The Democratic takeover of Congress did more than just shake up party politics in Washington. It also encouraged some liberal Jewish organizations to flex their political muscle.
For example, the Union of Reform Judaism, which represents 1.5 million North American Jews, is considering a resolution that would oppose President Bush’s escalation of the Iraq war now under way. That resolution comes to a vote in March but will be debated as soon as next week at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs’ annual plenum. Other proposed JCPA resolutions call for stricter gun control measures and opposition to tax cuts.
All are likely to pass.
For Jewish Republicans, that must seem like liberal meddling. But the Jewish community as a whole tends to vote overwhelmingly Democratic, and liberal Jews have been simmering from the earliest days of the Bush presidency. They have seen their concerns ignored by a united Republican government. Why wouldn’t liberal Jewish organizations seek to maximize their influence when the political climate grows friendlier?
It’s unlikely liberal Jews and conservative Jews will ever find much common ground when it comes to domestic U.S. politics. The divisions are too great. But both sides are united when it comes to support of Israel, and in that regard we doubt Congress will alter its course, no matter which party holds the gavel.
There are now more Jews in Congress than ever before: 30 in the House and 13 in the Senate. Most of them are liberal Democrats, and all of them unstintingly support the Jewish state. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee’s foreign operations subcommittee, recently gained bipartisan support for a move to block millions in U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as its unity government with Hamas refuses to recognize Israel.
That’s the kind of action the Jewish community expects from elected leaders.
In the gravitational swings of U.S. politics, there will be times when liberals hold sway, others when conservatives gain primacy. No matter which side is up, the Jewish community adds an essential voice to public discourse. Our views matter.
We cannot always be in agreement; no one speaks for “the Jews.” But the numbers do not lie: American Jews are by and large liberal Democrats. Jewish Republicans will work hard to chip away at that imbalance, something they are fully entitled to do. But when liberal Jewish organizations start acting like liberals, no one should be surprised.