Articles

Several weeks ago, I had occasion to explore elsewhere three core political ideas, national conservatism, populism, and Christian Nationalism. In this essay, we want to consider several additional political models, post-modernism, critical race theory, and intersectionality. These three ideas are joined together by a shared criticism of the existing political scene.

There are various factors that are reshaping the American story, which has profound implications for America’s Jews.

George Packer seeks to capture these new realities, when he writes: “The large currents of the past generation—deindustrialization, the flattening of average wages, the financialization of the economy, income inequality, the growth of information technology, the flood of money into Washington, the rise of the political right—all had their origins in the late 70s.

The rise of national conservatism, the return to populist politics, and the presence of Christian Nationalism represent a set of political ideas that are challenging traditional beliefs and practices. Each of these movements will be significant to the 2024 election. Accordingly, it becomes important to understand the impetus and development of these ideas, in addition to how they are shaping this year’s campaign and the policy positions of particular candidates, as well as how they are attracting the attention of prospective voters. More directly, how do these three political tools impact America’s Jews?

We appear to have lost the fight against Jewish hatred. Is this the time to reexamine how we as a community have performed in our fight against antisemitism? By every standard of measurement, the assumptions we made and the strategies we employed do not appear to have been effective in this battle to defeat hate. It is therefore essential for our communal leaders to review the tools and strategies we employed in responding to such threats.

After 1967, support for Israel came to dominate American Jewish public life and politics and represented a unifying element that most American Jews held in common. That support tended to be unconditional and uncritical, especially during the two decades following the Six-Day War when being pro-Israel became central to the American Jewish “civil religion.”

On these pages and elsewhere, I have had occasion to comment on the transformation now underway involving American Judaism, impacting both its substance and style. No doubt, the unfolding events of October 7th will alter some of these projections.

As the 2024 election moves into high gear with key primaries, party conventions and fall debates all awaiting us, there are some indicators that may help to define “the Jewish vote.” Elsewhere on my Times of Israel Blog[1], I have already addressed some of the core background issues pertinent to the role that Jews are likely to play in this forthcoming election cycle. Indeed, my 2021 edited volume on Donald Trump hopefully serves as a useful resource in understanding the 45th President’s impact on American Jewry and Israel.[2]

For the first time since the founding of the experiment in Jewish nationalism, the events that have unfolded in Israel raise questions about the “Zionist dream” and the capacity of the Jewish State to meet the security requirements of its citizens.

If the 19th Century afforded Jews the opportunity to identify and to adopt Western liberal political ideas, to create our own national liberation movement through Zionism, and to access and assimilate into democratic and civic institutions, then, in this century, American Jews are feeling for the first time a systematic rejection of their standing and place within modern society.

This essay is part of an on-going series of articles focusing on the 2024 political campaign. In this selection we are exploring some emerging trends among specific voting groups inside the Jewish community.

The transformation of American Jewish political behavior is being driven by several factors, including these current realities: