Posted on 09/02/2009 8:46:36 AM PDT by Beloved Levinite
Podhoretz asks: Why are Jews liberals? Buzz up!17 votes Send Email IM .Share Delicious Digg Facebook Fark Newsvine Reddit StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter Yahoo! Bookmarks .Print .. AP – FILE - In this June 23, 2004 file photo, Norman Podhoretz is shown after receiving the Presidential Medal … .By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer Hillel Italie, Ap National Writer – Wed Sep 2, 7:02 am ET NEW YORK – Norman Podhoretz, the neo-conservative and former Commentary editor, is a stocky, confident man whose book-filled Upper East Side apartment features a bronzed wall image of Teddy Roosevelt with a bold-faced statement from the most bullish of presidents:
"AGGRESSIVE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT IS THE NOBLEST SPORT THE WORLD AFFORDS."
Like Roosevelt, Podhoretz prefers periods to question marks, with declarative books such as "Making It," "World War IV" and "The Bloody Crossroads." Since leaving liberalism in the 1970s, he has not doubted his turn right or hesitated to confront former friends, especially in defense of Israel.
He is 79, proud and satisfied, even with Democrat Barack Obama in the White House. But one issue nags him past the point of thought, a disappointment he brands by punctuation. It provides the title for his new book, "Why Are Jews Liberals?"
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
From talking with Jewish friends I have concluded that the members of the Leftist ruling group or communists, or socialists, or fascists (whatever they call themselves) are a minority in control legally, economically and socially, over the majority.
Jewish folks (not all) feel safer being in control over America’s Christian majority rather than be controlled by them. Hence, leftists in the US are in clear opposition to everything that is Christian and Jews feel comfortable in that position.
This opposition includes being against Christian support of Israel. Even leftist Jews who support Israel will work against Christians who support Israel in order to keep them out of power and influence.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Why are “Jews” liberal? Because liberalism is a mental disorder. Surely you can understand why so many, many Jews have been driven insane over the centuries.
In all the world, there has never been a people that has had so many progroms against them, every one of them trying to eradicate Jews off the face of the earth.
Most “liberal” Jews are frightened Jews though you will never get then to admit it. If there is another wave of Jewish genocide, maybe they have renounced Judaism enough that it won’t include them this time around.
These Jews are also angry. Angry at the GOD of Israel for allowing them to suffer so greatly. After all, if Jews are the Chosen People, why didn’t the GOD of Israel smite the Romans, The Assyrians, the Spanish Inquisitors, the Nazis, islam?
See, most of us don’t know what the hell it is we have been chosen FOR. Some of us do and we accept it and everything that comes with it.
They see only today. Some of us look back and know we did the wrong thing at the wrong time and those wrongs cost us our futures unto the thousandth generation. Whether or not we even have a future looks precarious.
So the liberals will try to fight harder against everything they should be fighting for, and for everything they should be fighting against, in order to gain acceptance among men. Me? I would rather be forgiven by GOD.
Reform Judaism and it's history. Reform Judaism came into being during the 1800's after centuries of pogroms ("small" holocausts) in various Jewishs communities in Europe. In part, in an effort to stop the murderous rampages against the Jews, they thought it might be a good idea to become more like their native hosts. Thinking that if they dropped major aspects of Jewish Law, such as dietary laws, strict sabbath observance, calling their buildings temples (and thereby eliminating Israel as the place of the future Temple) instead of synagog's, that they would be more accepted by "blending" in.
This dejudaized lifestyle then lead to a transfer beliefs such that no longer is G-d the agent of change and welfare but governments. Government is the agent of social justice. Government can redistribute income to equalize outcomes. Government became the new Golden Calf.
So, now you have roughly 80% of American Jews in this camp, the remaining are split between conservative and orthodox, who because they believe in G-d in much the same way as conservative Christians, tend to be much more politically conservative.
The good news and bad news is this. Good news, the orthodox are on the rise. They have big families, they are growing in number, they are big supporters of Israel and are moving to Israel (aliyah) and cant stand Obama. Some disgruntled Reform go to Orthodox for the real deal. The bad news is most of these Reform Jews wont change. They are intermarrying themselves out of existance and have become so liberal that they bear hardly any resemblance to Torah Judaism and their souls are in danger of being lost.
My two cents worth.
So what you’re saying is... all of the problems in the world come down to people who have “God issues.” Right?
But here is the insanity of it. The “Jews” who renounce Judaism, for some reason known only to them, still call themselves Jews. They could do many things to distance themselves from any semblance of being Jewish, but they don’t.
Nor do they convert FROM Judaism. There is a malfunction here. They don’t want to act like Jews but they won’t let go of it altogether. It’s schizophrenic.
Secular Jews from the former Soviet Union voted majority against Obama. They had enough of socialism back in the USSR.
In Israel political landscape is wild. There is religious right, there is religious left, there is secular left, there is secular right.
Very interesting analysis, thanks for posting it.
Thanks for your insight blasater. I’m getting the “picture.”
No, there was actually little or no connection between the origin of Reform Judaism and pogroms. Pogroms were a phenomenon of Eastern Europe, most specifically the czarist empire. Reform Judaism, on the other hand, was born in Germany in the early 1800s, where Jews were more upwardly mobile and enjoyed more civil liberties than in anywhere else in Europe at the time.
When Reform Judaism translocated to the United States later in the 19th century, its base was predominantly Jews of recent German origin. Those Jews were not far left, for the most part, and their rabbinate was no where near as inane in supporting leftist causes as is today's Reform rabbinate. It is the latter that has had a major role in miseducating American Jews about history (both Jewish and American) and current events. When so many of today's American Jews are miseducated and brainwashed by Reform institutions and/or public schools, it's no wonder that they are more than willing to lead the cheers for self-destructive leftist politics and policies.
As for "social justice," look out whenever you hear anyone use that vacuous term. "Social Justice" inevitably means NO justice!
Exactly! And that is the one of the big follies of Reform Judaism. As we see in Germany, it didnt matter that Germany was the seat of Reform thought. It didnt matter that culturally the Jews were the same as their German counter parts. If you were of Jewish ancestry...you went to the ovens.
Well, I totally agree it appears schizophrenic. I even know families that converted to christianty that still consider themselves Jewish, since they have a direct maternal lineage they can point to. Which is technically correct. I would say that it is more a mystical thing, that every Jewish person knows they have a Jewish soul (I realize this is an esoteric view) and can not divorce that aspect from their world view. I think that deep down, they know they are different, even though it makes no sense.
The great pity is that German Jews seem to have been among the greatest patriots, a place where, like America, they could feel “ at home.” Which makes me wonder how American Jews could be so trusting of American politicians. If it could happen to German Jews.... What is that snatch of Scripture?”Put not you faith in princes...”
Not bad. Not bad at all. Not completely accurate, but at least heading in the right direction.
Very interesting. I don't remember Paul Johnson covering this in the History of the Jews.
Where did you read about this?
Why does the question puzzle you? Why would you expect otherwise? Why is it hard for you to accept that different religions have different sets of values?
Republicans represent the establishment, normalcy, orthodoxy.
Democrats are more representitve of the outsider, the devients. Catholics were considered outsiders at one point, so Irish immigrants were always Democrats. In fact all immigrants have associated with the Democrat Party.
Gays, blacks, etc. also consider themselves outsiders and vote Democrat.
Jews apparently have followed that tradition, though I am a Republican.
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