Describe the political beliefs and activity of Jewish Americans

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

American Jews play a prominent role in politics as both voters and elected officials. Jews as a group are not typical in that they are more likely than the general population to label themselves Democrat. Jewish voters have always backed the Democrat over the Republican presidential candidate for the last ten elections, with Barack Obama receiving 78 percent of the vote, compared to only 21 percent for the Republican candidate John McCain. The one exception to this pattern of liberalism is gender issues related to the practice of Judaism, particularly among ultraorthodox Jews. Other Jewish religious traditions tend to be very open to egalitarian participation in most aspects of religious ritual, especially when compared to many Christian faiths.

Jews have long been successful in being elected to office, but it was not until 1988 that an Orthodox Jew from Connecticut was elected to the U.S. Senate. Joseph Lieberman refrained from campaigning on the Sabbath (Shabbat) each week; his religious views were not an issue. He went on to be named as the vice presidential running mate of Al Gore. Even during the campaign, he honored the Sabbath and did not actively campaign, even avoiding dialing a telephone to potential supporters. Many view the positive response to his campaign as a sign of openness to devout Jews as political candidates.

As in all subordinate groups, the political activity of Jewish Americans has not been limited to conventional electoral politics. The Jewish community has encompassed a variety of organizations since its beginnings. These groups serve many purposes: some are religious, and others are charitable, political, or educational. No organization, secular or religious, represents all American Jews, but there are more than 300 nationwide organizations.