A friend of mine in the media covered the Republican National Convention and brought me back a souvenir: a navy blue yarmulke with “McCain ’08” printed on it in English and Hebrew. I guess there wasn’t time for the campaign to make them up with Sarah Palin’s name, too, which is a shame. With all the disquiet she has evoked in the Jewish community, that would be a collector’s item.
Jews themselves, and liberals who feel we belong naturally in the Democratic fold, give reasons for the gathering unease about her. A gaping cultural difference is noted. “Eating moose meat is not a big thing here in South Florida,” Senator Charles Schumer told Jewish retirees. One hears that Palin’s views on domestic issues go against the Jewish community’s “core values,” as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz argued. That she’s anti-abortion is the problematic position most often cited as an example.
Her evangelical faith — more pronounced than that of President Bush — suggests itself as the cultural difference that explains most of the seemingly disparate sources of displeasure.
Which may sound like bigotry on the part of Jewish voters, as we would conclude about some Jewish Democrats, notably senior citizens, who have said to reporters and to me personally that Obama’s being black makes it hard to support him. The sentiment is apparently common in Florida retirement villages.
But unlike racism, the prejudice against evangelicals doesn’t yield to a simple diagnosis. If it’s a form of anti-Christianism, why do other Protestants fail to arouse the same feelings?
You’ll often hear a Jew say he fears being subjected to aggressive evangelization. But no evidence suggests that Palin has any interest in that. The best her critics have come up with is that she sat through a guest sermon at her church by David Brickner of Jews for Jesus. Yes, and at shuls I’ve attended I have sat through presentations by guest speakers that I found distasteful. Even the Anti-Defamation League gave her a pass on that one.
Possibly, some upper-middle-class Jews, with their recent immigrant roots, feel the same fear and loathing for the supposedly déclassé religious right that many gentile parvenus do, out of sheer class anxiety. This would explain the Jewish prejudice that you encounter sometimes against Orthodox Jews, too. But I can’t prove this.
Here is another plausible theory: According to a mythic master narrative that Jews find compelling, we have fared less well under the rule of Christian “true believers” than under Christians who are blasé or conflicted about their religion. (Calling this “mythic” doesn’t mean that, as history, it’s true or false.)
Bill Clinton, a Southern Baptist, could talk God-talk to us. But since he’s a rascal, no one worried about it. Jews could accept McCain, too. Whatever he believes about ultimate questions, he has been allergic to saying much in public on the subject.
The same fact made his pre-Palin candidacy a turn-off to evangelicals and to others who assume that a well-formed worldview, informed by religious beliefs, may be more important in a candidate than how conversant he or she is with national and international policy issues. If elected, Palin would gain that expertise on the job, just as she mastered the intricacies of Alaska politics. Having a mature worldview, identical with wisdom, is a quality that serving in a high office will not bestow upon you.
So Palin speaks openly and confidently about her Christian beliefs, and she lives them, too. Terrifying, right? Yet I’m not sure I buy an explanation that centers quite so simply on her being Christian.
Barack Obama stresses his own faith experiences more than Sarah Palin does hers. The difference is that Palin’s spiritual beliefs are mirrored by her policy preferences, even to the point of giving offense. Hence, in Jewish discussions of Palin, the recurrent mention of the abortion issue. She has said she supports legal abortion only when the mother’s life is in danger — a position for which one could find considerable support in Jewish sources.
Perhaps it’s Judaism, not Christianity, that’s the nub of the matter. Hardly a month after she was introduced to us, Sarah Palin may indeed have managed to touch the exposed electrical power cable that runs through Jewish spirituality.
Torah, whether we like this fact or not, is about nothing if not giving practical expression to religious beliefs, in both private and public life, often in demanding and intrusive ways. That is a basic axiom of the Jewish worldview that offered transcendent meaning in life to generations of Jews before us.
So shouldn’t we be running toward Palin, instead of away? You might think so. But Jews of all denominations have grown increasingly distant from the traditional Jewish view of the world. Want proof?
This year’s exhaustive U.S. Religious Landscape Survey asked Americans how they saw the relationship between religion and politics. The study asked respondents if they would rank their religion as the top influence on their political beliefs. Jews were the group least likely to answer in the affirmative. Only 4% credited faith as so profoundly shaping their views on public life, compared, for example, to 28% of evangelicals.
Jews were also the second-most liberal religious group, with 34% identifying with the political left, behind only Buddhists (who include many born-Jews). Many politically conservative Jews I know likewise can’t explain how beliefs about God legitimately shape thoughts about anything broader than one’s own private behavior. Yet the Torah is about much else besides personal ethics.
The flight from what Sarah Palin represents, maximizing the voice we give to God in the world, has become a “core value” of contemporary Jewish life. That Jews would be unnerved by her is no shock.
David Klinghoffer is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and the author of “How Would God Vote?: Why the Bible Commands You to Be a Conservative” (Doubleday).
As the race for the White House continues, the Forward presents the views of policy makers, opinion-shapers and even a politician or two in a non-partisan forum offering a balanced range of opinion. The views expressed are not endorsed by the Forward, which does not support or oppose candidates for public office. This series is intended to help our readers educate themselves on the issues surrounding the quadrennial November Dilemma.
The Jewish community retains its loyalty to the Democratic Party for the following reason. As the 1930s drew to a close, American Jews feared being overrun by hordes of barbaric, foreign accented Yidden, that could wash away the carefully crafted social status that they had toiled for so long. Just as Charles Martel stopped the Saracens from invading France, and Jan Sobiesky stopped the Turks at the gates of Vienna, FDR stopped the Yidden from overwhelming the US Jewish community. The real resolve was with the SS St Louis, where barbaric Juden almost scaled the walls of Miami, but were sent to Europe for environmentally sound disposal. This is why Jews who came prior to WWII will vote Democratic no matter what, while Jews who came after WWII do not necessarily vote lockstep Democratically.
Here's why I think Jews should be uncomfortable with Palin. Judaism (especially traditional Judaism) values experience and learning. The whole appeal of Palin to most of her fans is that she is a "regular person" (or to put it in Talmudic terms, an am haaretz- an ignorant, or at best average person). Palin's incoherence, and the love of ignorance displayed by Palin's supporters is, and should be frightening, in a way that a more obviously learned conservative such as Romney or even Huckabee would not be.
We fear Palin with good cause. Palin's belief system is actually far outside the mainstream of most Evangelicals or Fundamentalist Christians in America and one of the most aggressive in their desire to end separation of church and state. In fact the movement to which these churches belong is feared by many other conservative Christian groups for their belief that they must reconstruct Christianity under the authority of their Apostles and Prophets in what is called the Fivefold Ministry, in preparation to defeat evil before the return of Jesus. I am part of a small research team which studies apocalyptic movements and millennial fervor in Christianity, with a specific focus on how it impacts the Jewish community. I work closely with Bruce Wilson at Talk2action.org who released the video of Hagee's "Hitler as hunter" sermon and together we also exposed the sermon in which Hagee claimed that the Antichrist is "German, gay, and part-Jewish... like Hitler." We are currently posting a series of articles at Talk2action.org about Palin and her churches’ involvement with the Third Wave or New Apostolic Reformation. This emerging sect of networked Apostles has taken control of many Assembly of God churches around the world, including a complete takeover of the Australian Assemblies of God, but it also draws from many different denominations in Christianity. Their beliefs include hyper charismatic worship brought about by the "outpouring of the Holy Spirit" to aid them in spiritual warfare. They are no longer waiting around for the Rapture, or for Jews to rebuild the third Temple, but believe that they have a mandate to take control of the "Kingdom" in the here and now. In Israel this involves the advancement and support of Messianic Jewish ministries for the future rejoining of Jews and Christians as "one new man" in Christ. A number of Messianic ministries now fall under the Apostolic authority of the movement. The New Apostolic Reformation's current goals include the "Seven Mountain Strategy" to retake society, government, and business. In addition to her church background and training, Palin has been anointed by at least one major leader (Thomas Muthee) as well as several others who are easily documented as part of the movement. This includes Ed Kalnins, senior Pastor of Wasilla Assembly of God, who openly preaches about making his church Apostolic and has traveled to Morningstar Ministries outside Charlotte in May to receive an anointing to take back to his congregation. On June 8th of this year Palin traveled to Wasilla to speak at the commencement of a post-high school group that had finished a program of New Apostolic prophecy and authority, and to be publicly anointed by Kalnins at another event that day.
Boy are you a convoluted mixed up shtunk. The only one you missed out in mentioning was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and that gums up all your bogus scholarship.
crap
Good article, informative but not shocking. I am an American born Jew, (both parents) and a proud Zionist. I care about Israel, and I care about US Jewry, declining rapidly. We are being blamed for the sub-prime mortgage crisis, not surprisingly. Midrashas teach violent anti-Semitism along with their anti-Zionism..yet we seem oblivious. Every apprehended terrorist had planned to destroy Jewish institutions. We know that Jews finance Democratic candidates. Jewish Republicans are a distinct minority. What is this about abortion..we need more Jews, not less. The huge birth rates among minorities are changing this country..which is their agenda. Ask, who started the economic mess, ask about redlining opposition. The economy, Jews always fare well. Does anyone think that taxing the successful is good for the Jews? Let's get real. Obama wants to talk, while Shihabs are aimed with WMD warheads (soon nuclear) at Israel and Al Qaeda has targeted Diaspora Jewry. Yet the Demos are peeved at GITMO and wireless taps. What will wake us up..it will take something spectacular? I don't know. We Jew are still living in Roosevelt days. BTW, he allowed 6m of our brethren to be slautered. He didn't lift one finger to aid. He didn't want a "Jewish War". but he accepted Einstein and his theories. NYC had 2.5m Jews in 1958, now it's 700,000. Doesn't that say something?
I can see why the Jewish community is concerned about Sarah Palin but that woman scares me. I grew up Southern Baptist and can no longer condone many of the polities I hear they espouse. Sarah Palin is so far to the right and I simply can't support her. Sarah Palin is the exact opposite of what Hillary Clinton represents. I do not know what impact this post will have, but I sincerely hope that the Jewish community will support Barack Obama as I believe he is the person to help put this country back on the right path and improve our world standing. Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts.
I am astonished that this article makes no reference to the separation of church and state. This is not only the bedrock of American democracy, but has made this country safe for Jews during less tolerant times. Being more than a little queasy about a candidate who turns to scriptures for policy decisions (even the Rabbis tempered torah with talmud) isn't a sign of religious ambivalence--it's the highest form of patriotism.
Could this be any more disingenous? It is fundamentally dishonest for a conservative commentator who is a fellow at the Discovery Institute (whose primary issue has been advocating for requiring the teaching of "Intelligent Design") to write: "Jews themselves, and liberals who feel we belong naturally in the Democratic fold, give reasons for the gathering unease about her." Why does Mr. Klinghofer create this false identity about being "liberal" and "Democratic" when he is in fact neither?
if you continue to publish nonsense like this, then all your readers will permanently follow your editors to Nextbook. This is not partisan but just as uninformed as Palin.
We fear Sarah Palin because of her insistence that her religious community possesses, exclusively, the authoritative understanding of God's purposes, methods and plans. In her worldview the rest of us lie somewhere along the axis between ignorant/confused/misinformed and witchcraft/Evil/Satan. We fear Sarah Palin because she is a "True Believer (see Hoffer); and can only modify the beliefs that inform her actions on the basis of word from an equal or higher authority (not much of that around lately.) She is proofed against rational argument or contradictory evidence. Sarah Palin is no more God's voice in the world than Mahmoud Amadinejad. The principle difference between them being; whose side they think God is on - as opposed to trying to be on God's side. As holders of the original franchise we resent the assertion of a competing claim. We fear Sarah Palin for good reason. Throughout our long historical memory (most especially recently) we've suffered tremendously at the hands of political leaders with such a parochial understanding of the Ayn Od. Anyone who's world view runs so against the grain of the axiom "Wherever you have two Jews - you have three opinions." makes us nervous. Me? I'm terrified. Just because one eschatologist is itching to get his hands on a nuclear weapon, does that mean we have to have one too?
why is someone from the Discovery Institute invited to write for The Forward? The institute's aim is to promote the teaching of creationism in the nation's public schools in violation of the separation between church and state.
The radical right has great talent for choosing stealth names for their organizations and legislation: "The Discovery Institute" for anti-discovery activity; "The Patriot Act" for trashing the Constitution. Klinghoffer's stealth skills apparently go well beyond just naming.
I think it would be informative to our readers to point out that the Discovery Institute is a vocal proponent of Intelligent Design and virulently anti-evolution. One of the shining lights of Jews throughout history has been our contributions to science and intellectual progress in all spheres and to move forward and not retreat backwards into a quasi-scientific dead end. I also personally resent being force-fed a dose of "Jewish guilt" The reason I and other reasonable people fear Sarah Palin is that she speaks for a growing movement to intermingle religious dogma with governmental policy trying to inform domestic and foreign policy with blind "God is on our side" rationalization. At the risk of offense I find any religious movement that seeks to influence and change government to conform to their narrow version of what is right and wrong, Christian, Jewish or otherwise inherently dangerous and certainly contrary to the principles of our Founding Fathers - religious tolerance but SEPARATION of religion and government. Also I truly doubt that God would want be to be a conservative...or a liberal for that matter...I'm sure God agrees with Jefferson and Adams that that is our own business
This article does not represent the views of many Conservative Jews like myself.
The only Jews who 'fear' Palin are the usual suspects-that numerous, angst-ridden, Liberal-Left leaning, guilt-ridden body of Jews who prove the Truth of that well-known saying, You can take the Jew out of the ghetto but you cannot take the Ghetto out of(these) Jews.
When Jewish Democrats insisted on uninviting Gov. Palin from the rally to protest Iran's President Ahmadenejad, they proved that they are far more frightened by Palin than they are by a homicidal dictator. This will remain a terrible Hillul Hashem in the Jewish community. Now, some apologists are declaring that having Palin alone would have jeopardized the tax exempt status of the constituent organizations of th Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, but that's bunk. If the I.R.S. was so picky, they'd probably have to strip the tax exempt status of every African American church and every Universalist Unitarian Church in the country - where Republicans are rarely welcome. Furthermore, people in general are upset that by selecting Palin as his running mate, McCain took the wind out of the sails of Obama's claim to be open minded and egalitarian. If it weren't for his huge ego (which would not allow Obama to share the limelight with Hillary or Bill Clinton), the natural choice would have been Hillary. His narcissism prevented him from waltzing into the White House with a huge margin of victory with Hillary at his side. I am troubled to see the abject class prejudice (I assume largely from Jews on this site) who are quick to paint Gov. Palin as some kind of "White Trash Trailer Mom". She may speak with a twang, and an earthiness which we are not used to in many parts of the country. But you should understand that if you ever dare travel West of the Hudson River, that others listen to the accents of people like Lieberman, Schumer, Barnie Frank, or Bernie Sanders (N.Y. Jew representing VT) they may feel that their accents or affects are as strange as Palin's are to many of you. The difference is that if they carry those prejudices, the educated ones are smart enough to keep it to themselves. Some of the Palin's harshest critics, are intellectual snobs who thumb their nose at Sarah Palin, but kiss up to Barak Obama who is a poster-child affirmative action candidate. He is marvelously articulate, but if he were caucasian, does anyone in his right mind think that he'd be where he is today as the Dem. presidential candidate? His greatest asset is that his resume is thin, because it's hard to criticize his almost non-existent resume. Governor Palin has her weaknesses. She is no expert on foreign affairs. She is not yet familiar with Washington politics. But her candidacy resonates with millions of voters for she has a proven track record of cleaning up political messes in Alaska (including cleaning house in her own party), and she is among the most popular governors in America (based on an 80% approval rating in Alaska). And whether you like her positions on family, abortion, etc., you have to admit that she not only talks the talk, but that she walks the walk too. Would I have chosen Palin for V.P. given her experience, or lack thereof? Probably not. But it should be crystal clear that despite being so new to the national political scene she has FAR MORE experience than the man at the head of the Democratic ticket. She's been responsible for budgets, hiring, commanding the national guard, etc. She's far more than a pretty face. And every Jew should fear Obama far more than they do Palin. Take a look at the Facebook Parody on Obama. His friends should give us great pause. Here it is: www.barackbook.com Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Chatima Tova to all!
I don't fear Sarah Palin. I just think she's stupid. I also think that Jews who are running hysterical about Barack Obama are equally stupid. If you don't want to vote for Obama fine but don't vilify him. This kind of "Never Again In Your Face" mindset is getting rather old. For myself I will be voting for Chuck Baldwin for President probably as early as next week when early voting starts up in my home state of Illinois. As it stands, the McCain-Palin ticket is probably as dead in the water as Dewey-Warren was in 1948. Obama will most certainly be elected our next President and nothing will change. There won't be a Middle East peace settlement and our country will be too bankrupt to afford national health insurance.
I began as a liberal in college and as I've grown older I have gradually migrated towards the conservative side. As a Jewish conservative, I guess I'm a minority within a minority. Jews are a stiff necked people and I think it's tough to change hearts and minds and let go of long held allegiances that are no longer in our own best interests.
"So Palin speaks openly and confidently about her Christian beliefs, and she lives them, too." But she doesn't speak openly and confidently about her Christian beliefs. We don't know what she really thinks about exorcisisms, or possession by the devil, or the second coming of Jesus, or whether the earth was created a mere 6,000 years ago. We know that she takes an extreme position on abortion and birth control, but we don't know the theological basis for her position, if there is one. And I don't find anything especially Christian about Palin's actions. Where did Jesus tell his followers to live on government welfare (as all Alaskans do), despoil the environment for short term gain, and reject modern science? How are Palin's actions consistent with forgiving her enemies or giving her material possesions to the poor? How does she reconcile her role in public life with the role of women prescribed by St. Paul? We don't know. She's a self-styled barracuda with no evidence of a "well-formed worldview, informed by religious beliefs," or of any considered philosophical basis for her actions.
This is an issue of cultural conflict and not religion in the overwhelming rejection of Palin by many Jews. Alaska is not cosmopolitan, hence very unJewish, as could be imagined. Jews also place a major emphasis on post-graduate education. Palin barely graduated from at least 4 colleges combined. She has an "golly-gee-whiz" style that betrays a lack of intellectual acumen. She does appear to read newspapers. Face it, the New York Times (and hopefully the Forward too)easily rivals the Torah in Jewish readership. Obama on the otherhand meets Jewish standards. He went to Columbia and was president of the Harvard Law Review. It is not surprising there is already a facebook group called "Sarah Palin is Treyf"
Growing up in a Chasidic community, I recall often being told bluntly that a religious goy is to be trusted more than a non-religious goy because their religious devotion and uprightness will often lead them to treat you fairly and honestly, while a non-religious person does not have the same ethical guidelines to abide by and may look out more for personal gain and advantages. One can question the accuracy of this and explore the sources, but certainly for many in the orthodox community, Palin's reliousity is not a problem while the hate and anti-Semitism of Rev. Wright and Obama's many years with him and others like him is a problem, despite Obama's recent repudiation (under political pressure).
This article - a good one, by the way! - points up what is the real problem here. The truth of the matter is that what passes under the label of "Jewish core values" is in no way Jewish whatsoever! I subscribe to the New Jersey Jewish News and read it every week, but there is nothing Jewish about it other than the simple fact that it is marketed to a Jewish (ethnically, at least) audience. The weekly rants and railings of its editor are about as Jewish as the surname "Carroll," by which he goes. (You have to wonder about that posterity, huh?) In truth, Sarah Palin has more in common with the true spirit of Judaism than that embodied by most Jews today. Her values are much more in synch with Torah than most of ours. She puts us to shame. Chuck Schumer can joke with Jewish senior citizens in Florida that "moose meat is not too popular down here!" But Chuck would not have the slightest problem enjoying bacon back home at the ranch in Brooklyn! Where have Jewish values gone? It's about time we, as a people, began embracing them again! One other thing: Jewish people have no better friends in this world than evangelical Christians. It's about time we wisened up and recognized that fact. Ignore it at our own peril!
Palin causes unease among many Jews because she is the wrong kind of white person -- one with a strong traditional Northern European identity, though she would certainly not describe herself publicly as such, and may not even think of herself in this terms. To put it another way: she's not cosmopolitan or modernist. Klinghoffer touched upon this when he wrote that "we have fared less well under the rule of Christian 'true believers' than under Christians who are blasé or conflicted about their religion." Call it a tribal memory of conflict with culturally stalwart Gentiles. It was this same unease that caused a split in the American Jewish community in the late 1970’s over political solidarity with the Zionist Evangelical Christians who played such an important role in electing the aggressively pro-Israel Ronald Reagan. Politically, they may be more “manageable” than liberal Protestants, but their implicit cultural identification still causes many Jews to see them as wild cards, as the unpredictable “other.”
This is an issue of cultural conflict and not religion in the overwhelming rejection of Palin by many Jews. Alaska is not cosmopolitan, hence very unJewish, as could be imagined. Jews also place a major emphasis on post-graduate education. Palin barely graduated from at least 4 colleges combined. She has an "golly-gee-whiz" style that betrays a lack of intellectual acumen. She does appear to read newspapers. Face it, the New York Times (and hopefully the Forward too)easily rivals the Torah in Jewish readership. Obama on the otherhand meets Jewish standards. He went to Columbia and was president of the Harvard Law Review. It is not surprising there is already a facebook group called "Sarah Palin is Treyf"
We fear her because she makes W look like FDR. Not only does she represent reactionary politics, but she is also incompetent and unworthy to be V.P. Huckabee, who shares many of the same religious perspectives, is not considered to be as personally repellent. I think the comparison holds since his basic decency seems much more plausible.
The only thing we need to fear is Barak Hussein Obama, who will allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and then "support" Israel when Tel Aviv is incinerated. This convoluted article is gibberish. Any intelligent sane Jew does not "fear" Sarah Palin, and planting this piece of far-left propaganda is typical of the Forward. Its latest editorial argues for bifurcating Jerusalem! There is a strain of "liberal" Jews who seem to feel some guilt for Israel's having successfully survived repeated attempts at extermination, and feel no "fear" at the existential threat now posed by an Islamic fascist regime in Iran.
you fear Palin but not Obamas associatian with a rabid anti-Semite???Please.
Frank's comments are a bit repetitive having been posted three times. We can, in accordance with the Days of Awe forgive his stuttering insults regarding liberals and Barack. Us Liberals do not feel guilty. You see I served in the Israeli air force so I understand the security needs of my country. (Have you?) We Liberals have a backbone and moral compass... no longer bowing to the hysterical extreme right. Gird your loins my conservative friend for the work required to repair 8 years of Republican failure.
If you don't believe your "progressive" buds would dump your Jewish butts if all hell broke loose you need to think a little harder...ya know...use that Yiddish Kopp for something besides growing hair. Palin is the last thing you need to fear, try the Unitarians, Presbyterians, Methodist and other liberal churches that would rather see all the Jewish children of Israel dead just so the Muslims can have their West Bank and Gaza. What makes left wing Jews so gullible? Stop reading about dead Greeks and their ideas and more about those who have gone before that were JEWS! Or more to the point...grow some brass ones!
This is a very bias article. We should be afraid of Oboma. I am insulted that you suggest we will not vote for him because He is black. He has a long radical history and the main media is protecting him. He is hiding so must of his past. He blocks all reports about his years in collage. Absolutely nothing is available that he has written except his two books. David Brickner of Jews for Jesus spoke at Palin’s church but she did not sit in his church for 20 years. Jews who do their job of teaching and being an example of observant Judaism will not be afraid of Jews for Jesus Jews have a history of liberals we belong naturally in the Democratic fold however the democrats have been moving farther and farther to the left. It is no longer the party we once knew. The day Palin was announced the radial left jumped on her with only one intention and that was to destroy her. More investigation was given to her daughter than has been given to Oboma.
We Jews are so concerned about Palin's Christian religion and her effect on us. Most of us spend little time concerned about our own religion. I just saw a chart: starting today with 100 Jews, our 4th generation will be-(Unaffiliated-5)-(Reform-13) ( Conservative-24) (Modern Orthodox- 346) ( Orthodox-2588) From all reports I read the Orthodox have a higher conservative voting record. Today the Orthodox are much smaller in numbers. Unless we change they will be the only ones left.
mr klinghoffer is merely offering a skimpy rationalization for his a priori republicanism. there can be more than one explanation for the "religious landscape survey" that he cites, for example. the 4% of jews who reported that their religion informs their politics, is actually much higher (i.e. double) than the percentage of jews in the american population, and therefore much higher than the likelihood of a political candidate being "of the tribe". but imagine what the percentage would be if they were asked whether they would change their vote if a candidate expressed openly anti-semitic views? a far more important question that mr klinghoffer could have asked is: "why are jews faced with a moral dilemma, between choosing the democrats who are seen as socially just, but not so good for israel, and the republicans who are seen as defenders of the privileged and better for israel?" but that might not argue so well for republicanism...
It is interesting that so many Jews would be offended by Palin's stance on abortion, since her view is so close to the traditional view of abortion. (See Daniel Eisenberger's article on Judaism and abortion.)
Abortion has become the pre-eminent Jewish issue, and has somehow become a "core" Jewish value, despite being anathema to traditional Jewish teachings. When Jews face a choice between Israel and abortion, they overwhelmingly choose abortion. An example occurred last week when Palin was dis-invited by Jewish groups from speaking at an anti-Iran nuke rally. By so doing, Jews demonstrated that they would rather take their chances on the nuclear annihilation of Israel than allow an anti-abortion woman speak out in defense of Israel. Without the Evangelical Christians, American support for Israel would probably resemble Europe's, but Jews somehow don't get that.
Core "Jewish" values, specifically abortion rights, may be good for liberal Jews, but they are clearly against the Torah. You have it precisely, there is a cultural divide, its between the God of Abraham and the Jewish left and it has existed since the Exodus. Read it for yourselves.
A funny thing happened on the way to the 2008 presidential elections: The Republicans became everything they have long accused the Democrats. Weak, shrill, whiners, interventionists and big spenders of the taxpayers' dollar. They scream the loudest this time around since they know the jig is up (but don't "worry" they will have plenty of opportunities in our life time to screw things up again). I find it absurd that some of the Republican Jewish respondents here also claim to have a monopoly on Jewish values and in essence the meaning of Torah. Since when did Jews allow Rupert Murdoch to attempt a buyout of our heritage. No one here has ownership of Judaism's essence. There is no Jewish Pope. Neither conservative or liberal. Neither Hasid, Reform or Secularist. We all go our own path. One thing does remain, something that has been frustrating to folks like neo-cons like Norman Podhoretz, Jews in America remain largely committed to social justice and the Democratic party.
Sarah Palin has an Israeli flag in her office, wears a lapel pin with an Israeli flag, and has a Jewish grandfather from Lithuania. What are the real reasons for smearing Sarah Palin?
(continued) Sarah Palin has been a member of Wasilla Bible Church since 2002. Prior to that, and for most of her life she attended Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church in which members practiced faith healing as opposed to traditional medicine, and often members of the congregation would "speak in tongues". Both churches believe in the "end times", and see the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a possible beginning for the prophecy described in the New Testament's Book of Revelation, where the Jews rebuild the temple, Jesus's second coming occurs, and the remaining Jews either convert to Christianity, or face G-d's judgement as David Brickner was describing in his sermon. McCain may have a tried and true track record on being pro-Israel, but let's face the facts: John McCain is a 72 year old melanoma survivor. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer accounting for 75% of all fatal cases of skin cancer, it also has a high rate of re-occurrence. None of us live forever, and if anything happens to our friend John McCain, Sarah Palin would then be President of the United States of America. You need to be 100% comfortable with that reality if you choose to vote the McCain-Palin ticket.
Zelda, halevei you're right (I'm very familiar with the chart you refer to) about the demise of the Jews with the exception of the Orthodox. It's like when we left Mitzrayim, 600,000 Jews left, the rest remained in Egypt. And that's the Conservative and Reform today. When Moshiach comes, they won't want to give up their comfy suburban homes replete with intermarried children and goyish grandchildren. And they'll vote for whoever that self-hating Jew Soros tells them to. Get over it, left-leaning Jews. This is not the Democratic party of JFK! He'd be considered a conservative by today's standards. And if you want Tikum Olam, there are a million charities that can use not only your money, but your time. But remember, we have only one homeland, given to us by G-d, and that is Israel. Obama doesn't get it or care. He has the endorsement of Hamas, Syria is hoping he wins, etc. If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what would. And if you want abortions more then a world safe from Islamo-Fascism, you're really mixed up.
Paul, Pastor Hagee (McCain's bud) probably wears Israeli flag pajamas. He is of no friend of mine. Casper Weinberger had Jewish family roots. He was not a friend of Israel or his "people" One can name a number of famous people with Jews in the immediate family tree. It doesn't necessarily go very far.
I always wonder why the Jewish community would be so opposed to evangelical believers. Evangilicals usually feel very connected to Jews and feel like God considers Jews His people in a very special way. In a true believer, Jews are loved. About Palin...she is smart cookie. She has been running the largest state in our nation while the other candidates have been preparing to deal with the press, campaign issues and finding ways to put down the other candidates. She had only a few days to became "campaign smart" which is very different from "brain smart." And, she had enough "brain smart" to survive the campaign shenigans to occur in our elections...at least, so far. I would think that without a doubt McCain/Palin would be the ticket that all Jewish people would support.
Sarah Palin has an Israeli flag in her office, wears a lapel pin with an Israeli flag, and has a Jewish grandfather from Lithuania. What are the real reasons for smearing Sarah Palin?
