish, you are Jewish doesn't matter if you are a practicing Jew or not .

 

[NYcarbineer]

Well, this is my first real post here and I thought I'd start off with something that's been on my mind lately. First, I am not really Jewish, but close. All of my mother's family going way back are Jewish but I was not raised as such. While I was snipped (!), no bar mitzvah, not really a Jew. Secondly, I am a decidedly limited government kind of guy. I'm a strong believer in that government which governs best governs least. Call it Libertarianism if you like, I reject big government from Conservatives and Liberals alike.

What's on my mind is why so many Jewish Americans lean so heavily Left. Why do they seem to always vote Democrat? This question bugs me not just because of President Obama's recent comments about Israel's borders. The Democratic party and American Liberals in general seem to me to be the most fervent opposition to all things Israeli. For that reason alone, I don't understand why Jews give them undying support.

Perhaps more importantly are the lessons apparently not learned from Nazi Germany. My great, great grandmother escaped Southern Germany before the Nazi's came to power, but for those that didn't, they experienced the worst kind tyrannous government. Whether you call the Nazi's National Socialists or Fascists, they certainly represented a top-down style of governance. Given the results of that big government experiment, I'm continually flabbergasted by American Jews support of ever bigger government. You'd think Jews today would be the most staunch limited government supporters out there but just the opposite is true.

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

So you're Jewish-ish?

 

[NYcarbineer]

Well, this is my first real post here and I thought I'd start off with something that's been on my mind lately. First, I am not really Jewish, but close. All of my mother's family going way back are Jewish but I was not raised as such. While I was snipped (!), no bar mitzvah, not really a Jew. Secondly, I am a decidedly limited government kind of guy. I'm a strong believer in that government which governs best governs least. Call it Libertarianism if you like, I reject big government from Conservatives and Liberals alike.

What's on my mind is why so many Jewish Americans lean so heavily Left. Why do they seem to always vote Democrat? This question bugs me not just because of President Obama's recent comments about Israel's borders. The Democratic party and American Liberals in general seem to me to be the most fervent opposition to all things Israeli. For that reason alone, I don't understand why Jews give them undying support.

Perhaps more importantly are the lessons apparently not learned from Nazi Germany. My great, great grandmother escaped Southern Germany before the Nazi's came to power, but for those that didn't, they experienced the worst kind tyrannous government. Whether you call the Nazi's National Socialists or Fascists, they certainly represented a top-down style of governance. Given the results of that big government experiment, I'm continually flabbergasted by American Jews support of ever bigger government. You'd think Jews today would be the most staunch limited government supporters out there but just the opposite is true.

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

It's big government here that prevents discrimination against Jews. Not small government.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Well, this is my first real post here and I thought I'd start off with something that's been on my mind lately. First, I am not really Jewish, but close. All of my mother's family going way back are Jewish but I was not raised as such. While I was snipped (!), no bar mitzvah, not really a Jew. Secondly, I am a decidedly limited government kind of guy. I'm a strong believer in that government which governs best governs least. Call it Libertarianism if you like, I reject big government from Conservatives and Liberals alike.

What's on my mind is why so many Jewish Americans lean so heavily Left. Why do they seem to always vote Democrat? This question bugs me not just because of President Obama's recent comments about Israel's borders. The Democratic party and American Liberals in general seem to me to be the most fervent opposition to all things Israeli. For that reason alone, I don't understand why Jews give them undying support.

Perhaps more importantly are the lessons apparently not learned from Nazi Germany. My great, great grandmother escaped Southern Germany before the Nazi's came to power, but for those that didn't, they experienced the worst kind tyrannous government. Whether you call the Nazi's National Socialists or Fascists, they certainly represented a top-down style of governance. Given the results of that big government experiment, I'm continually flabbergasted by American Jews support of ever bigger government. You'd think Jews today would be the most staunch limited government supporters out there but just the opposite is true.

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

I'm not Jewish either, however I ponder the same and have been doing so for many moons now.

The only possible conclusion I was ever able to come up with is the notion that the Jews who vote leftist are rich and out of touch with reality..... Their everyday lives are not effected and when taxes go up they say shit like; "hey, at least the US supports Israel."

I'm sure Obama is making a few heads turn in the Jewish community.

 

[Jroc]

So, any Jews that can enlighten me as to why the community supports big government and the Liberal Democrats that seem to despise Israel?

jews fought for civil rights for blacks. we find the southern strategy an offense.
jews are pro-choice. (if they weren't, their wives would kill them).
jews know that the more moderate society, the better for jews since jews don't do well in extreme societies... right or left.
jews have been subject to discrimination and vote against policies that smack of discrimination and racism...
jews believe in education...
jews believe in taking care of the poor and sick.

not exactly a big leap.

the only reason any jew is a neocon is israel...

Umm.. most of those are your personal views here is a better explination..Oh and the first Jewish "neocons" were not all pro Israel at first wasn't the main reason they turned to conservative

Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Byron L. Sherwin, an accomplished theologian, ethicist, scholar and teacher. Ordained a Rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, he received his PHD in Cultural History from the University of Chicago. Sherwin is the author or editor of 28 books and over 150 articles and monographs, most recently Faith Finding Meaning: A Theology of Judaism (Oxford, 2009). For 40 years, he has served at Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies at Chicago, where he currently is Distinguished Service Professor and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Emeritus.

American Jews today are far removed from the immigrant generation, and the conditions that characterized it. The self-image and correlative political strategies of past generations were rooted in the conviction that in America, as in Europe, the Jews were an out-group, perhaps the paradigmatic out-group. But, this is no longer the case. In recent decades, Jews have become an in-group in American cultural life, the professions, higher education, science, business, politics, etc.

For example, no longer is Jewish access to our elite academic institutions either precluded or restricted by quotas, as it was not so long ago. Rather, Jews now serve as presidents, deans, faculty and students at our premier academic institutions in numbers far exceeding their percentage of the American population. Socio-economic-based discrimination is largely a distant memory. The pervasive poverty of the immigrant population is long gone. American Jewry has achieved extraordinary socio-economic upward mobility and social acceptance, perhaps unparalleled in the past two millennia of Jewish historical experience.

Yet, despite vast changes in American Jewish life historically, socially and economically, Jewish political affiliations and behaviors largely fail to reflect those changes. Rather, it has been other phenomena in American Jewish life, especially the growing secularization of American Jewry, their progressive detachment from traditional Jewish teachings, and their increasing liberalization of the form of Judaism they do affirm, that has kept them squarely in the liberal camp. Though the Jewish theologian Emil Fackenheim considered “liberal Judaism” as an oxymoron, the vast majority of American Jews who continue to maintain synagogue affiliation, affiliate with liberal forms of Judaism. The largest synagogue movement is Reform Judaism, and in the words of one observer, “the only difference between the left wing of the Democratic Party and Reform Judaism are the Jewish holidays.”

The Jews