Posted on 11/07/2004 9:39:46 PM PST by Coleus
Orthodox Jews swung toward Bush in election
Sunday, November 7, 2004
George W. Bush drew a higher percentage of Jews - especially Orthodox Jews in North Jersey - into his camp last week than he did four years ago, election totals show.
"We saw a significant shift in our community," said Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood. "The majority of people for whom Israel was the issue chose Bush because of that."
Jews overall maintained their traditional identification with the Democratic Party, voting for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry by a ratio of 3-to-1, according to some exit polls.
But Bush's 25 percent of the total Jewish vote was an improvement from his 19 percent showing in 2000. And election results from Bergen County show a striking change in the voting patterns within Orthodox neighborhoods. In the district near the Englewood synagogue, about 45 percent of voters went for Bush, as opposed to 21 percent in 2000.
A similar shift occurred in heavily Orthodox neighborhoods in Teaneck, including one where Bush captured 62 percent of the vote after garnering just 14 percent in 2000.
"The modern Orthodox community has traditionally been stratified, with some maintaining an attachment to the Democratic Party," said Sharon Hes, chairwoman of the GOP in the township. "But this year I saw quite a few Orthodox Jews who have been Democrats changing their party and their interests to Bush out of gratitude and a feeling of shared values."
In doing so, those Jews joined a powerful movement of evangelical Protestants and other religious conservatives that helped propel the president to a second term.
Among Jews, it's a trend sparked by the Palestinian uprising in 2000 and the ensuing bloodshed of the past four years.
Hes, who is Orthodox, said Bush earned Jewish votes by refusing to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and by shunning Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"Bush has been the best friend Israel has ever had," Hes said. "He has stood by Israel when it counted."
Even so, some Orthodox Jews are ambivalent about the change.
Goldin, the Englewood rabbi, said he planned to caution his congregation during Saturday services about the risks of focusing their political concerns solely on Israel.
"We've become a one-issue community, and that's understandable and justified during times of tremendous danger or need," Goldin said in an interview. "But we should long for a world where we don't have to be so preoccupied with our own concerns, and we can be preoccupied with other people's concerns as well."
Although Goldin said Bush deserves much praise, he said some in his congregation are wary. Those Jews would like the United States to take a more hands-on approach to brokering a peace deal in the Middle East. They are also wary of aligning themselves with the Christian right.
"There are those within the community who are very frightened by this association," Goldin said. "They feel the evangelical movement has always been more interested in converting Jews than in helping Jews."
Meanwhile, one exit poll showed 70 percent of Orthodox Jews voting for Bush, compared with 23 percent of Conservative Jews and 15 percent of Reform Jews. The poll was conducted in Ohio and Florida by Frank Luntz, who does polling for Republicans.
Reform and Conservative Jews in North Jersey said they felt no need to vote Republican out of concern for Israel, because, they said, Kerry had built up impeccable pro-Israel credentials in his two decades as a senator.
"I don't get this," said Rabbi Stephen C. Lerner of Kanfei Shahar, a Conservative congregation in Teaneck. "Suddenly, Bush, who previously had no record on Israel and has all these connections to Saudi Arabian oil fields, is Israel's best friend?"
Vivienne Cooperman, a member Kanfei Shahar, said her main concern as a Jew was with the separation of religion and government.
"This First Amendment has benefited American Jews more than any other single thing," Cooperman said. "And one of Bush's major planks is to erode that."
Okay, this Frank Luntz thing is the first poll I've seen outside the insane clown ones that have been quoted by everyone previously. I wonder if Luntz also concludes that it's only 25% for Bush. We had a big argument about it last night at our Jewish Republican BBQ. I am one of the people who believes the numbers for Bush are much higher.
You mean 55% of an Orthodox population went for Kerry??? Where's Rabbi Mosheh Feinstein (zt"l; zy"`a) when we need him!
Oh well. They're not lagging too far behind the Catholics in this regard.
Exactly!!
I read that in 2000, 88% of the Mormons voted for Bush. I would be interested to see what the stats are like this time around. Mormons tend to be moral conservatives and very pro-Israel and pro-national defense.
We have to remember the Mormonism is the second-fastest growing religion in the United States...largely among the fastest growing immigrant population...the Hispanics. We can thank the Mormons for stanch Republican tides in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico. They also have very high concentrations in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Them coupled with the devote Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christians...that is a huge bloc of voters....all trending Republican.
Part of the problem is that no one seems to recognize the difference in perception between immigrant or identified ethnic communities and the large, non-ethnic, abstract "host population." Members of the former believe that the country must be liberal in order to insure their own freedom to govern themselves according to their own religious laws, but what about those of us in the latter? We have no ethn-cultural communal organization to mediate between us and the secular government (which we vividly remember was not originally a neutral entity but our "Beit Din"), so we are immediately at the mercy of its liberalism, plus no one considers our ethno-cultural taboos and traditions as a healthy expression of American pluralism but rather as a perpetual threat to everyone else. No politician ever tells us we are part of the "beautiful mosaic." In fact, politicians can actually be attacked and condemned for appealing to us for our votes.
I wish the entire spectrum of Orthodoxy, from "modern" to Yeshivish, as well as all our fellow-citizens lucky enough to have a hyphenated American identity (and thus be given a pass by secularist liberals who think we are Satan incarnate) would understand that just a little bit. But know. Osama Bin Ladin (mach shemo) they can understand. Fundamentalist mullahs they can understand. After all, they are "other." But we they cannot understand. We are just a threat.
I'm sure the fact that that hurts us gives the libs a thrill, what with them being so "compassionate" and all.
Don't be frightened! No religious Jews will be converted!! Anyone that would convert was probably not very attached to Judaism. Spend more $$ to reach the unaffiliated, and don't be afraid of Christians!! We have more common goals than not.
The Hispanics have made their vote something to fight for, voting 40% conservative.
We really need to work on the blacks, who have made their vote wholly useless to their community by giving it up without any effort on the Democrats' part.
Black Freepers, what do you think it is? I live in a pretty mixed neighborhood and I could only make 2 guesses.
1) Like we Jews, blacks are kept from breaking with tradition by the fear of ostracism from the group
and
2) Superficially, it seems that black kids are even more tuned in to pop culture (TV culture?) than whites, Hispanics, and Asian kids. Could being more tuned in make the MSM more effective in imprinting their bias on black youth?? Do conservative blacks need to warn black families that there should be MORE separation from the ideas in pop culture, MORE careful decision about how much brainwashing to take in? "Being cool" should be more individual, not just how slavishly someone follows the MSM.
I'm sure there were quite a few voters in that neighborhood who are not Orthodox, and not even Jewish.
Cooperman the liberal idiot.
The Jewish intermarriage rate among unaffiliated jews is now 70%, for reform 52%, for conservative between 1/4 and 33%, and for orthodox, a mere 3%. So of course, most Jews in the non-traditional (non-orthodox) movements aren't going to vote based on the President's Israel policy. They don't care! As between protecting American liberalism and protecting Israel, they much prefer the former.
Do you know what they were? >>
Hi Mike, you would have to call the city clerk in each town. the newspapers didn't do any breakdown by city.
Orthodox Jews rule!
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