Describe a secular Jewish Republican

[mencken]

My general impression is that they seem to be very fiscally conservative and hawkish re:Israel.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Rich businessman in New York City or its suburbs

[MarkD]

Does Jackie Mason qualify as secular?

[RFayette]

My general impression is that they seem to be very fiscally conservative and hawkish re:Israel.

This.  I think Mark Levin and Michael Savage fit the bill quite well for *strongly conservative* secular Jewish Republicans, in contrast to someone like Ben Shapiro or Dennis Prager for more religious Jewish Republicans.   I think someone who is Bloombergesque describes many of the more moderate secular Jewish Republicans, but they were very anti-Trump and probably don't even ID as Republicans overall. 

[Vosem]

Me.

My general impression is that they seem to be very fiscally conservative and hawkish re:Israel.

Yes.

[SATW]

My take on this, as a Jewish Republican who falls in the middle of the theological picture.

I'm a traditional Jewish person in terms of theology. I espouse views that align closely with Modern Orthodox Judaism or the less strict segments of Orthodox Judaism. But, at the same time, I am member and supporter of a hasidic synagogue and its organizational hierarchy.

I don't follow everything I'm supposed to when it comes to Orthodox Jewish law (but I do believe in most of it). I do, however, wrap tefilin most days and not eat pork. I tried not mixing cheese and meat but that didn't last long lol. I hold most holidays orthodox-style (only usually breaking those holidays if I'm sick, like last yom kippur, when I was in the hospital, as I am not allowed to hold it if I'm sick or ill).

TLDR: I'm not secular but not religious. Thus I am considered traditional in mindset and some practices.

My religious observance falls in between the secular vs religious divide in the Jewish community. Not surprising, my political views also fall in the middle of the Jewish Republican divide.

Secular Jewish Republicans (SJR) wealthier (on balance), more educated (on balance), usually socially moderate-to-liberal and very neoconservative on foreign policy and Israel issues. usually Mitt Romney-style conservatives on business/economic issues. many NeverTrumpers here.

They are almost always establishment republicans. Usually have a strong identification with their ethnic Jewish heritage and some knowledge of the religion as well but rarely follow the religious customs.

Traditional Jewish Republicans (TJR) Usually middle class or upper middle class. Not as wealthy as the Secular Jewish Repubs, usually. Are a mixed bag on social issues but usually more conservative then the neocon Jewish repubs. Usually identify with neoconservative foreign policy. Staunch business and fiscal conservatives on most issues. You'll find a lot of trumpists here.

Usually torn in terms of where they fall in the GOP (establishment vs tea party/freedom caucus vs trumpist) and in terms of religious/ethnic connection and observance (this is where the more theologically moderate but non-secular Jewish republicans usually wind up).

Religious Jewish Republicans (RJR) All over the place income level wise. Very conservative on social issues, fiscal issues and have transcended the neoconservative label on foreign policy issues. They see Neocons as outdated and useless in ideology and often adopt more rebellious and even more hawkish foreign policies.

They are Freedom Caucus and Ted Cruz supporters, usually. Some are Trumpists, depends on what they care about the most. These Jewish Repubs are almost all Orthodox Jews, of varying religiosity. The more religious they are the more right-wing, usually.

I am a mixture of the first two categories, I think, politically, but also have some similarities w/ the third group.

Examples of people in each category:

SJRs:
- Sheldon Adelson (he's pro-choice, pro-lgbt, anti-marijuana, pro-israel, neoconservative and a business conservative; only thing that sticks out is that he is a trumpist)
- Bill Kristol (he's pro-life, but other then that he's your typical neoconservative, secular Jewish Republican)
- Bret Stephens (secular, jewish, neoconservative)
- Norm Coleman (didn't marry Jewish, but identifies with the ethnicity and religion strongly and is a establishment neoconservative)
- Jennifer Rubin (secular and neoconservative)
- Rudy Boschwitz (seems to be secular, definitely establishment republican)
- Paul Singer (strong LGBT advocate, his son is gay, and a strong establishment republican)
- Linda Lingle (socially moderate, big national security hawk/neoconservative)
- Jonah Goldberg (NeverTrump, National Review writer, prob one of the more right-wing people in this category)
- AIPAC-aligned Republicans (They are too establishment, too moderate for the RJRs and too establishment for most TJRs)
- Emergency Committee for Israel (Bill Kristol's group)


TJRs:
- Charles Krauthammer (has the background of an SJR but is markedly more conservative in politics and comes from a orthodox family despite being mostly secular himself; strong identification w/ his Jewishness)
- Ari Fleischer (he seems secular and kind of establishment before Trump but he's a big time trumpist now, without the ultra-conservative flair)
- Eric Cantor (he's establishment but not secular. he's a conservative jew, theologically, and identifies strongly with southern jewish culture)
- Lee Zeldin (reform jew, trumpist, has a conservative reputation, politically)
- Eric Greitens (somewhat traditional jew, strong military background, trumpist, ex-democrat)
- David Kustoff (doesn't fit anywhere else, lol.)
- Republican Jewish Coalition (as a whole, they are establishment and are proxy-run by Adelson but they do a good job of being in the middle ideologically when it comes to pleasing most jewish republicans; rejected by more right-wing jewish republicans)

RJRs:
- Ben Shapiro (orthodox jew; his bona fides are very self-explanatory. he's socially conservative, fiscally conservative and a foreign policy hawk who generally rejects establishment neoconservatives)
- Dennis Prager (orthodox jew; same as shapiro but somewhat more establishment)
- Young Jewish Conservatives (youthful, CPAC-based answer to the Republican Jewish Coalition; last time I went I was the only Rubio supporter as everyone else was a Cruz backer to the max)
- Michael Medved (he's an orthodox, religious jew but his nevertrump advocacy hurt him big time in ratings)
- Mark Levin (he's not religious, to my knowledge, but clearly fits into this category politically)
- Iron Dome Alliance (convinced GOP to remove two-state solution from party platform thus very right-wing)
- Morton Klein/Zionist Organization of America (Ted Cruz is their favorite pol, aka no explanation needed)

[SATW]

oh, and michael savage can suck an egg. he's very loosely conservative and very loosely jewish.

thus not ranking him.

[Prosperum]

My general impression is that they seem to be very fiscally conservative and hawkish re:Israel.

This.  I think Mark Levin and Michael Savage fit the bill quite well for *strongly conservative* secular Jewish Republicans, in contrast to someone like Ben Shapiro or Dennis Prager for more religious Jewish Republicans.   I think someone who is Bloombergesque describes many of the more moderate secular Jewish Republicans, but they were very anti-Trump and probably don't even ID as Republicans overall.  

Michael Bloomberg is a Democrat though? He was a lifelong Democrat before running for mayor. He only ran as a Republican in 2001 because there was no way he could've beaten Mark Green in the Democratic primaries. IIRC, he was originally planning to run for mayor as a Democrat, but Mark Green already had the Democratic nomination sealed up, so he had no choice but to run as a Republican. He's very liberal politically speaking. He sides with Hillary Clinton on virtually every single issue except for stop-and-frisk.

[Brittain33]

Rich businessman in New York City or its suburbs

My father fits the bill—not a "rich businessman" but a successful small businessman outside New York City, still identifies as Jewish and talks about his religious upbringing, but hasn't attended temple outside of special occasions in 20+ years.

[Thunderbird is the word]

My take on this, as a Jewish Republican who falls in the middle of the theological picture.

I'm a traditional Jewish person in terms of theology. I espouse views that align closely with Modern Orthodox Judaism or the less strict segments of Orthodox Judaism. But, at the same time, I am member and supporter of a hasidic synagogue and its organizational hierarchy.

I don't follow everything I'm supposed to when it comes to Orthodox Jewish law (but I do believe in most of it). I do, however, wrap tefilin most days and not eat pork. I tried not mixing cheese and meat but that didn't last long lol. I hold most holidays orthodox-style (only usually breaking those holidays if I'm sick, like last yom kippur, when I was in the hospital, as I am not allowed to hold it if I'm sick or ill).

TLDR: I'm not secular but not religious. Thus I am considered traditional in mindset and some practices.

