Republican Courtship of the Jews

· Friday, July 15, 2011

"The Merchant of Venice" is back and plays for relevance, just in time for 2012. The Shakespeare drama is staged in the nation's capital, set in a troubled America struggling with cultural extravagance in New York City before the Great Depression. Al Pacino stars in a movie version, inviting reflection on the ambiguities of prejudice and greed, as familiar in 21st century Washington as 16th century Venice. There's enough corruption depicted in the play to indict an entire wasteful society. The famous "pound of flesh" is but a metaphor for all kinds of excesses of thinking and action. Anti-Semitism is only a part of it.

Scholars, in fact, now exonerate Shakespeare from sharing the Jew-hatred of his characters, since it's unlikely that the playwright ever met a Jew. Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and didn't return until 1656, when Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan, showed them tolerance. Cromwell was assisted by Rabbi Menasseh ben Israel of Amsterdam, who acted as a Jewish ambassador to the Gentiles.

Jewish history, like everybody else's history, repeats itself. A friend who attended a joint commemoration of Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday and the 17th anniversary of the death of Lubavich Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson tells how these two men, a Christian and a Jew, worked together to free Soviet Jews in ways that were mostly kept secret.

In a program sponsored by Chabad Lubavitch centers in Philadelphia, titled "The Rebbe, Ronald Reagan and the Russian Exodus," speakers from the Reagan administration recalled how the rabbi and the president, through "quiet diplomacy," helped Soviet Jews gain their freedom.

Gary Bauer, an evangelical Christian who served as undersecretary of education and was a domestic adviser to Ronald Reagan, and Max Kampelman, a Jew who served as his chief arms negotiator, recalled the partnership of the Rebbe and Reagan and their long private correspondence. The president obtained lists of Jews who wanted to emigrate, and he personally saw that they were handed to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev agreed to ease travel restrictions for the Jews as long as his specific efforts on their behalf were not made public.

"There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go," Reagan was fond of saying, "if he doesn't mind who gets credit." Bauer believes the president's personal relationship with the rabbi helped him to alleviate the plight of the Soviet Jews at a time when he was under pressure in the White House to drop the issue. I recall meeting a group of "refuseniks" in St. Petersburg in the 1980s who were excited by Reagan's efforts. We huddled in a cold basement where they read the Torah and studied Hebrew, praying they could leave Russia for Israel.

For Reagan, suppression of Jews was further evidence that the Soviet empire was indeed "evil." He was a steadfast supporter of Israel. Jews gave him almost 40 percent of their vote in 1980, but only 35 percent four years later. He remained more popular with the Jews than his Republican successors.

Now there may be cracks in the Jewish support for President Obama, whose concern for Israel can only be described as "not so much." An article in Politico, the Capitol Hill political daily, widely circulated among Jews, includes several interviews with Jewish Democrats who have lost faith with the man they supported so overwhelmingly in 2008. This could take a toll in campaign contributions.

They're disappointed by Obama positions on both domestic and foreign concerns, but mostly by his attitude toward Israel. Most recently it was the evocation of the 1967 borders as a starting point for peace talks with the Palestinians, negotiation of "land swaps" that would clearly undercut Israel's bargaining strength. Before that, it was his on-again, off-again position on an undivided Jerusalem and his ambivalent reception of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"There's an inclination in the community to not trust this president's 'gut feel' on Israel," says the president of a national Jewish organization.

A new poll for Secure America Now, a nonpartisan organization, conducted by Pat Caddell, a Democrat, and John McLaughlin, a Republican, finds that only two in five Jewish voters say they will vote to re-elect President Obama. Ed Koch, the former Democratic mayor of New York City, urged Jews to vote for the Republican in the race to succeed Anthony Weiner as a protest against Obama's positions on Israel.

The Jewish vote is small, but it could make a difference in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. None of this is lost on Mitt Romney, who is aggressively courting Jews, emphasizing his support of Israel, his experience in private business and his shared understanding of belonging to a minority religion.

Most important, he told an audience of Yeshiva students in his last campaign, they should appreciate his "chutzpah," his brassy self-confidence in the face of long odds.

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Comments

Abu Nudnik

Color me skeptical about the 2 in 5 figure. Not that it wouldn't please me to see it. Jews are obsessed with "social justice" and guilt. And what concept is more malleable than "social justice?" To escape victimhood they (I am a conservative Jew) identify with victims and seek to be harmless ("Don't kill me! I'm a good Jew!)...

It's odd though. Jews throughout history have shown a genius for understanding structures, especially legal structures. You'd think more Jews would be conservative, appreciating the Constitution for the brilliant document it is. That document hangs in Bar Ilan University near Tel-Aviv in a place of honor.