This is well written and makes strong arguments. I for one am an Orthodox woman (M.O.) and have never ever understood why this abortion issue could have taken such a toll on our people. Torah is explicit on the subject. Mother's life in danger=abortion. Period. Yet, we stand so divided on this. How can that be? After all whatever happened to "L'chai"? and even to eat an unkosher animal if it means savig a life--life first and all that? I don't understand. While I do agree that the entire nation seems to suffer under doggedly right wing evangelicals, this specific issue being a hotplate is beyond me. I have never been able to understand. By the way, a Jewish woman became angry with me yesterday when she overheard me saying I wouldn't back Obama. I let her rant and rave and when she was done, I simply said that i felt it was absolutely unconscionable that any Jew would willing vote for a man who has been OPENLY ENDORSED BY HAMAS, a known terrorist organizaiton. What else does one need to know? I'll take my chances with the evangelicals. Frankly-- it is not much to pick from...it is like we are all in an airplane that is about to crash, and we are all arguing about who gets to sit in the pilot's seat. --Hadassah
Oh, and by the way-- I think it is so funny that all my "feminist" friends who were so adamant about voting for Hillary, just because they wanted a "woman" in office have all decided to hide now that Palin has come along. I don't think the Jews in Alaska have suffered under her. So much for feminism.
Danger Danger. Sarah's gonna convert you. Danger Danger. Jews are easily fooled into converting. Danger Danger. Mayor Sarah cut Wasilla property taxes by 75%. Danger Danger. Gov Sarah doubled Alaska yearly revenues to $10 billion. Danger Danger. So far this year, there have been more murders in Chicago, the community that Obama organized, than there have been American soldier combat deaths in Iraq. SARAH PALIN IS MORE QUALIFIED TO BE PRESIDENT THAN OBAMA IS TO BE A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. Why can't Jews understand this? Must be stupid. No wonder it took God forty years to prepare the Tribe in the Sinai before they could enter the Promised Land.
Obama will lose. Hispanics and Blue-collar whites will go for McCain big-time. Obama will get the black vote for obvious reasons and the votes of those two notably naive and delusional segments of the white population, the College-age vote and the guilt-hounded white vote with its always sizable segment, the neurotic jewish Liberal-left. Not enough to beat McCain.....and you read it here, folks.
Jews run away from religion. They want to be called Jews because it somehow implies being smarter than the others. For this kind of confused attitude read NYTIMES magazine interview with Bronfman.
The comments on this article are shocking. Palin's "ignorance of world events?" Did you leftist nut-jobs actually watch the debate with Biden? Biden knows a whole lot about "world events," but most of what he knows isn't even true (i.e., how we "kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon"). One of Obama's former advisors actually talked about sending troops into the Middle East to enforce a peace agreement on an unwilling Israel-- and yet you claim that Palin is "anti-Israel" (without a shred of evidence)! All of your babble and cant about how Palin doesn't measure up to your high intellectual standards makes me ill (you don't seem that clever to me). The bottom line here is that you are leftist Democrats, your leftism is the only measure of your scruples, and your attachment to Judaism goes no farther than the use of Jewish-sounding phrases to demonize conservatives. If Obama wore a freakin' keffiya and a Palestinian flag on his lapel pin, you people would still claim that your Judaism demanded that you support him. Why don't you try thinking for yourselves for a change?
Mayor Sarah - from a lifetime neighbor of hers in Wasilla: "During her mayoral administration, most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings, which had given rise to a recall campaign. Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative." During her six years as mayor, she increased general government expenditures by more than 33 percent. During those same six years, the amount of taxes collected by the city increased by 38 percent. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax, which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents. The huge increases in tax revenue during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list, though — borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt but left it with indebtedness of more than $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? Or a new library? No. $1 million for a park. $15 million-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex, which she rushed through, on a piece of property that the city didn't even have clear title to. That was still in litigation seven years later — to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5 million for road projects that could have been done in five to seven years without any borrowing. While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once. These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city. As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as governor Sarah proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state. In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenue: Spend today's surplus, borrow for needs." Danger! Danger! Evidence trumps false equivalence straw man arguments
what about obamas favorite pastor jeremiah wrights antisemitic rants. he's been going to his church for 20 years and claims he never heard them
This is ridiculous, awful. Palin's religios beliefs may be secondarily what the writer respects but her core values are both anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. You ignore that our own risk. Then again, I'm sure there were Jews that believed the Nazis' pro-religion positions were proof of some sort of good morality that hid that already known fact that they were totalitarian thugs (to say the least). An embarrassing defense of someone, and a coterie, that are no good for the Jews, Israel, America or the world.
If I had a dollar from everyone who sent me "why Jews should fear Palin" emails, I'd have a cozy retirement awaiting me. There's one aspect that is 100% true of everyone who sent me these emails, they were all not just Democrats, but Jews who know zero about Judaism. Isn't it funny how Orthodox Jews, on the otherhand, respect the fact that Christians support Israel like no other group (especially since anti-Zionism is the new in thing among college age liberal/non-religious Jews, nebich), and don't feel threatened by them at all? What's wrong with this picture? If those Palin hating Jews had any brains at all, they'd realize they're in the wrong corner.
I am disgusted by Sarah Palin, and her obvious ignorance about the Holocaust, established associations with known anti-Semites, and her willingness exploit sensitivities among Jews and non-Jews to push an agenda of aggression against Iran. I was offended during the VP debate, when she invoked the quote 'NEVER AGAIN' in referring to financial institutions, bankers, and lenders in the U.S. - How dare she hijack the most famous quote related to the Holocaust, these two solemn and revered words that refer to unspeakable atrocities - words that Sarah commandeered and bantered about simply to score political points and to provoke the emotions of American citizens over a problem her running mate was apart of. How dare she even utter those words when she is on tape being hand-blessed against witch-craft by a preacher who in the same breath demands the removal of Israelites from US financial and political system calling Jews crooks and liars - Sarah admittedly participated in this disgrace, and yet she has the nerve to actively seek the Jewish vote. Her "2nd Holocaust" rhetoric is sophomoric. Someone needs to explain to her that Israel is not a luxury concentration camp where the Jews of the world are kept safe by the U.S. If Iran launches a nuclear strike against Israel it is NOT a 2nd holocaust, any strike on Israel, nuclear or otherwise is an act of WAR. Israel is a sovereign nation (20% of its population made up of Arabs - who are equally at risk). Israel is perfectly capable of defending itself against Iran, and when sufficiently threatened will not hesitate take out said nuclear threats - as they did in Syria and Iraq. Sarah Palin is too ignorant for me to believe there is malice behind her antisemitism. What I do believe is that she lacks even the slightest bit of awareness and integrity that might otherwise safeguard against such inappropriate and dangerous rhetoric. This insensitivity and callousness combined with an overwhelming ignorance makes her unfit to aspire to a higher office.