My religious observance falls in between the secular vs religious divide in the Jewish community. Not surprising, my political views also fall in the middle of the Jewish Republican divide.

Secular Jewish Republicans (SJR) wealthier (on balance), more educated (on balance), usually socially moderate-to-liberal and very neoconservative on foreign policy and Israel issues. usually Mitt Romney-style conservatives on business/economic issues. many NeverTrumpers here.

They are almost always establishment republicans. Usually have a strong identification with their ethnic Jewish heritage and some knowledge of the religion as well but rarely follow the religious customs.

Traditional Jewish Republicans (TJR) Usually middle class or upper middle class. Not as wealthy as the Secular Jewish Repubs, usually. Are a mixed bag on social issues but usually more conservative then the neocon Jewish repubs. Usually identify with neoconservative foreign policy. Staunch business and fiscal conservatives on most issues. You'll find a lot of trumpists here.

Usually torn in terms of where they fall in the GOP (establishment vs tea party/freedom caucus vs trumpist) and in terms of religious/ethnic connection and observance (this is where the more theologically moderate but non-secular Jewish republicans usually wind up).

Religious Jewish Republicans (RJR) All over the place income level wise. Very conservative on social issues, fiscal issues and have transcended the neoconservative label on foreign policy issues. They see Neocons as outdated and useless in ideology and often adopt more rebellious and even more hawkish foreign policies.

They are Freedom Caucus and Ted Cruz supporters, usually. Some are Trumpists, depends on what they care about the most. These Jewish Repubs are almost all Orthodox Jews, of varying religiosity. The more religious they are the more right-wing, usually.

I am a mixture of the first two categories, I think, politically, but also have some similarities w/ the third group.

Examples of people in each category:

SJRs:
- Sheldon Adelson (he's pro-choice, pro-lgbt, anti-marijuana, pro-israel, neoconservative and a business conservative; only thing that sticks out is that he is a trumpist)
- Bill Kristol (he's pro-life, but other then that he's your typical neoconservative, secular Jewish Republican)
- Bret Stephens (secular, jewish, neoconservative)
- Norm Coleman (didn't marry Jewish, but identifies with the ethnicity and religion strongly and is a establishment neoconservative)
- Jennifer Rubin (secular and neoconservative)
- Rudy Boschwitz (seems to be secular, definitely establishment republican)
- Paul Singer (strong LGBT advocate, his son is gay, and a strong establishment republican)
- Linda Lingle (socially moderate, big national security hawk/neoconservative)
- Jonah Goldberg (NeverTrump, National Review writer, prob one of the more right-wing people in this category)
- AIPAC-aligned Republicans (They are too establishment, too moderate for the RJRs and too establishment for most TJRs)
- Emergency Committee for Israel (Bill Kristol's group)


TJRs:
- Charles Krauthammer (has the background of an SJR but is markedly more conservative in politics and comes from a orthodox family despite being mostly secular himself; strong identification w/ his Jewishness)
- Ari Fleischer (he seems secular and kind of establishment before Trump but he's a big time trumpist now, without the ultra-conservative flair)
- Eric Cantor (he's establishment but not secular. he's a conservative jew, theologically, and identifies strongly with southern jewish culture)
- Lee Zeldin (reform jew, trumpist, has a conservative reputation, politically)
- Eric Greitens (somewhat traditional jew, strong military background, trumpist, ex-democrat)
- David Kustoff (doesn't fit anywhere else, lol.)
- Republican Jewish Coalition (as a whole, they are establishment and are proxy-run by Adelson but they do a good job of being in the middle ideologically when it comes to pleasing most jewish republicans; rejected by more right-wing jewish republicans)

RJRs:
- Ben Shapiro (orthodox jew; his bona fides are very self-explanatory. he's socially conservative, fiscally conservative and a foreign policy hawk who generally rejects establishment neoconservatives)
- Dennis Prager (orthodox jew; same as shapiro but somewhat more establishment)
- Young Jewish Conservatives (youthful, CPAC-based answer to the Republican Jewish Coalition; last time I went I was the only Rubio supporter as everyone else was a Cruz backer to the max)
- Michael Medved (he's an orthodox, religious jew but his nevertrump advocacy hurt him big time in ratings)
- Mark Levin (he's not religious, to my knowledge, but clearly fits into this category politically)
- Iron Dome Alliance (convinced GOP to remove two-state solution from party platform thus very right-wing)
- Morton Klein/Zionist Organization of America (Ted Cruz is their favorite pol, aka no explanation needed)

