Why are Jews Liberal?Why are Jews Liberal?
Response to comment [from other]: "That is a pretty broad generalization. I know some conservative Jews."
It is an accurate generalization and a good question. Dennis Prager, a Jew, has written on this:
"The most frequently asked question I receive from non-Jews about Jews is, why are Jews so liberal? The question is entirely legitimate since Jews (outside of Israel) are indeed overwhelmingly liberal and disproportionately left of liberal as well...
1. Judaism is indeed preoccupied with social justice (as well as with holiness and personal morality), and many Jews believe that the only way to achieve a just society is through leftist policies...
2. More than any other major religion, Judaism has always been preoccupied with this world. The (secular) Encyclopedia Judaica begins its entry on "Afterlife" by noting that "Judaism has always affirmed belief in an afterlife." But the preoccupation of Judaism has been making this world a better place. That is why the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) is largely silent about the afterlife...
3. Most Jews are frightened by anything that connotes right wing — such as the words "right-wing" and "conservative." Especially since the Holocaust, they think that threats to their security emanate from the Right only. (It is pointless to argue that Nazism stood for National Socialism and therefore was really a leftist ideology...
4. Liberal Jews fear most religion. They identify religion — especially fundamentalist religion and especially Christianity — with anti-Semitism...
5. Despite their secularism, Jews may be the most religious ethnic group in the world. The problem is that their religion is rarely Judaism; rather it is every "ism" of the Left...
6. Liberal Jews fear nationalism. The birth of nationalism in Europe planted the secular seeds of the Holocaust (religious seeds had been planted by some early and medieval Church teachings and reinforced by Martin Luther)..." Full text: Why are so many Jews liberal?
Response to comment [from a Catholic]: "[D]o you see any link between the 'strong Jewish mother' and feminism?"
Another good question. It's odd.
Response to comment [from a Christian]: "When did you become the man of a thousand questions?"
Aren't you supposed to babysit your own thread?
Response to comment [from a Christian]: "David Horowitz in his book Radical Son gives a good reason: Jewish thinking has a humanistic world view, also associations with labor (worker movements), which facilitated their acceptance of Marxist ideology - also humanistic, worker centered..."
Most Jews are secular. Makes sense:
"To understand Jews, one must understand that most Jews
are not religious.
This is true even if our definition of "religious" is minimal, i.e., observant
of any specifically Jewish religious laws, attends synagogue once a month or
even declares a belief in God.
According to a 2003 Harris Poll, "Only 16 percent of Jews go to synagogue once a
month or more often"; and regarding belief in God: "Protestants (90 percent) are
more likely than Roman Catholics (79 percent) and much more likely than Jews (48
percent) to believe in God. Religious affiliation here includes many people
raised as members of a religion or religious group, regardless of what they
practice or believe now."
Why most contemporary Jews are irreligious, given that the Jews gave the world
the Bible and introduced humanity to the God of monotheism, is a fascinating
subject. It is also a vital subject given the role that secular Jews -- such as
Marx, Freud, and Einstein -- have played in forming the modern world..." Full text:
Explaining Jews, Part II: Why Are Most Jews Secular? By Dennis Prager