Jews have long held liberal positions, identifying with other minorities and the oppressed. But as ideology shifts to the extremes, some of them are feeling left out in the cold.
"Despite a popular narrative that Trump would go down in a ball of flames due to his role stoking racial tension, enabling white supremacy, and generally making bad and unintelligent decision" - not that that's any change from when he was campaigning for the 2016 election. His candidacy was maybe the longest shot in American history if you go by the polls and the narrative that existed about him at the time.
I also want to say that a lot of people equate the Jewish community with "liberal," but "liberal" probably best describes Reform Jews (which, to be fair, is the largest denomination.) The Reform movement officially endorses Zionism but I predict a move away from this, maybe by the end of this decade. I guess some of it depends on what Israel actually does but the rhetoric in leftist spaces where young liberal Jews spend a lot of time often goes turns towards hardcore anti-Zionism. Since the Jewish community tends demographically to be older, I think that their is a lack of awareness about how unwelcoming the left is for anyone who voices even tentative support for Zionism. More so, I see this as a bigger problem than right-wing antisemitism because it affects our everyday reality more; i.e., if all your similarly liberal-minded friends are expressing disdain for Israel, dissent can lead to losing your friends, whereas speaking out against right-wing antisemitism, for most of us liberals, won't have much effect on your social life.
Jews who see halakha as more binding tend to be more conservative politically, in my experience. It's probably from not being able to blend in as well. It's easier to be a target if your clothes, speech, customs, and holidays draw attention to your difference. I think for us more liberal Jews it is important to keep in mind that the experience of more traditionally minded Jews counts too, and not to portray the community as if it was politically monolithic.
You have crystalized the importance of this issue. For many observant Jews, the rightward shift is unsettling. One manifestation of this is the increasing movement to isolate ourselves by building high walls and security fences. A number of years ago, I volunteered as a greeter for a Seward Park shul. The man who instructed me did nothing but show me what to do WHEN THEY ATTACK. Protection for ourselves is important, but it cannot be the only way we interact with our neighbors. At the same time that we make ourselves safer through protective measures, we must also reach out to others in welcoming gestures. It is up to us as individuals and as congregations to find ways to achieve these ends. I hope that this is the beginning of an ongoind search for solutions.
Thank you for covering this topic. As a Jew who supports progressive policies, I find myself more to the center on social issues, specifically cancel culture and intersectionality. When writing an article for Jewish in Seattle in 2016 (https://mag.jewishinseattle.org/community/2016/08/quiet-riot), I learned that more and more Jewish students were eschewing campus social justice gatherings, like Black Lives Matter, because they included other causes - under the intersectionality umbrella - like Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Some protestors brandished anti-Israel banners; others equated American Jews with Israelis (in a black-and-white ignorance, conflating all Israelis with the Israeli government). I've argued with some of my progressive friends about Ilan Omar's troubling anti-Semitic statements; fortunately, getting them to shift their perspectives.
It seems that there is only space for so many minorities, and nuance is overlooked in the name of woke righteousness.
"Despite a popular narrative that Trump would go down in a ball of flames due to his role stoking racial tension, enabling white supremacy, and generally making bad and unintelligent decision" - not that that's any change from when he was campaigning for the 2016 election. His candidacy was maybe the longest shot in American history if you go by the polls and the narrative that existed about him at the time.
I also want to say that a lot of people equate the Jewish community with "liberal," but "liberal" probably best describes Reform Jews (which, to be fair, is the largest denomination.) The Reform movement officially endorses Zionism but I predict a move away from this, maybe by the end of this decade. I guess some of it depends on what Israel actually does but the rhetoric in leftist spaces where young liberal Jews spend a lot of time often goes turns towards hardcore anti-Zionism. Since the Jewish community tends demographically to be older, I think that their is a lack of awareness about how unwelcoming the left is for anyone who voices even tentative support for Zionism. More so, I see this as a bigger problem than right-wing antisemitism because it affects our everyday reality more; i.e., if all your similarly liberal-minded friends are expressing disdain for Israel, dissent can lead to losing your friends, whereas speaking out against right-wing antisemitism, for most of us liberals, won't have much effect on your social life.
Jews who see halakha as more binding tend to be more conservative politically, in my experience. It's probably from not being able to blend in as well. It's easier to be a target if your clothes, speech, customs, and holidays draw attention to your difference. I think for us more liberal Jews it is important to keep in mind that the experience of more traditionally minded Jews counts too, and not to portray the community as if it was politically monolithic.
You have crystalized the importance of this issue. For many observant Jews, the rightward shift is unsettling. One manifestation of this is the increasing movement to isolate ourselves by building high walls and security fences. A number of years ago, I volunteered as a greeter for a Seward Park shul. The man who instructed me did nothing but show me what to do WHEN THEY ATTACK. Protection for ourselves is important, but it cannot be the only way we interact with our neighbors. At the same time that we make ourselves safer through protective measures, we must also reach out to others in welcoming gestures. It is up to us as individuals and as congregations to find ways to achieve these ends. I hope that this is the beginning of an ongoind search for solutions.
Thank you for covering this topic. As a Jew who supports progressive policies, I find myself more to the center on social issues, specifically cancel culture and intersectionality. When writing an article for Jewish in Seattle in 2016 (https://mag.jewishinseattle.org/community/2016/08/quiet-riot), I learned that more and more Jewish students were eschewing campus social justice gatherings, like Black Lives Matter, because they included other causes - under the intersectionality umbrella - like Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Some protestors brandished anti-Israel banners; others equated American Jews with Israelis (in a black-and-white ignorance, conflating all Israelis with the Israeli government). I've argued with some of my progressive friends about Ilan Omar's troubling anti-Semitic statements; fortunately, getting them to shift their perspectives.
It seems that there is only space for so many minorities, and nuance is overlooked in the name of woke righteousness.