Pretty solid analysis. I've met a few of the religious Jewish Republicans and in my
experience your right about them transcending the neocon label. I think they're more likely to be non-interventionist and in a lot of cases still pro-Israel but against US aid which they either feels ties it's hands or just weakens it or something. The one guy I remember who this describes the most supported Ron Paul in 2012. Not sure who he supported in 2016 but he might have been a nevertrumper due to having libertarian leanings.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Sunrise, would some of the RJRs have been Democrats prior to the Bush years, or does the "bloc voters but the bloc can swing back and forth" Borough Park set not really fit into this framework?

[mencken]

Seems like Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman would be poor fits then, ironically enough.

[SATW]

My take on this, as a Jewish Republican who falls in the middle of the theological picture.

I'm a traditional Jewish person in terms of theology. I espouse views that align closely with Modern Orthodox Judaism or the less strict segments of Orthodox Judaism. But, at the same time, I am member and supporter of a hasidic synagogue and its organizational hierarchy.

I don't follow everything I'm supposed to when it comes to Orthodox Jewish law (but I do believe in most of it). I do, however, wrap tefilin most days and not eat pork. I tried not mixing cheese and meat but that didn't last long lol. I hold most holidays orthodox-style (only usually breaking those holidays if I'm sick, like last yom kippur, when I was in the hospital, as I am not allowed to hold it if I'm sick or ill).

TLDR: I'm not secular but not religious. Thus I am considered traditional in mindset and some practices.

My religious observance falls in between the secular vs religious divide in the Jewish community. Not surprising, my political views also fall in the middle of the Jewish Republican divide.

Secular Jewish Republicans (SJR) wealthier (on balance), more educated (on balance), usually socially moderate-to-liberal and very neoconservative on foreign policy and Israel issues. usually Mitt Romney-style conservatives on business/economic issues. many NeverTrumpers here.

They are almost always establishment republicans. Usually have a strong identification with their ethnic Jewish heritage and some knowledge of the religion as well but rarely follow the religious customs.

Traditional Jewish Republicans (TJR) Usually middle class or upper middle class. Not as wealthy as the Secular Jewish Repubs, usually. Are a mixed bag on social issues but usually more conservative then the neocon Jewish repubs. Usually identify with neoconservative foreign policy. Staunch business and fiscal conservatives on most issues. You'll find a lot of trumpists here.

Usually torn in terms of where they fall in the GOP (establishment vs tea party/freedom caucus vs trumpist) and in terms of religious/ethnic connection and observance (this is where the more theologically moderate but non-secular Jewish republicans usually wind up).

Religious Jewish Republicans (RJR) All over the place income level wise. Very conservative on social issues, fiscal issues and have transcended the neoconservative label on foreign policy issues. They see Neocons as outdated and useless in ideology and often adopt more rebellious and even more hawkish foreign policies.

They are Freedom Caucus and Ted Cruz supporters, usually. Some are Trumpists, depends on what they care about the most. These Jewish Repubs are almost all Orthodox Jews, of varying religiosity. The more religious they are the more right-wing, usually.

I am a mixture of the first two categories, I think, politically, but also have some similarities w/ the third group.