It's not Palin's religion that bothers Jews (and others who are ambivalent about voting for Obama). It's her ignorance of world events and her inability to talk coherently and substantively about American political and societal matters. One of three elected American presidents have been replaced by their vice-president while in office. In my lifetime at least, Palin is the least prepared, least-qualified, and least capable vice-presidential candidate to be part of a major party ticket - and it's incredibly scary (as well as surreal) we Americans have to contemplate the possibility she might be our president.
And Obama is the 'the least prepared, least-qualified, and least capable presidential candidate to be part of a major party ticket - and it's incredibly scary (as well as surreal) we Americans have to contemplate the possibility he might be our president.' And of course his known associations with home-grown terrorists(Bill Ayers), Radical islamists(Mazen Asbahi) and anti-semitic Jew-haters(Rev. Wright and Louis Farrakhan should disqualify him from even being considered a as a candidate for president....except for the Far Left which controls the Democratic party and the many, many useful idiots, of whom there is never a lack of Jewish representation, who think this Affirmative-action nominee is the best thing to have happened in America since sliced bread.
I'm an Orthodox Jew (an Orthodox Rabbi, actually) and I fear Sara Palin not because she is G-d-fearing, but because her version of godliness is abhorrent to me. Aside from her arrogance and her ignorance, there is the nastiness and the vindictiveness. And, to be proud of being a "pit bull" (with lipstick)? Sorry, but I think I could do without those kind of family values, which are the opposite of what I understand Godliness to be. (That is not to say that I am not EXTREMELY uncomfortable with Obama as well, but to align Sarah Palin with the Jewish concept of what Godliness and Godly values is about, is an aberration.)
Klinghoffer is off the mark: the reason that we fear Sara Palin has nothing to do with her beliefs nor her experience (or lack of it) but rather what looks like a personality that knows no limits, that questions nothing and has the zeal of a monomaniac.
Jews, and non-Jews, fear Sarah Palin for secular reasons more than those involving religious issues, although without question, as a conservative Jew and politically moderate American I find her beliefs appalling. Our problem with Palin is simply that she is totally unqualified to serve as President or Vice President of the United States, and I think that fact is a "no-brainer" for most fair-minded and intelligent Americans. For John McCain, a 72-year-old cancer survivor to put the United States and the world, at such risk, is a disgrace, and his "Country First" mantra reeks of hypocrisy. God help us, regardless of religion, if Sarah Palin takes up residency in DC on January 20th.
Take a look at Mrs. Palin's associations with the Alaska Independence Party. Such groups frankly are extremist and nativist...and anti-Semitic. It ought to provoke concern.
I don't understand why abortion is the huge platform for liberal feminists. I for one know that if one is educated and takes the 72 hour pill you can avoid this. There is birth control out there. Roe vs. Wade will not be overturned. I am not a conservative but I have issues when it comes to women not supporting other women no matter their liberal bias.
As a conservative Jew, I am more afraid of the relativist, social welfarist, atheist culture that masquerades as American Jewish culture than of Palin. (It always amazes me that cultural relativists uniformly represent only one side of the political spectrum, as if that can be maintained consistently with their universal claims of right and social welfare). Palin speaks to the religious roots of this country; a heritage you liberal Jews crusade to rewrite and erase (see., e.g., the major Establishment Clause cases of the last 20 years). The "liberal" values/prejudices held by the preponderance of my fellow Hebrews are the product of Eastern European socialism carried over into the New World, and not any self-critical enlightenment. Jews have been staunch Democrats because they have consistently opposed and undermined the foundational norms of the country that has given them the most freedom and opportunity ever; even under original Israelite self-governance millenia ago. What they fail to realize is that undermining the Protestant Christian hegemony will result in their own curtailment of freedom and security as the bases for free expression, anti-establishment, etc., become rewritten as laissez-faire relativism. One can judge from the last generation alone the effects of the degradation of traditional morality on both the family and society at large. We are in trouble, and you are the cause. Shana Tova.
