Jews aren't as Democratic as you are led to believe.....

As the founder of the Memphis Jewish Republican Coalition – and as a Reform Jew – I would like to respond to the (JTA) Hebrew Watchman article entitled “80 per cent of Reform rabbis are Democrats; That’s Higher than any other clergy” written by Ben Sales. This article quoted the results of a Yale study that covered the spectrum of religions, polling over 130,000 clergy – including only 2,700 rabbis and no Jewish congregants. While the statistics of the political views of Jewish rabbis may very well be accurate, the assumptions and conclusions regarding where the various congregations are on the political spectrum is intentionally flawed and misleading. The study attempted to define the political disposition of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox congregations without any input from the congregants themselves. It’s not like the technology isn’t out there to poll the congregants. They don’t poll the congregants because they know the results, if taken honestly, will not fit the narrative that Jews are 70% Democratic, 30% Republican. It’s far more complex than it may seem.

If an honest poll we taken across the spectrum of Jewish congregants, you would find that a large majority are socially liberal and conservative on financial and foreign policy - and neither political party fits in this mold.  As for Mark Pelavin, who heads up political policy and outreach for the URJ in Washington D.C., he would like to continue too suppress this reality, but Jewish voting trends don’t lie. Bush and Obama got 24 and 22% of the Jewish vote. Romney got 30%, and Trump got 25% (but many think it was really in the 37% range) according to various polls.  The trend among Jewish voters – across all congregations – is towards political conservatism.

With that said, the article was right about one thing: The majority of Rabbis ARE Democrats and they do “push their political beliefs” on a congregations where 25-35% (and growing) don’t agree with them - and are offended that their house of worship has become another MSNBC or CNN, with all it’s political biases. The clergy “over-reach” into pulpit politics is alienating and disrespectful to a growing minority of their congregants. It is mildly irritating when there is overt outreach to Syrian refugees when there is no attempt to reach out to the Jewish conservatives in the congregation.

It isn’t easy being a political minority at my local synagogue, Temple Israel in Memphis. It isn't easy at ANY typical reform synagogue. Conservative voices are ignored, and political discussions and panels are one-sided. “The tyranny of the majority” (Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville) that the founders of America articulated are playing out in our synagogues. But there is hope. Jewish voting trend lines are expected to continue to lean even more Republican as the Democratic Party moves further to the left. I don’t go to synagogue for political indoctrination. I don’t go to Friday night services looking for serenity and instead get a lecture on gun control. What could be more alienating?

The whole purpose of the Memphis Jewish Republican Coalition is give voice to those Jews who feel alienated and alone in their synagogues. Over 350 individuals have joined and identified as Jewish Conservatives. There are thousands more in Memphis who sympathize but are intimidated to identify as Republican. It’s interesting that those Jews who identify with the MJRC are decidedly more liberal on social issues like abortion and gay rights among other social issues, but are less likely to advocate for open borders, weak international relations and bad financial policy. Even then, we don’t always agree and we respect differences of opinion. I wish that were true of our synagogues.