Examples of people in each category:

SJRs:
- Sheldon Adelson (he's pro-choice, pro-lgbt, anti-marijuana, pro-israel, neoconservative and a business conservative; only thing that sticks out is that he is a trumpist)
- Bill Kristol (he's pro-life, but other then that he's your typical neoconservative, secular Jewish Republican)
- Bret Stephens (secular, jewish, neoconservative)
- Norm Coleman (didn't marry Jewish, but identifies with the ethnicity and religion strongly and is a establishment neoconservative)
- Jennifer Rubin (secular and neoconservative)
- Rudy Boschwitz (seems to be secular, definitely establishment republican)
- Paul Singer (strong LGBT advocate, his son is gay, and a strong establishment republican)
- Linda Lingle (socially moderate, big national security hawk/neoconservative)
- Jonah Goldberg (NeverTrump, National Review writer, prob one of the more right-wing people in this category)
- AIPAC-aligned Republicans (They are too establishment, too moderate for the RJRs and too establishment for most TJRs)
- Emergency Committee for Israel (Bill Kristol's group)


TJRs:
- Charles Krauthammer (has the background of an SJR but is markedly more conservative in politics and comes from a orthodox family despite being mostly secular himself; strong identification w/ his Jewishness)
- Ari Fleischer (he seems secular and kind of establishment before Trump but he's a big time trumpist now, without the ultra-conservative flair)
- Eric Cantor (he's establishment but not secular. he's a conservative jew, theologically, and identifies strongly with southern jewish culture)
- Lee Zeldin (reform jew, trumpist, has a conservative reputation, politically)
- Eric Greitens (somewhat traditional jew, strong military background, trumpist, ex-democrat)
- David Kustoff (doesn't fit anywhere else, lol.)
- Republican Jewish Coalition (as a whole, they are establishment and are proxy-run by Adelson but they do a good job of being in the middle ideologically when it comes to pleasing most jewish republicans; rejected by more right-wing jewish republicans)

RJRs:
- Ben Shapiro (orthodox jew; his bona fides are very self-explanatory. he's socially conservative, fiscally conservative and a foreign policy hawk who generally rejects establishment neoconservatives)
- Dennis Prager (orthodox jew; same as shapiro but somewhat more establishment)
- Young Jewish Conservatives (youthful, CPAC-based answer to the Republican Jewish Coalition; last time I went I was the only Rubio supporter as everyone else was a Cruz backer to the max)
- Michael Medved (he's an orthodox, religious jew but his nevertrump advocacy hurt him big time in ratings)
- Mark Levin (he's not religious, to my knowledge, but clearly fits into this category politically)
- Iron Dome Alliance (convinced GOP to remove two-state solution from party platform thus very right-wing)
- Morton Klein/Zionist Organization of America (Ted Cruz is their favorite pol, aka no explanation needed)

Pretty solid analysis. I've met a few of the religious Jewish Republicans and in my
experience your right about them transcending the neocon label. I think they're more likely to be non-interventionist and in a lot of cases still pro-Israel but against US aid which they either feels ties it's hands or just weakens it or something. The one guy I remember who this describes the most supported Ron Paul in 2012. Not sure who he supported in 2016 but he might have been a nevertrumper due to having libertarian leanings.

With religious jews, particularly hasidic jews or pro-settlements orthodox jews, there are some reasons why they aren't neoconservatives:

- Many religious Jews view U.S. foreign aid as a leash or tracking device and that it forces American Allies (especially Israel) to listen to American demands more often then not.

- Ben Shapiro-style religious jews think neoconservatives aren't really that right-wing and that it limits Israel's ability to defend itself. Example: http://www.dailywire.com/news/4252/no-aipac-isnt-israel-lobby-its-democrat-lobby-ben-shapiro ("AIPAC isn't the Israel Lobby, it's the Democrat Lobby"). This type of thought process is big with younger orthodox, right-wing jews. A bunch of my right-wing Jewish friends in journalism/blogosphere also share these views.

I, myself, am very much an AIPAC believer and Pro-Israel supporter. I'm weary of making Israel an ideological issue and often criticize some of the views that come from the right flank of Israel supporters. Shapiro and others make some very valid points and criticisms about the Jewish political establishment and its lukewarm support for Israel but at the same time they then go too far themselves by slamming Pro-Israel liberals.

The reason why Neoconservative Jewish Republicans and Traditional Jewish Republicans like myself differ from movement conservative/Religious Jewish Republicans is because we support Israel for different reasons:

1) Neocons and regular Jewish Republicans support Israel first and foremost due to it's status as a liberal democracy, its status as a loyal ally to the U.S. and because it is tough against terrorism. We, of course, have personal love and affection for Israel, since it is the Jewish state, but it does not formulate our views on U.S.-Israel Relations, which is a separate policy topic from the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and even Israel itself. (sorry antisemites, your little conspiracy theories aren't true.)