Sarah Palin is receptive to anti-semitic viewpoints. The following is an exact quote taken from a sermon Sarah Palin had attended only two months ago at Wasilla Bible Church. The quote is taken directly from a transcription on the church's own website. The topic of the sermon was G-d passing judgement on those who do not accept Jesus. 8-17-08 David Brickner Matt 23:37-39 The Jerusalem Dilemma "Judgement is very real and we see it played out on the pages of the newspapers and on the television. It's very real. ...when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgement - you can't miss it." http://wasillabible.org/sermons.htm David Brickner is a repeat guest speaker at Wassilla Bible Church, and even after the anti-semitic remarks were made, Palin's own pastor Larry Kroon has told several news outlets he would be welcome back. Palin herself has also been a guest speaker at the church and has been quoted as saying "... that plan is G-d's plan" in referance to the Iraq war, and "G-d's will has to be done" in referance to a 30 billion dollar oil pipeline. The issue not with being pro-war, or pro-pipeline, but the belief that her duty as an elected public official is carrying out G-d's plan. Larry Kroon actually agreed to sit down for an interview with anti-semitic, anti-Israel extremist Nathanael Kapner on 9/02/08. Nathanael Kapner's website is realjewnews, a pro-christian, anti-semitic website designed to spread extreme slander against the Jewish people. I will provide the direct link after the quote, but I do warn that there is some extreme and violently offensive, pro-holocaust editorials on this site. After the controversial sermon became a news topic, the McCain campaign released several press statements stating that Sarah Palin is very pro-Israel. Anti-Israel extremist Kapner wanted assurance this was not true from Palin's pastor Kroon, and here is what was said, taken directly from the interview: Nathanael Kapner: “Before I called you I spoke with the secretary of Jeneau Christian Center located in Alaska’s capital. She told me that there was a Christians United For Israel Conference in 2007 at the Church. She said that Governor Palin gave a speech that was very “Pro Israel.” Does then Sarah Palin take a “Pro Israel” stand?” Pastor Larry Kroon: “I have never heard Governor Palin make a statement on the subject. As for me, I am a ‘local pastor.’ I emphasize to the flock that the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are to be lived out in our day to day lives. And all people, including the Jews, are called to live their lives according to Christ’s teachings.” Kapner then went on to make an editorial remark about the tone of the interview stating " I particularly noted that Pastor Larry Kroon was extremely hesitant to express any support for the current Zionist State." http://www.realjewnews.com/?p=264 (
(continued) Sarah Palin has been a member of Wasilla Bible Church since 2002. Prior to that, and for most of her life she attended Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church in which members practiced faith healing as opposed to traditional medicine, and often members of the congregation would "speak in tongues". Both churches believe in the "end times", and see the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a possible beginning for the prophecy described in the New Testament's Book of Revelation, where the Jews rebuild the temple, Jesus's second coming occurs, and the remaining Jews either convert to Christianity, or face G-d's judgement as David Brickner was describing in his sermon. McCain may have a tried and true track record on being pro-Israel, but let's face the facts: John McCain is a 72 year old melanoma survivor. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer accounting for 75% of all fatal cases of skin cancer, it also has a high rate of re-occurrence. None of us live forever, and if anything happens to our friend John McCain, Sarah Palin would then be President of the United States of America. You need to be 100% comfortable with that reality if you choose to vote the McCain-Palin ticket.
Great, and Obama was a member of a racist church for 20 years....
With all due respect Dave the C, many of my colleagues at the Inner City Chicago hospital that employs me also attend Rev Wright's church. This is no way disqualifies or besmirches them. Many is the time I've told the Rav of my Orthodox Bait Knesset to stop using hateful comments like "the goyim." All the way with Baldwin-Castle '08, Americans you can count on!
Everyone should fear Sarah Palin because she is an uninformed, anti-intellectual person. Her inability to answer Katie Couric when asked which newspapers or magazines she reads spoke volumes about her lack of curiosity or simple need to know. As a Christian, I cannot fathom why any Jewish person would think that a far right Evangelical is their friend or ally. They have one goal -- bringing about the End Time as soon as possible. Part of making that occur is getting the world's Jewsish population to return to Israel, when the End arrives, the Jewish people will be invited to convert to Christianity, when you refuse, you will be destroyed and condemned to Hell. I will be there with you because in the world of Sarah Palin, I am not "the right kind" of Christian -- her kind of Christian. Think about this. She professes to be a Christian, yet she will stand before a crowd at a political rally and and use character assassination against Obama in order to incite the mob-like behavior in which people shout "off with his head" and "kill him." Any real Christian would be appalled to hear those words "kill him" since that was the cry that rang out when Christ was crucified. Yes, her brand of "Christianity" frightens me and it should frighten anyone who values intelligence, rational behavior and thought, and the separation of church and state.
Sarah Palin is Jewish. Her maternal grandfather, Schmuel Sheigam, was a Lithuanian Jew, born in 1912 in Vilkaviskis, Lithuania, 91.2 miles west of Vilnius. The Sheigam family immigrated to America, via Hamburg, Germany in 1915 because of WWI. The grandmother was a Jewess named Gower. The Names Are Altered At Ellis Island Immigration Centre, the name was entered as Sheeran, a standard practice of the time when immigration officers were unable to understand the pronunciation of non-English speaking immigrants. Sheeran is a common Irish name but members of the Sheigam family are buried in the Jewish cemetery at Budezeriai near Vilkaviskis:in Lithuania Documentation Further information on Governor Palin’s ancestors can easily be found in the vital records in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives in Vilnius. The Archives holds birth, marriage, divorce, and death records for the Lithuanian Jewish community from 1851 until 1915 when the Jews were required to leave the country because of World War I. They are in 18th Century Cyrillic script and Yiddish Many of these records include the mother’s maiden name and town of registration. Sally, Sarah's mom was raised Jewish. Her dad, Chuck also had a Jewish mother. So both Sarah's maternal grandparents were Jewish as was her paternal grandmother. Chuck became an evangelical Christian and that is how Sarah was raised...but her background is mostly Jewish!
I find it interesting that a compliant about Sarah Palin is that she actually lives what she believes. On the other hand the positive I read about Hussian Obama was that he stresses his spiritual experiences but actually does not live them. In other words, Obama talks the talks but does not walk the walk. My interpetation is that he is not a man of his word. The other complaint about Palin was her view of Abortion. By the way her view of abortion would be VERY consistant whith the Torah and all of the Christian Bible. So you prefer the so called man who is contrary to is word and the Word of God over those who are true to both. Am I the only one who sees the irony here. By the way there are no bette friends to Israel then Evangelical Christians.
maybe moosemeat can be used in some fusion Jewish-Cuban dish that could sell in SE Fla, and tina fey, sara palin and david klinghoffer can sit down over it
1, Tim: as a Jewish Zionist, I would go farther than you and claim that in fact American Christians Evangelicals are better Zionists than American Jews. 2, Palin isn't a Jew, the Sheigan-Sheerhan thing is an internet myth. (And you will say, but look at Ellis Island records! Did you? Did you really? That side of her family traces back five generations to Wisconsin and elsewhere in the USA) 3, Obama dropped his racist church of 20 years because he has no principles. He's neither Christian nor Muslim (nor from his Illinois voting record, is he for the liberals), but he is for himself and his self-aggrandizement. If Palin is not qualified for VP, a fortiori Obama is not qualified for President. 4, Palin's values are traditional American values. Klinghoffer's are those of a the vanguard Left. His values are NOT Jewish.
I think Palin could be the greatest thing that happened to American Jews...and maybe we should be a little more "traditional" in our faith like she does. Maybe it's because she's doing what many Jews are not is what strikes the chord.
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