Not All Jews Vote Like Puerto Ricans
We have a story this week on the American Jewish Committee’s 2006 survey on American Jewish opinion noting that the majority of Jewish voters identify as Democrats and liberals.
The picture is more complex when denominational differences are taken into account.
• 56% of Orthodox Jews support the United States taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, compared to 39% of Conservative Jews and 32% of Reform Jews.
• 56% of Orthodox Jews think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, compared to 32% of Conservative Jews and 22% of Reform Jews.
• 31% of Orthodox Jews consider themselves Republicans, compared to 13% of Conservative Jews and 14% of Reform Jews.
Here’s one finding that showed a big disparity among the religious streams: Only 18% of Orthodox Jews favor the establishment of a Palestinian state in the current situation, whereas 51% of Conservative Jews and 61% of Reform Jews back the idea.
Still, despite the denominational gap, some questions registered much agreement among all three camps: 93% of Orthodox Jews agreed with the statement, “The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel,” while 85% of Conservative Jews and 78% of Reform Jews also agreed.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
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