As a traditional Jew who believes in many of the religious traditions in Orthodox Judaism, some of my views on Israeli politics reflect the more right-wing views of Settlers and theologically based Zionist theories but it is not my driving ideology on Israel. I am a Revisionist Zionist, first and foremost, which means my support for Israel is more Likud leaning and not religious party-based.

2.) Religious Jews, however, believe supporting Israel needs to come from a religious, ethnic and purely Jewish perspective. This means supporting the settlements much more strongly than a regular Jewish Republican. This means wanting to annex all the settlements while someone like me only wants to annex certain parts. This point of view became popular after the Six Day War when Israel proved it's worth as a military power. Religious Zionism became much more popular and started becoming it's own segment of the Israeli Jewish Right and the American Jewish Right. They care more about the issues Israel is facing now and in the long term instead about caring for Israel's relationship with America.

[SATW]

Sunrise, would some of the RJRs have been Democrats prior to the Bush years, or does the "bloc voters but the bloc can swing back and forth" Borough Park set not really fit into this framework?

Yes for multiple reasons:

1. Joe Lieberman/Jack Lew used to represent the average non-hasidic, orthodox Jew. Carried the AIPAC line on Israel and the neoconservative/Scoop Jackson line on foreign policy but liberal on all else. There were even some Orthodox Jewish Democrats who still hang around in the party despite being very right-wing (Dov Hikind, Simcha Felder come to mind) but this group is very small now in the Democratic Party (post-2000).

2. The Religious Orthodox Demographic in America has changed since 1967 and especially since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s:

- In 1967, after the Six Day War, the religious jews in Israel started becoming much more right-wing in theology and politics. Before 1967, Joe Lieberman-style Jews dominated the Modern Orthodox establishment and many ultra-haredi jews didn't support Israel until Jerusalem was re-unified.
- As a result, the definition of an orthodox Jew or a hasidic/ultra-haredi jew became more theologically stringent and right-wing. They became very much pro-settlements and pro-United Jerusalem.
- This caused problems for American Jewish Democrats who were Orthodox in the 1990s. A lot of them were likely opposed to the Oslo Accords and disliked Yitzhak Rabin. This was very visible among ultra-haredi Jewish populations (Borough Park, Crown Heights in NYC; Jerusalem and the Settlements in Israel).
- This further created a divide when prominent Religious Leaders started solidifying their positions on Settlements, like the Lubavitcher Rebbe did: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/No-Holds-Barred-Chabad-emulate-the-Rebbes-defense-of-Israel-431835 ("NO HOLDS BARRED: CHABAD, EMULATE THE REBBE’S DEFENSE OF ISRAEL")

3. Reagan's Republican Party finally proved that some Jews could trust the GOP on Israel. This became very clear via Evangelical support for the Jewish State and Evangelical positions on gender roles, abortion (limited appeal to Religious Jews) and on opposing LGBT equality.

- Socially Conservative Evangelicals were closer, politically, to ultra-haredi Jews from Borough Park or Crown Heights then AIPAC Modern Orthodox Democrats or Reform/Conservative Jewish leftists.
- This is why we started seeing these ultra-religious jews become GOP voters in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Also, Lieberman helped Gore keep these voters in 2000 because even now in 2017 he's beloved by most Orthodox Jews, even ultra-haredi ones.

[SATW]

Oh and I forgot to mention:

Even some Secular and Traditional Jews who had ties to Religious, pro-Settler leaders started drifting right-wards on Israel and started raising their kids to emulate these views (how I was raised by my moderately traditional family).