It's not the votes though, there being few Jewish votes anyway. It's the power to communicate. Krauthammer, Johan Goldberg, Mark Steyn and others... It's heartening to see David Mamet coming around. I'm glad "Capitalism and Freedom" (written by a Jew) turned him as it turned me... all my ancestors were good Trotskyites.

Posted July 15, 2011 at 1:33:56 PM


PDK

It is so clear to me, it seems as though it should be clear to everyone else, that Barac Obama is one, not a Christian, two is a closet Islamic, and three dislikes or hates the Jew.

Obamas fiegned Christianity, as measured by his 20 year tenure at Jerimiah Wrights Church, alone stands as proof. JW preached hate and unforgiveness, the Lord of Christianity, Jesus the Nazarene, sermoniced love and forgiveness. Wherefor the Christianity?

Obamas step daddy Soetorro, initiated the child Barac into Islam for the four tender years of 6 through 10. Barac the President actualizes policy that favors Islam, bows to Islamic leaders, and courts Islamic appreciation.

Barac the President, rudely with malice aforethought, turns his backside to the Jewish leader of Isreal, Netenyahu. Further, he displays contempt for the people of Isreal, and Isreal herself, with his suggestion of pre 67 war borders.

Jews themselves, it seems to me, have a special problem besetting them, the head hunting policies of a much larger in numbers of people, and lower in quality of personality groups, such as, and in particular, Islam. Further, but to a much less extent, some Christians, the psuedo Christians, who do the devils work not the Lord Jesus the Nazerenes work.

This special problem the Jews then face, makes more difficut than should be, the maturation process of the individual. Hallmark of maturation, conquerring ones fears, becomes increasingly more difficult as the size of the fear increases and increasing the size of the fear a Jew must face is the business of Islam.

In the free West where liberty still pervades to a large extent, all people gravitate to one of two ideologies, or mindsets. These two groups are here in America called conservative and liberal. The grvity that pushes an individual towards conservative is maturity, the gravity that pushes toward liberal is immaturity.

Because of the Jews special problem with maturing, more Jews than otherwise would be, remain immature and therefore become liberal. The policy of the liberal by their very nature, is to shrink from that which elicits fear, the essence of their immaturity, and instead submit to the fear of the elicitor, the bully.

From here it becomes clear the cunumdrum of the Jew. It is easier for the Jew to slough off his maturation process because it is unfairly harder for him. This predisposes him to liberalism. Liberalism submits to the bully due to their immaturity. The bully headhunts Jews. The liberal Jew submits to the very bully headhunting his Jewishness.

Though it is unfairly harder for the Jew, this is the same universal truth for all humans. In our lives we all at some point find ourselves to be St. George facing the fire breathing dragon. Can we find the courage to slay, or do we submit to our fear. The former risks life and limb but offers liberty and ones own unaleinable rights. The latter does not risk life and limb, but affords only fear and suzerainity.

For the American Jew, when he or she find themself to be St George facing the dragon, to stand up to the fear and slay the dragon is to vote republican, to submit to the fear of the dragon is to vote democrat. Easy to say, difficult to do. Thank you.

Posted July 15, 2011 at 1:51:29 PM


BoFromTexas

Perhaps no one has stated it plainly, but the "bigoted", prejudiced, racist, etc., Tea Party members are the best and most loyal friends that the Jews have ever had from the West. There is a reason for this, and the reason is simple. All men are created equal by God. The God of Tea Party members is the God of Jews. (The god of Mitt Romney is a cult figure.) That Jews at any time should support liberal causes is inexplicable. Any ability to reason should clearly bring a conclusion that liberal thinking will result in yet more pograms, attempts at Jewish annihilation, including Israel, and that such liberal support is absolutely not only self defeating, but will result in the same end as the Shakers, who have all but eliminated themselves from existence by their own policy. Cozying up to Islamists, or liberal policies of any sort, etc., is anathema to Jews. The Jews have the most successful family unit of any ethnic/religious group. That is success on many levels. Far fewer divorces, far fewer gender identification problems, far less crime, virtually no Jews on welfare, etc., etc., etc. Compare any oppositional group, or any identifiable ethnic group, and you will discover that the comparative statistics clearly prove that Jews need to defend a conservative lifestyle, conservative politics, Tea party ideals, and Southern Baptist philosophies about family, state/religious issues, for example. Following the conservative line of thought will lead to generational prosperity, a great deal more happiness, and few of the problems suffered by America as a whole today. Political and religious Conservatism ensures a fairly bright future. Liberalism is a road to Germany 1939, and subsequent disaster for the Jews, and for the German nation. My great-grandfather, a German Jew who emigrated to America in 1880, knew who his friends were. Modern Jews who fear Islam, but favor appeasement, will learn a old southern truism--you cannot negotiate with a water moccasin. You can run from him, or eliminate him, but every encounter will be of a hostile nature. He will never become your friend. A liberal will never be the friend of Jews.

Posted July 17, 2011 at 7:36:40 PM


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