So, there's a very clear and stunning divide among American Jews:

Left-leaning Jews:
- Reform and Reconstructionist Jews and their leaderships.
- Purely Secular Jews ("Lox and Cream Cheese Jews")
- "Open Orthodoxy" Jews (left-wing Modern Orthodox Jews who split from mainstream Modern Orthodox Judaism)
- Tikkun Olam-focused younger Jews (focused on "fixing the world" and usually this includes Israel and Judaism as well) (J-Street is a good example)
- Ashkenazi Jews

Right-leaning Jews:
- Mainstream Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, and Hasidic/Haredi Jews.
- Secular or Traditional Jews who 1) are neoconservatives or 2) have ties to orthodox groups despite not being religious
- Post-USSR Jews (particularly the ones who are first generation Americans or directly immigrated themselves)
- Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews
- Random enclaves of Jews who for one reason or another aren't liberals.
- Jews who believe the 2SS will never work and believe in looking for alternative solutions but also care more about protecting/securing Israeli interests (ZOA, Iron Dome Alliance etc...)

The Disappearing Center:
- Conservative/Masorti Jews (theological denomination)
- The children of the Post-USSR Jews (Young Jewish Professionals)
- AIPAC supporters (from both parties)
- YJP/NJBs/NJGs (Young Jewish Professionals/Nice Jewish Boys/Nice Jewish Girls) (pretty much this somewhat mythical category of American Jews that "aren't that liberal, but don't like republicans, but, like, love Israel and Jewish stuff!")
- Every other category I missed

The left-leaning and right-leaning Jews are moving to the extremes (extreme Jewish left = being Anti-Zionist and also borderline Anti-Jewish culture/religion aka self-haters (an example is Jewish Voice for Peace); extreme Jewish right = illiberal fanatics who identify as Kahanists or Neo-Zionists)

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

The left-leaning and right-leaning Jews are moving to the extremes (extreme Jewish left = being Anti-Zionist and also borderline Anti-Jewish culture/religion aka self-haters (an example is Jewish Voice for Peace); extreme Jewish right = illiberal fanatics who identify as Kahanists or Neo-Zionists)

Yeesh. I hope I'm within my rights to say that this sounds like a pretty horrific development.

Are there some apolitical-ish Haredim left or has pretty much everybody started polarizing now?

(I'm asking so many questions about Haredim because I've been thinking about them a lot lately in the context of trying to convince people at my school to take the existence of people who "take the Bible literally" outside the Evangelical/fundamentalist Christian constellation seriously.)

[SATW]

The left-leaning and right-leaning Jews are moving to the extremes (extreme Jewish left = being Anti-Zionist and also borderline Anti-Jewish culture/religion aka self-haters (an example is Jewish Voice for Peace); extreme Jewish right = illiberal fanatics who identify as Kahanists or Neo-Zionists)

Yeesh. I hope I'm within my rights to say that this sounds like a pretty horrific development.

I agree wholeheartedly. One of my biggest focuses has been to try and revive the disappearing center among younger American Jews but its hard to bridge the divide.

It's a slow process of division but it's been a steady one and the signs of its damage are evident.

 I think this is occurring in other ethnic/racial/religious communities as well but I don't know as much about those divides. One example would be more traditional latino/hispanic communities identifying by their country of origin (i.e. Cuban-American, Mexican-American etc...) and those who are following the more progressive view on the "People of Color" issues (i.e. identifying as Latino/Latina/Latinx as a sign of ethnic solidarity against discrimination and/or anti-illegal immigrant viewpoints)

* Latino/Hispanic posters: correct me if I'm wrong, I'm going off what some of my more SJW-leaning friends have told me on this.

The collective glue that each ethnic/racial/religious group needs to survive is starting to collapse due to national political polarization (though, as some of my comments have shown, it's not the "vague" polarization we keep hearing about from media outlets, there's clear reasons for the divides).

[Intell]

Ok how are the Jewish Voice for Peace, self-haters now.

[SATW]

Ok how are the Jewish Voice for Peace, self-haters now.

They support boycotts of Israel and Israeli products/produce, via BDS and SJP
They protest outside of holocaust memorials/commemorations
They had a convicted Palestinian terrorist, Rasmea Odeh, (who killed two innocent people and injured others in an attack in 1969) headline their recent national conference.
They also had Anti-Zionist Linda Sarsour speak at that same conference.


JVP support for anti-Israel, antisemitic BDS movement:

- https://www.adl.org/education/resources/profiles/jewish-voice-for-peace
- https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/boycott-divestment-and-sanctions/jvp-supports-the-bds-movement/
JVP protesting Holocaust Memorial link in the name of Anti-Israel activities: -
 https://mikereport.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/jewish-voice-for-peace-disrupts-holocaust-memorial-resolution/
- http://jpupdates.com/2015/01/22/pro-palestinians-disrupt-city-council-meeting-over-speakers-planned-visit-to-israel/
Odeh and Sarsour link:
- http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/367927/rasmea-odeh-and-linda-sarsour-slam-zionists-at-jewish-voice-for-peace-summi/

They are self-haters. Pure and simple.

IfNotNow, Peace Now, J-Street, New Israel Fund are all left-wing orgs that heavily criticize Israel without being blatant self-haters. I dislike all of those groups but at least they have the dignity not to stoop to JVP's level of ignorance and stupidity. So, I'm not just labeling left-wing Jewish groups as "self-haters." Only the actual self-haters get called out by me.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Neoconservatives who love Netanyahu for (mostly) political reasons, along with muh Wall Street bankers, property developers, etc. (yay for crude, often anti-Semitic stereotypes! )

[Torie]

Do secular Jewish Pubs tend to be as estranged from both parties as I am?

[SATW]

Do secular Jewish Pubs tend to be as estranged from both parties as I am?

Depends which GOP circles they hang out at. If they are around neocons or establishment pub voters who supported Rubio, J. Bush or even Walker then they should be fine.

But if they hang out w/ Cruzites or Trumpists...well, yea they are a bit isolated.

[King of Kensington]

How about Israeli immigrants?  I would guess the typical secular Ashkenazi immigrant would probably vote D, but maybe not to the degree of American-born Jews?  But there are of course Russian-Israelis, orthodox etc. that lean more to the right.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Sunrise, you might be happy to know that I actually know quite a few "aren't that liberal, but don't like Republicans, but, like, love Israel and Jewish stuff!" types at my school, BU, although that's probably not representative because I'm taking several courses in Judaism- and Islam-related subjects.

[SATW]

How about Israeli immigrants?  I would guess the typical secular Ashkenazi immigrant would probably vote D, but maybe not to the degree of American-born Jews?  But there are of course Russian-Israelis, orthodox etc. that lean more to the right.

It really depends with Israeli-American Jews. There are at least two camps within this unpredictable demographic.

Israelis looking to break into American academia: this group is almost always left-wing. Usually in between the Meretz Party and the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. There are two subgroups within this group.

You have your Rabin/Peres style Israeli-Americans (likely to support Hillary, generally supporters of Israel but vehement opponents of the Israeli right) (think Yoram Peri at the University of Maryland and likely Amir Pedahzur from the University of Texas)

You also have your Anti-Zionist/post-Zionist/left-wing academics: This includes people Avinadav Begin (grandson of Menachem Begin, son of Benny Begin) who oppose zionism and even doubt the nationhood of the Jewish people. Then there's also people like Yigal Arens (son of former Defense Minister/Bibi Mentor Moshe Arens) who is Anti-Zionist and supports boycotts of Israel on some capacity.

And then there's the other category, which is Israeli working class and middle class people who just want to make some more money and have a better life: This group is generally pretty strongly Zionist, I'd say anywhere from Yesh Atid-style Zionism to Likud-style Zionism.

But, some are left-leaning as well, of course. Overall, though, they'd prob be very mixed on American politics.

Sunrise, you might be happy to know that I actually know quite a few "aren't that liberal, but don't like Republicans, but, like, love Israel and Jewish stuff!" types at my school, BU, although that's probably not representative because I'm taking several courses in Judaism- and Islam-related subjects.

Actually, on college campuses, regardless of level (Bachelors, Masters or PhD), many Jewish students describe themselves like this, especially if they are focused on Jewish and Zionist issues.

I like these people on Jewish and Zionist issues, they are the future of American Zionism and American Judaism, but they tend to be one issue people, which isn't always good...regardless of political persuasion.

Because their partisan affiliation is weak it is hard for them to continue our preferred banner on Jewish causes within the mainstream community because many Jewish activists do lean one way or the other on domestic issues.